Japanese manufacturer Subaru takes immense step towards producing its own EVs… finally
A new electric vehicle platform that could underpin its next generation of battery-powered models, including high-performance vehicles capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in under four seconds.
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The Japanese manufacturer has unveiled an experimental electric vehicle featuring a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system producing more than 380kW of power, which is significantly more than any of its current electric models.
The prototype in question features a 150kW electric motor at the front and a more powerful 230kW unit at the rear, giving it a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. The electric motors themselves are have been developed with Aisin, and are claimed to deliver efficiency improvements of around 30 per cent. The platform itself weighs around 100kg less than the current Subaru EVs and a newly-developed battery pack could bring further weight savings.
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We don’t yet know the size of the battery, but it’s been developed in partnership with Panasonic Energy and it uses approximately 4000 cylindrical cells. The battery is claimed to be 25 per cent lighter than the current Subaru EV batteries, with energy density around 20 per cent higher than the industry average.
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https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/subaru-step-producing-own-evs-in-house-awd-battery-electric-toyotaOpen linkView original on scribe.disroot.org
25 replies
The Japanese manufacturers fucked up big time sleeping on EVs.
Subaru, don't fuck this up: give us a hot little EV WRX hatch.
Best they can do is another compact SUV
How dare they sell cars people buy.
They convinced people to buy them because it makes them more money. Advertising exists for a reason.
Gimme an unsexy but oh-so-practical station wagon
Ah, so you want a full size SUV
SUVs are taller and get worse mileage while having less storage space… for people who like to imagine they’ll some day drive off-road.
Yeah but they’ve convinced everyone they need to go off road and don’t make station wagons anymore.
Not even Volvo.
No it’s to hide the 6” of batteries they stuff in the floor. They have the same interior space as the wagons did, but if they want a trunk they need to hide it all under the floor.
Audi Avant. Only problem is $$$
There are places where you need off-road capabilities lol. I remember one day I couldn't get up the driveway with my tiny vw cabrio. I just said fuck it and walked the rest of the way. Better yet, sliding down that said driveway almost into a ditch. Mud season sucks as well if you're not on pavement or a graded road.
still my favorite automotive form factor.
not the giant ones, though.. but those were awesome as a kid on family trips back when nobody gave a shit about seat belts and child safety. had the whole back to myself.
Stop asking for WRX hatchbacks you fools, the only thing they hear when you say that is "crossover" lol.
Give us a proper sedan or a proper outback hatchback, not some half assed in betweener that will look like another gr corolla.
Make a car no one will buy!
Toyota didn't. I'll admit that they've been too cautious on adoption of Li-ion batteries and EVs, but they remain the leader in hybrid tech.
Hell, the current hybrids are almost EVs in spirit with the 20-30 mile all-electric range of the first leg. That might as well be 80% of your driving, even more if you live in a city with a large amount of car chargers at your destinations.
Being subaru, im surprised they dont have one motor for the left wheels and another for the right
But then you'd need two completely separate drive trains up the length of the chassis ... I guess that's not too far out of Subaru's norm.
Subaru would put an engine in the front and back, and then get the same effect by using some unholy double differential abomination.
If it did, it would shear off the lug studs even faster than they do now!
Infinite torque, baby!
It is relatively easy to make a quick EV, but making a good one from the efficiency, charging, cost, and utility perspective is difficult. So their focus on power output has me concerned about the other aspects lacking.....
Let's hope they don't put it in a stupid big SUV
Put it in stupid big SUV?! Nooooo problemo!
Wasn't there already an SUV EV that was poorly received? Solterra?
That was a rebranded Toyota bz-whatever. This would be the first designed and produced inhouse