Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Lithium: Mitsubishi’s main hurtle for producing the iMiEV is whether or not GS Yuasa (the battery producer) can secure enough lithium. TNR.v, SQM

Interesting to see this comment on Lithium supply from one of the aggressive players in Electric car market. Mitsubishi is ready to be involved into Infrastructure development, will automakers become Strategic Investors in Lithium to secure stable supply?
"At a Mitsubishi press conference at the New York Auto show today, it was announced officially that the Mitsubishi iMiEV electric vehicle will be available for purchase in the US.
The iMiEV, which is proving to be a hit in test drives, has long been rumored to be coming to the US, but now it’s a fact. Although there is no exact date for release of the Mitsubishi iMiEV but it is expected before 2012.
Mitsubishi’s main hurtle for producing the iMiEV is whether or not GS Yuasa (the battery producer) can secure enough lithium for the lithium-ion batteries, although it should be noted that Mitsubishi production plans were recently increase to 20,000 iMiEV’s per year.
The iMiEV will (thankfully) get a new name when it comes to the States. We aren’t huge fans of the current acronym, which stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle.
The tiny iMiEV boasts a 63-hp electric motor that can get it up to a top speed of 81 mph. Whiel it takes about seven hours to recharge the battery from 220-volt outlets or a whopping 14 hours, if using a 110-volt source. Fortunately there’s a three-phase ‘quick charger’ that can charge it to 80 percent capacity in about 30 minutes."

No comments: