Mitsubishi to Offer Plug-In Option on Every Model within Four Years

July 11th, 2012 by Silvio Marcacci

We’ve seen some bold moves in the electric vehicle industry over the past few months, but this may be the most ambitious of them all: Mitsubishi reportedly plans to offer either an electric-only, or plug-in hybrid version of every vehicle in its model range within four years.

Instead of creating an electric and plug-in hybrid version of each model, Mitsubishi will offer electric-only and gasoline-powered versions of smaller vehicles, and plug-in hybrid versions and gasoline versions of its larger and higher-performance vehicles.

If it is successful, Mitsubishi will become the first major automaker to complete a full transition to electric power.

The Japanese auto manufacturer already has taken concrete steps toward this goal. The 2012 i-MiEV electric minicar is already on sale in the United States, and a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander SUV is scheduled for release this fall.

But, hurdles remain in the way of Mitsubishi’s goal. Consumers have been slow to embrace all-electric vehicles, as low overall Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt sales can attest (though, notably, first-year sales were a few times higher than first-year sales of now extremely popular hybrids, like the Prius). The Toyota Prius is now an overwhelming success, now third overall in global auto sales, but Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid technology is unproven and would have to compete with the established Prius brand.

Still, Mitsubishi’s effort seems promising. The i-MiEV was named to Kelley Blue Book’s “10 Best Green Cars of 2012” list, and company executives are similarly bullish on the hybrid Outlander. “It offers the performance of a 3.0-liter V6 petrol engine,” said Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi UK. “We know the technology works and that it is good.”

Source: Autocar UK
Image Credit: Mitsubishi i-MiEV courtesy of Fedor Selivanov/Shutterstock

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Tags: Chevy Volt, Hybrid Outlander, Mitsubishi, mitsubishi i, Nissan Leaf, plug-in hybrid, toyota prius

About the Author

Silvio Marcacci Silvio is Principal at Marcacci Communications, a full-service clean energy and climate policy public relations company based in Oakland, CA.

Rob

The reason for the slow adoption of e-cars should be obvious to everyone. I wonder why media tip-toes around the obvious – We’re hanging onto old paid-for cars because it still costs less to gas up the old car than to make the payment on the new e-car which is still early stage technology. I’m waiting until old Betsy rolls over and expires and even then I’ll lease for at least 3 years to see how technologies develop to improve batteries, range, faster charging etc. The LAST thing you’d want is to BUY something now and be stuck in some dead-end or old technology 3 or 4 years from now.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  good points. i was thinking of buying if i’m ever in the market for a car. but leasing a bit first (if i were in the market soon enough) sounds intelligent.
Ross

Nitpick. They will not have completed a full transition until their new vehicles are pure EVs.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  lol.
  
  i thought the same.
Anne

It’s as if the writer thinks electric vehicle sales are a disappointment. Just a mere three years ago, there were no electric vehicles at all (apart from the expensive Tesla Roadster). Now there is a choice of various models and monthly sales worldwide are in the thousands.

How can you expect to go from 0 to mass market in such a short period in such a conservative, slow moving market? This is a completely natural start. Look at Rogers adoption curve: http://suewaters.wikispaces.com/file/view/Slide12B.JPG/31092781/Slide12B.JPG We are now still in the very beginning, the ‘innovators’ are the ones buying plugin vehicles.

Look at how people said just a few years ago that PV would never lead to anything, because it was all just a drip in the ocean. But they underestimated exponential growth and sales are in the tens of GW’s and still growing fast. Don’t help the naysayers by repeating them. Sales are on track to deliver a market share of 1-3% by 2020, which is in line with the projections of most auto industry insiders.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  I’m old enough to have experienced multiple technology shifts – film to digital, CRTs to flat screens, adding machines, typewriter, ‘hot lead’ and drafting tables to computers and others.
  
  The first I remember was from slide rules to calculators. When scientific calculators first came out the guys who wore a slide rule holster on their belt would brag about how much faster they were than someone punching on buttons.
  
  Within two years both major manufacturers of slide rules ceased production. It took computers and digital photography more like a decade, but once change gets underway change can happen quickly.
  
  Here’s my prediction: Within five years of 175 mile range EVs that cost less than $5k of a comparable oil-fueled model EVs will capture at least a 30% new car market share.
  
  I’m pretty much willing to bet that once EVs hit the 175 mile/<$5k more point EV prices will fall to less than that of ICEVs. (Manufacturer suggested prices. When specific vehicles are in high demand dealers often boost the price considerably.)
  - http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
    
    i would not bet against E Musk: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/02/teslas-elon-musk-predicts-50-of-new-cars-evs-in-20-years-model-s-gets-epa-rating-of-89-mpge-265-mile-range/
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  nice graph, and comments. the graph reminds me of this wonderful video: http://planetsave.com/2011/04/08/funny-dancing-video-insightful-commentary/