Peugeot Begins Accepting Pre-Orders for All-Electric i0n Mini

Even though we're still a full year away from the European market launch of the iOn, Peugeot has already started to take pre-reservations for the all-electric car in the UK. Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the i0n is actually a rebadged Mitsubishi i-MiEV. As part of the PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Mitsubishi deal, Citroen will also launch its own version of the i-MiEV called the C-Zero.

With four doors and four seats, and a compact length of 3.48 m, the i0n is powered by a 64bhp electric motor that allows it to reach a top speed of 80mph or 129 km/h.

The small city car has a driving range of 80 miles (129 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion batteries which can be recharged in six hours through a conventional mains power supply or recharged to 80% capacity within thirty minutes with a fast charging system.

Peugeot has not disclosed prices for the i0n. However, we do know that in Japan, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is priced from 4,599,000 Yen (that's €34,500 or $51,300 at today's exchange rates), which is more than twice the cost of a Toyota Prius.

Citroen C-Zero: New All-Electric Mini Unveiled Ahead of 2010 Market Launch

If the new Citroen C-Zero electric mini looks familiar that's because it is. See, while the French automaker claims in its press release that the EV is developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi, what it really means to say is that the C-Zero is the product of 'badge engineering'. Like its twin brother, the Peugeot i0n that was revealed at the Frankfurt Show in September, the C-Zero is nothing more than a Mitsubishi i-MiEV with Citroen badges.

Due for launch in the last quarter of 2010, the C-Zero comes with the same electric-drivetrain as the i-MiEV meaning that it s powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 47kW or 64bhp from 3,000 to 6,000rpm and a maximum torque of 180Nm from 0 to 2,000rpm that drives the rear wheels through a single-speed reduction gear.

The motor is powered by a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system comprising 88 50Ah cells (for onboard energy of 16kWh) which are mounted in the centre of the vehicle offering a range of around 130 kilometers or 80 miles.

A complete charge of the battery pack takes six hours through a conventional 220-volt socket while an 80 per cent charge is possible in about 30 minutes using an external station with a single-phase current of 125A at 400V, for power of up to 50kW.

The French company says that the four-seater C-Zero, which measures in at just 3.48m in length, can accelerate from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 15 seconds, from 60 to 90 km/h (37-56mph) in 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 130km/h or 80mph.

UK Police Forces to Employ Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Speed Criminals Rejoice...

While police officers in the States are getting ready to welcome the 2011 Chevrolet Caprice, in the UK the boys in blue -well, at least some of them- will soon be cracking down crime with the help (?) of Mitsubishi's all-electric i MiEV. The five-door micro car was showcased in full police livery at the National Police Show in September and according to the Japanese automaker, since then the company has been swamped with requests from UK Police Forces to trial the i MiEV.

Mitsubishi said that the first production versions of the i-MiEV are set to arrive in the UK in November 2009 and will be on the road in December 2009, with West Midlands Police being the first department to run the all-electric micro car in full operational use.

The four-seat, bubble-shaped i-MiEV gets an electric motor that makes 47kW / 64HP and 180Nm (132.8 lb-ft) of peak torque. Power is delivered to the rear-wheels with Mitsubishi claiming a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 81mph (130km/h).

Certainly not the best choice if you're trying to pursue someone but we gather that the i-MiEV will most likely be used by urban cops for light tasks.

Tokyo '09: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo, an All-Electric Breadvan for the not so Needy

Now that the i-MiEV hybrid has become a production reality, Mitsubishi is exploring other possibilities to expand the city car's range with the world premiere of the i-MiEV Cargo concept at next month's Tokyo motorshow. The pint-size breadvan with the does away with the hatchback model's rear doors while gaining additional cargo space at the back thanks to a newly designed and taller rear end.

The cube-shaped rear compartment measures 1,350 mm wide by 1,180 mm deep and 1,100 mm high and features a flat floor. According to Mitsubishi, it allows every inch of available space to be utilized - not that there's much to go around...

There are no changes to the drivetrain that consists of a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system located under the floor deck and an electric motor that drives the rear wheels and develops an output of 47kW or 64HP and 180Nm or 132.8-lbs/ft of torque.

Peugeot i0n EV: Rebadged Mitsubishi i-MiEV All-Electric Mini to Debut in Frankfurt, Goes on Sale in 2010

Looks like Pug's designers had a much easier task than initially thought when we decided to 'chop' a Peugeot fascia on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV after the announcement on the introduction of the Peugeot and Citroen EVs based on the Japanese mini. In what seems like a five minute job, Peugeot slapped one of its logos on the i-MiEV, changed the alloy wheels and slightly altered the front bumper to accommodate Euro-plates and 'voila': the new Peugeot i0n...

The French automaker, which claims to be the manufacturer with the most "zero emission" electric vehicles sold in the world to this day with models like the Peugeot 106 Electric that was produced between 1995 and 2003, will display the i0n for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month..

The European-spec i-MiEV (let's not fool ourselves, that's what the i0n is) is motivated by an electric motor that drives the rear wheels producing an output of 47kW or 64HP and 180Nm or 132.8-lbs/ft of maximum torque that allows the 3,480 mm long mini to achieve a top speed of 130 km/h (80mph).

The four-seater EV has an operating range of 130 kilometers or 80 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion batteries that can be fully recharged in six hours using a domestic mains power supply. If you use the fast charge system, the batteries can be recharged up to 80% capacity within thirty minutes.

Production of both the Citroen and Peugeot variants of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV will commence in October 2010 with sales pegged to start in Europe towards the end of 2010.

We remind you that the PSA Peugeot - Citroen Group has another ongoing project with Mitsubishi in the form of the Outlander based Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser SUVs.

Peugeot and Citroen Announce All-Electric Minis Based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV EV, Sales Start in 2010

Earlier this year, Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen announced that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding collaboration on electric vehicles (EVs) based on the Japanese firm's i-MiEV EV. Today, Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors and Philippe Varin, CEO of PSA, finished the deal by signing a cooperative agreement in Paris. The vehicle is to be sold in Europe in both Peugeot and Citroen versions with production planned to commence in October 2010 and sales by the end of 2010.

Mitsubishi launched the new-generation EV i-MiEV in Japan in June, and will begin global sales of the right-hand drive vehicle this year with LHD versions following in 2010.

In Japan, the EV i-MiEV is priced from 4,599,000 Yen (almost $50,00 US / €35,00 at today's rates), or more than double the price of a JDM Toyota Prius that costs 2,050,000 Yen or $22,000.

The all-electric version of the i-MIEV is powered by an electric motor that drives the rear wheels and develops an output of 47kW or 64HP and 180Nm or 132.8-lbs/ft of maximum torque.

According to Japanese automaker, the vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged in 7-14 hours delivers up to 100 miles or 160 km of pure electric driving.

It is expected that the PSA group will follow a similar path to that of the Toyota co-developed Aygo, 107 and C1 project with the i-MiEV, meaning that the differences between the Citroen, Peugeot and Mitsubishi models will most likely be limited to the front fascia and the rear end design.

*The Peugeot picture above is a julino billym Photoshop

Mitsubishi Unveils Production Version of i-MiEV All-Electric RWD Minicar, Priced from $47k

The much anticipated production version of Mitsubishi's pure-electric i-MiEV minicar was unveiled today in Japan. Mitsubishi will begin leasing the minuscule EV principally to corporations and to local authorities in Japan in July. Individual sales are due to start in the Land of the Rising Sun in April 2010, followed shortly after by Europe and later on, the United States. In Japan, prices for the i-MiEV have been set at a hefty 4,599,000 Yen which is about $47,500 US or €33,700 at today's rates. That's more than double the price of a Toyota Prius that costs 2,050,000 Yen or $21,200 in Japan.

The production model of the four-seater EV which is based on Mitsubishi's 'i' minicar does not differ significantly from the concept version which was last previewed at the New York Auto Show this past April. Measuring in at 3.395mm or 133.6-in. in length, the i-MiEV is roughly the same size as the Fiat 500.

While retaining the i's rear mid-ship architecture, the i-MiEV replaces the conventional gasoline engine, transmission and fuel tank with a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system located under the floor deck, electric motor and onboard charging system. The electric motor that drives the rear wheels develops an output of 47kW or 64HP and 180Nm or 132.8-lbs/ft of maximum torque.

According to Mitsubishi, charge times to replenish the lithium-ion battery pack will be 7-14 hours, although the automaker said that it is developing fast charging stations throughout Japan that will take just half an hour. A full charge delivers up to 100 miles or 160 km of pure electric driving.