Wednesday 22nd September 2010

Extreme Peugeot EX1 Electric Roadster Unveiled

Peugeot celebrates bicentennial with record-breaking electric car

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This is Peugeot's latest concept car. It's called the EX1 and, although it looks like a cross between a KTM X-Bow, a motorbike and a transformer, it's actually an all-electric roadster.

The EX1 has been designed to celebrate Peugeot's 200th anniversary (it started out making, of all things, coffee mills way back in 1810), and features four-wheel drive and two electric motors - one on each axle - to give a total of 335bhp.

Among the more curious aspects of its design are closely set rear wheels, which apparently give the car a 'water droplet' shape, and rear-hinged doors.

But the most curious thing about the EX1 is that it is a record breaker. The car hit the standing quarter mile in 14.4sec, a standing kilometre in 28.16sec and a standing mile in 41.09sec. It has also managed 0-62mph in 3.55sec and has topped out at 161mph. In total - and if approved by the FIA - the EX1 will gain six acceleration records.

That's not odd in itself, however - what's weird is that the runs were set by Nicolas Vanier, the French explorer and film-maker, most famous for the films The Last Trapper and Wolf.

Sadly the EX1 won't be at the Paris motor show. It will be on display in the city the night before the first press day, but will then be shipped to Shanghai to set yet more records.

[neema_T]

That front end really reminds me of the GT-R, though I'm not sure why. I wouldn't want to roll that thing, if that's even possible given how low it is...

[[AJ]]

I assume it would have pop-up roll bars, I wouldn't wan to rely on them though! I'd much prefer some proper hoops, even if it did spoil the lines a little.

[TheRoadWarrior]

Umm, if its a real car.. why dont pug-uot have any real pictures of it?

[ZOLLAR]

Back end looks like The Tumbler from the new batman films!.

[Hitch78]

Pug have been teasing with crap like this for years - this is the third or fourth incarnation of this design. Last one was the Cup I think, and they did a similar concept in red and in black a few years before.

[ajprice]

Great, another 'almost a trike' roadster concept from Peugeot. Will they ever make one for real?

[steve_n]

Looks like the seats 'open' with the doors!?!

Interesting getting in trying to close the door whilst not chopping your legs off dangling in mid air...

Edited by steve_n on Wednesday 22 September 12:06

[Rusty-C]

Seen this before somewhere: http://photos.evo.co.uk/images/front_picture_libra...

[ajprice]

Haven't the previous versions of this been previews of new car front ends? With normal headlights instead of the LED shapes, this might be the front of the 208.

[johnhenry]

excentric and abit oddball,
personally i like the look of the shorter track at the back, duno what it'll do to handling, but looks good!

[lie]

Ruined by the Peugeot badge.

[vrooom]

Electronic + french car company dont go well togother. so AVOID

[Bizzle]

ZOLLAR said:

Back end looks like The Tumbler from the new batman films!.

I thought that too...

[Gary C]

vrooom said:

Electronic + french car company dont go well togother. so AVOID

I can vouch for that with our 407

[vz-r_dave]

How is this a record breaker for the 1/4 mile

What about the Tesla roadster?

[nickpan]

Well done to Pug for making electric driving look cool / glamorous.

[Chris71]

Hello, is that Audi? Peugeot just called the e-Tron a slag ... yeah .... and they said it blows goats.

[johnnyv6]

being french i bet those doors double as air brakes lol

[the Fantom]

vz-r_dave said:

How is this a record breaker for the 1/4 mile

What about the Tesla roadster?

How is a standing quarter mile in 14.4s a record? Sounds very slow to me even for an electric sports car. The rest of the times sound more impressive.

I expect we will see some very radical designs with electric vehicles as the restrictions on packaging of an ICE and associated components don't apply. Basic vehicles will have a motor on one axle, better ones will have motors on each, or possibly in one in each of the 4 wheel housings or inboard of wheel housings, but for battery powered vehicles the batteries can be packaged anywhere into the vehicle so lower bonnets could come back (without upsetting pedestrian safety) and perfect weight distribution and lower centre-of-gravity could be achieved. It's all very exciting.

Edited by the Fantom on Wednesday 22 September 13:39

[DJC]

Interesting.

Its been on display in the Pug Paris showroom on the Champs for the last month.