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Does Mitsubishi now have the most innovative plug-in hybrids? In the form of a practical SUV?
The answer has to be “yes”, because what Mitsubishi is introducing with the Outlander PHEV surpasses all other previously known solutions by far. The new Outlander PHEV is not just an SUV that has been equipped with a hybrid drive. It is also not a hybrid SUV that has been retrofitted with plug-in technology. Even when designing the Outlander, Mitsubishi made sure that the new outlander to construct so that he later in a development stage as fully integrated plug-in hybrid comes to the market. He is a PHEV SUV by birth.
Presentation: Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
The technology in detail
Because the new Outlander was designed as a plug-in hybrid from the start, the PHEV variant does not lose any talents compared to its brothers with diesel or gasoline engines. The ground clearance remains at just under 20 centimeters. The trunk is not really smaller (-14 liters) and the look is only marginally adjusted. And only to show the technical progress. The PHEV rolls on 18-inch light alloy wheels and has the special paint color “aqua-silver metallic”. The radiator grille was chrome-plated and its appearance changed. Otherwise, only the PHEV emblems and the second fuel filler flap announce the massive changes below the sheet metal.
And also as PHEV the Outlander possesses the all-wheel competence of the mark Mitsubishi.
The combination of four-wheel-drive SUV and electric vehicle
Mitsubishi has with the i-MiEV put the first mass-produced electric small car in the dealer showrooms. This makes Mitsubishi one of the pioneers of electrical engineering in the car. With the Outlander, they now combine the traditional expertise of the Mitsubishi brand with the new green technology. All-wheel drive, electric, hybrid, plug-in - new range records and a mixture of serial and parallel hybrid technology, all of this is in the new Outlander PHEV.
Under the bonnet, a gasoline engine with two liters of displacement, an electric motor with 82 PS and a power generator found their place. On the rear axle, another 82 PS electric motor has found its place. Hidden in the bottom of the vehicle, the 80 cells of the 300 Volt lithium-ion package are located in the middle of the vehicle. 12 kWh strong. In addition to the electric storage, the classic gas tank with 45 liter volume.
Go purely electrically? No problem. Up to 120 km / h and up to 52 kilometers. The Outlander has no classic gearbox to use the gasoline engine for the drive. Also no stepless automatic and also no Planetary gear as in the hybrid models of Toyota and Lexus Is used. Instead, the gasoline engine is separated from the drive train with a clutch and is only used in a limited speed range. In this variant, electric motors and petrol engines work as parallel hybrids and can - in theory - deliver a system output of up to 209 kW. However, that remains theory. The everyday life of the Outlander PHEV looks different.
Driving in PHEV Outlander
You can specify a provisional NEDC value of 1.9 liters on 100 kilometers. Or rather not talk about it. Because the standard consumption value is unlikely to have any significance for the everyday life of future Outlander PHEV owners.
If you charge the plug-in hybrid at home at the socket - and preheat it, which is important in winter - you can cover up to 52 kilometers in purely electric mode. With a commuter distance of 45 kilometers, this is half the battle. The petrol engine will be used for the return trip. This can be done in parallel or serial hybrid mode, depending on the driving profile. Parallel means: The electric motor gives off its power directly via the gearbox for propulsion (limited speed range) and serial means that the gasoline engine drives the power generator under the bonnet and thus produces enough electricity to drive the two electric motors. It is also possible to charge the battery via the internal combustion engine. 80% of the capacity is reached after 40 minutes. This makes sense if the PHEV should charge the batteries to the maximum while driving in order to drive as a pure electric outlander at the destination - e-cars only (London City, for example).
The Outlander PHEV is currently the hybrid SUV with the most interesting technology solution. With a trailer load of 1.500 kilograms and an all-wheel drive that can distribute its power in a fully variable manner, the PHEV is still an SUV with the necessary properties to be taken seriously. On the other hand, the Outlander is able - to cover simple distances purely electrically. However, if you are planning the big trip, you don't have to go on a charging station trip. The 45 liter petrol tank enables a range of up to 824 kilometers.
The PHEV sprinter
If you compare the PHEV Outlander with its petrol and diesel brothers, you will notice - the sprint from 0 to 100 km / h is done in 11 seconds, 0.7 seconds faster than the 2.2 diesel with automatic and even 1.6 seconds faster than the Outlander with petrol engine and continuously variable automatic.
The biggest limitation is probably the maximum speed of 170 km / h. But here you have to become a realist. The PHEV Outlander is also not intended as a representative travel vehicle. The range of over 800 km may suggest something different here, but the combination of the two electric motors on the front and rear axles, the gasoline engine and the power generator, is optimized for everyday use in urban traffic. Commute? No problem. Drive the children to school, sit up high, use the five-star Euro-NCAP security and still be prepared for everyday life? No problem. The Outlander PHEV is exactly the hip solution that SUV drivers usually want. All the advantages of a plug-in hybrid mixed with the “have-will factor” of an SUV.
Actually, the Outlander PHEV can only be a success.
The starting price of € 41.990 shouldn't get in the way - the brand's problem is much bigger. If this PHEV were at home in Ingolstadt, the waiting times would already be unbearably long. But Mitsubishi is currently still struggling with the right brand image. There are no arguments against the new Outlander PHEV!
The Outlander PHEV is available from the 17. May at the German Mitsubishi dealers.
..to the specifications Outlander PHEV
