Mitsubishi electric vehicles take to the top of Pikes Peak

July 16,2013

Sebastien Loeb won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) using a modified Peugeot 208 powered by a 875-hp gasoline engine, but there were also several electric vehicles that made the climb, with the fastest electric car posting the fifth fastest overall time. The fastest electric car was driven by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima using the Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special, posting a time of 9:46.530. It was the first time that an electric car made the run in under 10 minutes, and was 29 seconds faster than last year’s best EV effort.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) saw the company’s advanced all-new MiEV Evolution II race car place second and third in class in the EV Division in the 91st running of the famous PPIHC in the talented hands of two-time Dakar Rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka and six-time PPIHC motorcycle champion Greg Tracy.

The race, held on June 30th, commenced in the morning under a calm, clear blue sky; however these ideal weather conditions took a turn for the worse and a downpour of rain hit the track just before the pair of MiEV Evolution II race cars commenced their runs at this legendary time trial event.


Just as Greg Tracy – who was the fastest qualifier within the Electric Vehicle division – approached the time for his run up the mountain, the poor weather forced the team to make a quick tire swap to grooved tires rather than the higher performance non-grooved racing slicks.

Both Tracy and Masuoka raced in extremely difficult wet conditions, along with limited visibility in the higher sections of the race course, resulting in Masuoka recording a time of 10 minutes, 21.866 seconds, with Tracy following closely behind at 10 minutes, 23.649 seconds.
Yet even in these challenging conditions, the pair broke last year’s second place time in the EV Division of 10 minutes, 30.850, achieved in 2012 by Masuoka piloting the Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution on a dry road in optimal conditions.

A completely all-new design from the ground up, the technologically-advanced MiEV Evolution II features a unique quad-motor (two front/two rear) drivetrain, next-generation lithium-ion batteries by Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ), an optimized all-electric version of Mitsubishi’s exceptionally capable Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system and wind tunnel-derived, aerodynamically-enhanced carbon-fiber bodywork.

Electric vehicles are seen to be the way to go at Pikes Peak, as the high altitude robs internal-combustion engines of much-needed air, something that doesn’t bother electric motors.

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