For many years, Tesla has been the champion of electric car range. The Model S was the top of the rankings until the Mercedes-Benz EQS challenged it, and even then, for more money and less performance. But now there’s a new competitor, and it’s not the brand you’d expect. It’s venerable French carmaker Peugeot. The recently launched Peugeot E-3008 boasts a WLTP range of 435 miles, where the latest Tesla Model S only goes to 405 miles, and the Project Highland Tesla Model 3 will offer 420 miles.
The new Peugeot E-3008 was launched on Tuesday with a theatrical unveiling in Sochaux, France, showing the importance Stellantis is placing on this car. This is because it is the first product of the company’s new electric era. It’s based on the new STLA Medium platform. At launch, there will be three choices of drivetrain for the E-3008. There’s a front-wheel drive version with a 210kW (210bhp) motor and 73kWh (net) battery, a Dual Motor all-wheel-drive version with the same battery but 240kW (320bhp), and another front-wheel-drive Long Range version with a 170kW (230bhp) motor and a 98kWh (net) battery.
While the 73 kWh vehicles offer a WLTP long range of 326 miles (a big improvement over previous Stellantis EVs), the 98 kWh long range option is the most significant improvement. This edition is the one that offers 435 miles of WLTP diversity, which will be the highest productivity in its class. The Peugeot E-3008 may not be a particularly fast vehicle by EV standards, with even the dual-motor version taking 6. 4 seconds to reach 62 mph and the other two coming in closer to nine seconds. . These are modest figures considering that the bargain-priced MG4 XPOWER takes just 3. 8 seconds.
The 21-inch surround-view panoramic i-Cockpit is a significant step forward for the Stellantis’ dashboard and infotainment, but it’s a mid-range rather than premium brand. The interior is comfortable and the rear cargo space is sufficient (520 liters with the rear seats up and 1,482 liters with the rear seats folded). Rear passengers also benefit from intelligent head and legroom. This is an affordable, well-built car for families, not an ostentatious luxury vehicle.
That’s why the 435 miles of diversity are important. We’d expect this kind of figure for cars that charge close to £100,000 ($124,000) or more. Although the company hasn’t revealed any specific details about charging the E-3008, a Stellantis representative told me that the 98 kWh edition is available for around £45,000 ($56,000). The Tesla Model 3 Long Range is much more expensive in the UK, and the Y even more so.
There will be more Peugeots built on the STLA Medium platform along with the Small and Large variants announced through Stellantis in 2021 as well. Stellantis would have possibly achieved its enormous diversity through a massive battery (that 98kWh figure is net, so the cells have an even greater capacity). gross capacity), but it is a defining moment in the evolution of the electric vehicle market when a mid-diversity logo offers 435 miles of diversity. diversity. This means it won’t be long before EVs with more modest diversity and charging achieve price parity with their internal combustion engine (ICE) competitors.
Apparently the STLA Medium platform can still accommodate ICE. But unlike the previous E-CMP platform, STLA Medium was first designed for electric vehicles and will later be adapted for ICE. E-CMP is the complete opposite, making it a compromise for electric cars. Despite Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares’ ambivalent comments about electric vehicles, the company is prioritizing electrification, knowing there are still a few years left in the ICE market to capitalize on it.
The Peugeot E-3008 launches STLA Medium by Stellantis, a first EV platform with a skateboard battery. . . [ ] position.
Stellantis has also been quite clever about integrating the larger 98 kWh battery. Although there is no dual-motor E-3008 lately, the extra battery capacity does not take up the rear motor area. Instead, Stellantis uses a deeper backpack on its skateboard. layout (where the battery is located in the middle between the front and rear wheels across the width of the vehicle). This reduces the ground clearance by around 15mm, but the interior area remains exactly the same as the 73kWh front-wheel drive car.
Stellantis has made some compromises with the Peugeot E-3008. The platform is still based on 400 V generation instead of 800 V, to reduce costs. But it still supports DC charging up to 160 kW, so even the 98 kWh battery will take about 30 minutes to go from 20% to 80%. There is a self-charging (V2L) capability that allows the E-3008 to power external devices up to 3kW at 16A. This means you can run a bouncy castle pump or power a home theater projector within sight of all. air while camping.
The 21in i-Cockpit screen takes Peugeot’s instrument and infotainment display to a new level.
For Americans, the E-3008 might seem irrelevant, since Peugeot hasn’t been selling cars in the US for over 30 years. But there are two things to consider. First, Peugeot is part of Stellantis, which owns several iconic American brands including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and RAM. And while Peugeot’s former plans to return to the US market as a brand have waned, there are other European marques owned by Stellantis that are available, including Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Maserati. The STLA Medium platform will be made available to most of these brands, and Stellantis has 22 factories in America (albeit two currently idle), six in Canada and seven in Mexico. In other words, it’s likely to be making some affordable STLA Medium-based long-range EVs for the North American market too.
While the Peugeot E-3008 isn’t perhaps a halo car that will change the electric vehicle market overnight, it’s an important milestone. The Peugeot E-3008 will go on sale in February 2024, meaning the range available in the mid-market will be at least 435 miles from next year. One of the frequent criticisms EV haters make is that electric cars don’t go far enough compared to ICE. But the 435-mile Peugeot E-3008 shows that pretty soon, they will.
A community. Many voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.
Our network aims to connect others through open and thoughtful conversations. We need our readers to share their perspectives and exchange ideas and facts in one space.
To do so, please comply with the posting regulations in our site’s Terms of Service. Below we summarize some of the key regulations. Bottom line, stay civil.
Your message will be rejected if we realize that it seems to contain:
User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:
So how can you be a user?
Thank you for reading our Community Guidelines. Please read the full list of posting regulations discovered in our site’s Terms of Use.