DS Automobiles Ramping Up To A Fully Electrified Lineup By 2025

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DS Automobiles is taking a step into the present with a new commitment to the ever-ambiguous fully ‘electrified’ lineup by 2025. DS Automobiles’ CEO Yves Bonnefort took to Twitter to reinforce the company’s push into electric vehicles from the Paris Auto Show, where the company unveiled its updated plug-in hybrid DS 7 Crossback E-Tense and fully electric DS 3 CUV with an estimated 186 miles of range.

The PSA Group has intentionally opted not to lead in electric vehicles as it instead takes a tact of waiting to see which technologies win out, then making a “Push to Pass” the competition. Or at least that’s the intention of the Group’s Push to Pass Strategy. It makes sense if the electrification of automobiles is looked at as a possibility and not a certainty, but at the same time, it hands early market share to the competition.

The tweets from Paris make it clear that the Group is now kicking its electrification plan into high gear in 2019, starting with a few early moves from its DS Automotive brand.

Underpinning efforts to go electric is a simplification of the vehicle platforms the cars themselves are built on. The PSA Group is working to scale back the number of vehicle platforms it is supporting globally to focus its R&D efforts on the transition to electric vehicles. The group hopes to whittle the total number of platforms it supports down to just two “multi-energy” platforms that all of its vehicles across brands will be built on.

The first platform is the PSA Group’s Common Modular Platform (CMP) that is a full rolling chassis built specifically to support electric vehicles with a standard 50kWh battery pack and a 100kW motor. The all new DS Automotive DS 3 Crossback CUV is the first vehicle in the group to be built on this platform and is expected to achieve around 186 miles of range per charge.

The Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2) is the other platform in the PSA family and was launched back in 2013. The DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE PHEV was built on the EMP2 platform and shows that while the brand is committed to making a push into electrified vehicles, it is not certain that the future will be comprised of fully electric vehicles. The new PHEV SUV will go on sale officially in September of 2019, so not something to hold your breath for just yet.

Fellow PSA brand Peugeot will follow the DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE with a new Peugeot 3008 and the 508, while Opel will release an EMP2-based Grandland X. Citroen will also get in on the electrified action with a new Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV, showing that while we all wish PSA Group was pushing more boldly into fully electrified options, it clearly understands that SUVs and CUVs are in high demand and is giving consumers options for driving at least some of their miles on electricity instead of petrol or diesel.

Time will tell if the Group’s plans to electrify its lineup are sufficient to meet the needs of consumers as cities and countries sprinkled across its sales districts implement or consider bans on combustion vehicles over the next few decades. I personally can’t imagine buying a car that you might not be able to drive to work in a few years due to the possibility of regulatory changes, not to mention the vast improvement in drive quality that battery electric vehicles bring to the table over anything with a combustion engine, but that’s just me speaking.


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Kyle Field

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

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