Peugeot breakthrough

Peugeot claim to have made a significant breakthrough in the development of the electrically-powered car. Using nickel-iron batteries with a life of 2,000 tuns, they have managed to squeeze both fuel cells and power train under the bonnet of a Peugeot 205, preserving intact the passenger and boot capacities.

The car has a top speed of 62 mph, a range of 87 miles and, at 850 kgs, it weighs slightly less than the diesel-engined 205.

Within the next two years, the company plan to make and sell a batch of the cars, to French municipal authorities for appraisal and evaluation. They do not believe that the private buyer is yet ready for electric cars but are prepared to be surprised.

In the recent past, electric motors have been used to power only commercial vehicles or special kinds of small cars with limited payload capacity. Peugeot claim that the electric 205 is the first “proper” car to be so powered, and to be a practical proposition for putting into production.