Peugeot Begins Pre-Bookings for Its All-Electric iOn City Car
By Scott Doggett November 12, 2009
Peugeot has begun pre-bookings for the i0n (pictured), its i-MiEV-derived electric car developed in partnership with Mitsubishi and scheduled for production next year.
The company says that it has already signed letters of intent with nine companies and various government agencies for car sharing and large fleets in Europe.
For individual customers, pre-bookings are open on the websites of Peugeot Germany, Great Britain, Spain, France and Italy.
Like the Citroen C-Zero, which like the iOn will basically be an i-MiEV with a different badge, the four-seat, zero-emissions iOn will contain a lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged in six hours from a standard 220-volt outlet or get a charge to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes at special rapid-charge stations.
Peugeot has said the EV will develop a maximum power output of 64 base horsepower and top out at 81 miles per hour. That's good enough for European cities and Europe's increasingly speed-restricted autobahns, which currently have an "advisory speed limit" (or richtgeschwindigkeit) of 80 mph.
The iOn will also incorporate a number of innovative services, in particular through its "location and communications" box.
The box will not only handle liaison with an emergency call service, for which Peugeot is a leader throughout Europe, but will also provide feedback of technical data (including state of the battery, distance covered and kilometers before maintenance) for the professional management of vehicle fleets.
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