New Peugeot 2008 SUV Available In A Battery Electric Version With 193 Mile Range
Peugeot says that, by 2023, every model it builds will be available with an electric motor and a plug. Put that emphasis on “available with.” While it is rushing to burnish its green car credentials, it will also be busy building more gasoline and diesel vehicles. One could almost get the impression the electrified cars are at least partially intended to earn enough ZEV credits to satisfy European Union regulators, much as “compliance cars” do in California, so that Peugeot doesn’t have to pay Tesla billions of dollars to avoid fines.
Last month, Peugeot took the wraps off its new e-208 sedan. Now it has revealed its newly restyled 2008 SUV, which will be available as a battery electric vehicle with 193 miles of range from a 50 kWh battery. An 80% recharge using a 100 kW charger is said to take just 30 minutes.
The 2008 will also offer a gasoline or diesel engine. We at CleanTechnica are skeptical of vehicles that try to shoehorn an electric powertrain into a car built for internal combustion power. The advantage is that as market forces change, a manufacturer can rapidly adjust production to adapt to changes in demand. The downside is that the car is always a compromise and usually omits some of the packaging benefits that an electric powertrain makes possible.
“The all-new 2008 SUV is the second vehicle introduced into the Peugeot range where the customer can choose from a conventional petrol or diesel engine, or a 100% electric variant without compromising on technology, looks or driving sensations. We strongly believe in choosing your Peugeot and then choosing your powertrain. The all-new 2008 SUV is also another step forward in our commitment of having an electrified version, across our entire Peugeot range by 2023,” says David Peel, managing director of Peugeot UK, according to a report by Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology.
Motor 1 says the new 2008 is slightly larger than the previous model but that the sloping rear hatch robs the interior of space. The whole point of an SUV is supposed to be its ability to carry stuff — lots and lots of stuff — but the marketing types insist on what is perceived as a “sporty” look, whatever that is. If you have to leave your bicycles or kayaks or camping gear at home because there is no room in your sport utility vehicle, what’s the point?
But style wins over substance every time, and the word “sport” has enormous power in marketing circles. If people insist on throwing their money away on vehicles that don’t live up to their hype, what’s a poor manufacturer to do? Sales is the transfer of emotion, and if the car you’re thinking of purchasing doesn’t get you a little jiggly inside, you’re not going to buy it. Nobody said any of this has to make sense.
The official specs on the e-2008 are: 136 horsepower motor with 192 pound-feet of torque and a range of 193 miles. For those who think such measurements archaic, try these: a 101 kW motor with 260 Newton-meters of torque and a range of 312 kilometers. Prices in dollars, euros, pounds, or zlotskies have not yet been announced.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
