Photo: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi returns this year at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb near Colorado Springs with the third iteration of its purpose-built electric racecar - the MiEV Evolution III.
After coming second in its class last year, having Hiroshi Masuoka and Greg Tracy behind the wheel, the latest racing EV builds up on the previous model, offering quite a list of improvements.
For example, power won’t be a problem as the four electric motors (one for each wheel) are gathering up the equivalent of 603 bhp (450 kW), a 67 bhp (50 kW) increase from the MiEV Evolution II. All the power will be managed by a retuned Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system for better handling and traction control.
The third MiEV is also lighter due to a redesigned tube-frame chassis using new lightweight materials, while more downforce is provided by a slightly reshaped body and spoilers, carefully tuned in the wind tunnel.
"Pikes Peak is an excellent laboratory for testing our advanced MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) technology," states Don Swearingen, executive vice president Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), "it not only features high elevations but also a range of weather conditions to challenge the performance and reliability of our technology."
The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb runs on a treacherous 12.42 miles (20 km) and 156 corners road through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It starts at an elevation of 9,390 ft (2,862 m) ending at 14,110 ft (4,301 m) above sea level.
While most combustion engine vehicles will struggle to go forward with the air getting thinner and thinner at such altitude, the electric racecars will have no problem in providing a steady output to reach the top in no time.
For example, power won’t be a problem as the four electric motors (one for each wheel) are gathering up the equivalent of 603 bhp (450 kW), a 67 bhp (50 kW) increase from the MiEV Evolution II. All the power will be managed by a retuned Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system for better handling and traction control.
The third MiEV is also lighter due to a redesigned tube-frame chassis using new lightweight materials, while more downforce is provided by a slightly reshaped body and spoilers, carefully tuned in the wind tunnel.
"Pikes Peak is an excellent laboratory for testing our advanced MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) technology," states Don Swearingen, executive vice president Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), "it not only features high elevations but also a range of weather conditions to challenge the performance and reliability of our technology."
The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb runs on a treacherous 12.42 miles (20 km) and 156 corners road through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It starts at an elevation of 9,390 ft (2,862 m) ending at 14,110 ft (4,301 m) above sea level.
While most combustion engine vehicles will struggle to go forward with the air getting thinner and thinner at such altitude, the electric racecars will have no problem in providing a steady output to reach the top in no time.
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