Since 2013, GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi and Bosch are working together in a joint venture named Lithium Energy and Power with the purpose to develop better batteries for electric cars. But despite some claims from time to time about a future battery with double capacity we haven’t heard much since. I took a look at the joint venture website and discovered two things: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV doesn’t use the same LEV50N cells that are in i-MiEV’s battery pack. Instead it uses LEV40 cells. These cells are made specifically for PHEVs.

In the summer of 2012 Mitsubishi MiEV’s French brothers, Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn started using a battery with reduced capacity, 14,5 kWh (80 cells) instead of 16 kWh (88 cells). Nonetheless, Mitsubishi i-MiEV kept the 16 kWh battery. At the time PSA said that cars would keep the previous range because the regenerative braking was now more efficient. However, there was a change in battery cell chemistry and LEV50 was replaced by LEV50N. A change of electrolyte that allows it to be more heat resistant, similar to what happened in the Leaf with the lizard battery. The Ragone curve (battery efficiency) also improved.