MITSUBISHI Motors Corp, aiming to be the first mass-producer of all-electric cars, plans to introduce plug-in hybrids as early as 2013 to meet tightening vehicle-emission regulations worldwide.
The car maker will develop hybrids, which use gasoline engines and electric motors, as all-electric systems aren't efficient enough for sport-utility vehicles and other large models, Tohru Hashimoto, its head of electric-car development, said.
Unlike conventional hybrids, plug-ins can store more energy after being charged at electrical outlets to provide power for gasoline-free driving, Bloomberg News said.
Mitsubishi and other auto makers have boosted investments in hybrid and electric technologies because of tougher emissions rules, including European standards that may come into effect from 2012. General Motors and Toyota plan to introduce plug-ins by 2010.
"Mitsubishi needs to have eco-cars, while clearing stricter rules and making a profit," said Koji Endo, a senior analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo. The company "doesn't have enough resources to fund a new hybrid model," so it's "natural" to base the plug-ins on the all-electric models, he said.
Conventional hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, are mainly powered by the car's gasoline engine, which also charges battery packs. The batteries then power an electric motor to drive the vehicle at lower speeds.
Like plug-ins, Mitsubishi's all-electric i MiEV minicar will also be charged from a standard outlet. The company aims to sell 1,000 i MiEVs in the year starting on April 1, 2009, to fleet customers such as utilities. The cars, which don't use gasoline at all, will go on sale to consumers in the following fiscal year. European sales will start later. The company eventually plans to offer the vehicles in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
"We are the top runner in developing electric cars," President Osamu Masuko said at a shareholders meeting yesterday. "We will work harder to launch them by next September ahead of others."
Mitsubishi plans to develop electric commercial vehicles, Tetsuro Aikawa, managing director in charge of product strategy said yesterday.
Japan Post is among companies that Mitsubishi is in talks with as a potential buyer of electric vehicles.