The Mitsubishi Mi-Tech Concept shows that there are alternative means of powering vehicles. And concepts can still be fun.
MITSUBISHI HAS UNVEILED its Mi-Tech Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show today which looks like some of the most fun you could have in any of the electric vehicle concepts on display.
Rather than play safe with an SUV, the Mi-Tech is a roofless two-seater beach buggy that uses some alternative ideas for power.
Generating electricity is a gas turbine motor that’s powered using a variety of combustible fuels such as diesel, methanol, and kerosene. The small engine generates electricity that charges a small, lightweight lithium-ion battery (that can also be plugged in for power, as a PHEV) and that then sends electricity to four electric motors – one for each wheel.
The four-motor setup allows precise control of torque at each wheel – from zero to full power – and has obvious advantages for off-roading. Mitsubishi says it has produced an advanced version of its S-AWC all-wheel control system to harness the special electric motor setup. One trick it can perform is an on the spot 360-degree rotation like a tracked vehicle, such as a tank, where one side of wheels turns opposite to the other.
There are some other future-tech items on the car, like an augmented reality screen on the front window that can show off-road data such as tilt and roll, and some small fans mounted to the rear of the vehicle… though we’re not sure they serve much of a purpose other than to try and look cool.
