Not to be Outdone by Mitsubishi, Subaru Starts Production of Its EV

Not to be Outdone by Mitsubishi, Subaru Starts Production of Its EV

And the race is on.

Moments after we got word from second-had sources that Mitsubishi has begun production of its i-MIEV electric city car, with first deliveries to commercial lessees to start next month, Subaru posted a notice on its media web site that it has begin production of its Stella electric city car, with deliveries to purchasers to begin in late July.

The Stella EV is a battery-electric minicar with about 55 miles of range (versus up to 100 miles for the i-MIEV)and a 62 mph top speed. A quick-charge system will enable owners to bring depleted batteries up to 80 percent of capacity in just 15 minutes. Charging the 47 kilowatt, lithium-ion battery pack will take about 5 hours from a 220 volt system and 8 hours from a 110 volt outlet, the company said.

The automaker said the sticker price of the Subaru Stella EV will be 4.7 million yen, or about $48,000, (versus 4 million yen for the Mitsubshi) but buyers can qualify for a government incentive of up to 1,38 million yen, or $14,000, plus other, unspecified discounts from a program being implemented by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Subaru is only planning to produce 170 Stella EVs this year, but could ratchet up production as it sees more demand for the car. The company has said it doesn't plan to sell the car outside of Japan.
 

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.