At the just concluded Mitsubishi Motors press conference at Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2023, where the carmaker gave the new XForce SUV its global debut, MMC president and CEO Takao Kato announced something big – Mitsubishi will CKD locally assemble electric vehicles (EVs) in Indonesia, and it’s happening in the very near future.
At GIIAS 2023, Mitsubishi is displaying
two EVs – the Minicab MiEV and the eK X EV. While both are kei cars, the
Minicab MiEV is a commercial vehicle while the eK X EV is a passenger car, and
both are electric versions of the original ICE-powered models. The eK X,
together with its twin Nissan Sakura, is the reigning 2022/23 Japan Car of the
Year. It’s the first time that this car is being shown outside of Japan.
Kato said that MMC is currently conducting
a pilot study of the Minicab MiEV and local production of the little van will
begin at the Bekasi plant within the company’s current fiscal year. As for the
eK X EV (X is pronounced as ‘cross’), a local launch and local production is on
the cards.
The eK X EV has an underfloor 20 kWh
lithium-ion battery that provides up to 180 km of range in the WLTC mode. The
battery powers an e-motor with 64 PS/195 Nm, which falls within kei car limits.
It takes eight hours to fully recharge the battery via AC, or about 40 minutes
to get to 80% with 30 kW DC input. It has vehicle-to-home (V2H) and
vehicle-to-load (V2L) functions, which can be very useful in disaster
situations. The older Minicab MiEV uses a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery that
provides a WLTC range of 133 km. The e-motor is rated at 41 PS/196 Nm. Not a
lot of range, so the electric van is good for inner city delivery use.
