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Subaru STELLA Plug-In Prototype to Begin Testing

If you thought, when reading the title, that STELLA is some type of Toyobaru derivate, or even the bastard itself, we tell you that's not the case. The vehicle is a Fuji Heavy Industries (maker of the Subarus we all know and love) product and will be made available for Japan's Ministry of the Environment for verification test which will be conducted by five prefectural and city governments.

The STELLA, based on Subaru R2's architecture, is actually in its second generation and packs a bit more punch than its father (or mother): power output has increased from 40 kW to 47 kW, while the efficiency has been increased by lightening the body weight and fine-tuning output management. The EV uses lithium-ion batteries and delivers, thanks to its permanent magnet synchronous electric motor some 170 Nm of torque.

And that's about it. Until the summer, that is, when Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) will release the full technical details of the production version STELLA. Pricing, selling system and after-sales service are also under study, so we'll have to wait and see.

Not for long though, as FHI plans to test-market production EV models from July this year in Japan and around 170 EV units are planned to be delivered during this fiscal year. This is only one year after the first STELLA was developed in 2008 and entered Japan Post group's car park for use in mail collection and delivery.

The 15 new STELLAs will be divided for testing as follows: four units for the Kanagawa Prefecture, three units for the Aichi Prefecture, three units for the Osaka Prefecture, three units for the Hyogo Prefecture, one unit for the Yokohama City and one unit for the veteran EV tester Japan Post Service.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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