What's the news?
Mitsubishi will return to Pikes Peak this June with its sights set on having the fastest electric vehicle up the hill. It is the third year for MMC's battery-powered machines tackling the 12-mile (19.3-kilometre) Colorado mountain course; with the MiEV Evolution III competing in the new Electric Modified Division.
The Evolution III is a development of the MiEV Evolution II, which competed in last year's event. To make it more competitive there is more power, less weight, increased grip and improved control systems. Four electric motors are fitted to give four-wheel drive with a combined power output of 603hp - up from the previous maximum of 536hp. Mitsubishi has also revised the tubular chassis to make it lighter by removing some parts and redesigning others.
Wider tyres are fitted while a revised body design and redesigned spoiler increase downforce. Finally there is an improved S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) vehicle dynamics control to reduce wheel slip and better control vehicle attitude at the limit of grip. Two cars are entered for the hill climb with drivers who have experience on Pikes Peak having driven the MiEV Evolution II there last year. Team captain is Hiroshi Masuoka, who finished second place in the electric division and has previously won the Dakar Rally. Greg Tracy, six-time Pikes Peak motorcycle champion, is the team's second driver.
Anything else?
Mitsubishi's Development Engineering Office will supply the team technical director and many of the mechanics supporting the cars. Lessons learned over the race week (25-27 June) will be fed back into the development of MMC EV technologies, improving S-AWC for production models and the 'e-Evolution' fusion of electric drive and the All-Wheel Control system.