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Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru cars, has unveiled its Subaru Plug-in STELLA Concept model, a prototype electric vehicle (EV). The four seater can reach 100km/h and can manage 80km on one charge.
FHI will provide five units of the Plug-in STELLA Concept for use at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held 7-9 July 2008. Four of the five will be used to transport government officials and other participants at the summit, while one vehicle will be displayed at the Environmental Showcase, an exhibition and demonstration area in the International Media Centre, and it will also be available for a test drive.
In addition, FHI will provide one STELLA Concept model to the Japan Post group for use in mail collection and delivery in the vicinity of Toyako during the summit.
The Subaru Plug-in STELLA Concept combines the EV system employed in the R1e with the mini car, Subaru STELLA. FHI plans to use the Plug-in STELLA Concept in the development and test-marketing of the next generation of EV in Japan in the near future.
FHI has jointly developed the Subaru R1e with Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TEPCO), a leading utility in Japan, and the vehicle’s performance has been tested since June 2006. Forty units of the R1e model, equipped with lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries, have been used by TEPCO as part of its corporate fleet and by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, providing performance results that further advance FHI’s EV development work. Such data collected under real-world conditions have helped FHI to refine the concept of the next-generation EV and make further improvements under everyday driving situations.
