| Abstract: | Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), in cooperation with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, has developed the “Libero” electric vehicle, offering performance and comfort comparable to those of gasoline‐powered vehicles. TEPCO carried out demonstration tests, allocating 28 vehicles to its branch offices for onsite business use in March 1993, and a considerable volume of data was collected. This paper analyzes the results of research in the areas of energy consumption and impact on the natural environment. The evidence obtained suggests that electric vehicles are capable of energy efficiency superior to that of gasoline vehicles, and have less of an impact on the environment. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 127(4): 52–63, 1999 |
