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Report: Mitsubishi Motors and Peugeot to Establish EV Alliance
16 June 2008
The Nikkei reports that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and PSA Peugeot Citroën Group are expected to establish an alliance for EVs that will likely include Mitsubishi’s providing lithium-ion batteries and related technologies.
The two firms are also considering joint venture production of electric vehicles, according to the report.
Demand for such vehicles is expected to grow as carbon dioxide emissions standards become tighter in the European Union and elsewhere. But European automakers are finding it difficult to develop such cars by themselves. By teaming up with Mitsubishi Motors, PSA Peugeot Citroën will be able to develop electric cars more quickly.
For Mitsubishi Motors, the tie-up will help lower the production costs of its electric vehicles through economies of scale...Supplying electric-car batteries to other firms and cutting production costs will be key to ensuring profits, as the company intends to lower the price of electric cars to 2 million yen [US$18,500] or less by 2011.
GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) launched a joint venture—Lithium Energy Japan—last December to manufacture large-capacity and high-performance lithium-ion batteries. (Earlier post.)
(A hat-tip to John!)
June 16, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Neil | June 16, 2008 at 03:20 PM
The race is certainly on. Now that each carmaker can see that some of their main rivals are taking EVs seriously, none of them wants to be the one that got left behind. And each one of those makers is pushing the battery developers as hard as they can. Whichever battery turns out to be the adopted favourite, the most successful makers of it will be worth billions of dollars.
I kept my last car 8 years. My current one I've had for 3 years and expect to keep another 2-3 years. When I trade it in I expect I will buy another gasoline car. But the car I buy after that I expect will battery powered.
Posted by: Stan Wellaway | June 16, 2008 at 04:10 PM
Stan:
In another 3 years (or a bit more) you may be able to buy any one of the half dozen++ PHEVs on the market.
I would buy a Toyota PHEV tomorrow if it was available. A 50 to 60 Km electric mode range would be acceptable but 80 to 100 Km would be idealfor us.
Meanwhile, we will buy or lease a Prius III in mid 2009 and try to upgrade it to PHEV, 2 or 3 years latter.
Posted by: HarveyD | June 16, 2008 at 04:53 PM
True, HD. And I imagine a lot of customers will go the PHEV route. But I am an out-and-out EV man meself. I have no problem with the temporary existence of hybrids, but I do see them as a stepping stone en route to the all-electric vehicle.
If I were to buy a hybrid it would be strictly a series-hybrid (a generator onboard as a range-extending battery charger only) not a parallel-hybrid. And i would want to move on to a pure EV as soon as possible.
Posted by: Stan Wellaway | June 17, 2008 at 03:20 AM
Stan W:
Many Prius II were successfully converted to PHEVs.
I assumed that similar conversion could be done on a Prius III. I'm being told that the Prius III is the precursor to the first generation Toyota Prius PHEV, coming out in 2010/2011?
I'm I reading the future correctly?
Posted by: HarveyD | June 17, 2008 at 01:16 PM
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They must be up nights in all of the car company board rooms these days. It's "adapt or die" time. We'll see who shakes out, who merges, who survives and who grows. Fortunes will be made or lost. Sure wish I had a crystal ball.