Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Only the news, but a potential step with Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to provide a diesel-hybrid powertrain interesting for several reasons.

First of all, Mitsubishi is not afraid to be first in innovative green technologies. Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the all-electric vehicles first hit the mainstream market. It was in Japan last year, but it’s headed to North America next year. Given the size of a smart-like and normal-sized price tag, the i-MiEV is likely to be a niche car for urban dwellers. That’s all right. This is a solid choice for EV buyers. Micro-cars are cute and fun and can even develop a cult-like following. Even if it does not sell in large numbers, the i-MiEV could catapult the Mitsubishi brand in front of U.S. consumers.

Lancer Evolution is also a niche vehicle icon with fanatic followers. The “Evo,” which has existed for nearly two decades, economic change-performance compact car to ride height by adding a powerful turbocharged engine, the all-wheel-drive and a lot of tweaks to improve handling and braking.

Mitsubishi engineers have to change the formula again in the green direction-if Evo would pass strict CO2 regulations in Europe and the United States beat combining clean diesel technology and hybrid gas-electric drivetrain in the next-generation Evo to cut CO2 emissions less than 200g/km, while providing 00-60 performance under five seconds.

Symbolic Value

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Of course, this is one more example of a hybrid that puts fuel efficiency performance of the first and second. 291-horsepower version of the U.S. when Evo only manage an average 20-mpg combined. We suspect that the double-whammy of diesel and hybrid to improve mileage over 30 MPG. But if the engineers might be a little streamlining the engine, and create a performance with a boost of torque diesel and battery power, then the model can approach twice the fuel economy in conventional versions.

The greatest barrier to keep the diesel-hybrid of the cost of production. Diesel engines are more expensive. Hybrids are more expensive. Add them together to increase the cost much more. The existing base level Lancer Evolution is about $ 34,000, so the diesel-electric can easily reach $ 40,000 or higher, with a relatively simple, clean vehicle tax incentives.

As-i MiEV electric, a diesel-electric Lancer Evolution is the first. No other car manufacturers who have the courage to combine the efficiency of diesel and hybrid. And like i-MiEV, this is a small car niche that garners media attention level is not proportional to the number of sales.

Bottom line: That makes Mitsubishi look like an innovative company, do our best to bring high technology an attractive option in the green market. Ideally, other carmakers will be followed by diesel-hybrid offering more affordable and more efficient, such as 70-mpg diesel-hybrid Volkswagen Golf we are talking about two years ago.

Mitsubishi is a diesel engine and electric-drive engineering skills, to make diesel-electric car Lancer Evo interesting. Enter into the i MiEV electric at the dealer, and suddenly there are two reasons for consumer high-tech green-inclined to visit a showroom Mitsubishi, they are not considered for years, if ever.

Source; http://www.hybridcars.com/news/another-first-mitsubishi-diesel-hybrid-lancer-evo-28093.html

One of the most important issues facing the electric car industry is the basic question of how to measure and list a trustworthy driving range. That issue is a hot topic on PluginCars.com, with experienced EV drivers weighing in.

Nick Chambers launched the discussion with a post about the real-world range of electric cars—not just the advertised mileage. He wrote that Nissan is holding firm to its claim that the Nissan LEAF will have a range of 100 miles. But he points to the Mini E , which was supposed to get 156 miles of range. “Over the last year and a half, none of the 300 or so Mini E lease customers in the U.S. have achieved much more than 100-110 miles on a charge,” Nick writes.

In the thread, Chelsea Sexton warns that “It only takes a few days for consumers to get over it, but if backlash over unmet range promises keeps them from trying an EV in the first place, range anxiety becomes permanent and it won’t matter how good the EV is otherwise.”

The “ex-EV1 driver” posits the idea that there’s a simple formula: 3 or 4 miles per kWhr—something that he regularly beats in his Tesla Roadster.

Mr. Fusion hopes the industry can find an understandable way to label efficiency and range. We understand what a 20-gallon tank can carry and we understand what a C or D size battery is. So, shouldn’t there be a better way?

What do you think? Join the conversation about driving range by visiting PluginCars.com, and logging in (or signing up for an account). We’ll continue to point HybridCars.com visitors to the hottest stuff on our new site.

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/hot-topic-plugincarscom-what-true-range-electric-car-28041.html

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Harris Green Car Tech Survey Is Questionable? It’s tricky business trying to predict how big the market for hybrids, electric cars and other alternative auto technologies will become. That becomes abundantly clear when looking at Harris Interactive’s recent poll of 12,225 U.S. adults ages 18 and over. The market research firm says 4 percent of consumers are extremely likely or very like to buy a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, or a fuel cell car. Yet, only 2 percent are equally likely to buy a pure electric car.

The question about likelihood to purchase assumed a certain amount of additional cost for each of the technologies. For example, conventional hybrids were assumed to carry a $3,500 premium; plug-in hybrids and EVs at $4,000; and fuel cell cars at $5,000.
Cheaper is Better?

It’s not surprising that survey respondents are not keen on spending thousands of dollars more on abstract technology concepts—removed from the specific vehicle that use those technologies. And if you offer similarly abstract technology choices for $1,000 (clean diesel); $500 (start-stop system), or $250 (eco-drive assistant), consumers are likely to go for those cheaper hypothetical options. Hence, the top-level finding of the Harris survey: “Owners choose lower cost technological solutions over higher priced alternative fuels.”

But are we any closer to understanding how fast hybrids will climb from the current 2.5 percent of the market? Do we have a better handle on why Ford thinks that somewhere between 10 and 25 percent of the market will be hybrid or plug-in by 2020—with 75 percent of those vehicles as conventional hybrids? What about Nissan’s contention that 10 percent of its sales will be electric cars by 2020? Wouldn’t it be more useful to ask about specific vehicles with specific price tags—like Ford Fiesta vs. Toyota Prius vs. Nissan Leaf vs. Chevy Volt?

Nonetheless, David Pulaski, Vice President of Harris Interactive Automotive and Transportation Research, does make critical points:

• As consumers become more familiar with alternative fuel approaches, and gasoline costs rise, demand will grow.
• To raise mass-market appeal, automakers and government agencies must educate consumers on the benefits they offer, while reducing infrastructure issues, and connecting to with consumers’ emotions.
• To meet industry requirements, such as CAFE, technologies that offer small incremental improvements in fuel economy are not going to be enough. We’re going to need bigger gains from technologies like hybrid, plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the survey:
Harris Interactive Survey Results

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the survey:

source: http://www.hybridcars.com/decision-process/green-car-market-surveys-raise-questions-28042.html

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