Mitsubishi adds "hybrid-hybrid" Outlander PHEV to its lineup

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      There’s no question: battery-powered cars are gaining in popularity. The all-electric Tesla, for example, has sold more than 40,000 units since its introduction in 2012, and Nissan’s Leaf is the best-selling all-electric car in the world, with some 50,000 going out showroom doors in North America since 2010.

      But the problem of operating range lingers. Even the top-of-the-line Tesla will run out of juice eventually, and if you’re not near a charging station, it’s the tow truck for you.

      To get around this and the consumer phenomenon known as range anxiety, manufacturers have come up with a kind of hybrid-hybrid. It uses a conventional internal-combustion/electric-motor system combined with a plug-in arrangement that allows you to charge the car—or not. General Motors’ Volt, Ford’s Focus EV, and the Toyota Prius are just a few models that have this setup.

      And now Mitsubishi, which has supplied 30 all-electric i-Miev cars to the City of Vancouver, has added another plug-in to its lineup: the Outlander PHEV.

      Featuring spinoff technology taken from the i-Miev, the Outlander PHEV is, in the company’s own words, the world’s first all-wheel-drive plug-in SUV. It has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine mated to a 60-kilowatt electric motor up front, with another 60-kilowatt electric motor in the back—some 200 horsepower in total—mated to a continuously variable transmission. A lithium-ion battery pack fuels the electric motors and the system will automatically select the most efficient driving mode, depending upon driving conditions.

      For example, if you’re driving along in pure electric power and come to a hill, the “series hybrid mode” will start the engine and provide additional power. Ditto if you need to overtake another car or if the battery starts to deplete. Driving with pure electric power, the Outlander PHEV has a range of about 60 kilometres, depending upon conditions, and the vehicle can reach a top speed of around 120 km/h before the engine cuts in.

      The all-wheel-drive system, meanwhile, is aimed more at handling poor road conditions and lousy weather than it is scrambling through the bush or slogging through deep mud. This is still an SUV, after all, and, at this point, the Outlander PHEV is not equipped to do any towing—although that may change. “In Europe, these kinds of vehicles have to have towing capacity,” Mitsubishi program technician Christian Dion said. “But for North America, this feature is still on the drawing boards.”

      As far as recharging goes, the Outlander PHEV can be brought up to full charge in some six-and-a-half hours with conventional household 120-volt current, four hours with 240 volts, and a “quick charge” zap in about 30 minutes at 440 volts. “This gives it about 80 percent,” Dion said. With a purported 93 charging stations in the Lower Mainland, this means that—theoretically, at least—that you could drive this car indefinitely on pure electric power around Vancouver.

      Mitsubishi showed the new Outlander for the first time in Canada in Vancouver recently. Because production hasn’t ramped up fully, the company actually had to buy two units from their European division and ship them over for training and product launch—although Dion claimed that the event in Vancouver was not a product launch. If you say so.

      One of the intriguing features of the Outlander PHEV is a six-setting regenerative braking system that is controlled via steering wheel–located paddles. You can increase or decrease the brake drag while underway, and this setup prolongs the vehicle’s range automatically while regulating speed. It works well, and any transitions between pure electric and hybrid power are virtually seamless.

      The models we drove were obviously European spec and equipped with leather interior, backup camera, climate control, Bluetooth, power tailgate, hill start assist, and on and on, as well as a full whack of instrumentation. The car will tell you if your driving habits are sensible, and a multi-information display will provide an energy-flow indicator—how much power is going where, in other words. You can also keep an eye on your range, and when you’re away from the vehicle, a smart-phone app will let you control the charging timer—recharging it at night, for example—as well as turn on/off the air conditioner and regulate the length of the charging process.

      So when will the Outlander PHEV go on sale in Canada? How much will it cost? No idea for the latter, but Mitsubishi did point to the pricing structure of the current, non-PHEV model. A full-zoot, all the bells and whistles, all-wheel-drive GT starts at $36,198, so the PHEV is bound to be in that neighbourhood. We should see it in Canada sometime in mid-2015—after all the various regulatory hurdles have been dealt with and the company has its service personnel and dealerships up to speed.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      RUK

      Sep 16, 2014 at 12:53pm

      How did it actually drive? Does the battery cut down trunk space, as in the new Jetta hybrid?

      The reviews of the gas Outlander are mediocre at best, and lookswise has little to separate it from a 60s fridge lying on its side, but hopefully the electric drive would pep it up.

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      Grug

      Sep 17, 2014 at 8:31am

      If this is a seven-seater like the current Outlander, I will be first in line to get one. If not, I'm sticking with a gas guzzling minivan.

      turn over a new Leaf

      Sep 19, 2014 at 10:03pm

      "Even the top-of-the-line Tesla will run out of juice eventually, and if you’re not near a charging station, it’s the tow truck for you."

      Umm. OBVIOUSLY. The same can be said for any gas car. You'll run out of gas eventually and if you're not near a gas station, it's the tow truck for you.

      Every piece I read on electric cars begins this way, with dire range warnings and a dollop of doom.

      Automotive writers need to stop inserting their ignorance and bias into their columns as gospel and actually think about what they're saying.

      Bilbo Baggins

      Sep 22, 2014 at 9:27am

      turn over: What a stupid comment. Are there as many charging stations as there are gas stations? The writer of the piece should also have added that one of the biggest impediments to widespread usage of electric cars is the quality of the people who own them. A more smug, self-satisfied, touchy, and I-know-better-than-you group of snobs you won't find anywhere. Get over yourselves.........

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