The Mitsubishi Minicab EV goes into production in Indonesia a decade plus after its introduction.
Mitsubishi Motors was one of the earliest mass-market carmakers to try to bring a practical electric vehicle to bear in the early 2010s. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of a reason for corporations to adopt the EV strategy for last mile use back then. Today, battery costs are more reasonable and companies are under more pressure to de-carbonise than ever. It’s also the case that governments are incentivizing electrification, which opens up space for vehicles like the Mitsubishi Minicab EV to be resurrected more than a decade after its initial introduction.
We’ve mentioned the Mitsubishi Minicab EV many times over the last three years. It was refreshed with some new features and marginally more range recently in Japan, but it’s essentially the same basic commercial transportation for last mile use. Mitsubishi Motors has been experimenting with its use in a pro-EV market and now they’ve finally brought assembly of this tiny electric kei car to their Krama Yudha plant in Indonesia and that might mean it will be exported to Malaysia next year. We’ll have to wait for Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia to issue an official statement though.
“In 2017, MMKI began production of the Xpander, which is now not only sold domestically in Indonesia, but also exported to support the development of the Indonesian auto industry,” said Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer, Mitsubishi Motors. “With the start of our first production of EVs overseas, we hope to meet the growing demand for EVs in the ASEAN region and at the same time contribute to the country’s environmental initiatives.”
About The Mitsubishi Minicab EV
The Mitsubishi Minicab is a monobox commercial van based on the world’s first mass-produced EV, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. The drive battery is located under the floor, as are more of the EV components so as to ensure maximum cargo carrying space and a lower centre of gravity. It can support AC200V (15A) charging and 50kW DC Fast Charging. The range of the improved Minicab EV is 180km, making it suited for last-mile logistics and small business activities.
About Mitsubishi’s Krama Yudha plant
This plant is located at the Bekasi Regency of West Java, 37km east of Jakarta. It opened in April 2017 with the Xpander and Xpander Cross being assembled here. The Colt L300 and Xforce are also produced here. This year, Mitsubishi also wants to start exporting the Pajero Sport from Indonesia to Australia. There are approximately 3,900 employees at this plant and it has a production capacity of 220,000 vehicles annually.
