Fuji Heavy to pull plug on EV sales

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru vehicles, will suspend sales of its electric vehicles (EVs) for up to five years while it waits for the market to mature and the necessary infrastructure to be put in place. Sales of Subaru’s Plug-in Stella mini-car, the first mass-produced electric vehicle in the nation, could be suspended from as early as March, less than two years after hitting the market in July last year. Recharging facilities for electric vehicles remain few and far between in many areas, and the lithium-ion batteries installed in the vehicles are still expensive. (December 28, 2010)