Japan's Mitsubishi Motors and France's PSA Peugeot Citroen said Tuesday they may collaborate in technology for electric vehicles as the global race to build green cars heats up.
The exploratory project, expected to last several months, will involve joint development of components to transform electricity into driving force for small urban electric cars, they said in a joint statement.
“To step up the viability of electric vehicle projects and accelerate market introduction, the companies agreed that cooperation on electric vehicle development and production would be mutually beneficial,” they said.
The dream of an electric car, which has been around since the time of Thomas Edison, has so far failed to break into the mainstream because of limited battery life that makes such vehicles impractical for most purposes.
Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen already have various joint programmes, including the construction of a new factory in Russia.
The French group is the largest global manufacturer of electric vehicles with more than 10,000 units sold, while Mitsubishi aims to launch its i-MiEV battery-powered vehicle in Japan next year, the firms said.
The agreement comes a week after Peugeot launched in collaboration with Mitsubishi the construction of its first car plant in Russia.
