Peugeot will use the upcoming Paris Motor Show to celebrate its 200th anniversary with the Peugeot EX1 two-seater electric concept car.
The French carmaker has yet to release any extensive details on the electric powertrain, but notes the EX1 makes use of two electric motors — one at each axle — that produce a combined 250 kW (345 horsepower) and 240 Nm of constant torque at the front and rear.
Peugeot says, the EX1 can exert more than 1G on its occupants during acceleration, and the car has broken an FIA record for standing-start acceleration for electric vehicles.
The Peugeot EX1 measures only 0.9 m in height and 1.77 m in width. The length of the vehicle has not been announced.
The pure styling of the Peugeot EX1 is in keeping with its mechanical design, like a kind of “exoskeleton” highlighting the light-weight nature that guided the vehicle’s creation.
The design of the body incorporates Peugeot’s new stylistic design codes, first seen on the SR1 concept car earlier this year, with its “floating” front grille and flowing contours. Polished aluminum components adorn the door surrounds in a reference to the RCZ and BB1.
Far from being a “classic” roadster, the Peugeot EX1 concept car is based on an architecture shaped like a “water droplet”, with a rear section built around two closely set rear wheels. The chosen architecture of the Peugeot EX1 has enabled the size of the passenger compartment to be reduced for optimal weight distribution and ensure that there is no extra weight at all in the overhangs.
The suspension employs a number of technical solutions that ensure road holding of a very high level. The front suspension consists of a drop link double wishbone arrangement. The rear suspension comprises of a single “swinging arm” linked to a centrally mounted shock absorber which is connected via a rocker arm to provide a variable damping rate.
The monocoque body structure is manufactured from a carbon/honeycomb composite to optimize weight and rigidity. It also incorporates all of the mounting points for the car’s mechanical components.
The driver and passenger climb into the passenger compartment through a reverse-opening door, giving access to the two sports bucket seats. This unusual arrangement instantly immerses the occupants in a futuristic and sophisticated environment, as does the on-board instrumentation (instrument panel screens for each occupant showing in particular the vehicle’s instantaneous performance) and the chosen materials (e.g. “pure” metals and embossed leather).
The driver, seated at floor level in a driving position that helps enhances the sense of excitement (legs outstretched), drives the vehicle with two control handles, providing an experience similar to that of an aircraft pilot or video game.
As well as the presence of harnesses inside the car, the occupants are also protected by the height of the carbon passenger cell, which has sufficient overhead clearance to include a roll-over protection bar. Similarly, the wind deflector, perfectly integrated in terms of style, allows the car to be driven on a daily basis without a helmet.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
