2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In Electric First Drive

Japan is the world leader when it comes to eco-cars, and it got to prove the fact at the G8 Summit in Toyako, Hokkaido, late last year when the country's carmakers supplied their latest eco offerings as limousines for ferrying around visiting delegates.

Every production eco-car or future concept with half a reputation was there, including the hydrogen-powered Honda FCX Clarity, electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV, hydrogen-powered Nissan FCV, the hydrogen-gasoline rotary-powered Mazda RX8, the hydrogen-powered Suzuki FCV and of course the hybrid Toyota Prius and Lexus LS 600h.

Plus the 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In electric vehicle.

While the Toyota and Lexus hybrids can be purchased right from a showroom, the rest of these vehicles are little more than elaborate science experiments, still being tested in carefully monitored fleets. No private owners need apply.

Except the 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In, which you'll be able to buy from a Subaru showroom in Japan this summer.

Alternative Reality
Introduced to the press on June 4, the 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In is on sale in Japan and deliveries will begin in August. The 2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV goes into production in July, but it's going directly into use by a government fleet and won't be in the hands of private owners until April 2010.

Subaru plans to sell some 170 examples of the Subaru Stella Plug-In EV over the next nine months at 4.72 million yen ($47,900) each. No, this is not a typo. And even with the benefit of a complex combination of subsidies from the national and regional governments that amounts to around $18,000 per car, the tiny Stella EV still costs a hefty $29,000.

With so few showroom-ready cars to go around, and none available to test-drive just yet, we bowed and said thank you when Subaru offered us a brief test in the Stella Plug-In concept (there's just one, by the way), a drive we conducted near Subaru's head office in Tokyo's busy Shinjuku ward.

Concept Versus Reality
On paper, the concept and the showroom-ready Stella Plug-In are basically identical. The EV starts with the Stella, a four-passenger minicar usually powered by a 660cc inline-4. It measures 133.6 inches overall, 58.1 inches wide and 64.8 inches tall, and rides on a 92.9-inch wheelbase. The electric powertrain comes from the R1e, a compact EV derivative of the R1 that has been tested since June 2006.

The 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In EV weighs 2,227 pounds, some 265 pounds more than the Stella RS, which is powered by a supercharged 660cc inline-4. Most of the extra weight comes from the pack of lithium-ion batteries. A significant miniaturization program for the battery pack helped reduce the vehicle's overall weight by 110 pounds from the plug-in concept we're driving.

Subaru's development engineers were also able to increase the output of the production Stella EV's motor to the equivalent of 63 horsepower from 53 hp, while torque output has been lifted to 125 pound-feet from 110 lb-ft. In comparison, the Stella RS's supercharged inline-4 engine makes 63 hp but only 68 lb-ft of torque.

A 9.2-kilowatt-hour, 346-volt lithium-ion battery pack provides the juice for the EV's 47-kilowatt motor. The Stella Plug-In has a top speed of 60 mph and a cruising range in optimum conditions of 55 miles.

Quick Start
Seated in the tight cabin, we turn the keyless key slot as you'd normally do to start a car, and a small light in the shape of an electrical plug glows within the instrument binnacle to let you know that the electric motor is ready to go. Engage "D" for drive on the continuously variable transmission (CVT), floor the right pedal and you have 100 percent access to that 125 lb-ft of torque from rest.

With so much torque in hand plus the CVT, the Stella Plug-In is comfortably quicker than the standard supercharged Stella, reaching 40 mph in just 4 seconds, which is performance on par with a 2.0-liter sedan. The progress past 40 mph slows down as you reach the car's terminal velocity of 60 mph.

"Sixty miles per hour?" we hear you say. Yes, there is a good reason for restricting top speed, according to Subaru. Given current lithium-ion battery technology, Subaru (and every other carmaker developing an EV) would just as soon keep us from speeds that might overheat the batteries. Moreover, the car's cruising range declines dramatically once you push above 60 mph. If you hold top speed for very long in the Stella Plug-In, you can even see the mileage meter plummet as if it were a conventional fuel gauge connected to a thirsty big-block V8.

Using the air-conditioning also works to lower the car's cruising range, one more reason why EVs like the Stella Plug-In and Mitsubishi i-MiEV have been designed as inner-city runabouts for people who travel less than 40 miles each day.

It's All in the Batteries
At the end of the day, an EV is only as good as its batteries. The 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In employs fast-charge lithium-ion battery technology that eliminates the typical loss of charge memory that plagues lithium-ion batteries. As a result, fast charges or partial charges do not decrease the life of the Stella EV's batteries.

The batteries can be charged at home using a wall-type 100-volt or industrial-type 200-volt converter unit (the process takes more than 8 hours at 100 volts) or a dedicated quick-charge station (where batteries can be recharged to 80 percent of their capacity in just 15 minutes).

Once you're all charged up, the Stella Plug-In handles surprisingly well. It might be 265 pounds heavier than its gasoline-powered counterpart, but the seamless power delivery from the torquey electric motor makes this minicar fun to drive, even if the only sounds created are the whir from the electric motor and some tire noise.

Some minor tuning to the suspension system to counter the car's extra weight results in less body roll than expected, while the ride quality is equal to a standard 660cc minicar. This Stella EV actually feels more stable on the road than a conventional Stella thanks to its extra pounds and quieter demeanor, although you can feel the regenerative braking system engaging every time you lift off the accelerator pedal.

Time Starts Now
In about 30 years we'll look back and realize alternative propulsion really began in 2009. With the revised Toyota Prius hybrid, the affordable Honda Insight hybrid and the entry of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Subaru Stella Plug-In into everyday use, the period of science experiments is over.

At the same time, the 2009 Subaru Stella Plug-In reminds us that issues of cost, cruising range and speed still remain. But you've got to start somewhere.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.