Citroen C1

[malcolm]

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Four-seater electric car unveiled

Electric Citroën C1 car is ready, but government grants are not - Times Online

Conversion is carried out by a firm in Bedfordshire: Electric Car Corporation Plc (ECC),

 

[TEG]

Citroen C1 ev'ie

All-electric Citroën C1 ev'ie goes on sale in UK tomorrow

[Source: ECC]

PRESS RELEASE:

The Electric Car Corporation Plc launches the Citroën C1 ev'ie

The UK's first 4 seater 'all electric' production car

The Electric Car Corporation Plc (ECC) announces the launch of the UK's first 4 seater, 'all electric' production car, which is available to buy today.

The launch coincides with the Government's announcement to support and subsidise electric car use and their commitment to make the UK 'a world leader' in producing and exporting electric cars. This is further supported by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, who has announced his plan to introduce 25,000 'juice points' (charging stations), for electric cars throughout the city.

Called the Citroën C1 'ev'ie', this is the first all electric, 4 seater car, to offer the purchaser the comfort, performance and a full range of standard safety features expected from a petrol car. With a range of 60-70 miles when fully charged and a top speed of around 60mph, it provides the driver with a pleasant and completely "normal", yet silent, driving experience, but at a fraction of the running costs.

The C1 ev'ie can be fully charged in 6-7 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket at a cost of around 90p, making it an ideal city car for either professional or domestic use.

The Citroën C1 ev'ie is assembled in the UK from the donor car. Over 50% of the value of the car originates from the UK assembly, creating UK employment and a technology leadership in electric vehicle production. ECC expects to produce around 500 C1 ev'ies over the next 12 months, rising to between 2,000 and 4,000 units in 2010, dependant upon demand and government support.

Xavier Duchemin, Managing Director of Citroën UK commented, "We are committed to providing greener alternatives for motorists and are delighted to be supplying ECC with C1s for this exciting project."

David Martell, Chief Executive, ECC plc, added, "We believe this is the first serious alternative to a petrol or diesel car. It drives just like a petrol car and has excellent capacity for use in any town or city in the UK".... he continued ..."the key to building a successful electric car is an efficient battery management system (BMS). ECC has developed an advanced and sophisticated system, which when coupled with regenerative breaking, can provide the driver with much greater range and better performance."

The C1 ev'ie is way ahead of other electric cars having excellent functionality, performance and refinement and is available to buy today. Interest in the C1 ev'ie is expected to be high.

It is priced at £16,850 and is available directly from ECC (www.eccplc.com).

All-Electric Citroen C1 ev'ie Launched in Britain - Carscoop

Citroen C1 ev’ie - the UK’s first electric four seater hits the ground purring*-*The Red Ferret Journal

 

[vfx]

Looks good!

Bluestar will have to be there.

 

[TEG]

 

[vfx]

Nice piece. I am sold on Electrics. :smile:

Production wise I note the Top Gear style photography and that the commentator was relegated to doing only one or two things at a time. Slow but clear.

 

[domenick]

Someone who drove it (Ev'ie) said it's pokier than the G-Wiz. The lead acid version of the G-Wiz. I thought the presenter wasn't especially convincing when he mentioned the acceleration. The words were there but they lack sincere feeling.

 

[dpeilow]

Ev’ie. Another broken dream?

 

[graham]

From dpeilow's link:

Limping back under what I would anticipate to be about half-speed, we made painful progress a hundred yards or so up the road. And then the Ev’ie died again. On a busy intersection. Getting out, Richard and I pushed Robert to a safe place at the side of the road. The beeping of frustrated taxi-cabs becoming shockingly frequent. It was almost like being in New York for a moment.

With another break, this time for a full five minutes, we stood at the side of the road and cogitated on the design of the Ev’ie. It’s a nice looking vehicle, but by that point we were starting to wonder if it was ready for the market.

Ouch... not the review you want for your car. Hopefully the problems this car was having is not systemic.

 

[vfx]

Way bad for poor Richard.

Is it another indicator that making an EV is harder than slapping in some batteries and a motor?

 

[stopcrazypp]

Ev’ie. Another broken dream?

Very disappointing. I thought this car would be more polished given it has Citroen's blessing. But it appears to be another conversion. Hopefully the iMIEV comes out soon, perhaps that one would be the EV everyone is waiting for.