Peugeot’s 2008 crossover set to give EV market a huge boost

Company expects around 850 electric cars to be sold here when it launches next January

Coming your way: newly revised Peugeot 2008

Eddie Cunningham

Peugeot is anticipating around 1,700 Irish buyers will purchase its latest 2008 crossover when it goes on sale here from next January.

And it is expecting half of those – that’s 850 or so – to buy the latest electric version.

That’s a sizeable chunk of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) coming on the market from one marque in one model segment.

It goes to show just how quickly sales of electric cars is expected to change in volume and velocity – on the back of current rising popularity. EV sales outstripped diesel last month, for example.

The remainder of the projected 1,700 buyers will most likely buy a 1.2-litre 3cyl petrol model, according to the Irish distributors.

The French brand’s car has been given a decent facelift. It has the sort of front that gets you noticed while the interior has been revised too.

But the main advance, from a battery electric vehicle (BEV) perspective, is that it gets a brand new 100pc electric powertrain. They claim it can cover up to 406km on a single charge.

The battery’s capacity is now 52.5 kWh (up from 50 kWh) and it can be charged to 80pc in just 30 minutes using a fast charger.

Using a 7kW wallbox charger, a full charge takes 7.5 hours. The range increase, to 406km, is 61km better than the 345km in the previous model.

Range, of course, depends on a variety of factors such as temperature, driving style and speed, but around the 370km/400km mark for a car of this size and calibre is a reasonable target.

The redesigned car’s electric motor is capable of producing more power – 115 kW (156 hp, and 260 Nm of torque). That should mean there’s a nice bit of zip to it with official figures claiming a 0-100 kmh of 8.5 seconds.

In addition to the electric powertrain, the new 2008 has two 1.2-litre 3cyl petrols.

The PureTech 100 is paired with a 6spd manual gearbox, while the more powerful PureTech 130 comes with either an 8spd auto gearbox or a 6spd manual transmission.

There will be a hybrid at some stage next year too.

The new 48v hybrid powertrain comprises a new-generation 136 bhp 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine, and a new 6spd dual-clutch electrified gearbox that includes an electric motor.

For all the changes, the car keeps the same exterior dimension. So it is 4.30m long, 1.987m wide (including mirrors) and 1.55m high. And the boot volume is unchanged at 434 litres (under the parcel shelf).

The most notable changes are focused on the redesign of the front end, as already mentioned, as well as new front and rear light signatures.

Equipment and spec are also improved to keep with the pace of change in cars generally but with electric vehicles in particular.

There is an updated i-Cockpit with new design for the digital instrument cluster and a 10in central touchscreen for all models.

Safety items include adaptive cruise control with stop/go function, extended traffic sign recognition and display, active lane departure warning with lane correction, HD parking aid cameras and enhanced traction with Grip Control.

They will have initial stock in October, but these will be primarily for dealer demos, etc.

The main volume will come onstream from January.