Citroen Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

November 12, 2009

Peugeot Begins Pre-Bookings for Its All-Electric iOn City Car

Peugeot has begun pre-bookings for the i0n (pictured), its i-MiEV-derived electric car developed in partnership with Mitsubishi and scheduled for production next year.

The company says that it has already signed letters of intent with nine companies and various government agencies for car sharing and large fleets in Europe.

For individual customers, pre-bookings are open on the websites of Peugeot Germany, Great Britain, Spain, France and Italy.

Like the Citroen C-Zero, which like the iOn will basically be an i-MiEV with a different badge, the four-seat, zero-emissions iOn will contain a lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged in six hours from a standard 220-volt outlet or get a charge to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes at special rapid-charge stations.

Peugeot has said the EV will develop a maximum power output of 64 base horsepower and top out at 81 miles per hour. That's good enough for European cities and Europe's increasingly speed-restricted autobahns, which currently have an "advisory speed limit" (or richtgeschwindigkeit) of 80 mph.

The iOn will also incorporate a number of innovative services, in particular through its "location and communications" box.

The box will not only handle liaison with an emergency call service, for which Peugeot is a leader throughout Europe, but will also provide feedback of technical data (including state of the battery, distance covered and kilometers before maintenance) for the professional management of vehicle fleets.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 12, 2009, 10:55 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Citroen, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Citroen C-Zero

November 10, 2009

Citroen Joins French EV Revolution With C-Zero City Car; 2010 Production Slated

Striving to keep pace with rival Renault and stablemate Peugeot, France's Citroen has announced plans to launch an electric car late next year.

The Citroen C-Zero, like Peugeot's previously announced iOn EV city car, will be based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric already in production in Japan.

With two all-electric cars coming from PSA Peugeot Citroen and three from Renault in the next three years, France is in line to become the nation's leader in EV offerings.

Citroen said the four-seat C-Zero will use the same power and energy storage system as the i-MiEV, including its lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged in six hours from a domestic outlet or get a charge to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes at special rapid-charge stations.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 10, 2009, 9:38 AM
Categories:: Citroen, France, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Citroen C-Zero

November 2, 2009

Sanyo Signs Deal To Supply Batteries for Peugeot, Citroen Diesel Hybrids

Sanyo Electronics, which wants to be the world's biggest EV and hybrid battery supplier, has put another notch in its belt as it signs France's PSA Peugeot-Citroen as a client for nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The automaker will use Sanyo's NiMH batteries in its upcoming (not for U.S.) diesel-electric hybrids -the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 crossover (right) and the Citroen DS5 Hybrid 4 - which are slated to go into production in 2011.

Sanyo, which also supplies hybrid batteries to Ford and Honda and has a joint venture deal to produce nickel-metal hydride batteries with Volkswagen, has said it wants to capture 40 percent of the global market share for both NiMH and lithium-ion batteries by 2020.

The company has agreed to become subsidiary of electronics giant Panasonic Corp. and even as it boosts it hybrid and EV battery operations reportedly is looking to sell part of its rechargeable battery business to a unit of Fujitsu Corp. to avoid anti-trust problems.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 10:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Citroen, Peugeot
Technorati Tags:: EV Batteries

October 1, 2009

French EV Plan Calls for 2 Million Cars, 4 Million Chargers by 2020

Renault Fluence ZE unveiled.jpg

Say goodbye to those storied noisy streets of Paris.

The French government today committed 1.5 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to a 10-year plan to help put 2 million electric cars on the road by 2020.

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Renault showed this Fluence ZE electric car concept at the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, vowed to have EVs on sale in France by 2012.

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The funds will help pay for manufacturer and buyer subsidies, a nationwide network of more than 4 million EV charging stations, and subsidies for battery manufacturing and industrial research.

It Takes a Nation

"No player can take the risk alone, but if all the actors take it at the same time, that works," France's Ecology Minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, said at a press conference in Paris today. He was accompanied by executives from French carmakers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen, both of which have pledged to begin selling electric vehicles in France by 2012.

Borloo said that the funding will help install a million EV charging points by 2015 - mainly in private residences but also in car parks and select locations on busy highway.

But beginning in 2012, the government will require all new apartment developments in the country to install charging stations to being the nationwide total to 4 million by 2020.

That's two per vehicle and an indication that France, which produces most of its electricity in nuclear power plants, expects the total number of EVs and plug-in hybrids to grow beyond the 2 million goal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 1, 2009, 5:47 PM
Categories:: Citroen, France, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

September 14, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Greenest Car Show Begins Previews Tuesday

Hyundai Motors' ix-Metro Hybrid city car is one of several dozen 'green' cars and concepts debuting at Frankfurt show.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

This week's Frankfurt Auto Show promises to be the greenest major auto show to date - a showcase for fuel efficiency improvements and alternative powertrains that are coming to the forefront as the mainstream auto industry finally begins coming to grips with the need to begin weaning itself - and us - from petroleum.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 14, 2009, 1:49 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Citroen, Diesel, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

September 4, 2009

Citroen to Sell EV Based on Mitsubishi's i-MiEV; Vehicle Slated to Launch Next Year

The chief executives of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and PSA Peugeot Citroen signed an agreement today in Paris that will allow Citroen to sell a version of an electric vehicle based on Mitsubishi's i-MiEV.

Mitsubishi launched the i-MiEV plug-in electric vehicle in Japan in June and will begin global sales of the right-hand-drive vehicle later this year.

The company plans to offer a left-hand-drive version of the i-MiEV next year.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen are collaborating on an EV that will be based on the i-MiEV. The agreement signed today permits both Peugeot and Citroen to sell versions of the collaboration, with sales to commence next year.

The move will allow Citroen to offer a low-emissions model ahead of its planned 2011 DS5 HYbrid4, a diesel-electric hybrid. More importantly, it will soon give Europeans another choice in an upcoming selection of zero-emissions vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 4, 2009, 1:49 PM
Categories:: Citroen, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

July 10, 2009

PSA Peugeot Citroen Says It Is Not Working With Mitsubishi on Hybrid Components

One joint effort is, apparently, enough.

France's PSA Peugeot Citroen has issued a denial of a report for Japan's Nikkei business news that it is collaborating with Mitsubishi Motors on development of hybrid powertrain components.

"We deny the information...We have our own research into plug-in hybrids," PSA Peugeot Citroen sad in a statement.

The French automaker said the two companies will, however, continue their collaboration on a small electric vehicle that the French company would market in Europe.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 10, 2009, 12:45 PM
Categories:: Citroen, France, Hybrid, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

July 9, 2009

Mitsubishi-PSA Peugeot Citroen Reportedly Collaborating on Plug-In Hybrids

Automakers Already Working Jointly on Battery-Electric Car

Mitsubishi Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen, already working together on an electric vehicle for the European markets, have reportedly expanded their collaboration to development and production of components for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Japan's Nikkei business news says the two intend to jointly build powertrain components and are likely to supply finished hybrid vehicles to each other.

The partnership reportedly would benefit Mitsubishi's development of a plug-in gas-electric SUV and PSA Peugeot-Citroen's work on a diesel-electric car.

Mitsubishi, which declined to comment, also would supply high-capacity lithium-ion batteries to PSA through an affiliate, according to the Nikkei report.

Mitsubishi is already developing a plug-in hybrid car for commercial release by 2013 and intends to begin leasing its I-MIEV battery-electric city car in Japan later this month, with retail sales expected to follow sometime next year.

Collaborative agreements such as the Mitsubishi-PSA deals can only help speed the day when electric and electric-assisted vehicles are no longer curiosities but a significant part of the mainstream automotive marketplace.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 9, 2009, 10:40 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Citroen, Hybrid, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Mitsubshi

December 11, 2008

World Green Car of the Year Organization Posts List of 2009 Candidates

The World Car of the Year organization has announced the initial slate of candidates for 2009 World Green Car of the Year.

Launched three years ago, the title has been awarded in the past to the BMW 118d (2008), the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (2007) and the Honda Civic Hybrid (2006).

The 2009 candidates must be new and on sale by December 31.

The list includes the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI (pictured), BMW 335d BluePerformance, Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon hybrids, Citroen C1, Fiat Palio Weekend Electric, Fiat Siena Tetrafuel model, Honda FCX Clarity. Go to Edmunds.com's Inside Line to view more candidates.

The organization includes working automotive journalists from around the globe, including regular Inside Line contributors Matt Davis, Hormazd Sorabjee, Peter Nunn and Peter Lyon.

The top 10 finalists will be announced in January, with the winner revealed in April at the 2009 New York Auto Show.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 11, 2008, 1:33 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Chevrolet, Citroen, Diesel, Emissions, Fiat, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI