By backpacking electricity to the already efficient HDi diesel
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| The Hybride system boosts economy and performance. (Photo: PSA-Peugeot-Citroen) |
powerplant, the Hybride system improves substantially upon the performance of current gasoline electric hybrids. For example, both the C4 and 307 Hybride are able to return a truly impressive 3.4 L/100 km (69 mpg) on a mix of city and highway driving, while returning a mere 90 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven. For comparison, a Peugeot 307 3-door HDi mated to a 5-speed manual, the same vehicle sans the Hybride system, is capable of 4.9 L/100 km (48 mpg) on the mixed cycle, and produces 129 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, yet is 35 percent more powerful due to the boost of the electric motor. PSA claims that the Hybride-equipped C4 and 307 are capable of besting an equivalently sized gasoline-electric hybrid by some 25 percent, meaning reductions of up to 1.0 L/100 km on the mixed cycle.
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| Europeans will have to wait until 2010 before the Hybride hits the road, but it'll be worth the wait. (Photo: PSA-Peugeot-Citroen) |
most manufacturers, the only thing that is stopping PSA from giving the Hybride system the green light at the show is the impact of the expensive electrical components on the price tag. While hybrid technology may be viable for high-end sedans, large SUVs and purpose-built 'green machines', the price gap between a Hybride-equipped 307 or C4 is twice as large as consumers would be willing to spend. PSA has pledged to lower the cost of technology in order to implement wide-spread hybrid availability to the masses, and expects to have a solution presented before 2010. In four year's time, the world should have an instinctively different outlook, and by then, perhaps diesel-hybrid technology will be more widespread.
