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Nissan and Mitsubishi have unveiled electric micro-city cars that take up the codes of kei-cars, these famous cubic Japanese cars adapted to traffic in large cities. Vehicles that we would like to see driving with us…
The Nissan Sakura, electric kei-car. © Nissan
Kei-car: behind this name hides a mini-car that can only be found in Japan where it represents 40% of the car market. Its particularity is due to its extremely precise dimensions which allow it to display a yellow license plate, i.e. a maximum length of 3.40 m, a width not exceeding 1.48 m and a height stopped at 2 m. The displacement is fixed at 660 cm³.
Having been recognized as a kei-car, it then benefits from tax advantages on tolls and on parking. Indeed, the area allocated to the latter is taxed in Japan according to the size of the vehicle, and this location must be less than 800 m from the home. For example, a Smart (ForFour) is too big to be a kei-car.
One of the specialist manufacturers is none other than Daihatsu, a brand of Toyota, but Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda also manufacture them. In April 2019, we were talking about the Nissan Dayz and Dayz Highway Star, Mitsubishi eK and Mitsubishi eK-X, all kei-cars jointly developed through the NMKV joint venture.
These manufacturers are back in action with the Nissan Sakura on one side and the Mitsubishi eK X EV on the other (pronounce “eK cross EV”) which, in addition to their kei-car physique, are 100% electric. The stated objective is to “to make EVs much more accessible to Japanese customers”according to Asako Hoshino, executive vice president of Nissan, during their presentation.
Mitsubishi eK X EV, the technical cousin of the Nissan Sakura. ©Mitsubishi
Autonomy of 180 km and speed of 130 km/h
Equipped with a 47 kW (63 hp) electric motor for a torque of 195 Nm, the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X EV have a maximum speed of 130 km/h. The lithium-ion battery, with a capacity of 20 kWh, provides a range of 180 km, considered sufficient for home-office use and shopping. According to a Mitsubishi survey, about 80% of kei-car and compact car users travel 50 km or less daily. The drivers of these electric micro-city cars could therefore drive for two days without recharging. Charging time ranges from 8h (AC200V/14.5A) to 40min (80%) for fast power.
Small particularity, the two kei-cars are V2H compatible, that is to say that they can supply the house with electricity and vice versa. In Japan, electrified vehicles must indeed be able to serve as a generator in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.
Able to accommodate up to four people, these Nissan and Mitsubishi vehicles weigh between 1,070 kg and 1,080 kg with a 60/40 split between front and rear. And like thermal vehicles, they are richly equipped internally with a 7 or 9 inch touch screen and all the driving aids. Thus, the Nissan Sakura benefits from ProPilot semi-autonomous driving and the e-Pedal function which allows the accelerator pedal to also play the role of the brake as soon as it is released.
The Mitsubishi eK X EV incorporates the in-house MI-Pilot driving aids system, which manages parking, lane keeping and offers an adaptive cruise control (ACC) function.
The Nissan and Mitsubishi will go on sale this summer from €13,500. Today in France, apart from the Citroën Ami, as well as the rare – and very expensive – Smart EQ ForTwo and the Italian Biro (to which we will come back), the landscape of the electric micro-city car is rather desert. The two Japanese would be the ideal tool for our micro-mobility, when more and more municipalities want to kick the car out of their streets.