The Subaru e-Boxer is powered by the newly developed 2.0-liter direct injection engine coupled with an AC synchronous electric motor. It uses a lithium-ion battery, and Subaru says it will include SI-DRIVE. With the 2.0-liter petrol engine mated with the electric motor, Subaru Corp says acceleration of the Forester e-Boxer will exceed that of the newly-upgraded 2019 U.S. spec 2.5-liter Forester petrol powered model. The 2.5-liter Forester petrol engine now produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque.
Forester e-Boxer’s 2.0-liter boxer engine produces 145 PS and 188 Nm of torque. The AC synchronous motor produces 13.6 PS and 65 Nm of torque. The system is mated to the Lineartronic CVT automatic transmission sending power to Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.
The e-Boxer system runs on pure electric power at low speeds, under low throttle inputs, for limited distances. The two power sources work together at times to give the drivetrain some extra oomph, while the batteries are recharged by captured waste kinetic/brake energy.
Subaru claims fuel consumption on the Japanese government’s JC08 test cycle of 5.4 litres per 100km, compared to around 7L/100km for the 2.5 Forester. The e-Boxer’s fuel use is up to 40% superior to the outgoing Forester.
The battery system does not take up a lot of space. The back seats flip-fold 60:40 and the cargo floor is only a fraction higher than the petrol version with more than 500L of space available.
