Subaru R1e Electric Car Charged To 80% In 15 Minutes

The 2008 Paris Auto Show, that occurred on October 4-19, 2008, was the place to see almost every make and model of car manufactured globally. For Subaru, the Paris Auto Show was the place to display their ground-breaking R1e Electric car, which is powered by an NEC Lithium Ion battery pack. The photo shows the Subaru R1e with a cut-away hood that was used to display the electric motor and its associated drive components. The Subaru R1e is a joint venture between Subaru Cars (Fuji Heavy Industries) and the Tokyo Electric Power Company or TEPCO. Since 2006, TEPCO has been testing prototype R1e's in Tokyo, Japan. For the batteries, NEC has had an exclusive development reletionship with Subaru on the R&D of the lithium ion battery pack.

The Subaru R1e is a two seat zero emissions vehicle and runs entirely on lithium ion batteries. The R1e can be fully charged overnight in eight hours using a conventional household plug, or for ultra fast charges, TEPCO and Subaru have developed a high amperage commercial fast charger that will charge the R1e to 80% capacity in 15 minutes. The top speed of a Subaru R1e is 65 mph (104 km/h) and it has a range of 50 miles (80 km) on a full charge

Subaru is currently testing a 100 car fleet of R1e's in Tokyo Japan, along with TEPCO. Additionally, Subaru of America has just initiated a limited trial of a R1e's with the New York Power Authority (NYPA).  This test will also promote the advance planning for a commercial electric battery charging infrastructure in New York. Subariu is currently does not sell the R1e in North America, but this may change by the latter part of 2009.