2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Coupe 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Japan supports hydrogen, Fools against fuel cells, BlueIndy controversy

Japan hopes to expand the use of hydrogen energy by subsidizing fuel cell vehicles, according to The Japan News. The trade ministry plans to include the subsidies in its 2015 budget to coincide with the expected launch of Toyota's Fuel Cell Vehicle and the Honda FCEV hydrogen car. By jump-starting purchases of hydrogen cars, Japan hopes that innovation and mass-production will get a boost and the cost of fuel cell vehicles will be competitive with gasoline-powered models by the year 2025. Japan plans to have 100 hydrogen fueling locations operating by March 2016, and wants to halve the cost of building those stations by 2020. The amount of the subsidies has not yet been set. Investing website The Motley Fool isn't quite as optimistic as Japan about hydrogen cars, and is instead bullish about Tesla Motors. The Fool points to Tesla's strong stock performance, and predicts future growth will come from more car models in the future - starting with the Model X - as well as the company's proposed Gigafactory for manufacturing batteries. If Tesla's charging technology continues to catch on, that only improves its financial prospects. The article has some harsh words, however, for hydrogen: "Fuel cells are an inferior automotive technology and for fundamental efficiency, cost, and infrastructure reasons always will be mere compliance gimmicks." Yeesh. As part of a program to build charging stations for the Indianapolis EV carsharing service BlueIndy, utility company Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) wants to raise its electricity rates an average of 44 cents a month per residential customer to help pay for its share of the project. State consumer advocacy agency Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and consumer watchdog group Citizens Action Coalition oppose the plan, according to Greenfield, Indiana's Daily Reporter. The BlueIndy program, which is a partnership between the city of Indianapolis and battery manufacturer Bollore Group, will provide up to 500 cars for rent at 25 charging sites around the city. Those who oppose the rate hike call IPL a monopoly and say the amount of the increase is not allowed under state law and that the program wouldn't benefit working class and low-income citizens. A hearing regarding IPL's proposal is scheduled for July 23. A Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will run the 2014 Asia Cross Country Rally, Hybrid Cars reports. The rally covers 1,367 miles of woods, swamps and mountains from Thailand to Cambodia.

Mitsubishi planning to bring back Lancer as hybrid crossover

It looks like the Mitsubishi Lancer is about to undertake a daring transformation from a ten-year-old sedan to a crossover. The Eclipse has already shed its coupe roots and become the Eclipse Cross, and now it's the Lancer's turn to become a high-rider. The carmaker already teased its future plans with the e-Evolution concept last year (pictured above), again combining a previously successful Mitsubishi nameplate with new crossover intentions. Now, talking to AutoExpress, Mitsubishi's chief operating officer and chief designer both hint of the Lancer taking the shape of the e-Evolution. For Mitsubishi, the Lancer's segment still looks very viable in the next decade, but it doesn't necessarily want to fight the Ford Focus and the VW Golf with a conventional hatchback, let alone a three-box saloon. "We believe we have a solution that could fit the segment", said COO Trevor Mann. "[The segment's] numbers are still expanding in China, so there's appeal. And I think because the segment is so large globally, we've got to take a look at it." The chief designer, Tsunehiro Kunimoto said, "Just because it's C-segment, it doesn't mean it has to be a very conventional hatchback. Maybe we can create a new type of hatchback vehicle. We're thinking quite radically." It is also likely that the Lancer's eventual replacement will use hybrid technology and a Renault-Nissan Alliance platform — and an all-wheel-drive option would still be a nod to the Lancer Evo's heritage, at least partially justifying any use of the Evolution brand. Trevor Mann says the product timeline is largely set until 2025, and the existing crossovers in the portfolio, the Outlander and the Outlander Sport (known elsewhere as the ASX) will get replacements. The company is now directing its attention to the Lancer and the Montero, both of which have last had a major update over ten years ago. The Lancer was phased out in the U.S. last fall after a very long run. Related Video:

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Drive Review: Slightly rough diamond

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the first small, affordable plug-in hybrid SUVs, yet it lost ground in recent years with the introduction of strong offerings from Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Kia. The main reason was that the regular Outlander wasn’t especially competitive, so once the PHEV finally had company, there was nowhere to go but down. Well, thereÂ’s an all-new and dramatically improved Outlander now, and finally, its plug-in hybrid version is here to make up that lost ground. Like the gas-only version, the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV impresses with a stylish, spacious and suitably modern interior, and generally comfortable and quiet demeanor. The plug-in hybrid goes significant further, though, with more power and refinement, plus a strong electric range. There are a couple weak points that keep it from being best-in-class (like the gas-only version), but depending on your needs, the Outlander PHEV could still be the green compact SUV for you. The Outlander PHEV has a powertrain that's extremely similar to its predecessor. A naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder now makes 134 horsepower rather than the previous model's 148 horsepower. While it can provide direct power to the wheels, itÂ’s most often employed as a motor generator for the front and rear electric motors (much as a Honda hybrid operates). Both of those motors are also more potent than before. The front motor picked up 20 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque to make 114 ponies and 188 lb-ft. The rear makes 40 more horsepower for 134, though torque remains the same at 144 pound-feet. The result is a grand total of 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That's more than the Ford Escape PHEV, and more torque than the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage plug-ins. The Toyota RAV4 Prime's 302 horsepower bests them all. In addition to more power, the Outlander PHEV can now go 38 miles on a charge –14 more than before thanks to a pack that has grown from 13.8 kilowatt-hours to 20 kWh. Once again, thatÂ’s more range than Ford, Hyundai and Kia, though less than the Toyota. Mitsubishi also offers an unusual feature not available on those competitors: DC fast charging. WeÂ’re not sure how necessary a DC fast charger is on a vehicle that can run on gas in a pinch, but if youÂ’d like a topped-up battery and donÂ’t want to wait overnight to get it from the plug in your garage, why not?