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Charging, discharging, charging and so on. The life of a battery pack in an electric car is characterized by constant charging and discharging processes. And yet, manufacturers such as Mitsubishi are proceeding with confidence and give, for example, the Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid Outlander, a guarantee of up to 8 years on the functionality of the battery pack. Many customers are still afraid of the closed system. Know the failure of batteries from the cell phone and consumer electronics sectors. But an automobile battery is a different class. Nevertheless, the fear of the possible costs is deep and leads to buyer reluctance.
Battery: Repair instead of expensive exchange
Mitsubishi is now the first car manufacturer to offer the repair of traction batteries in e-vehicles!
The electric car launched in 2009 as i-MiEV, most recently available in Germany as “EV”, was the first mass-produced electric car. Mitsubishi thus took on a pioneering role in the electromobility market. The plug-in hybrid Outlander was the first SUV with a plug-in hybrid drive on the German market in 2013 and is now the best-selling PHEV SUV. Here, too, Mitsubishi has slipped into the pioneering role. With more than 5.000 vehicles sold and a possible age of up to 7 years, you now have to think about how to solve possible defects in the interests of the customer.
Eleven competence centers for electrical engineering
If you look at the cost side, the replacement of a 16 kWh battery from the i-MiEV 2009 would have been really expensive at around € 24.000. But rising numbers mean falling prices. However, around € 9.000 for replacing the entire battery pack of a Mitsubishi EV is still a sum that makes repairs seem uneconomical. In the interests of the customer, Mitsubishi has therefore concentrated on specializing and training dealers and now has 11 GreenMobility competence centers in Germany. Defects in the battery can be repaired there. The battery of a Mitsubishi EV consists of 8 cell blocks with 10 modules each and two blocks with 4 modules. A total of 88 cells with a voltage between 365 volts and 315 volts, depending on the state of charge. These non-explosive lithium-manganese cells always contain a voltage and with over 300 volts this “high-voltage range” is a workplace for experts. The training in the importer's training center in Flörsheim provides the necessary knowledge for handling and repairing an “open heart” of an electric vehicle.
Cell exchange from around 1.200 €.
The advantage for the customer is obvious. If the range of the e-vehicle falls, this is due to “defective” cells. Or too great a variance in the individual cell voltage of the individual cells. Thanks to modern analysis equipment, Mitsubishi GreenMobility partners are able to check the battery for its “health”. In individual cases, “cell conditioning” can be sufficient to give the drive battery a new freshness. In the event of a defective module, however, the repair can now also be carried out instead of the expensive complete replacement. The Mitsubishi customer is looked after by his nearest GreenMobility Center, receives a vehicle and the Mitsubishi partner takes the electric vehicle to one of the 11 competence centers in Germany. And the repair? Specialization and focused training at Mitsubishi really save you money here.
With around 1.000 € for the cell block and around 2 hours of work, the possible battery repair costs significantly less than replacing the entire battery pack.
E-car battery repair at the expense of a clutch replacement
With the special training of Mitsubishi partners to become “high-voltage experts”, Mitsubishi is consistently moving towards the future. The fear of expensive follow-up repairs to electric cars is taken away from the customer. Because what applies to the “EV” also applies to the plug-in hybrid Outlander. Instead of 88 cells, it only has 80 cells - but here, too, individual cells can be repaired, called “open heart surgery”. Despite the 8-year guarantee, which should take away the fear of high costs, Mitsubishi is now also showing solutions for the period after the guarantee.
Incidentally, there have only been two warranty cases in the electrical history of the “Drei Diamanten”, which corresponds to a defect rate of 0.25%. It seems like one is well prepared, even if it is not necessary at all at the moment.
The article reads as if the repair of the cells would also be offered for the i-MiEV. After consultation with Mitsubishi Germany, I was informed there that this is unfortunately not the case! Only Outlander and Eclipse can be repaired this way, I was told there.
The article itself is 10 years old. At that time they also wanted to offer this for the i-MiEV.
The defect rate of 0,25% is probably primarily due to Mitsubishi's warranty policy. There are several cases where the battery capacity was at 65% or less, but Mitsubishi's statement was that the battery health (SOH) is within specifications (at least 70%). Of course, Mitsubishi did not disclose the measured values.
In addition, in Berlin, for example, over 800 euros are now charged for a normal inspection of the Outlander. Some customers are considering whether they want to pay for it for 8 years.
My Outlander (2019 model) currently has an SOH of 83,1%. In purely mathematical terms, it reaches the guaranteed values approximately 6-8 months after the end of the guarantee. So I drive to an independent workshop where the inspection is carried out according to the manufacturer's specifications for <200 euros.
I am aware that this means I will 99% lose the warranty on the battery. The battery capacity measurement required during the inspection will probably only be recognized if it is carried out with the MUT-III (Mitsubishi Universal Tester). And of course this is not available to independent workshops...