TECH INSIDER | PEUGEOT E-208
Pug
power
Six years in the making, the Peugeot e-208 isn’t benchmarking
electric rivals, instead it focuses on consumer adoption of plug-in
power by o ering the same convenience as a petrol or diesel car
www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com // July 2019 // 17
WORDS: ALEX GRANT
Peugeot was an early proponent of
electrifi cation with its diesel hybrids and
Mitsubishi i-MiEV-based iOn city car,
but 2019 is the start of a new era. This
year the company will launch the fi rst of its new
electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, beginning a
six-year process of phasing out models powered
solely by a combustion engine. Its fi rst in-house
battery-electric car will be a version of the new
208 supermini.
For Sylvain Chereau, a PSA drivetrain
engineer of over 20 years now bringing the
company’s electric vehicles to market, the
e-208 wasn’t benchmarked against cars such
as the Renault Zoe, but petrol and diesel
superminis. “We focused on our customer,
and what they needed,” he explains. “We
knew that 80% of customers drive less than
50km 31 miles per day, so with 340km 211
miles of range we could achieve a whole
week of electric driving and only charge on
the weekend. It means, if the customer has no
access to a plug at home, it would be easy to
use public charging once per week.”
Development of the 208 began six years
ago, and the electric version was conceived at
the start of the project. It’s underpinned by the
new Common Module Platform, co-developed
with PSA Group’s long-term partner, Chinese
carmaker Dongfeng Motor Corporation. This
is designed to accommodate both combustion
engine and electric variants and is shared with
the newly-launched DS 3 Crossback SUV, as
well as the next Opel/Vauxhall Corsa arriving
in 2019. Like the 208, these will be available
as battery-electric versions.
/www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com