Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to introduce a large plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) to the domestic market by 2013.
The product, which can be charged at home, will be equipped with a gasoline engine used exclusively for electricity generation, making it different from plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) that run on both electricity and gasoline-powered engines, the automaker said.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to lease PHVs to companies and organizations starting this year.
Mitsubishi's plan is expected to accelerate competition for PEV development in light of U.S. President Barack Obama's target of having 1 million plug-in vehicles on the streets in 2015.
Mitsubishi's PEV will run mainly on an electric motor. When the battery dies, the gasoline engine will kick in and generate electricity.
The use of the gasoline engine is needed because electric vehicles (EVs) that run only on electric motors are limited in terms of mileage and body size.
The design of Mitsubishi's first large PEV will likely be based on the maker's popular Pajero sport utility vehicle.
Models manufactured on an experimental basis will be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in autumn this year.
Sales of the PEV will start in Japan and eventually spread to the United States and Europe, the automaker said.
In July this year, Mitsubishi plans to sell in Japan its iMiEV, an electric vehicle whose design is based on those of mini cars. Sales will initially be targeted at companies and other organizations.
The EV emits no carbon dioxide. But the iMiEV's lithium-ion battery can take the vehicle only 160 kilometers per charge, about one-fourth of the distance of a gasoline-powered car on a full tank.
The technological difficulties of producing midsize or large EVs prompted Mitsubishi to develop a large-size PEV.
By 2020, 20 percent of Mitsubishi's global production will consist of EVs or PEVs, according to the automaker.
General Motors Corp. also regards its PEV, named Volt, as one of the pillars in its reconstruction plan. The struggling maker plans to put the Volt on the market in 2010.(IHT/Asahi: June 4,2009)