Mitsubishi is going plug-crazy at Geneva, with the new Engelberg Tourer next-generation sport utility concept. The vehicle incorporates the Dendo Drive House System, which creates an energy ecosystem between a home and an electric vehicle.
The plug-in hybrid SUV concept is named after the famous Engelberg ski resort in central Switzerland. It has twin motors, all-wheel drive, and it hints towards a new-generation Outlander PHEV.
The plug-in hybrid system is an evolution of the current PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) system in the Outlander, using a slightly larger 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine as a generator (versus the 2.0L in the Outlander PHEV), but the same one-motor-per-axle layout. The Engelberg Tourer concept has an estimated all-electric range of 43 miles (70 km) and a total range of over 435 miles (700 km). Mitsubishi didn't state the size of the battery pack, but we suspect it's about the same 12 kWh pack that's found in the Outlander PHEV.
Like most Mitsubishi AWD-equipped crossovers, the Engelberg Tourer concept has an advanced torque-vectoring system. This is made even more controllable through the variable speeds possible with electric motors, though Mitsubishi is still calling it Super All-Wheel Control as with the mechanical models. Torque split is still determined by steering wheel turn, vehicle yaw rate, brake pressure, and wheel speeds. Because why mess with a good thing?
The concept SUV is sitting alongside a demonstration model of a project called Dendo Drive House (DDH). This is a packaged system of technologies that combine a home's solar panels, energy storage in a home battery, and an EV or PHEV like the Engelberg Tourer into one cohesive ecosystem. It can reduce costs across the board for its owners, gathering and delivering power in a smart way to include charging or utilizing battery storage in an electrified vehicle, for the purpose of reducing overall energy costs for the household.
Mitsubishi is keen to show off DDH and its benefits, as the launch date for the system is coming up fast. The system will be introduced in Asia and Europe later in 2019.
Source: Mitsubishi