► A new French EV joins the fleet
► A worthy EX40 rival?
► It’s not that cheap…
We have the wallbox, we don’t have the second home in Wales or Cornwall (yet?) and the family car is a crossover doing 10,000 miles per year, rarely in chunks much bigger than 100 miles at a time. All of which makes us ripe for electrification.
That a Volvo EX30 is both almost affordable and a Volvo (the current family whip’s an XC40 with the petrol triple under its contoured, clamshell bonnet) isn’t doing the idea any harm with the primary decision-making element of the household, either.
Does this imminent switch feel like a bold step into the future? Not really. The Volvo’s on a PCP, as the next car likely will be, which is reassuring given the recent spate of EV residual horror stories. And the Volvo XC40’s three-banger, while worthy, isn’t the kind of engine to make you lament the demise (imminent, imagined or otherwise) of the combustion engine.
But now this E-2008 is in our lives, presented in a similar shade of cool grey to our XC40 and trying to persuade us to go with French flair rather than Sino-Scandi style. It’s off to a flying start, too, helped by a soft spot a mile wide for the brand. I’ve owned two Peugeots, both 205 XSs, and since the demise of the second I’ve yet to drive anything with comparably spell-binding steering feel. Gen’s family once owned a 205 CTi with Geoff Capes listed as the previous keeper, which is quite the mental image.
But what, when you strip out nostalgia and brand fondness, can the E-2008 offer? A beautifully simple choice when it comes to powertrain, for a start. The sharply styled crossover can be had with petrol, hybrid or electric power, and there are two options when it comes to EV: the 50kWh 136 (from £32,700 in entry-level Active trim) and the 54kWh 156, for which you must stretch to GT (black roof, keyless go, LED headlights, sports seats, reversing camera, ambient lighting) and pay at least £37,700. At least the grey paint’s free.
That list price is a few grand more than we paid for the XC40, but it’s a whole chunk more than a 2008 with the 130PS petrol engine (from £26,830). Less powerful than this flagship E-2008 it might be but, being lighter, it’s barely any slower. But we must let go of the past. That the E-2008 is proving swift, easy to live with, sweet to drive and cost-effective to run is making that more straightforward than I dared hope.
Peugeot E-2008 GT Electric 54kWh
Price £40,700 (£42,060 as tested)
Performance 47.7kWh battery, e-motor, 154bhp, 9.1sec 0-62mph, 93mph
Efficiency 4.9 miles per kWh (official), 3.9 miles per kWh (tested)
Range 227-271 miles (official), 183 miles (tested)
Energy cost 7.0p per mile
Miles this month 324
Total miles 397