The New Citroen C-Zero – Zero Emissions, 100% Electric
12 November 2009 | Green Cars | No Comments
The new model from the french car manufacturer, Citroen, is the company’s second electric car, after the Berlingo van. Made in partnership with Mitsubishi, the new model earns its name from a number of aspects: it has zero fuel consumption, zero CO2 emissions and zero noise. Based on the earlier version of the Mitsubishi iMiev, the new car will be available as from late 2010 and it will be deprived of 5000 euros from the French government, as a bonus to buyers who pick environmentally-friendly models.
Viewed as a very comfortable city car, the new Citroen C-Zero has a decent range of 130 km, making it ideal for small city journeys. Also, studies show that more than 70% of the trips undertaken by the French are under 30 km, so the car would cope well and should face the challenge on the roads with ease. The total lack of noise from the car will rise a relaxing feeling and will make you forget that you really drive a car. Now imagine all the cars in the city being silent… What a blissful landscape would that shape!
The 100 percent electric vehicle is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 47 kW (64 HP) and develops a maximum torque of 180 Nm. The battery compartment features 88 50-Ah cells mounted in the centre of the vehicle, amounting to a 330-volt lithium-ion battery system. Recharging is made easily by simply plugging the supply cord into a 220V socket and waiting for about 6 hours for a full charge or just 30 minutes using an external station with a single-phase current of 125 A at 400 V, for power of up to 50 kWh at a 80% charge. The C-Zero reaches the maximum speed of 130 km/h and accelerating from 0 to 100 will only take 15 seconds. When the engine is started the car will make a short beep, assuring that the car is up and running.
The price tag has not been announced yet, but with the small help from the government, this car is pretty classy and will surely be a hit in France, even without featuring some breakthrough technologies.
Tags: battery, berlingo, cells, charge, citroen c-zero, city car, electric car, iMiev, lithium-ion battery, mitsubishi, permanent magnet motor, zero emissions, zero noise