Subaru has announced that it’ll be bumping up the power, beefing up the torque and cutting some weight out of the next version of its Stella electric vehicle, which will enter production and commence limited sales in the middle of this year.
The production Stella will boast an extra seven kilowatts of power, 20 Newton metres of torque and weigh 50 kilograms less than the prototype that was recently displayed at the Melbourne Motor Show. That brings total output to 47kW and 170Nm, while kerb weight is a scant 1010kg.
The front-wheel-drive Stella can seat four people, hit a maximum speed of 100km/h and travel a full 80km on a single charge, which should be more than enough range for the average commuter.
Around 170 examples of the Stella electric vehicle will be sold in Japan from July, with 14 cars earmarked for prefectural and city governments. One will go to Japan’s postal service, while the rest will presumably be on offer to Joe Public.
Pricing for the Subaru Stella has yet to be announced.
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What is “scant” about 1010 kg? I guess that’s a reasonable weight for a 4 seater but, for the average commuter traveling solo, this is far too heavy a vehicle to be carrying a pay load of, say 90 kg average, for the vast majority of its life. Commuter vehicle weights have to come down substantially in order to improve efficiency.
Considering most people in this country commute in cars that weigh well upwards of 1200kg, 1010kg ain’t a bad figure.
Besides, thanks to more stringent safety requirements you’d be hard pressed to find a sub-tonne commuter car these days.
I hear your argument (it’s certainly a valid one), but manufacturers and car buyers alike demand a certain amount of comfort, space and safety from today’s cars. Those demands effectively mean that truly lightweight cars are pretty much a thing of the past.
Also Electric Car power plants and batteries are surprisingly heavy. Not all cars can weigh as little as a suzuki cappuccino. Besides if you want something light to transit only yourself in choose an electric or petrol scooter.