Minicab miev revisions

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manic
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Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

Hi there,

I'm looking to buy/import a Minicab 16kwh . Is there a buyers guide to be found?

I have seen reference to U67v and U68v.

Can anyone explain the difference between those two generations,.... what changes/improvements were made over the years?

Any problem periods/VINs to avoid?

The latest one I can find is a 2014 with 20-30k on the clock... Are these still likely to get 100km range around town?

Matt
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by zzcoopej »

manic wrote: Wed, 05 Feb 2020, 20:44 The latest one I can find is a 2014 with 20-30k on the clock... Are these still likely to get 100km range around town?
I'm not a Minicab owner myself however I know 2 owners, one in NSW and another in QLD. I had an iMiEV for 4 years and from that experience and from collecting battery data from my EvBatMon App I can say that a 2014 with 30Kkm should be around 90-110km range at a minimum. Our 2011 iMiEV with 80Kkm on the clock still had 80-90km range when we sold it a year ago.
The heat in Australia does seem to degrade the Mitsubishi batteries more than other brands, the only worse offender is probably the Nissan Leaf. I've had the battery in my Outlander PHEV already replaced under warranty at 70Kkm, as have about 20 other PHEV owners in Australia. The PHEV shares a lot of EV components with the iMiEV and Minicab, however the PHEV has LEV40 cells instead of LEV50 in the iMiEV and Minicab.

You should test the SOH/PMC of the battery prior to purchase and check for a difference between the Min an Max cell voltages, preferably when the battery is depleted as that will expose weak cells. If you're into tinkering, there are uTube videos on replacing weak cells eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2fg8PuMMVc, should you be able to track down a source of replacement LEV-50 cells (there were some in WA a while back).
2010 iMiEV
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by wovenrovings »

I have seen some of ones with the 10.5kWh lithium titanate battery in the japanese auctions. Maybe that is the difference between U67v and U68v.?
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

Thanks.

Not sure how I can test the battery pack before purchase?

Been reading up, and found lots of talk of battery degradation and predicted 10 year life expectancy. Not reassuring when some of the vans on offer are 8 years old.... one would hope to get a chunk more than two years out of them for 14-16k!

Not so much info to be found from owners with 10.5kwh scib batteries... I wonder, do they age better than the lev50? More robust, better temperature tolerance?
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by zzcoopej »

manic wrote: Fri, 07 Feb 2020, 21:54 Not sure how I can test the battery pack before purchase?
The guy I know in NSW who purchased a Minicab got the seller (I think he purchased from the importer here in Oz who has brought in quite a few Minicabs) to run EvBatMon on their stock so he could picked the best of the bunch. Not so easy if you are dealing direct with Japan.
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

So I bought a 2012 scib 10.5kwh :o 50k on the clock.

Less range than the lev50 16kwh pack when new, but the scib LTO batteries should hold up better in old age, and be less sensitive to hot/cold days. At least that's how it reads on paper when comparing the battery tech.

Range guestimator on dash is around 92km on full charge. Today we completed a 32km run with two thirds of the battery gauge still lit up. 2 passengers + ~50kg in the back. So it's looking OK so far.

Next test is evbatmon. Can someone recommend a compatible obd reader that is easy to get hold of here in Aus?
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by zzcoopej »

manic wrote: Sun, 09 Feb 2020, 20:40 Next test is evbatmon. Can someone recommend a compatible obd reader that is easy to get hold of here in Aus?
We recommend Scantools. Easy to get hold of, however sadly they are not cheap.
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

Scantools? Is there a model number to narrow the search?
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by mikedufty »

The jaycar one can work. I did have to disconnect and reconnect a bit though.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/obd-ii-engine ... y/p/PP2145
I can't find mine, I suspect I may have given it away with my i-MiEV when I sold it, but it may turn up.
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by zzcoopej »

manic wrote: Mon, 10 Feb 2020, 19:30 Scantools? Is there a model number to narrow the search?
There is a LX and a MX, more info here -

Android (wifi or bluetooth) http://evpositive.com/evbatmon-for-i-miev.html

iOS (only wifi) http://evpositive.com/evbatmon-for-i-miev-ios.html

I've heard reports that the new Jaycar OBD sadly no longer works with the iMiEV.
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www.EvPositive.com
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

Thanks. Ordered the OBDLink MX+
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by mikedufty »

I don't think the Jaycar is substantially cheaper either, only advantage over the obdlink would be you can pick it up locally and return it if it doesn't work.
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by manic »

The obdlink works well. Evbatmon is useless on the minicab 10.5kwh pack. Readings all over the place, so went for a refund. No reply from developer, so far.

Canion is stable but shows voltage range of a 16kwh pack - higher nominal cell voltages than actual.

Hob drive shows correct, but it is not a well presented app, and not very intuitive.

Seems to me like canion has the most features. If it allowed for a few variables to be changed (nominal voltage/capacity) it could read correct on a 10.5kwh pack... Will try to contact the developer.

Thanks for the tips, these Mievs are less of a mystery to me now!
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Re: Minicab miev revisions

Post by wovenrovings »

Range guestimator on dash is around 92km on full charge. Today we completed a 32km run with two thirds of the battery gauge still lit up. 2 passengers + ~50kg in the back. So it's looking OK so far.
So it has about the same range now as an aged 16kWh pack by the looks of it. Bodes well for you being able to maintain that range.
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