Invasion of the EVs

Tesla Model S           credit: Tesla Motors

Listen.

Did you hear that?

That's the problem. There's nothing to hear. No exhaust notes. No engine hum. No gear change. All there is to hear is a faint electric whine and some tire noise. And that's how the electric vehicles (EVs) will begin their takeover.

All joking aside, I am living, anecdotal proof that electric vehicles are making their way onto the freeways and into our neighborhoods. In my small-ish New Jersey town, I once drove past two $60,000+ Teslas on one five minute drive. In fact, over the last couple weeks, I dare say I have seen at least one electric vehicle every day.

I'm very excited about this development. Not because I wish to see all cars running silently. I don't even want to own one myself. But, what I do appreciate is the diversity that these cars represent.

Many people have talked about the solution to the earth's energy crisis in terms of finding "the solution." With more than 1 billion cars on the world's roads, however, the likelihood of there being one solution is non-existent. What is reasonable is seeing a larger percentage of cars being powered by alternative means, such as battery, ethanol, biofuel, and gas/electric hybrids.

Until now, I was having my doubts about the possibility of ever getting to that point. The source of my cheerier disposition is the holistic approach being undertaken by Tesla. Tesla is the first company to look at both the product issue AND the infrastructure. As in, now that I own the car, how do I continually operate it?

Tesla also took an honest look at who the target audience should be for their vehicles.

Chevy, Honda, and Nissan have all put out all-electric vehicles. But at $29,000 the Nissan Leaf is the cheapest of the bunch, and also the ugliest and least practical. The Honda FCX Clarity leases for $600/month. These costs are astronomical for the typical consumer of these brands.And none of these manufacturers has worked to improve an owner's ability to charge the vehicles, severely limiting their usability.

Tesla Model S   credit: Tesla Motors

Tesla recognized that the only people who could afford to become early adopters of this technology were the wealthy who had certain expectations of any vehicle they purchase. So, instead of trying to keep the costs relatively modest by stripping down a car priced against a BMW 3-Series, they created a near-$100,000 luxury car, capable of competing very well with all other vehicles at its price point. They have also spent the money to develop supercharger stations, enabling people who own the cars to drive them for long distance with minimal inconvenience.

Here's an assessment of the car by Consumer Reports:

The exception becomes the rule

I was sitting at a traffic light this morning when from behind me to my right, I heard the high-strung, muscular exhaust note of a performance car. It was unmistakable. When the car slowed to a stop next to me I saw that it was a Mitsubishi Evo.

Evo MR Premium.       photo credit: Mitsubishi Motors

As quickly as I began to admire the car, I realized how much I hate every other model in Mitsubishi's line-up.  And it's not that they are bad cars. But how can an automaker that makes one of the most dynamic and unmistakable cars on the road be responsible for such boredom-inducing vehicles as the Outlander, Galant, and Lancer? If you're like me, you had to look up those vehicles because you can't actually remember what they look like.

In the world of Mitsubishi, the Evo is the exception, and the other three are the rule. That's bad news for the company, when the exception is automotive excellence, and the rule is hardly worth mentioning. That strategy made sense once upon a time, when the company could almost be seen as a challenger in the family car market. It was looking to blend in with the Hondas and Toyotas. Today, with a lineup that really comprises 3.5 models and sold 41,000 units in North America in 2012, Mitsubishi needs to find itself a niche to live in and dominate.

To find that niche, they should be looking no further than the Evo. Its performance has been compared to a Porsche. Its raw, visceral characteristics make it a fan favorite with the boy-racer types, and its closest competitor, the Subaru Imprezza WRX STi, cannot compete with its numbers. This is the kind of car that Mitsubishi should be making across the lineup.

2007 Mitsubishi Baja Raider.  
photo: topspeed.com

Imagine a small SUV with Baja 1000 aspirations. Imagine the Eclipse, reincarnated with a serious engine and track specs to make the Nissan GT-R nervous.Imagine a small hatchback, the size of a Fiat, with the ability to run circles around a John Cooper Works.

Before you say, "that's crazy!" remember the specs on the Evo: 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds and back to 0 again in 109 feet. It has competed with cars way outside its class and with two fewer doors and still triumphed. The Evo proved that at $35,000, Mitsubishi could offer prospective buyers an alternative to BMW and Audi. With a little courage and imagination, Mitsubishi could do the same thing and build other cars that compete in ways never before imagined.