Intelligent Technology

It is our aim to cut vehicle-produced global line up CO₂ emissions by 50% from the 2005 level, primarily through CO₂ reductions achieved by introducing both electric and plug in hybrid vehicles, improving the fuel economy of internal combustion engine powered vehicles, and by making lighter and smaller vehicles.

Mitsubishi Electric Vehicles (EVs)

We’re no strangers to EVs and have been actively developing this technology since the 1970s.

• Our FTO EV broke the record for the furthest distance achieved by an electric vehicle in 24 hours when it covered 2,142.3 km in December, 1999.
• The Eclipse EV completed more than 400 kms in December 1999, at the annual Shikoku EV Rally - and all on a single charge.
• Evo MiEV ran in the Shikoku EV Rally in 2001, with its revolutionary in-wheel motor technology.

Not only that, but all our experience has helped us get the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) into full production before any other mainstream manufacturer. Widely available in Japan this vehicle is now on sale in the UK (since July 2009).

• Up to 93 mile range
• 81 mph top speed
• £2.09 per full charge (based on an average of 10p per kWH)
• Fully charged in 7 hours using a standard household plug
• 80% charge in 30 minutes using Quick Charge function
• £0 Vehicle Excise Duty
• No congestion charge
• Seats 4 adults comfortably, plus luggage
• 88 high capacity lithium-ion batteries
• Instant acceleration with maximum torque at 0 rpm

We call this intelligent Motion.

Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid

The Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Crossover Concept is at the pinnacle of our Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle programme.

This futuristic-looking vehicle uses Mitsubishi’s Plug-in Hybrid system to significantly extend the amount of time that the vehicle can be driven in electric-only mode, without having to depend on the car’s other source of propulsion; its internal combustion engine.

It means the vehicle’s on-board batteries can be charged from the three-pin socket in your home, dramatically boosting the vehicle’s fuel economy, returning fuel economy in excess of 140.9 mpg.

The PX-MiEV is not just a car - it can double up as a mobile ‘power station’ too. It uses highly advanced electronics to monitor its own, on-board electricity generation while it is being driven, so that power from the parked vehicle can be allowed to flow back into the national grid in times of need.

The PX-MiEV is very much a new generation concept car that balances high environmental performance with running performance, by harnessing differential motors and Mitsubishi’s all-new S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) and E-AYC (Electric-powered Active Yaw Control) which transfers torque to the rear left and right wheels.

The Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV’s front and rear wheels are powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors. It also has a 1.6L DOHC MIVEC petrol engine which can power the front wheels as well as run as a generator.

The newly-developed Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid System boasts electronic circuitry that automatically, and constantly, switches to the optimum drive mode for different driving conditions, making life easier for the driver.

And that on-board electricity monitoring and generation? Its creators say that in addition, to maximise effective use of the battery, this will enable the vehicle’s ‘power supply mode’, allowing battery power to supply both domestic appliances or to become an emergency power source in the event of a localised ‘outage’.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Clean diesel engines

To some, “clean diesel” would seem to be something of an oxymoron – how, after all, can “diesel” be “clean”? Well, our engines are at the core of next-generation environmental technology. Our diesel engines are more fuel-efficient and emit less CO₂ than comparable sized petrol engines, so they obviously have potential in the fight against global warming.

Mitsubishi Motors’ clean diesel engine technology involves using the MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control) system which features single-valve stoppage and a variable valve timing mechanism at the inlet valve.

This means that the engine can vary the amount of fuel needed for each cylinder depending on what you’re doing – anything from a hard uphill climb, to easy motorway cruising, or slow city traffic. This means it gives superior exhaust gas performance and maximizes power output compared with a conventional diesel engine.

The world’s first variable valve timing diesel engine is our 1.8 MIVEC diesel (as used in ASX); and it is also lighter in weight and so allows optimal front-rear vehicle weight distribution and needs less fuel to move the lighter vehicle.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Flex-fuel technology

A flex-fuel vehicle can run on petrol, bioethalene or a mixture of the two.

Bioethalene fuel is produced from plants and is, therefore, designated as a zero emission fuel under the carbon neutral concept.

The Mitsubishi FFV system achieves optimal fuel consumption by estimating the ratio of ethanol in the fuel based on the output of an exhaust gas density sensor, thus allowing the engine to handle petrol- ethanol fuel mixtures with proportions ranging between 0% and 100%.

Mitsubishi DDV technology has been available in a number of markets since 2007 and only requires the ready availability of ethanol fuel before our Flex-fuel technology finds its way to the UK.

The use of flex fuel systems helps promote a more sustainable future for all of us by reducing the dependency on traditional fossil fuels and by reducing no just CO2 emissions, but emissions of carbon monoxide and carcinogenic particulates.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Twin Clutch Sports Shift Transmission (SST)

Development of the Twin Clutch SST transmission is a part of the effort to develop more fuel-efficient cars.

It combines a mechanically efficient manual transmission with two wet multi-plate clutches that enable less drop-off in engine power compared to conventional torque converters and it provides fast, smooth, lag-free gear changes alongside a fuel economy which is equivalent to or even better than that with a manual transmission.

So, as you don’t need to depress a clutch, you don’t lose power, you don’t waste fuel, you don’t generate excessive exhaust emissions, and you go further on a tank of fuel.

The TC-SST was launched initially in the Lancer Evolution X and has since become available in the UK on the Lancer Ralliart and Outlander models.

Another little-known fact is that the Lancer Evolution X 5-speed manual transmission has no reverse gear. So how do you go backwards? Well, our clever engineers have used an idler gear which causes 1st and 3rd gears to work together to provide reverse motion. The benefit to you is that the whole transmission is much lighter, which means the car is lighter and needs less fuel to move - thus saving fuel, emissions and money.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Gear Shift Indicator

The way you drive your car can have an enormous effect on the amount of fuel it uses - and the amount of emissions it produces, too. And Mitsubishi knows, from research, that many drivers needlessly rev their engines when it is simply not necessary.

So we introduced the Gear Shift Indicator to help drivers to change gear at the right time; combined with gentle acceleration it dramatically reduces the load on the engine and helps it operate far more efficiently.

Take the system on the Colt, for example. On-board computers constantly monitor engine loads and - when it’s best to change up or down a gear - it informs the driver with an arrow in the centre of the instrument panel.

Simple, but highly effective.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Green plastics

Every car uses plastic; it’s lightweight, strong, durable and attractive. But if not properly managed, its use can have serious effects on the environment both during its production, and at the end of a vehicle’s life.

Which is why we have been using recycling-friendly thermoplastics wherever we possibly can on our range of vehicles, including on the i-MiEV. This means inside and outside our cars on components such as the bumper, radiator grille and even the instrument panel.

Replaced body parts - such as bumpers - are used all over again. They are recycled back into items such as battery covers, wheel housing covers, centre ducts and filler-neck protectors.

Green plastics are the generic name for materials made from plant- based resins.

Not only are they carbon neutral in themselves but their use is also instrumental in conserving finite petroleum resources. To date Mitsubishi have developed automobile parts from polybutylene succinate (PBS) bamboo fibre board and polylactic acid (PLA fibres), the latter being used for items such as floor mats as well as interior trims and garnishes.

We have also developed a thermosetting resin from Cedar wood waste found on the forest floor which is being used to fabricate durable, heat resistant parts such as oil caps and pulleys for petrol vehicles, motor and battery compartments, and even ashtrays. Many of these ‘green plastic’ parts are to be found in the i-MiEV and will be introduced into other vehicles in the near future.

And how do we keep track of our green plastics? It seemed impossible at first, but in fact since 1991, all recyclable plastic fittings weighing over 100 grams on our cars have been engraved with a special serial number. That means we know what it’s made of, where it comes from - and how it can best be recycled.

We call this intelligent Motion.

Power-saving air conditioning systems

In conjunction with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi have developed a new type of scroll compressor which, in conjunction with a program of operating temperature optimization, has resulted in a more efficient auto air conditioning system.

In tests the system showed a 39% reduction in power consumption together with a 7% improvement in performance which, in practice, means that using this system would have virtually no impact on fuel consumption. This system was awarded a US Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award in 2007.