Peugeot 208 HYbrid Air 2L Concept Promises 117 MPG

At next month’s Paris Auto Show, the air-powered Peugeot 208 HYbrid Air 2L concept will debut (again) in response to a challenge from the French government to offer 117 MPG vehicles by 2017. Does Peugeot’s unique answer stand a shot at production? The answer may surprise you.

Peugeot started out with a standard 208 hatchback, but from there they threw out the usual playbook and started thinking in less conventional terms. First they started by putting the 208 on an extreme diet that includes an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body panels, cutting another 10% from the already lightweight car. All told the 208 2L weighs just 1,895 pounds, down 220 pounds from stock.

he real star here though is the unique gasoline-air hybrid drivetrain, which captures kinetic energy from braking and stores it in the form of compressed air. A hydraulic pump on top of the gearbox stores the air in accumlators, which replace heavy batteryt packs, and the air can be converted back into energy when the car calls for it. While there have been attempts to build lightweight air-powered cars before, they all suffered from the same lack of power and driving range to make them practical, but the Peugeot 208 2L solves that with a gas engine.

A 82 horsepower 1.2 liter gasoline engine is the sole powerplant offered, though the 208 2L comes with three driving modes; Gasoline, Air, and Hybrid modes, which are all self-explanatory. Peugeot also added aerodynamic enhancements like new alloy wheels and and a roof spoiler to smooth out airflow, making the 208 2L as efficient as possible.

But it’s just a concept car, right? Technically, yes, at least for now, but Peugeot is alrady hinting that the HYbrid air drivetrain is more than just an exercise in efficient engineering. By 2016, Peugeot has hinted that it will bring its air-powered car to the market in another model. The 208 2L will be joined in Paris by a refreshed and well-recieved Peugeot Exalt concept as well.

Hint hint?

Peugeot Air-Hybrid Car Heading To Production

Automakers have been experimenting with a variety of ways to improve fuel economy and lower emissions, but one of the most interesting to me is the Peugeot 208 “Air-Hybrid.” Debuting as a concept earlier this year, the air-hybrid can run on gasoline, air, or both, providing exceptional fuel economy without heavy and expensive batteries, and it’s coming to production in 2015.

Built on Peugeot’s popular 208 platform, the Air-Hybrid system was co-developed by Bosch and features a hydraulic pump that pushes air into the engine in place of gasoline. This pump keeps the engine going without any additional fuel required, and the electronically-controlled system can also alternate between air and gasoline. This unique take on air-powered cars has huge potential, so long as costs are kept under control.

Peugeot claims that in tests the 208 Air-Hybrid achieved nearly 98 mpg and emits just 69 grams of CO2 per kilometer, about 25% less than Peugeot’s next-cleanest car, a high-efficiency turbodiesel. Built with lightweight materials, it is even possible that the 208 Air-Hybrid could get 140 mpg or more in ideal conditions, and all without a battery or electric motor. Oh, and it can still go from 0 to 60 mph in a respectable 8 seconds.

Amazingly, Peugeot intends to bring the 208 Air-Hybrid to market around 2015.

 Source: AutoExpress

Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE concept improves mpg numbers to 118 mpg, loses AC

Before the Frankfurt Motor Show, Peugeot was saying that its Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE Concept would emit just 49 grams of CO2 per kilometer. That's the equivalent of 111 miles per gallon (US) and it was an impressive enough number for the automaker to plaster it all over the side of the show car displayed on the stand. There's just one problem: the car is actually more efficient.

Peugeot issued a short press release during the show (available below) that explains that the clean hatch actually emits just 46 grams of CO2/km. That means the Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE Concept's true number is 118 mpg (still in US gallons, but this is using Europe's lenient NEDC European Drive Cycle Combined fuel efficiency test). Whether the problem stemmed from incorrect or incomplete testing before the show or from someone writing the six upside down, we don't know.

Aside from a frugal sense of consumption, the 208 HYbrid FE has a bit of punch. It goes 0-62 miles per hour in eight seconds, which isn't going to set records but does reveal a bit of the car's racing roots from the Peugeot Sport department. That history may also explain why Peugeot took out the air conditioning system, citing, "its impact on fuel consumption." Perhaps it's a good thing this concept is destined just for the auto show circuit.

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News Source: Peugeot