Costs Cut With Latest Hybrids
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday July 19, 2008
MITSUBISHI and Hyundai are the most recent to commit to cars with alternative power trains, with the Japanese company deciding to put its iMiev all-electric four-door city car into production next year.
The four-seater is just 3.4 metres long, weighs 1080 kilograms and can cover up to 160 kilometres on one charge of its lithium ion batteries.Mitsubishi Australia chief executive Rob McEniry says the first iMievs will go to government fleets in Japan but he expects them to be available for export when they go on general sale in Japan in 2010."Mitsubishi is placing a lot of emphasis on environmental technologies and has been for some time," he says. "That includes the drive trains, the materials used in the car, the manufacturing processes and recyclability - that's a big issue."McEniry says he is keen to bring the iMiev to Australia, although he says it will need some re-engineering to meet Australian design rules.In Korea, Hyundai will start retail sales of a hybrid Elantra next year, claiming it will have the lowest operating costs of any hybrid on the market. The car, known as a "mild hybrid", will be powered by an internal combustion engine using LPG, backed up by an electric motor and battery pack.The Elantra saves more fuel by using a continuously variable transmission.Hyundai estimates buyers will be able to recoup the extra cost of the LPG hybrid within two years in Korea, where LPG costs 4 per cent less than petrol. The price differential is much greater in Australia, promising a faster payback time.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald