So far, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has had a couple of production delays, and just one more has come up before this car will be ready to take on the road. California state regulators requested all plug-in hybrids to be fitted with a monitor to check for lithium-ion battery degradation. This will ensure that the emissions do not change over time.
Rather than measuring the energy currently being stored like state-of-charge monitors do, the new ones will be usable capacity monitors, which measure loss of capacity.
Loss of capacity in a battery causes the car to get fewer miles per charge. Going past the reduced range will cause the car to produce more emissions.
Even though the installation and testing of these monitors is going to take a little more than a year, here at Glendale Mitsubishi we are happy about this addition to the PHEV. The monitors will help keep emissions in a sensible range, keeping the PHEV as efficient and eco-friendly as it can be.
While waiting for the PHEV to release, come check out our Glendale, CA dealership to find out more about our new Mitsubishis. We are always glad to share specs.