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Who Killed the Electric Car? Subaru To Slay Plug-In Stella EV

 
3,701 views Jan 4, 2011
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Subaru Stella

Subaru Stella

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Back in July 2009, two Japanese automakers launched electric cars within weeks of each other. (And neither one was Nissan.)

One was Mitsubishi, which put its i-MiEV five-door hatchback microcar on sale after several years of consumer tests. That car is now the best-selling electric car in the world, with 5,000 sold as of December, and will be coming to the States as the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i'.

The other was Subaru, which offered an electric version of its Stella mini-car for retail sale the same summer, limited to the Japanese market. But unlike the Mitsubishi, the Stella electric car has languished in the market, with sales projected at just 400 by March.

Subaru Stella EV

Subaru Stella EV

Enlarge Photo

Now, Subaru is killing its electric car. According to a Japanese newspaper, sales of the Stella could end as early as March. The Subaru Plug-In Stella uses a small 9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, driving a 47-kilowatt electric motor. Its range was quoted at roughly 50 miles.

The company says it will suspend work on electric vehicles for up to five years while it waits for the market to mature and public charging infrastructure to be installed.

Subaru's decision may reflect influence from Toyota, which now owns roughly one-fifth of Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of the carmaker. Toyota is publicly downbeat on the chances for electric cars, reflecting its 15 years of investments in its Hybrid Synergy Drive system for hybrid-electric vehicles.

Next year, Subaru is expected to offer its first hybrid, a version of its Forester compact crossover utility vehicle, based at least in part on the Toyota system, but with Subaru's characteristic 'boxer' flat-four engine.

Subaru showcases all-electric Stella Concept

Subaru showcases all-electric Stella Concept

Enlarge Photo

And just yesterday, news reports indicated that the next-generation Subaru Tribeca seven-seat SUV might share a platform with the next Toyota Highlander.

Subaru has several challenges in coordinating its products with Toyota, including its unusual boxer engine that requires different body-structure engineering. As well as the hybrid Forester, the two companies are cooperating on development of a long-delayed sports coupe model.

Meanwhile, the 2011 Nissan Leaf is expected to seize the crown of the world's best-selling electric car, with global production of up to 50,000 units projected this year.

It's hard not to imagine the hand of Toyota in Subaru's decision, though perhaps the company is simply allocating resources where it sees the most market opportunity. The company said it did not see opportunities for profit in small-scale electric car sales for some time to come.

Either way, an early electric-car pioneer is giving up on its first offering. Gee, does this sound familar?

[Yomiuri Shimbun]





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Comments (11)

  1. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 1/4/2011 8:46am PST

    Those specs, especially the tiny 9kWh battery pack make this a non-starter. It would be just the electric range of the Volt, with nothing to back it up.
    Any news on the electric R1e? That could be a direct competitor of the Fiat 500 EV.
    Neil
     
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  2. By  paul Posted: 1/4/2011 10:46am PST

    Even more amenable to conspiracy theories than the previous go-round. But it's really more the announcement that they're suspending EV development entirely for the time being that makes this notable. There are garage-shop conversion companies that do better than a few dozen sale a month, so it's no surprise Subaru would cancel something no one apparently wants.
     
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  3. By Amirs Balleg Posted: 1/4/2011 1:39pm PST

    An early electric-car pioneer giving up? Let me guess -- Detroit Electric? The Electric Carriage and Wagon Company? Studebaker?
    It's hard to call someone a pioneer for barely improving on 150-year-old technology.
     
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  4. By  Gav Posted: 1/4/2011 2:27pm PST

    So we've lost another electric "Clown car".
    Good.
    Low range, slow, quirky cars like the one above will actually damage the uptake/image of EVs in the short term. With it's absence there's more room for the "Real" electric cars coming this year.
     
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  5. By Eilmhal Posted: 1/4/2011 5:58pm PST

    People who believe in the concept of electric car's, crack me up! More electricity means more COAL FIRED POWER PLANTS! What part of this don't you understand! Save the environment, eat an environmentalist!!!!!!!
     
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  6. By Eilmhal Posted: 1/4/2011 6:14pm PST

    People who believe in the concept of electric car's, crack me up! More electricity means more COAL FIRED POWER PLANTS! What part of this don't you understand! Save the environment, eat an environmentalist!!!!!!!
     
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  7. By  Gav Posted: 1/4/2011 7:30pm PST

    Do you really believe that nonsense Eilmhal, or are you just trolling for responses?
     
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  8. fb_1440950412 avatar Christopher File Posted: 1/5/2011 8:19am PST

    What's wrong with coal as a stop gap? It's used in a controlled setting(mainly just utilities)it's all ours(no jihad funding) and we can purse emission improvements(gas cars have found their limit).
     
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  9. By  Linda Nicholes Posted: 1/6/2011 11:54pm PST

    Please be aware of the fact that all electricity is domestically produced whether the source is coal or more sustainable sources like solar or wind. I have driven freeway capable, production electric cars for ten years powered by my home's grid-tied solar system. Until you don't have to schlep down to a gas station, you simply can't realize how cool and gratifying it is to produce your own power. While others are charging their cell phones, I am charging my cars and my electricity bill is zero.
    One of my EVs travels from zero to 60 in under four seconds and has a 240 mile range. Electric vehicles can take any form you wish them to take; from SUVs, to sleek sports cars to port trucks that can haul 60,000 pounds of cargo.
    Also realize that the grid is getting greener and cleaner all the time. Less than 45% of the US grid is coal fired; in California it is less than 18%. Globally wind power is the fastest growing proportional electricity source in the world.
     
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  10. By Paul Scott Posted: 1/7/2011 12:04am PST

    This Eilmhal is a paid hack by the oil companies. He's not even good at what he writes. Such a lack of imagination. He must think the people reading these stories are imbeciles who would believe such drivel.
    Anyone who understands physics, anyone who understands economics, and anyone who understands geopolitics knows that electricity is going to replace petroleum as the motive power in our transportation fleet. Sure, there will be liquid fuels far into the future, but the end game is kWh, not gallons.
     
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  11. By Redmond Chad Posted: 1/7/2011 11:07am PST

    @Eilmhal: I don't "believe" the concept of electric cars; it's not a matter of faith. I did a lot of research, and my wife and I both drive them. Like many EV owners, we have a zero-carbon source of electricity. Not something you can do with a gas car.
    But even if we drew from the US grid, it would still be much cleaner than a gas car, coal and all. Here's an overview of about 40 studies on the topic: www.sherryboschert.com/Downloads/Emissions.pdf.
    Because EVs are charged at night, no new power plants need to be built. There's an incredible amount of idle electrical capacity just sitting around. In fact many plants can't be shut down, so there's electricity being thrown away at night.
    Not that I expect this to change your mind. I doubt that you really care about emissions; there is probably something else you don't like about electric cars. Maybe you don't like US energy independence; or perhaps you like seeing us send $1B/day out of the country (with a portion of that going to terrorists), creating 40% of our trade imbalance. Keep America Weak, Drive Gas, is that your motto?
     
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