Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Production Doubling With Fire Investigation Resolved
This article was originally published on EV Obsession.
Production of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is set to double now that the source of some fire-related issues has been identified.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which is produced in Japan, is going from 2,000 produced a month to 4,000 a month.
The highly anticipated Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is supposed to hit the US market in 2014. Sales started in Japan in January 2013.
“In March, the company halted Outlander PHEV production because of a melted battery at a Yokohama dealership,” Autoblog writes. “Mitsubishi since discovered that the batteries, which are produced by Lithium Energy Japan, are short circuiting from a screening process (since discontinued) that infected the batteries with contaminants.”
Notably, this isn’t the only Mitsubishi-related vehicle that has run into fire problems of late. “Lithium Energy Japan is a Mitsubishi joint-venture with GS Yuasa, which makes batteries for the Boeing Dreamliner. That airline model was recently affected by a number of fires recently.”
Green Car Reports adds: “With a likely electric range of 20-25 miles once it’s tested to EPA standards (it’s 35 miles on the Japanese cycle) and 245 pounds-feet of torque from its electric all-wheel drive system, it’s sure to make a mark in the U.S. too–as the first plug-in hybrid SUV on the market.”
It also notes that the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s battery and motor installation will be consolidated to speed up production.
(If you happened to watch the video at the top, is that hilarious or what? :D)
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