Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV II

Unveiled yesterday at the Tokyo Motor Show, the PX-MiEV II is about the size of a current Outlander but is powered by two electric motors and one internal combustion engine.

Mitsubishi says the PX-MiEV II is designed and engineered to meet all driving conditions, offering three drive modes that utilize a combination of electric and petrol power.

Using two 60kW electric motors individually powering the front and rear wheels, the PX-MiEV can drive in pure electric mode for up to 50km, which can extend to an overall range of around 800km when combined with its petrol engine.

For city and casual driving the PX-MiEV is likely to sit in EV mode, consuming no petrol. However, once the battery charge drops below a certain level, the 70kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine kicks in to act as a generator, supplying power to charge the battery. Mitsubishi calls this the Series hybrid mode.

The vehicle can also act much like a traditional hybrid, where the electric and petrol engines work together to power the wheels. In Parallels hybrid mode, the PX-MiEV uses the petrol engine for high speeds to reduce strain on the electric engines, which are better suited for low speed driving.

Mitsubishi expects the PX-MiEV to use just 1.67L/100km and if that figure remains even remotely the same for next-generation Outlander or ASX, Mitsubishi will have the most fuel efficient SUVs on the market.

In times of need, the PX-MiEV can also act as an emergency or outdoor power supply through a socket that supplies the stored power in the battery. In a sense, it can act like a generator converting petrol into electricity to power appliances or camping equipment. Like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi I-MiEV, the PX-MiEV is also vehicle-to-home compatible, meaning it can supply power to smart homes when the electricity grid is congested and then charge it self in off-peak periods.