Outlander PHEV just the business

Buying a business vehicle which slashes motoring expenses is a strategy that will go straight to the bottom line.

ELEMENT PROMOTION: When the new Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) hit the market a few months back, it redefined the market in terms of efficiency.

Using fuel at a rate of just 1.9L/100km, it must have fuel companies and the government - which taxes petrol at almost 70c per litre - full of trepidation.

It's the future of motoring until such time as the fully electric model comes along, not only saving money at the pump, but keeping a good chunk of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

With a 52km electric range before the petrol motor kicks in, the Mitsubishi PHEV easily covers the daily commute - which in New Zealand averages 38km.

The resilience and sustainability of your business model relies more and more on doing no damage to the environment, and transport - particularly business transport - is a major contributor toward New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions profile.

Being able to take a chunk out of your business's footprint is a significant and responsible step. If you have graduated to running a modern business reporting programme, which not only reports on the bottom line but also on social and environmental impacts, what you get around in matters.

The Mitsi PHEV has an annual running electricity cost of $364 and an annual fuel cost of $280. For a car which still has an engine it in, these are unheard-of figures. It's also telling that electricity will cost more than fuel, despite the relatively small range.

There's a quiet revolution taking place in the business community of New Zealand - that of installing solar photovoltaic panels on the expansive roofs of businesses all around the country. The Sustainable Electricity Association of New Zealand says that the solar business has been growing at a rate of 330%, and businesses are about to install a total of 5.5MW of solar panels on their roofs - the equivalent to a small power station.

And why not? Business hours more or less coincide with sunshine hours, and our businesses are energy hungry beasts.

But what if you could tack your motoring costs on to that as well?

The Mitsubishi PHEV would require electricity produced from just four standard 250W panels - 1kW of capacity. The average household installation is over 2kW, so it's fair to say that when fi gures become available the average business installation will be larger than that.

It seems like the proverbial 'no brainer' to plug in your vehicle while you're at your desk, and use the sun to power both your car and your computer.

Also worthy of note here is that the Mitsubishi PHEV doesn't economise on space and practicality like some of its e-competitors, which also seems a business necessity. It's a large, roomy vehicle, which feels solid and safe on the road. It seems its batteries haven't compromised anything - probably because there's not many of them.

The numbers

• $1.41 - The cost to fully charge the batteries on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
• 52 - The kilometres the vehicle can travel on a full charge
• 6.5 - The hours needed to charge the car
• $364 - Electricity costs per year (based on 38 kilometres travelled each day)
• $280 - Fuel costs per year (based on EECA tests)
• 6 Star - The Energywise rating from EECA

Nuts and bolts

In 'Series Hybrid' mode, the two 60kW electric motors run the wheels and the petrol engine charges the state-of-the-art Lithium-Ion battery.

The battery will be fully recharged in just 40 minutes, having used around three litres of fuel to do it. In 'Parallel Hybrid' mode, which kicks in at higher speeds, the petrol engine helps to drive the wheels.

It's a combination of two electric motors and a 2.0L petrol engine (not to mention the three clever drive modes that bring it all together) and means the Outlander PHEV isn't bound by the range limitations of all-electric vehicles.

Even using fuel the vehicle has emissions of just 44 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The Outlander also uses regenerative braking to conserve even more energy. Its cruise control adapts to the vehicle you're following and it will even stop you to mitigate a collision if its radar detects a hazard but no brake input.

These are just some of the features that contribute to the 5-Star ANCAP safety rating.

The XLS starts the range at $59,990, with the VRX at $66,990. The VRX includes satnav, forward collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, a power tailgate, heated front leather seats and the full PHEV colour display screens - plus the PHEV remote app that is available for iOS and Android phones.

Take a test drive

Go in the draw to win a Mitsubishi Electric solar package worth $8799 when you test drive the vehicle at your nearest Mitsubishi Motors dealership. To arrange a test drive and see competition terms and conditions please visit: mmnz.co.nz/plug-in-hybrid/phev-test-drive/

This article is an Element Advertising Promotion.