Subaru's parent Fuji Heavy Industries has released a one-year schedule for development of a new electric car. In concert with Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), FHI will develop and manufacture 10 prototype vehicles based on the Subaru R1e concept. Tepco will use the cars in its service fleet, while studying their performance and economic viability. Fuji had earlier touted a new type of lithium-ion battery it had developed, expected to last for 15 years or 150,000 miles. For that reason, the EVs will likely serve as a test bed for the battery, which the company wants to market to hybrid carmakers as well as launch its own, homegrown hybrids. Tepco, on the other hand, will use its R&D base in charging systems to develop a kit capable of charging the batteries to up to 80% capacity within 15 minutes. Check out the cars' specs after the jump.
Fuji/Tepco EV:
· Two-seater
· Driving distance: 80km (city-driving with the battery capacity of 8kWh)
· Rapid charging: 15 minutes with AC200V outlet (filling up to 80% of the battery)
· Normal charging: 8 hours with AC100V outlet
· Battery capacity deterioration tolerance: within 20% lower than the initial capacity (after seven-year use, over 70,000km)
Development schedule:
· September-December 2005: Joint design work on the EV prototype
· Mid-October 2005: Completion of the first prototype and delivery
· March 2006: Completion of the 10th vehicle and delivery (When each vehicle is completed, it will be delivered to and field-tested by TEPCO)
Related:
Subaru s Daddy Partners With Japanese Energy Heavy on Electric Cars; Subaru Parent s New Hybrid Battery Reported to Last 150,000 Miles [internal]