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Recharge Wrap-up: Electric trucking, Mitsubishi plug-in sales boost

A company called Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is providing batteries to Minnesota's Freedom Trucking. Oakridge claims the electric freight trucks can haul nearly 40 tons of cargo almost 400 miles on a single charge. "The custom battery design for Freedom Trucking is an absolute game changer," says Oakridge CEO Steve Barber. The Melbourne, Florida-based startup also says it is providing lithium-ion batteries for Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Victory motorcycles. (Notably, Oakridge was accused last year of failing to pay its employees. Also, of note, Oakridge trades as OGES on OTCQX, the same over-the-counter market as Elio Motors.) Read more from Energy Matters. A new UK poll suggests that nearly a third of drivers would choose a plug-in vehicle for their company car. 23 percent of respondents said they'd choose a plug-in hybrid for their fleet car, while 8.2 percent would choose a battery electric vehicle. Another 7.1 would choose a conventional hybrid, and 47.2 percent still prefer diesel, while only 12.4 percent would choose gasoline (it is, after all, the UK). In all, the poll (with an admittedly small sampling of 282 respondents) shows that alternatively powered vehicles will make up 40.4 percent of future fleet orders will. A recent survey from KPMG shows that 79 percent of auto executives believe hybrids will be the go-to powertrain in 2030. Read more from Fleet News. A reduction in plug-in car subsidies has boosted Mitsubishi's UK sales in February. As the Plug-In Car Grant was set to reduce from GBP5,000 to GBP2,500 ( from about $7,117 to $3,559) on March 1, Mitsubishi saw a run on its Outlander PHEV by customers looking to take advantage of the larger subsidy. Outlander PHEV sales were up 41 percent compared to a year before. The launch of the L200 Series 5 also helped Mitsubishi's performance in February, as pickup truck sales were up 34 percent. Read more in the press release below. PLUG-IN CAR GRANT CHANGE DRIVES MITSUBISHI SALES IN FEBRUARY CIRENCESTER – Sales of Mitsubishi vehicles in February were up 28 per cent compared to the same month last year according to figures released by the SMMT. The rise was driven by a 41 per cent increase in sales of the Outlander PHEV, ahead of the reduction in the Plug-in Car Grant from GBP5,000 to GBP2,500 beginning March 1. The UK's favourite plug-in continues lead the hybrid and electric car sector in 2016.

Junkyard Gem: 1995 Mitsubishi Diamante Station Wagon

Chrysler sold Dodge- and Plymouth-badged Mitsubishis in the United States starting in the early 1970s, but it wasn't until the 1983 model year that Mitsubishi sold cars under their own name on this side of the Pacific. The Diamante made its American debut for the 1992 model year, but it proved unable to steal many sales from the likes of Lexus and Infiniti and not many were sold. Sure, it was big and comfortable, but SUV and minivan sales soon squeezed most wagons out of the American marketplace. Here's a rare '95 station wagon, spotted in a California yard recently. 240,664 miles on the clock, which is much higher than the not-very-trashed interior might suggest. The owner or owners of this car got their money's worth out of it. The 6G72 3.0-liter V6 went into Chrysler minivans, Mitsubishi 3000GTs, and many members of the extended Chrysler K-Car family; production of this versatile engine continued well into our current century. This one was rated at 175 horsepower. Technically, this isn't a Japanese car, since the Diamante wagons were built in Australia. Rumor has it that some 5-speed Diamante wagons were sold in the United States, but I have never seen one. 1995 was the last year for the Diamante wagon in the United States, and the Camry and Accord wagons soon got the axe as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. US-market Diamante ads went for a gauzy-focus Infiniti Q45-ish look. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Meanwhile, Japanese-market Diamante ads got roaring engines, macho voiceovers, and dramatic music. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1995 Mitsubishi Diamante Station Wagon View 14 Photos Auto News Mitsubishi Wagon Classics

Ghosn: Restoring Mitsubishi's reputation is biggest challenge

After news that Mitsubishi falsified its fuel economy data on every vehicle it has sold in Japan since 1991, and the tumble in the company's value that followed, the troubled carmaker has an unlikely savior. Nissan has confirmed it will purchase over one third of Mitsubishi's stock, or 34 percent. The stake is valued at $2.2 billion. Ghosn says making Mitsubishi a part of the Renault-Nissan alliance will save billions in development costs. But the merger certainly isn't without challenges. "The biggest challenge is to support Mitsubishi changing itself and growing and being profitable and restoring its reputation," said Ghosn. Nissan is a natural partner for Mitsubishi, and since the fuel economy scandal escalated from discrepancies in the data regarding Mitsubishi-manufactured, Nissan-badged Japan-market vehicles, it makes sense for the company to sweep in and save the day. Nissan itself is partially owned by Renault, and Nissan has a 15-percent stake in the French automaker. Mitsubishi's chairman, Osamu Masuko says that the merger was inevitable, that it "would have happened one day" anyway, according to the New York Times. Carlos Ghosn, chairman of both Nissan and Renault, is confident they will be able to turn Mitsubishi's fortunes around. "We have the track record to make it work", Ghosn said, referring to the Renault-funded rescue of Nissan in the early 2000s. Related Video: