Mitsubishi to supply 3,000 electric kei cars to Japan Post
Mitsubishi offers the Minicab EV in 2-seat and 4-seat versions. The electric kei car is 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, and 1,915 mm tall and has a 2,390 mm wheelbase. Its luggage compartment measures 1,840 mm in length, 1,300 mm (2-seater)/1,315 mm (4-seater) in width, and 1,230 mm in height. The monobox LCV sits 675 mm off the ground, providing ample cargo floor clearance. ‘Kei car’ is the name of the category for Japan’s smallest highway-legal passenger vehicle class, including restricted dimensions and motor capacity, is based on a monobox design and is equipped with a new generation of electric components including the motor and drive battery.
Mitsubishi says the Minicab EV can store 14 boxes measuring 600 mm x 450 mm x 450 mm. Thus, we estimate the electric LCV roughly offers 1,701 litres of cargo space. The company states 350 kg as the maximum payload capacity of the model.
The Minicab EV employs Mitsubishi’s YA1 electric motor that produces 31 kW and 195 mm of torque and uses a 20 kWh battery pack to power the drive unit. The Japanese automaker says fully charging the battery pack with a normal charger takes approximately 7.5 hours and quick-charging it to 80% SoC takes approximately 42 minutes. On a full charge, the electric kei car delivers a WLTC range of 180 km.
For retail orders, the Minicab EV costs ¥2,431,000 (€13,913) for the 2-seat version and ¥2,486,000 (€14,227) for the 4-seat version.
Mitsubishi has supplied Japan Post with more than 5,000 units of the Minicab-MiEV over the past 11 years. The postal and logistics provider ordered the Minicab EV fleet based on its experience from the previous monobox electric kei-car class commercial EV.
When Mitsubishi introduced the Minicab EV in November 2023, it said it sold approximately 13,000 units of the Minicab-MiEV since its domestic launch in 2011. Based on the old model’s cumulative sales figure in a span of 12 years, the new model’s new bulk order within a year of launch looks like a big feat.
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