IMiev Chassis

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iRev

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
6
Hi everyone,

I was considering getting an iMiev and was doing some research on it. I went to the Toronto autoshow with the IMiev on display, but none of the representatives could tell me whether or not the chassis of the iMiev was made of aluminum or steel. Admittedly, I'd love it if it were made of aluminum (as found in higher end cars and would not rust). I came across a paper published by the makers of the iMiev stating weight savings with aluminum chassis construction - however I'm not sure if it was implemented or not. Would anyone know if the chassis is made of steel or aluminum? Thanks in advance!
 
Looking further:

https://mitsubishi-media.co.uk/doc/805/pack

mentions it has an aluminium structure, but other sites say steel. Pretty weird that if the space frame was made of aluminum, then why isn't it touted more just like what Honda did with its NSX, first gen Insight, or the Audi A8, Jaguar XK etc? :s


This site claims that a Mitsubishi product manager said the structure is aluminum but the panels are steel:
http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2009/08/14/review_e_car_mitsubishi_imiev/


I honestly don't know; you guys are right the video didn't mention anything about it. Some sites say aluminum some sites say steel - so confusing.
 
The technical review provides a lot of information about this and seems to say that the entire car is aluminum. But, then I see 2004 in the footer, is that the year this was published? I didn't think the i came out in Japan until 2006. In another post, someone asked about rust and a member from Poland showed rust spots on his Peugot version. I know some or most are steel. A good person to get a definitive answer is the guy that bought the flooded i-MiEV from Hurricane Sandy. He's got the battery out and can take a good look around to see what the body and frame are made of. (http://300mpg.org/).

What I found very interesting in this review is the mention of a Cd of 0.24 not the 0.35 we are being told the i's Cd value is. Yet, they also mention the spoiler that we don't get in the North American versions, for the 10% reduction in aerodynamic drag - I'm wondering how to get one. The 0.24 is even better than the Model S's 0.29. This technical article brings up more questions than answers. Thanks for sharing it.
 
You can check material with a magnet tuching on different reachable spots of chasis. I think at least most of it is made of steel. I-miev wouldn't be so damn heavy without steel chasis.
 
I had seen this when I first got Sparky :
UK spoiler
http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/accessories/items.aspx?type=56&group=44

tain't cheap usd $321.42

They even have a roof rack!
 
Cars made of aluminum, or even partially from aluminum are at the upper end of the price range for their type of car. Sure, it would be nice to have an aluminum EV and maybe one day it will even be possible, but the iMiEV was designed from the ground up to be able to say it was the most affordable mass produced EV for sale anywhere and that pretty much precludes using anything exotic, including aluminum

As the video points out, the battery alone is half the price of the car and then when you add in another $7500 or so for the motor, inverter and charger you're left with about a $7500 econobox chassis without most of the niceties we'd all love to have - Heck, I'd happily give up any thoughts of aluminum just to get a decent suspension, but the money just isn't there . . . . in other words, I wouldn't have paid $35K for this car with a better suspension, nor would I add another $5K to get one made of aluminum

If an all aluminum EV is something you're looking for, you'd be somewhere in the price range of an NSX, an Audi or a Jaguar . . . . plus another $25K or so for the battery, drive train technology and electronics. There probably will be an all aluminum EV one day, but 'ordinary' people will likely never own one because of the price

Don
 
Don said:
There probably will be an all aluminum EV one day, but 'ordinary' people will likely never own one because of the price
Don
Well gosh Don, there already is. ;) It's the TESLA Model S, and it's a bargain compared to it's petro-peers if it lasts as it should, and every indication is that it will.
http://www.pluginamerica.org/drivers-seat/why-plug-vehicles-are-so-inexpensive
I don't own one due to the price and lack of availability in late 2011, when I bought my i, but do expect that my next car will be a TESLA. (Though the current fleet should suffice for another ten years if I let it!)
 
jray3 said:
Don said:
There probably will be an all aluminum EV one day, but 'ordinary' people will likely never own one because of the price
Don
Well gosh Don, there already is. ;) I don't own one due to the price . . . .
Which probably means you're about as 'ordinary' as the rest of us! ;-)

Don
 
Don said:
ar . . . . plus another $25K or so for the battery, drive train technology and electronics. There probably will be an all aluminum EV one day, but 'ordinary' people will likely never own one because of the price
At about $21,000 in 2000, the 1,900 lb. all-aluminum Honda Insight was affordable to ordinary people, so it seems that 13 years later, an affordable aluminum EV should be available as a pioneering EV that the manufacturer would sell at a loss to get real-world experience as Honda did. But no manufacturer seems willing to do this now (short-term thinking?). So we'll have to wait to see whether Tesla will be able to sell an affordable aluminum EV in the near future.
 
Was the Insight a profitable venture for Honda . . . . or were they happy to lose money on each car to get the data they were looking for?

Don
 
Don said:
Was the Insight a profitable venture for Honda . . . . or were they happy to lose money on each car to get the data they were looking for?
Consensus on the Insight Forum is that Honda lost money on each one. Mitsu's present iMiEV marketing and dealer retiscence remind me of an almost identical attitude by Honda in the middle of the last decade - in fact, the Honda salespeople would emphatically steer you away from the Insight. Honda had bragging rights for seven years as the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered production vehicle in the world )which is still true today for that Gen1 Insight). I was lucky enough to buy a brand-new 2006 (for around $19K) when they were discontinued (they were normally special-order), after being the happy owner of a used 2002 I had first purchased - lifetime is still over 77mpg on the first one.

Back on topic, the iMiEV in aluminum would be nice, but the iMiEV is a simple hard-working utility vehicle and such sophistication would be a waste, IMO.
 
The original Insight was not only a lighter weight vehicle - it was also very low aerodynamic drag with a Cd of 0.25. Also, the EV1 is the most efficient production electric car yet, and the EV1 was not a light weight car - but it was the lowest aerodynamic drag production car with a Cd of 0.20.

The Insight is the most efficient ICE powered production car (the electric motor and battery are there only to supplement the optimized engine) and it probably averages about 70MPG. The EV1 (which also has just two seats) averaged about 160Wh/mile, which is equivalent to about 200MPGe. The EV1 is also very quick! Obviously the EV1 is far more efficient; despite the fact that it weighs almost twice as much as the Insight. It has a far more efficient drivetrain AND it is significantly lower aerodynamic drag.

Mitsubishi is involved with the SIM-Drive project, and the SIM-LEI and SIM-WIL concept cars have ranges of over 200 miles. THAT is the kind of EV they should build for the next i MiEV!
 
You guys are right; and the paper was indeed old, so a lot must have changed from the time of that design to production.

I considered buying a 1st gen Honda Insight when I got out of high school back then, but it being only a two-seater was a no-go. Still, looks apart (I didn't really dig the covered wheels), it was amazing for being all-aluminum at that price. Nowadays, there is a company that converts it to a K20 motor one - it loses its hybrid-ness but it gets real performance (being light weight an all) at decent mileage, and by this time the original batteries are all but dead anyway and hard to find decent working ones at a fair price.

I was really really hoping the iMiev followed the same suit. Would be nice since it was a four seater and all too. :c
 
I also posted on the flooded iMiev person's blog (Ben) asking him, as suggested by MLucas. Let us see if he replies (hopefully).
 
iRev said:
I also posted on the flooded iMiev person's blog (Ben) asking him, as suggested by MLucas. Let us see if he replies (hopefully).
If you're still inquiring about the use of aluminum on the car, I can tell you that there are no metal parts of my car that a magnet doesn't stick to - I checked all of the exterior panels as well as the door jambs and everything underneath that I could reach. Pretty sure it's 100% steel

Don
 
iRev said:
I considered buying a 1st gen Honda Insight when I got out of high school back then, but it being only a two-seater was a no-go. Still, looks apart (I didn't really dig the covered wheels), it was amazing for being all-aluminum at that price. Nowadays, there is a company that converts it to a K20 motor one - it loses its hybrid-ness but it gets real performance (being light weight an all) at decent mileage, and by this time the original batteries are all but dead anyway and hard to find decent working ones at a fair price.
Actually, what has happened with NiMH cells like those used in the Insight should happen with the Li ion cells in the i-MiEV: cells with greater capacity should be available for a lower price. Honda sold the original Insight 6.5 Ah battery pack for $4,000-5,000 whereas you can now buy an 8 Ah battery pack for around $2,000. These new cells have a lower internal resistance and run cooler as a bonus, so it's actually easy to find an improved battery pack for an Insight. I'm confident that the same will be true for our i-MiEV battery pack.
 
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