Electric Vehicles are the future of commuting and with years passing by every car maker will certainly develop better electric vehicles. But what is on the mind of French automaker Peugeot-Citroen is still a mystery since the French car manufacturer has signed a contract running through 2015 with Japanese major Mitsubishi where the latter will build 100,000 i-MiEV electric vehicles.
The news might seem to be a not so good step for any automaker to take but its a smart move making the volumes boost, cutting the costs and recoup investments which will eventually lead Peugeot-Citroen to compete against Renault. Last year during February, Peugeot-Citroen doubled the orders placed to Mitsubishi which at the starting of the year were 25000 units and with such a mindset the French firm wishes to sell 25000 units annually. But the target set to achieve will take a while since Mitsubishi is busy gearing up the production of batteries increasing its capacity to 9000 in the next year.
Cars developed by Mitsubishi will be known as Peugeot iOn and the Citroen C-Zero which will technically resemble a lot to i-MiEV’s but will sport some cosmetic changes including restyled bumpers, interiors and “different handling characteristics.”
Peugeot-Citroen brand director Jean-Marc Gales stated “We are not ruling out fleet sales, but our main target is urban private buyers with a sense of style and the environment,”
Specifications of Peugeot-iOn and Citroen C-Zero Electric Vehicles
The car accommodates 4 passengers and sports a 16 kilowatt-hour Lithium-ion battery which runs the vehicle to 100 miles in one recharge along with 7 hours of recharge time when plugged into a 220-volt line. A 47 kilowatt (63 horsepower) AC synchronous motor propels the vehicle providing a top speed of 80 mph.
Price of Peugeot-iOn and Citroen C-Zero Electric Vehicles
The cars will reach the showrooms by end of the year in Europe and in 2011 in the United States and will come under a price tag of 30,000 Euros, working out to be about $40,770.
