During the Cleanweek2020 at Zolder, noblesse oblige for Peugeot: it brought along its iOn, being the first practical electric car available to the wider public. We were invited for a track drive in one of the (still…) prototypes, with Wim Doms, Press Attaché of the PR Department of Peugeot Belgium-Luxemburg at the wheel.

The car proved surprisingly vivid, silent and roomy, being indeed a fully practical, “grown up” car… read on for our first impressions…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

The iOn proved surprisingly vivid, with ample sure-footedness in the turns, being a very "grown up" car...
 

Flicking the short lever into “D”, Wim Doms steered the car in uncanny silence slowly along the pit lane. “With the very silent motor, the car is very relaxing to drive in stop-go city traffic”, said Wim. We could believe him. This city driving seemed indeed the natural habitat of the car, I answered, when Wim accelerated the iOn slowly on the pit exit lane, to enter the circuit.

After having reached 62 km/h briskly, even with the needle in the green "eco" zone, the car coasts using the kinetic energy, with the needle deep in the blue "charge" zone. (use Ctrl + to enlarge the photo).

There I was in for a surprise. “I am using only half the available power, staying in the ‘eco’-range” explained Wim, while the iOn gathered speed briskly. The digital speedometer showed quickly a speed of 80 km/h, with the needle of the consumption indicator staying solidly in the green “eco” zone. “When I coast, you see that the needle moves into the ‘charge’ zone, meaning that the control system now uses the kinetic energy of the car to charge the batteries.” said Wim, while we were going swifly in a sure-footed manner through the two fast right handers after the grandstand straight.

Then Wim put the small cute gearlever in “Eco” position. “The power of the engine is now a bit less, but still very adequate for fast city traffic, and the range is further enhanced of course.” Indeed, the iOn still showed a lot of mettle. Not only was the car still quite lively, the road manners of the iOn were impressive, thanks to the very low gravity point of the lithium-Ion batteries, which are housed under the floor.

The very simple and easy to use gearchange layout of the iOn.

What I personally liked the most, was the beautiful silence of the car, the absence of any vibrations or jerks, making it perfect for listening to your favorite piece of Jazz, Bach, Mozart, Elvis or Opera in dense stop-go traffic. Very “Zen” indeed!

Practical

The iOn is not a mere prototype. It will be the sold “en masse” at the end of 2010. Peugeot even proposes to lease the car for less than 500 Euros per month, has partnered in the European EVA project, where more than 20 European cities, car manufacturers and electricity suppliers are involved. It is all for real, and certainly is an ideal urban car for a two-car family…

Hans Knol ten Bensel