The Japan EV Club drove a Mitsubishi i MiEV and a Subaru R1e from Tokyo to Hokkaido in the week before the G8 summit, for their "Challenge and Charge" event. Now they are sharing stats about the cars' electrical consumption and CO2 emissions and comparing them to a (presumably) typical Japanese gasoline car.

The poster in the photo summarizes the EV stats for the entire trip of 858.7 km ( = 533.57 miles):

* 85.65 kWh used
* 35.12 kg CO2 to produce the electricity ( = 77.43 lbs.)
* Fuel cost: 1,713 yen ( = $16.94)

In comparison, on the bottom of the poster are a gasoline car's stats:

* 75.3 liters used ( = 19.89 gallons)
* 174.6 kg CO2 produced by the ICE ( = 384.93 lbs.)
* Fuel cost: 12,956 yen ( = $121.34)

Thanks to Yanquetino for the tip, translation, everything.
[Source: Japan EV Club]

Subaru's electric kei car, the Stella plug-in, is about to be introduced at the G8 summit in Hokkaido. When the initial release went out, it was said that five cars would be built, four of which would shuttle various dignitaries around the summit while the last one would sit on display. According to a report on Just-Auto (sub. req'd), though, there is yet another vehicle which will be delivered to Japan Post. You may recall that the Japanese mail delivery service had recently announced that it will switch over to a fully electric fleet as soon as possible. Though the Stella uses the same powertrain as the R1e, it houses it in a much more practical body style. Reading between the lines a little bit, which doesn't always prove all that accurate... but whatever, we wonder if Subaru specifically had the mail carrier in mind when it decided to show off this particular electric vehicle.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

Subaru has cooked up another electric kei car for me to park in my fantasy green garage, right next to the R1e and Mitsubishi i MiEV I don't currently have. It's a plug-in concept version of the Stella, and it will make its formal debut at next month's G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. Five of the cars will be on hand at the conference -- four to shuttle folks hither and to, and one on static display as part of the on-site Environmental Showcase

The electric powertrain is the same one Subaru uses in its R1e demonstrator -- permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power output of 40 kW powered by a lithium ion battery pack. Operating range on a full charge is 80 kilometers, and the cars have a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The plug-in Stella is an advance over the 2-seat R1e in that, like Mitsubishi's i MiEV, its wagonoid body is a far more practical package overall.

[Source: Subaru]

The biggest name in shopping malls in Japan is set to install electric vehicle charging spots in its parking lots after entering negotiations with car-makers Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries, builders of the iMiEV and R1e, respectively. Starting with the Lakeland mall currently under construction in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, Aeon will add to its list of environmental programs by giving EV drivers the opportunity to juice up while they are doing their shopping. According to reports, the charging equipment to be used will have the ability to fill batteries much quicker than the plug at Japanese homes, taking only an hour to do the job rather than the more typical 7-14 hours.This equipment sounds to us like something Nissan might be interested in looking into as it explores EV charging infrastructure in Japan.

[Source: Green Car Congress]

Subaru, has been getting pretty cozy with its Prius-building partner of late, but when it comes to hooking up with a battery supplier for its own green automotive solution, the R1e, the car maker might be singing a different tune. Namely, 'Don't Fence Me In." During a recent vehicle launch, Fuji Heavy Industry's president, Ikuo Mori, made his opinion on the subject clear: "It's not necessary to stick to Toyota and Panasonic. We want to procure (batteries) from whoever can offer reasonable prices with good quality," he said to Dow Jones newswires. In any case, although their immediate needs should be quite modest, Toyota might not have a lot of spare capacity for Subaru anyway.

We're not sure if they have their roaming eye on a particular provider yet though there are some interesting players out there. It could just be they have their battery questions already answered but are trying not to tip their hand. As usual, we'll let you know if they're holding aces or jokers.


[Source: Just-Auto]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Subaru R1e

News comes by way of the Japanese news resource Nikkei that Hitachi Maxell is currently hard at work on a new lithium-based battery which does away with the problematic cobalt ingredient. We've gotten pretty used to seeing some very wild claims when it comes to new battery tech, so it may be hard to get too excited about this particular announcement until we actually see some goods to go along with it, but the idea of a battery with twenty times higher energy capacity is surely an exciting claim. Instead of the cobalt, manganese is being cited as the other main ingredient.

Along with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Nagasaki University, Fuji Heavy Industries is said to be involved. As you are probably already aware, Fuji is the parent company of Subaru, which has previously announced its interest in offering electric cars for sale. If they came with batteries this powerful, and at a reasonable price, color us very interested indeed.

[Source: Nikkei - sub. req'd via Engadget]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsuibshi i MiEV

News comes from the Japan Post Service Co, which is the mail delivery unit of Japan Post Group, that the mail carrier plans a switch to completely electric vehicles as soon as possible. This announcement comes as record-high gasoline prices sweep the world. Major Japanese automakers have big plans regarding all-electric cars, with manufacturers such as Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi all readying introductions of their first models in 2010. Stocks of each of these companies soared with the news from the Post, along with battery makers which have relationships with those auto companies. Mitsubishi and its partner Yuasa appear to have benefited the most from the announcement, with shares of those companies jumping a surprisingly strong 3.7 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

In an effort to start saving money on gas right away, the Post also suggested that it will start testing hybrid vehicles, which could fill in until the fully electric vehicles and the associated necessary infrastructure are ready.

[Source: Bloomberg, Reuters]

Fans of Subarus tend to really love them. Their styling has more often than not been charitably described as quirky. But it's what's under the skin of a Subaru that makes it special. For decades, Subaru has touted the all-weather capability of their full-time all-wheel-drive system. In the past decade, Subaru has also earned something of a performance reputation with their turbocharged boxer engines that have been developed while competing in the World Rally Championship. The one thing these turbocharged traction machines haven't been able to brag about is their fuel efficiency.

No longer is that true. At the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, Subaru unveiled the first diesel-fueled boxer engine for cars. Earlier this year, diesel-powered Subies started to appear in Europe and SmartPlanet has one of the first reviews of the new diesel powered Outback wagon. In their testing, the site recorded 40.6mpg (U.S.) in all around driving for the 4x4 Outback, a pretty impressive performance. They found the engine to be smooth running quiet, and refined. In fact, their only quibble was the car itself which is nearing the end of its lifecycle and is due for replacement in the next couple of years. We'll be getting the Subaru diesel in the U.S. market in 2010, perhaps just in time for a new Legacy/Outback.

[Source: SmartPlanet, thanks to Adam for the tip!]

Click on the image to view more pictures

The G4e represents Subaru's long-term electric car goals. Equipped with Li-Ion battery technology, the lightweight 5-door EV concept should offer a range of 125-miles. While it may not be as flashy as some of the vehicles on our pages, it's a real car and would work out quite nicely for a huge chunk of the world's population. The fact that it is distinctive but still features conventional looks may very well be what makes the G4e a success.

Getting closer to the top; read about Number 4.

click to enlarge and see our high-resolution gallery.

If you're one of the many who would happily be seen cruising silently down the street in Subaru's all-electric R1e, why not let Subaru know how you feel? Buried at the bottom of a page on the official Subaru website there is a blank line next to a "send" button. On this line, anyone can write up to 400 words on what they think about the R1e. Something tells me that our readers can easily come up with 400 words on why building and selling this car tomorrow is a smart move for Subaru. We won't tell if you just cut and paste from previous nice things you've said. Thanks to yanquetino for the tip!


[Source: Subaru]

Sallie Hirsch, left, and Lois Miller.

One of the quieter announcements from the New York Auto Show was that a Subaru ad called Soul of Subaru - Values won the Green Award from Intermedia Advertising Group (IAG). The ad won not because a panel of judges thought it was the best but because IAG discovered, based on customer research panels, that this particular ad was the most effective. This meant that the ads left more viewers with the idea that Subaru was a green car company than anything else on TV last year. This week, I spoke with Sallie Hirsch, senior vice president of automotive research, and Lois Miller, president of IAG Automotive, to figure out not only why and how this commercial won (Subaru's overall clean message played a big role) but about TV green car advertising in general. While average, non-green ads still dominate the airwaves, there were more green car ads in 2007 than ever before. Not the most surprising bit of informatin, but well worth keeping an eye on. IAG does just that, and you can get a peek into the industry by clicking play on the widget below.

click to enlarge and see our high-resolution gallery.

The all-electric Subaru R1e will be seen on the streets of New York City more and more in the coming months, thanks to the expansion of a testing program that now includes the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The NYPA will be getting two of these very nice-looking vehicles to test, similar to what's being done in Japan. How do we know they're nice looking? Well, the galleries from Geneva were one way, but now we've seen it in the metal, and we are impressed. Very. This car should be made available, and soon.

Click image for a gallery of the Subaru R1e in New York

That Subaru R1e caught driving the streets of Manhattan over the weekend foreshadows the expansion the car's field-test program to the United States. Subaru is expected to make a formal announcement within the next hour or so, but we can preview it for you here now. The New York Power Authority (NYPA) will receive two R1e vehicles to pilot in the same way the cars are being used in Japan.

To recap, the R1e is a full-EV version of the Japan-market R1 microcar. Driven by a 40 kW motor powered by a Li-Ion battery pack, the R1e is being field-tested by employees of both the Tokyo Electric Power Comany and NEC Lamilion Energy, Limited. The Japanese government lauded this effort last year. There are currently forty of the cars in service in Japan and Subaru hopes to bump that number to one hundred. When connected to a quick-charger station that's also part of the pilot testing, an 80% charge can be achieved in just 15 minutes. When plugged into a standard household outlet, the car will fully recharge in 8 hours or so. Operating range, according to Subaru, is 50 miles and the car boasts a top speed of 65 miles per hour.

The R1e will be on display at the 2008 New York Auto Show starting this weekend, and we'll update this post with Subaru and NYPA's formal announcement as soon as it hits the wires.

UPDATE: Official Subaru announcement has been added after the jump.

Last week, we reported on rumors regarding the Subaru WRX getting a diesel engine option, and now it sounds like senior executives at the company are fanning the flames again. According to Autocar, a high performance version of Subaru's existing 2.0 liter diesel engine is being considered for the WRX, while the standard Impreza will get the normal version.

Currently, only the larger Legacy is equipped with the diesel engine and that's only in Europe. We've been expecting the diesel to come here to the U.S. in the Legacy, Impreza and Forrester models. We'd love to add the WRX to that list, and the higher performing diesel engine in that application would be very exciting indeed.

[Source: Autocar]