Mitsubishi's new Outlander PHEV will use separate front and rear motors for its all-wheel-drive system.
Mitsubishi is doubling down its bet on battery power.
The struggling Japanese maker has been hoping to gain some traction with a push towards alternative propulsion that began with last year’s launch of the little i-MiEV electric vehicle. The next entrant into the battery line-up is a lithium-powered plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander.
Based on the new Outlander that was introduced earlier this summer, it will be the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV, Mitsubishi notes, and will make its public debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show.
The maker claims it offers “the best of three worlds.” That translates into an environmentally friendly drivetrain, especially when running on battery power, the cruising range of a conventional gas-powered vehicle, and the off-road capabilities of an SUV.
The automaker says it will bring the Outlander PHEV to market in Japan early next year. While it suggests other markets will follow it isn’t offering any details yet.
The driveline of the plug-in is “derived,” MMC says, from the little i-MiEV and other all-electric vehicles it is developing. The advantage of going to a plug-in is that the Outlander PHEV won’t be tethered to a nearby charging station. The i-MiEV, in a best-case scenario, can get barely 100 miles per charge, and typically quite a bit less.
Some key details apparently are being held back for Paris, but Mitsubishi says the new PHEV will get 55 km – about 35 miles, or roughly the same as the Chevrolet Volt and more than double the battery range of the Toyota Prius Plug-in – on a single charge of its 12 kilowatt-hour battery pack.
The maker is claiming what translates into an adjusted fuel economy number in excess of 100 MPGe – though the U.S. number would likely be substantially less – and a cruising range of about 550 miles on a full charge and a tank full of gas.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will offer three distinct modes:
- Electric-only, where the batteries drive both front and rear motors;
- Series Hybrid Mode, where the gas motor kicks in but only serves as a generator, the wheels being powered exclusively by the electric motors; and
- Parallel Hybrid Mode, where the gas motor also contributes the majority of the motive power. That arrangement is generally used for higher-speed driving, Mitsubishi noted.
Another distinct feature of the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is its electric all-wheel-drive system. There is no mechanical link between the front and rear motors. That is a concept that is expected to be used more widely in the future on a range of vehicles, including not only battery-based utes but even sports cars such as the upcoming revival of the Acura NSX.