Zoomi Life

We promised when we mentioned the debuts at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show that we’d get into more detail with some of them.  Mitsubishi’s concept they’re calling the PX MiEV was one of those.  This is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) styled as a crossover SUV/sedan.

In fact, the “PX” in its name stands for “Plug-in Xover.”  Not exactly what I think of when I hear “PX”: pixels and where to buy beer on base.  But hey, they’re Japanese. They drink sake.

So this new PX is also a MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) and uses the new Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid System (MPHS). Not enough initialization for ya?  How about the MBMV (Mega Bigass Mileage Vehicle) that this PX is?

This concept is a front and all-wheel drive with two motors (one per axle) whose plug-in hybrid system gives it the equivalent of 118mpg US. One hundred and eighteen miles to the gallon in an SUV, folks.  Ya, I know, it doesn’t say GMC on it.  I guess they missed one of their capitalizations there.  :/

So this PX puts out 60kW (total) or 200Nm (148lb-ft) of torque with those motors.  It’s 1.6L MIVEC engine (gasoline) puts out 70kW (generator) and can also power the front axle.  Everything is coordinated by…wait for it… the MiEV OS.  Sorry, not your iPod or Palm.  I was kind of hoping for that.  I’m sure there’ll be an app.

Anyway, the PX operates in three modes: EV, Series Hybrid, and Parallel Hybrid.  In addition to that, it also has Charging Mode and Home Power Supply Mode.

EV is obvious: it’s running all-electric.  Normally, it runs only the front-axle motor (to save power) unless accelerating heavily or when the vehicle has been manually or automatically put into 4WD mode.

Series hybrid is just what it says. When the system notes that the batteries have decharged down to a predetermined level, the engine will switch on and act as a generator-only to recharge those batteries.  It is otherwise running as an EV.  In this mode, the engine is capable of 70kW of power generation.

Parallel hybrid is when the engine takes over powering the front axle.  Synchronization can occur allowing for the motor on the rear axle to run in parallel with the front axle.  In this mode, the engine is capable of generating up to 85kW of power, depending on the RPM load.

During all three of those operations, the motors can put load on the axles during downhill coasting to regenerate power for the batteries.  This is in addition to the standard regenerative braking they do.

Charging mode is when the vehicle is being charged via a wall outlet.  It can be pre-programmed to automatically start charging at a specified time as well. This allows the owner to pull into the garage after work, say, plug the PX in and set the timer to begin charging at 10pm when the power is cheaper or grid usage is lower.  The system will wait until that time to begin charging.  The climate controls can similarly be set to begin at a preset time.  Both can also be done via remote control from the keyfob.

The home power supply mode is interesting. It basically means that the vehicle can be used as a power source during blackouts, high-energy consumption days, disasters, etc.  A built-in 110v socket in the trunk of the PX allows it to be used this way when camping or tailgating as well.

Overall, this is a very cool concept when compared with some of the other stuff out there right now.  No word on when it could be put on the showroom floor, but I suspect it’s at least three years away.

For more, visit this writeup from Green Car Congress.