The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has been revealed
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
We now know what the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV looks like, with the first official image being released just ahead of the vehicles debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show which will take place at the end of September.
The buzz around this vehicle is quite high considering that it is a bit of an innovative concept, a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, and a soft-roader.
The Outlander PHEV will feature two electric motors, supplying power to both axles, and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine generator which develops 70kW; the battery pack will be a 12kWh lithium-ion model.
The vehicle features a complex powertrain which will allow for the car to be driven in three different modes:
EV Drive mode – this is pretty much what you’d think it is, the vehicle will work exclusively off of the battery pack;
Series Hybrid mode – in this mode the petrol engine will act as a generator to supply electricity to the electric motors;
Parallel Hybrid mode – in this mode the petrol engine will supply most of the power with the electric motors being used to support it.
The battery pack takes about four and a half hours to completely charge from a 15-amp socket and will have an equivalent combined cycle fuel consumption of 1.6 litres per 100km – as far as Japanese testing standards go.
According to Mitsubishi the Outlander PHEV will deliver better responsiveness, finer control and lower friction loss thanks to its Twin Motor 4WD system. The vehicle also delivers some great all-terrain stability thanks to the Mitsubishi’s proven Super All Wheel Control S-AWC technology.
The Outlander PHEV is expected to go on sale in Japan towards the beginning of 2013.
