Here Comes the CA-MiEV!

Nice video. But front-wheel drive? That's kind of a step down from the i-MiEV... I got to do a short handling exercise through a construction chicane and really enjoyed the rear-wheel drive. This is not just my first EV, it's my first rear-wheel drive car. (I've had two motorcycles which, obviously, were rear-wheel drive too.)

Thinking about wireless charging, doesn't it make sense to have the coil in the front of the car rather than the rear? Seems to be easier to line up a front-mounted coil, especially when thinking about vehicles of different lengths.

It's not too late, Mitsubishi! Swap the charging coil to the front and put the motor back in the rear! :lol:

Front Wheel drive can get more regenerative braking; because of the weight shift that occurs under braking. The front brakes do about 70% of the braking (on any vehicle) - that is why the front brakes are always more powerful on all cars; and so this means that regenerative braking can also be more effective.

The low center of gravity (Cg) is what helps EV's handle so well.

NeilBlanchard said:

Front Wheel drive can get more regenerative braking; because of the weight shift that occurs under braking. The front brakes do about 70% of the braking (on any vehicle) - that is why the front brakes are always more powerful on all cars; and so this means that regenerative braking can also be more effective.

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I must ask for clarification on this assertion. Yes, front friction brakes are more powerful for the reasons that you stated, but what does that have to do with the effectiveness of regenerative braking? As long as the driven wheels don't skid, maximum regenerative braking will be available. Under certain conditions (e.g., icy road and/or steep downhill and/or emergency stop), the rear wheels on a rear-wheel drive car might skid under a regenerative or friction braking force, but under most conditions, regenerative braking isn't powerful enough to cause traction loss.

Is it possible for regenerative braking to be so powerful that it might cause the rear wheels of a rear-wheel drive EV to lose traction under normal conditions? Could a battery pack absorb the high amperage that would be necessary for such powerful regenerative braking?

I do have to agree with you, Alohart. While the front brakes do most of the work, there should be no difference in regen capability as long as the wheels are moving at the same speed (e.g., not skidding).

Since wireless charging points are VERY alignment-sensitive, having them in the front of the vehicle would make it easier for humans to align. Additionally, with the different lengths of vehicles, having them at the front of the vehicle makes sense -- otherwise people have to back their vehicle in and align the charging spot. A difficult task for many.

Definitely a show car, far away from production...

Can't. Stop. Salivating.

You can tell a car is a "show car" when its steering wheel isn't round, and the seats just look bizarre. Pretty much everything else on that picture is semi-realistic. I wonder how the car-buying public would react to an interior that would look at home in the movie Tron?

The physics of braking are the same, no matter where the braking force is coming from. When the weight shifts forward during deceleration, more braking force can be applied to the front wheels than to the back. So, there is more potential regenerative braking when the electric motor is attached to the front wheels.

Back on topic: I hope that Mitsubishi is being coy about the production plans for the CA-MiEV. The outside looks pretty close to production ready, and only the non-round steering wheel looks "concepty" in the interior image. Also missing from the interior is any monitors for the side view video mirrors (aka e-mirrors). I really hope those survive to the production car; as they help lower the drag both with a better Cd and with a smaller frontal area.

Oh, and I hope that the slim-but-ergonomic seats survive into production as well. Whats' the point of filling up so much interior space and adding so much weight with fat seats?

NeilBlanchard said:

Oh, and I hope that the slim-but-ergonomic seats survive into production as well. Whats' the point of filling up so much interior space and adding so much weight with fat seats?

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+ 1

For um-uh robust North Americans. Our EV brethren/sistren seem to cater to this unlike our efficient i-MiEV with size right/weight seats for an EV.

NeilBlanchard said:

Back on topic: I hope that Mitsubishi is being coy about the production plans for the CA-MiEV.

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They're not being coy at all. They're not building this CA-MiEV show car for sale, period. It's a demonstration mule for various technologies they plan to roll out in other vehicles over the coming years, both PHEVs and BEVs. They really couldn't be any clearer. That said, I do like the little thing, and I do hope they bring an updated affordable EV to the U.S. with more visual appeal, perhaps inspired by the CA-MiEV (I like the i-MiEV's looks, but I realize that I tend to see it with an engineer's eye, impressed by its space efficiency). Until that day comes, I just hope they keep the i-MiEV on the market, preferably at a reduced price. I guess we'll see.

Have you folks seen the SIM-WIL (or SIM-LEI) concept cars? Mitsubishi is a partner in the SIM-Drive consortium, and the looks of the front end are obvious:


Here's a video of both the SIM-WIL (blue car) and the SIM-LEI (white car):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6fVX7tgGs&feature=player_embedded

The SIM-LEI has a Cd of just 0.19, which is very close to the VW XL1 and the GM EV1. The SIM-WIL is not quite as good, but I'm sure it beats the CA-MiEV by a good bit. It has a ~35kWh pack and a range (probably tested the same way the CA-MiEV got it's 186 mile range number) of 218 miles.

Also, please notice the small optical mirrors with integrated video mirrors, that are visible at 1:07 in the video. The SIM-WIL has an active cooling grill, which you can see in open and closed positions in these, as well.

Here's a 2 year old post on the CA-MiEV that I had not seen before:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/mitsubishi-ca-miev-concept-photos-and-info-news




This could go up against the Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3, 2nd gen Leaf, etc. I hope Mitsubishi keeps going forward with their EV's!