WAY BACK WHEN
During the Second World War, the rationing
of gasoline for non-military use saw some
car manufacturers seek out alternative
energy sources for vehicle propulsion. In
1941, a number of small vehicle manufacturers
had begun to design and build small carts and
vans that were powered by an electric motor.
Unlike many of the major OEMs, Peugeot backed
electric propulsion and on May 1, 1941, unveiled
the VLV – the Véhicule Léger de Ville, the light
city car.
The small, electrically powered convertible
microcar could seat two occupants, and achieve
a heady top speed of 36km/h (22mph) – thanks
to a 3.3ps Safi motor capable of spinning up to
2,250rpm, and four 12V batteries, which were
located under the front hood. This gave the VLV a
range of 75-80km (46-50 miles) – not much by
today’s standards, but in war-torn Europe such a
range was invaluable, particularly for the postal
workers and doctors who made up much of the
user base. With Peugeot’s Sochaux factory under
40 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
occupation and given over to
the German war effort, the
VLV was built at facilities in
the Paris region, with 377 cars
produced from June 1941 until
early 1943.
The distinctively styled VLV
had a steel body and chassis
and weighed just 350kg
(772lbs), some 160kg (352lbs)
of which was taken up by the
batteries. The steel monocoque
had two reinforcing strips under
the fl oor, and the vehicle’s
narrow design included a folding
roof and doors. The vehicle also
featured side windows that
could be raised by a lever
in the door.
The front suspension
was a transverse leaf
spring, and the two
rear wheels were just
a foot apart, sharing
a single brake drum.
A conventional foot
throttle controlled the
power, while a lever
selected forward or
reverse gears.
To modern audiences, the
VLV looks somewhat quirky
and dated, but elements
of the Peugeot’s 1940s
vehicle design philosophy
have endured. At Stuttgart
in 2009, Peugeot presented the BB1 – a small,
unusually styled, all-electric city car concept. The
technology has certainly changed – the BB1 used
Michelin-designed rear in-wheel motors for a total
system output of 320Nm, and featured an upright
driving position and handlebars, making the BB1
more akin to a quadricycle than a car.
Peugeot’s current EV design language has
evolved – the E-Legend Concept unveiled at
the 2018 Paris Motor Show is an all-electric,
autonomous vehicle that will produce 800Nm of
torque and has an OEM-claimed range of around
600km (373 miles). The muscle car-esque
concept vehicle was recently showcased at the
2019 Rétromobile show in Porte de Versailles,
which also saw the VLV back in Paris,
nearly 80 years since it fi rst rolled off
the production line.
As OEM’s struggled under war-time
gasoline restrictions, Peugeot’s engineers
opted for an electric city car solution
WORDS: MATT ROSS
Peugeot’s VLV was used mainly by
postal workers and doctors during WW2
Almost half of the VLV’s
weight was taken up by
the batteries
FIGHTING
SPIRIT
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