 (TORONTO, Ontario) - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) today unveiled the R1e prototype electric vehicle at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The R1e, which is based on the R1 mini-car currently available in Japan, was created using new manganese lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology that means the vehicle could recharge to 90 per cent of its capacity in just five minutes with the use of an exclusive charger.
This means that recharging the R1e could be done almost as fast as completely refueling a gasoline powered car, which typically takes about three minutes. It's certainly a significant improvement over other electric vehicles, many of which can take eight hours to recharge. The R1e is designed to go about 120 kilometres on a full charge. The new Li-ion batteries are also extremely small and lightweight - the R1e's battery pack is about the size of a VCR - and designed to last for 10 years or 150,000 kilometres.
"Batteries are the key element in the development of electric vehicles that are convenient to operate as well as safe, comfortable and functional," said Katsuhiro Yokoyama, president, chairman and CEO of SCI. "The small, high-performance lithium-ion battery used in the R1e is an enormous step toward the reality of having electric vehicles in practical use."
The new Li-ion batteries used in the R1e were created by NEC Lemilion Energy Co. Ltd. (NLE), a joint venture between Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, and NEC Corp. Combining NEC's laminated Li-ion battery cell technology with Subaru's automotive battery pack technology, NLE is developing secondary batteries for a number of applications, including electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles such as the Subaru B5-TPH (Turbo Parallel Hybrid) recently introduced at the North American International Auto Show.
These high-technology vehicles are part of Subaru's broad approach to environmental responsibility that takes into account vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency, as well as reduced environmental impact from all facets of automobile development, production and marketing.
In addition, FHI is currently conducting performance tests on prototype cells of a new Li-ion capacitor with enhanced power density (instantaneous force) and high energy density (cruising distance) for a next-generation vehicle that meets goals for sustainability without sacrificing performance. The successful commercialization of Li-ion capacitors for compact cars would open up many other business opportunities, including helping to meet the increased demand for alternate fuel buses, trucks and other passenger vehicles. This new capacitor also has potential as an alternative to conventional lead-acid batteries in the future.
Subaru is dedicated to environmental responsibility in all of its production and marketing operations. In 2004, SCI and its corporate dealership Subaru of Mississauga Inc. (SOMI) received ISO 14001 certification for their environmental practices; SOMI was the first Subaru automotive dealership in North America to receive this certification. Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA), which builds many of the Subaru vehicles sold in North America, was the first auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status, which means that no waste material from its manufacturing efforts goes into a landfill - it is all reused or recycled.
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Thursday, September 02, 2010 
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