ELECTRIC cars are the future. There, I’ve said it. Coming from an avowed petrol head like me that’s quite the confession - but the facts don’t lie.
More electric cars were sold in March than all of 2021. The remorseless rise in fuel prices combined with the cost of living crisis, means drivers can’t get enough of them.
It costs around £15 to charge a Peugeot e-2008’s battery. Filling the tank of the same car fitted with a diesel engine costs £77 at today’s forecourt prices.
The electric 2008 has a range of approximately 200 miles (perhaps a bit more if you drive with care). Driven in town with a bit of A-road cruising thrown in the 2008 HDI can cover around 500 miles on a tank.
You do the math.
The e-2008 is a stylish small SUV that’s a cheerful and practical alternative to a hum-drum hatchback.
Normally, you have to be prepared to compromise if you buy an electric car. The biggest compromise is usually in the boot (that battery has to go somewhere, right?); it’s not unusual for electrified versions of small cars to have 50 per cent less luggage capacity.
The e-2008’s platform was designed to accept battery power from the outset so it fits beneath the floor which means owners enjoy the same generous luggage 434-litre capacity as its internally combusted cousins.
That battery is a 50kWh lithium ion power pack feeding a 134bhp motor.
Peugeot has tinkered with the internal diagnostics to eek out a bit more range in this year’s model and claims 212 miles on a full charge. This, of course, will vary according to your driving style and conditions.
However, when you do need to ‘fill ‘er up’ there’s more good news: the e-2008 supports 100kWh rapid DC charging which means you can top up the battery to around 80 per cent in less than half an hour.
Using my Pod Point 7kW home charger I topped up from 40 per cent to 80 per cent in just over three hours, so if you plug in on an evening the e-2008 will be fully topped up the next morning.
The charging socket is hidden behind a flap in the same place you’d find a fuel filler. A small light flashes green when you’re charging. The Peugeot’s digital instrument cluster also shows the charge rate and an estimated time-to-full.
To drive, the e-2008 is very pleasant indeed. The powertrain is pretty much silent and refinement levels are excellent.
Handling is safe and secure and those impressive-looking 18-inch alloys don’t spoil the ride.
You soon learn to adopt a more relaxed method of driving - braking gently to help recharge the battery and accelerating with greater care to preserve your power.
It’s totally stress-free.
Perceived quality matters in this class and the e-2008 gets top marks.
The 3-D instruments reminded me of the original Lexus LS400 and every model comes with a generous touchscreen (a whole ten inches on the poshest models) which offers all the features you’d want including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration. Wireless charging is also standard on GT version and GT Premium levels.
The slick-looking dashboard is fully digital and the small leather-bound steering wheel feels great in the hands.
From the driver’s seat you could be sitting in a conventionally-powered car. There are no silly buttons, weird gear selectors (I’m looking at you Nissan) or off-putting ‘one pedal’ driving modes (although you can dial up extra regenerative braking it never feels as though you’ve just hit a brick wall when you step off the accelerator).
So Peugeot are to be congratulated on building a thoroughly-modern electric car that’s so non-threatening. If you’re an electric newbie it’s the perfect introduction.
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Ratings:
PERFORMANCE:Don’t be fooled by the top speed. It’s limited to preserve battery power. The e-2008 is able to keep up with fast moving traffic. ****
CABIN: Good-looking and made from quality materials. ***
PRACTICALITY: Plenty of passenger room and a practical boot.***1/2
VALUE: Those savings soon start to add up.****
The lowdown
Price: from £32,460
Engine: battery-elec motor
Max power: 134 bhp
Max torque: 192 lb/ft
Top speed: 93 mph
0-62MPH: 9.0 seconds
Charge cost: approx. £15
SUMMING UP: A good-looking and very practical electric alternative to a small family SUV.
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