Mitsubishi CA-MiEV concept EV with (up to) 186 miles range
 

Mitsubishi has given us a few images of their concept car called the CA-MiEV just ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, and we only know they say it will have (up to?) 186 miles of range on one charge. That is probably on the Japanese test cycle which is pretty generous, but even if it is 110-120 miles that will be a game changer.

http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...crop-smart.jpg
(click on image for link)

More pictures: Mitsubishi CA-MiEV Concept Photo Gallery - Autoblog

http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...crop-smart.jpg

They've done their homework!

Okay, here's a few more details on the CA-MiEV:

Mitsubishi CA-MiEV Concept (2013)

The Cd is 0.26 which is ~0.1 better than the i MiEV. And it may have WiTricity wireless charging (as an option?), a flat battery pack with a flat belly pan (as part of the lower Cd) and an 80kW motor. That is a big jump from the 47kW motor in the i MiEV; though no indication if it is front or rear wheel drive.

An actual picture!

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/...03/CA-MiEV.jpg

Mitsubishi reveals electric plans at Geneva | TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk

More real pictures:

http://www.inautonews.com/geneva-mot...ept-ca-miev-05

Ding, ding, ding! We know what the battery pack size is!

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2013...-next-ev-35415

So the battery pack is 28kWh and it weighs 200kg/440lbs more totaling 1300kg/2,866lbs, and the Cd is 0.26 - significantly better.

Edit: it is front wheel drive.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/mot...s-the-ca-miev/

Looks spiffy. Cd is still disappointing IMO. With an electric drivetrain you shouldn't have worlds of problems beating out hybrid vehicles since you don't have nearly the cooling system they do.

... or an exhaust system that prevents you from covering the full underside the car. This is only 0.01 better than Mitsu's utterly conventional-looking (to the point of being practically invisible) 1.0L ICE-powered Mirage hatchback.

It is nice to see the evolution continue, though.

I agree that they should have been able to get the Cd lower - a slight taper on the sides would go a long way, and flat wheels would be better, as well.

Having said that, it is a short car (front to back), and that makes it harder to get the Cd a whole lot lower; and it is 0.1 lower than the iMiEV. It is better than any other EV except the Model S, and only a little bit shy of the original Insight and the current Prius. If the production car is forced to have optical side mirrors, then the Cd will be worse.

They did lighten the chassis a fair bit, so it weighs ~400 pounds less than the 2013 Leaf even though it has a 4kWh larger battery. We'll see what the real world range is - I think ~120 miles is quite possible, so that is about 36 miles farther than the 2013 Leaf.

Some more real pictures:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....ept-geneva.jpghttp://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....ept-geneva.jpghttp://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....ept-geneva.jpghttp://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....ept-geneva.jpg

Looks more like the prius in shape vs an enclosed golf cart. Thinking since its ev the shape could be mo refined for efficiency unlike the room needed for a conventional or hybrid drivetrain.

Going by the Cd alone is a rough estimate; but it is the most important piece. The area is divided by the Cd, so the change in area has to be 3-5X greater than a change in Cd.

So, we could do some area calculations based on the known dimensions of the i MiEV vs the CA-MiEV. The i MiEV is probably taller, but narrower than the CA-MiEV; but they both are big enough to have two adults seated side by side, in relatively upright positions.

I know to a very precise level what the frontal area is for my CarBEN EV5 design (because I have the CAD drawings) and it is 25.1 square feet. Comparing this to the two Mitsubishi cars:

i MiEV dimensions:
This is 27.56 sq ft - but the actual frontal areas is less, because of the wheels and the sloped sides and curved roof, etc.

Here's the EM CdA list:

Vehicle Coefficient of Drag List - EcoModder

From that list:
The frontal area is ~15.5% lower than the HxW number.

The CA-MiEV is 1550mm High x 1775mm Wide = 61.02" x 69.88" W = 29.61 sq ft. - 15.5% = 25.02 sq ft So, the CdA of the CA-MiEV is 6.50 sq ft.

Even though the frontal area of the CA-MiEV is 1.8 sq ft (7.25%) greater than the i MiEV - the Cd of the CA-MiEV is 0.09 (~26%) lower.

The CdA of the CA-MiEV is 1.6 sq ft (19.5%) lower than the i MiEV.

The Cd is the most important factor in comparing cars, in my opinion.

I just love this car. I am so hoping the US will get them at some point.