We learned something at Pikes Peak. It’s that the storied hill-climb, the second-oldest major motorsport event in the U.S., is not unlike an episode of the classic anime series Initial D. No, nobody’s named “God Foot”, but there is an old salt who goes by “Monster.” It’s that, essentially, with the exception of the contestants making a run at that very moment, it’s a bunch of dudes standing around on a mountain talking about cars. In the series, when the protagonist runs up against a crew of racers sporting heated AWD Mitsubishis, the Lancer Evolution is spoken of in hushed, reverent tones.
Among dorks who stand around on hills talking about cars on this side of the Pacific, the Evo is also spoken of in hushed tones. Even more than the Subaru WRX STI, the Evo is a cultish thing (Cue an onslaught of missives from STI drivers.) But c’mon, guys, you were able to sell your significant other on the fact that you were buying a safe, reliable Subaru. Evo enthusiasts do not have that luxury.
Mitsubishi is banking on that cachet with the MiEV Evolution III, the car that damn near captured the flag at the Pikes Peak International Hill-climb last week. First to market with a mainline, mass-production EV that most derided as too small and certainly too egg-like (although the car does have partisans, generally among our staffers who also unabashedly enjoyed the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, the third evolution of Mitsubishi’s prototype looks like a cross between an LMP racer and a wingless sprint car.
The name’s not a wishful misnomer. The car’s four electric motors are hot-rodded versions of the same unit the powers the i-MiEV. Total power output is 603 horsepower, up from last year’s 536. The motor control unit and inverter are also sourced from the Orkan conveyance’s parts bin while the EPS system is plucked from the Outlander crossover. In a case of reverse osmosis, a version of the MiEV Evo II’s Super All-Wheel Control AWD system tweaked for only two electric drive wheels found its way into the upcoming Outlander PHEV. The Evo III’s 50-kWh pack is of what Mitsubishi calls “an advanced next-generation prototype lithium-ion battery design.” Sourced from Lithium Energy Japan, the new pack’s a big departure from the Evo I’s production-based pack, and features a lightweight cooling system and a carbon-fiber housing.
Pushing the tires onto the pavement is the job of the aero package, and Mitsubishi thoroughly reworked it for 2014. The front splitter was lengthened, honking winglets were added to the leading edges of the front fenders, and the rear wing was redesigned, while the body itself was massaged for improved performance on the mountain. If this year’s car is a little less refined-looking than last year’s car, it’s also a more brutally effective weapon.
Since Sébastien Loeb’s phenomenal 8.13.878 run was so far beyond the capability of any other car/driver combo on the mountain, it’s more instructive to look at how the EVs compare to 2013’s second-place finisher, Rhys Millen, who reached the top in 9:02.192. Last year’s fastest EV, “Monster” Tajima’s E-Runner, took fifth overall with a 9:46.530, while the Mitsubishis were both well over the 10-minute mark. This year, Tracy’s second-place-overall finish was the result of a 9:08.188, less than three seconds behind winner Romain Dumas’ 9:05.801.
Although the cars are designed for a fast 12.42-mile sprint up a hill, obviating the need for much in the way of range-extending regenerative braking, the Evo IIIs feature an off-throttle regen system like a Tesla. When Masuoka or Tracy hits the brakes, there’s no blending to rob feel, just six-piston calipers clamping down on the rotors to haul the big prototypes down before the course’s 156 corners.
- Time to Climb: Romain Dumas Wins Pikes Peak International Hill Climb [w/ Full Race Overview]
- Sébastien Loeb and Peugeot Shatter Record at Pikes Peak
- Mitsubishi i-MiEV Research: Photos, Reviews, News, and More
The S-AWC AWD system has the ability to send more or less power to any wheel practically instantaneously, a boon in any situation, and an especially important advantage on a course where conditions can change throughout the day and do shift dramatically during the nearly one-mile elevation change between the start and finish.
While we were there, we noticed a couple of plugged NACA ducts. They had cut them, decided they weren’t working and then filled them in again. The car was being constantly trimmed as Tracy and Masuoka sprinted up the mountain; a crash R&D program over the period of a week or so. These guys are not screwing around. Unless Loeb returns to defend his record or somebody mounts a spare-no-expense record to conquer the mountain, we can’t be more than a few years away from EVs as the dominant species on top of what the Colorado Springs locals so fondly refer to as America’s Mountain. If it’s not here already, “MiEV Evo” will be spoken of in hushed tones by dudes standing around on the mountain. After all, without engine noise, there’s no need to yell.
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