Mitsubishi Motors set to test electric cars in Europe

By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent

PARIS (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Motors said on Wednesday it will begin testing its electric cars in Europe next month as it aims to beat rivals to the uncharted market and promote itself as the pioneer of the zero-emission vehicles.

Competitors such as General Motors Corp and the Renault-Nissan alliance have been winning the publicity game with promises to be the first mass producers of electric cars, but Mitsubishi Motors has the advantage of being the only mass-production carmaker with a working model being tested on the road today: the bubbly, four-seater i-MiEV hatchback.

While best known for its 4X4s and sports cars, Mitsubishi Motors is already testing a fleet of more than 40 i-MiEVs in Japan, with similar plans afoot in California from around 2010.

Offering test drives to journalists in Europe for the first time during this week's Paris auto show, Mitsubishi Motors said it hoped to use the test fleet to fuel discussions with European governments and power companies to help electric cars proliferate after the industry's failed attempts in the past.

"We want to be first to the market, but more importantly, we need the infrastructure and standards to help electric cars enter the mainstream," Shinichi Kurihara, corporate general manager in charge of Mitsubishi's product strategy, told Reuters.

With 200 kg worth of lithium-ion battery packs tucked under the floor for stability and the electric motor in the rear, i-MiEV offers a zippy ride, navigating easily through the crowded streets of Paris.

Acceleration is also superior to an internal combustion engine thanks to a high-performance motor that generates high torque from a low speed.

"The most important thing we want to demonstrate is that electric cars are an easy transition from a gasoline car," Mitsubishi spokesman Daniel Nacass said during a test drive through the heart of the French capital.