I-MiEV Crowned With Car Technology of the Year Award

By Eric Loveday

Eric Loveday

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Eric Loveday is a car enthusiast with a love for everything automotive. He purchased a 1970 Chevelle at age 16, quickly outgrew its dated engineering... More

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Prince Albert of Monaco and Mitsubishi iMiEV

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The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a front-runner in the electric vehicle segment.  The company has pioneered this recent surge into electric vehicles and the i-MiEV can claim the rights to numerous firsts and achievements.  Now Mitsubishi can add another accomplishment to the list for its i-MiEV.

The i-MiEV was crowned with the Car Technology of the Year award by the Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame.  The award was given to Mitsubishi for the spectacular electric vehicle control system.  The electric control system handles task such as charging, regenerative braking, range display, electric motor integration, battery information and so on.  Basically, the control system is the heart of the electric vehicle.

Mitsubishi did their homework and produced an electric vehicle that maximizes range on a small battery pack, provides a relatively conventional vehicle feel, keeps occupants comfortable, and integrates all of the various systems together in a virtually seamless manner.  

Congrats to Mitsubishi for their efforts and achievements.  The i-MiEV is considered the first mass produced (by a major automaker),  production electric vehicle today and as such the company engineered many systems without experience and assistance from other projects.  The end result is a capable EV, with a long list of achievements.

Source:  Mitsubishi Press Release

 Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV Wins the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame's "Car Technology of the Year" Award

TOKYO, Japan, October 30, 2009 - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), announced today that the "MiEV OS" integrated vehicle control system installed in Mitsubishi Motors' new-generation electric vehicle i-MiEV, has been selected by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization (NPO), as the winner for its "2009 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car Technology of the Year" award.

Utilizing the long wheelbase from the gasoline-powered "i" rear-midship layout on which the i-MiEV is based, the high-capacity drive battery is installed under the floor, and the high-output high-efficiency power unit is mounted under the luggage area. Through this structure, the i-MiEV has plenty of range for daily driving while keeping the spacious interior of the "i" base vehicle.

The introduction of the MiEV OS (MiEV Operating System) *1 - an advanced integrated vehicle management system into which the company has poured its wealth of know-how gained from decades of electric vehicle (EV) research and development - has provided the kind of high performance and reliability that befits a new-generation EV. The i-MiEV garnered praise as the realization of the ultimate in environmental efficiency as it emits no CO2 while being driven*2.
*1 Generic name for the integrated vehicle management system developed by Mitsubishi Motors for new-generation EVs.
*2 CO2 generated from electric power plants is not included.
The MiEV OS was selected for the "Car Technology of the Year" award following reasons:

1. Integrated control technology for a mass-produced electric vehicle
2. 3-way charging system for the lithium-ion drive battery
3. Development of the compact, lightweight, and high-efficiency motor