280-Mile Electric Concept From Peugeot

Peugeot very certainly did not make my top 10 list of the car manufacturers most leading the way into an electric future, but a day later, it dropped a big announcement (which many will certainly dub “vaporware”). The announcement, as the title already told you, is a fully electric concept car with 450 kilometers (280 miles) of range on a single charge. That’s a lot, even in the EU testing scheme.

The car’s name is “Fractal,” something many a science nerd will love. Rather than “compete” with the Tesla Model S sedan or Model X SUV, though, it’s a 2-door coupe. And the aim is to keep it down to 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs). Following Tesla’s lead, though, it will (theoretically) use a dual-motor drivetrain.

It looks pretty cool to me. Whether it will actually get built, and if it does, whether its specs will match the concept, is an open question.

Note that Peugeot didn’t come close to making my top 10 list noted at the beginning of this article because it only offers the Peugeot iOn (which is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV by another name) and the Peugeot Partner Electrique, an electric van.

Considering EU’s strengthening emissions standards, Peugeot certainly needs to do something to improve its fleet. This concept looks like a super attractive way of doing so. I’m not putting any money on Peugeot, but I would love it if this turned out to be more than vaporware.

There is one more thing to add, though, I think. Following Nissan, Volkswagen, General Motors, andAudi (and Tesla, of course), this is yet another company hinting at improved/cheaper batteries for long-range electric vehicles. Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but I’m beginning to wonder if a large manufacturer (like LG Chem) isn’t giving automakers the signal to design around cheaper batteries. Hmm….

Source: electrek