Q&A: Mitsubishi 4WD transmission, EV registration safety and compliance check

Let’s answer your questions and correct some misguided comments from my recent reports, while shining the light on an electric vehicle compliance & safety mistake…

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In this report, responding to your recent comments and criticism, regarding Mitsubishi's clever 4WD transmission, a potential safety compliance mistake that could affect that electric vehicle you test drive. And of course, a dose of nuts at the end...

There’s a tiny vehicle safety and compliance trap that could see you fined heavily just for test driving an electric car. Hidden in plain sight, and was identified by an eagle-eyed viewer named Garry.

But for now, let’s clear up the random Chinese whispers about Mitsubishi’s Super Select II 4WD system:

TH Lim has missed it by that much, sadly. This very clever transmission is available in the Triton ute and Pajero Sport 4WD wagon, which is based on the Triton platform.

See, the big plus about Mitsubishi’s Super Select II system is the ability to use 4H with the centre diff unlocked - meaning you can select the first 4WD setting on your dial (the one right next to 2H) on a high traction surface.

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Select 4H at under 100km/h...

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when you hit dry stuff...

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or wet stuff.

That means: wet or dry bitumen, dirt roads (even rooly rooly grippy dirt) etc. This is a deadset plus because it means you’re less likely to spin the wheels by accelerating too aggressively - because the drive is split four ways.

You cannot do this in a Hilux, a Ranger, a Navara, a BT-50, shitbox D-MAX, etc - because in terms of driveline tech, these lesser utes are all about as advanced as a post-war Massey-Harris tractor. And the M-H 33 will never die, but Super Select II is a big plus for sure-footed safety and security on shit roads in 2022.

In any of the more prehistoric utes, you’ll damage the transmission if you use 4WD on a high traction surface, because there’s no centre diff, and thus the front and rear propshafts are synchronised whenever you’re in 4H. And they generally need to rotate at different rates when the vehicle negotiates curves on high-traction surfaces.

And, insofar as I’m aware, you can drive with Super Select II in 4H with the centre diff unlocked at any speed. But, according to the manual, you can only shift on the fly between 2H and 4H at speeds below 100km/h. So, this is where the limit applies - shifting between the modes of operation.

You can lock the centre diff on the fly too, if memory serves, but you need to stop before selecting low range. Obviously.

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Well spotted, Garry. I can’t comment on your test-drive experience specifically, but if what you say is accurate, that’s pretty poor form for a specialist EV brand.

In mitigation regarding the image, though, the shot that I used, of EQI 89K, on that bridge just north of the ‘Gong, was first made available by Polestar for media use on 23 November 2021.

Here’s the original Polestar image, albeit slightly cropped. Click to enlarge.

At that time, there was a sticker exemption in place for light vehicles - so it was OK not to have the approved EV label on the number plate. (At that time.)

So exactly what does the rulebook say on this…?

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REGISTRATION COMPLIANCE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN NSW

Here’s what the Roads and Maritime Services Department within the New South Wales government says about safety compliance stickers on registration plates for electric and hybrid vehicles:

New South Wales regulatory authority, there.

Unfortunately for Polestar, however, a wad of photographs including this one accompanied the 17 January Polestar Nullabor ‘chip fat carbon neutrality’ fiasco press release, and I can’t see the blue label there, on any of them…

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No sticker here.

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None here either.

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Three strikes.

And I presume that ongoing compliance with home state registration requirements is a condition of travelling interstate. So, well done there, getting the details right, Chinese electro-Swedish Australian Polestar operatives.

The PSA here: If you test drive an EV or a hybrid any time soon, just have a quick look at both ends before you hop in - because it’s you who’s gunna get pinged, lose the points and be obliged to pay the penalty, if the dipshit dealer forgets to apply the mandatory safety labels.

Whoops.

Before taking a test drive of your potential next EV or hybrid, or if you already own one, perhaps, you might want to check the registration plate to make sure this little compliance sticker is there for all to see.

It’s designed to tell emergency services, particularly fire and rescue, and the police, that the crashed electric vehicle requires certain protocols and preventative measures to respond to that scenario. It also tells fire crews how to make the vehicle safe in that emergency situation.

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