The Subaru R1 is a tiny little car. A two-seater built with efficiency (and Japan) in mind. The car was never really intended to make it's way out of the Japanese market. But now, with Smart Car reservations on the rise...Subaru might be changing its mind.

But that's not where this story ends. Subaru has been testing an all-electric version of the R1 (called the R1e) in Japan for about a year. The Li-ion battery pack can power the car to a top speed of 65 mph for about 50 miles before a recharge is needed. This works out pretty well in Japan, especially has the battery technology used in the R1e allows for special 15 minute recharges at high-power charging stations.

At a standard outlet, the cars take about 8 hours to fully charge. And now this tiny electric car has made it's way to the US?

Why? Well, apparently the New York Power Authority is field testing a couple of the cars. Whether to test their possible impacts on the grid, figure out if they could make good money providing those high-power charging stations, or just to see if they might be useful things to own...we're not yet sure.

Keep reading for the hi-res pictures and a full press release.

Via AutoBlogGreen

What: Subaru of America, Inc. will Subaru will begin evaluating its R1e electric vehicle (EV) in the United States this summer in conjunction with the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The plan will be officially announced at Thursday, March 20th at 12:30 PM at the New York International Auto Show.

Subaru will provide two Subaru R1e electric cars to NYPA for evaluation. The Subaru R1e will be on display at the New York International Auto Show, from March 21-30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The Subaru R1e employs state-of-the-art, fast-charge lithium ion battery technology that eliminates typical lithium ion battery issues of charge memory loss, allowing partial charges and quick charges that do not decrease battery life. The two-seat Subaru R1e is capable of driving at speeds up to 65 mph with a range of up to 50 miles, making it an ideal urban commuter. The Subaru R1e can be "quick-charged" to 80 percent capacity in only 15 minutes using quick-charge technology.

A typical charge cost less than $2 dollars. The vehicle can be fully charged overnight (eight hours) while connected to a standard household electrical outlet. The R1e uses an AC permanent magnet synchronized motor producing 40 kW. The new lithium ion batteries are also designed in layers that allow for simple recycling at the end of their 10 year life.

Comments (9)

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written by Magnulus , March 18, 2008

Tiny, low-speed, low-range vehicles... I mean... If I lived outside the city, I might easily need more range than that, and if I lived IN the city, I'd only need it when I went outside the city, at which point the range kind of makes it useless. When it can get the same kind of range as the Tesla, I'm a little more ready to talk...

Excellent move by Subaru
written by Andy Flessa , March 18, 2008

This is the way we need to be heading. If we can obtain the electricity from responsible and renewable means (eg solar in my case) and preferably off the grid then electric cars ARE the answer. Once more and more capital starts to be invested into electric cars battery technology will improve. I believe I saw an article on ecogeek about battery tech and how it lags behind other techs immensely. There are certainly advances to be made, and if we make those advances then electric cars will be even more appealing to the masses, because frankly a 50 mi. range only cuts it for city use, and Im ok with that for now. Its a start, but for suburban and rural america, it has to improve.

RE:
written by matt , March 18, 2008

Great post - I swear I've seen one of these cruising around my area (San Francisco). But I'm with you - a 50 mile range isn't going to cut it in the wide open of most of this country.

New modes of transportation
written by Robert Spencer , March 19, 2008

If I bought one I might add a trailer hitch and hang a 10KW multifuel generator on the back for long trips. Will it be affordable? FYI 40kw = 50hp

How cool to be pulling a sailboat with that thing!

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written by GreenKristine , March 19, 2008

I'm with Magnulus on this one. This vehicle is useless in cities like NYC. There is @ 5 different modes of transportation on every block, which is the real green way to travel. And the vehicles size and limited range procludes it from becoming popular outside of cities. Nice Try though!

Not a universal solution, but...
written by hgg , March 20, 2008

...who says it has to be? There is probably a huge market for this even in this country (USA). My household has two cars. My commute to work consists of 15 miles of stop-and-go in south FL (no practical public transportation). This vehicle would be perfect for me. We’d keep the other car for occasional longer trips. If it was available and cost effective I would get one.

Bring it on.
written by JY , March 22, 2008

I agree with the last post. Many two car families could replace one of the two with this. It boils down to cost effectiveness. The hybrid cars on the road today do not make economic sense yet for most people.

Bring it on.
written by JY , March 22, 2008

I agree with the last post. Many two car families in my area (Vancouver Canada) could replace one of the two with this little baby. It comes down to cost effectiveness. The hybirds on the road today do not make economic sense for most people yet. I'd certainly get a green car when the trendy values are taken out and economics are in.

I dig em
written by roberto , April 07, 2008

I work 27 miles from where I live. I would love to be able to drive to work plug it in and drive it home. That would sure save on gas money! Now if wer could only convince the rest of the American masses that they do not NEED high horse power cars and trucks for their day to day commute we may be onto something. We have the technology. we are just too pig headed to use it.

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