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There’s been a variety of discuss electrical vehicles and SUVs, as fashions like Tesla’s Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y and BYD’s Atto 3 quickly rise within the gross sales charts.
Demand for these autos continues to develop, at the same time as many Australians nonetheless categorical considerations concerning the lack of vary of many electrical autos (EVs) and our nation’s nonetheless patchy charging infrastructure.
There’s one automobile sort, nonetheless, the place journeys are usually shorter, city jaunts, and the autos are deployed from one central location – and the place, due to this fact, such considerations aren’t as pronounced.
Vans profit significantly from electrification, and but the variety of choices on sale in Australia in the meanwhile is sort of low, significantly when put next with Europe.
Peugeot sees a possibility, due to this fact, with its e-Accomplice van to take a bit of the electrical van pie; it’ll return for a second slice with the bigger e-Skilled.
Does the e-Accomplice have what it takes to persuade typical small van patrons – small and mid-sized companies, proprietor operators – to make the swap to an EV?
How a lot does the Peugeot e-Accomplice value?
Whereas the petrol-powered Accomplice is obtainable in two totally different lengths, the e-Accomplice is obtainable in a single, long-wheelbase variant referred to as the e-Accomplice Professional Lengthy Auto. It’s priced from $59,990 earlier than on-road prices.
Ice White paint is commonplace, with Artense Gray, Nera Black and Platinum Gray finishes costing an extra $690.
Renault has had this phase all to itself in Australia since 2017, aside from the blink-and-you-missed-it tenure of the BYD T3. A lot of the exercise in Australia’s electrical van market, nonetheless nascent, is present in bigger vans – witness the Ford E-Transit or LDV eDeliver 9, for instance.
The Kangoo Z.E. was a hoary previous factor, however in unhealthy information for Peugeot it’s being changed. The brand new, way more trendy Kangoo E-Tech is due right here this 12 months, with pricing but to be introduced.
Need actually every other electrical van on sale in Australia? You’ll be taking a look at a price ticket not less than $30,000 greater than the Peugeot’s sticker. The e-Accomplice remains to be $21,602 dearer than the equal petrol-powered mannequin, however various authorities incentives may help cut back that premium.
What’s the Peugeot e-Accomplice like on the within?
In case you have sat in a Accomplice earlier than, you gained’t discover a lot in the best way of surprises with the e-Accomplice. The cabin is essentially the identical, aside from totally different devices with EV-specific dials, and a stubby gear selector.
In the event you haven’t sat in a combustion-powered Accomplice, nonetheless, you’ll be in for a shock because the cabin deftly mixes Peugeot’s trademark inside fashion with the sort of usability anticipated from a automobile on this phase.
The Accomplice was the primary Peugeot gentle industrial automobile to make use of what the model calls its i-Cockpit inside format, with a smaller, lower-mounted steering wheel and a high-mounted instrument cluster.
At 180cm tall and with out having so as to add some sort of qualifier like “I’ve a protracted torso”, I used to be capable of get snug simply. The presence of a fold-down armrest for the driving force’s seat is most welcome, and the seat is height-adjustable.
The leather-wrapped, squared-off steering wheel falls readily handy and feels good, although it lacks the peak and attain adjustment of petrol fashions.
At the least for me and my seating place, the devices are simple to see – no want for a head-up show right here.
Apparently, the passenger’s airbag is located not within the dashboard however quite within the roof.
The 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system isn’t Peugeot’s newest, however works nicely sufficient. There’s no embedded satellite tv for pc navigation, although there’s wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
One other omission: there’s no AM radio, regardless of this being supplied on different Accomplice fashions.
There’s fairly a passenger car-like really feel to the e-Accomplice’s inside, aside from the bevy of storage cavities.
There are cupholders on both aspect of the dashboard, an infinite shelf above the entrance seats that spans your entire width of the van, and open cubbies between the 2 entrance seats.
There’s no opening glove compartment, however there are two cabinets as an alternative, whereas there’s an extra open cubby on the centre stack, a shelf to fit your telephone beneath the local weather controls, and a few different open nooks on the dashboard the place you’ll be able to retailer objects.
There’s additionally an extra cupholder on the centre stack, although it’s a dainty European one with out enamel; the cupholders on their dashboard are equally toothless.
Vans aren’t identified for his or her visibility, and with its glazed bulkhead the e-Accomplice is not any exception. Nonetheless, there are giant exterior mirrors, whereas the e-Accomplice boasts the identical expansive greenhouse because the combustion-powered mannequin.
The bulkhead itself, nonetheless, doesn’t have a load-through flap just like the petrol mannequin.
You’ll be able to open both a sliding door on either side of the automobile or two barn doorways on the again to entry the load area.
With the battery mounted below the ground, there’s been no obstacle to cargo capability: Peugeot claims an an identical 3.9 cubic metres of area to the petrol model.
The load area measures 2167m lengthy with the bulkhead, which doesn’t have a gap flap like in petrol-powered fashions. Most load top is 1243mm and width is 1527mm, or 1229mm between the wheel arches.
There are, nonetheless, solely six tie-down rings as an alternative of 10 just like the petrol mannequin.
What’s below the bonnet?
The e-Accomplice rides on Peugeot’s EMP2 structure, which has been engineered to assist electrical and plug-in hybrid autos along with conventional petrol- and diesel-powered fare.
It encompasses a single, front-mounted electrical motor with 100kW of energy and 260Nm of torque, barely greater than the (admittedly lighter) petrol-powered Accomplice Professional and Premium with their 96kW/230Nm turbocharged 1.2-litre three-pot. The official 0-100km/h declare is 11.2 seconds, with a prime velocity of 135km/h.
Peugeot says outputs are adjusted relying in your drive mode: you get the total 100kW/260Nm in Energy, solely 80kW and 210Nm in Regular, and simply 60kW and 190Nm in Eco. The lattermost mode reduces energy to the HVAC system.
The e-Accomplice makes use of a 50kWh lithium-ion battery and gives a claimed WLTP vary of 258km. That’s lower than the brand new Kangoo E-Tech Electrical, which boasts 300km of WLTP vary.
You’ll be able to cost the Accomplice at as much as 7.4kW utilizing AC energy, and it’ll take 7.5 hours to cost it from 0 to 100 per cent. Alternatively, you’ll be able to plug it right into a 100kW DC quick charger, and it’ll take half-hour to cost it from 0 to 80 per cent.
By way of the infotainment touchscreen, you’ll be able to arrange deferred charging so the automobile will solely settle for cost at sure instances.
We had 268km of vary displaying within the instrument cluster upon startup. By the top of an 81km drive route, which consisted of inner-city, suburban and freeway driving, we had 176km remaining. Common power consumption was 16.4kWh/100km.
The e-Accomplice has a tare weight of 1632kg, which makes it 247kg heavier than the Professional Lengthy Auto.
Peugeot says the e-Accomplice has a payload of 753kg, or 203kg lower than the petrol-powered Professional Lengthy Auto, whereas braked towing capability is 750kg, or 200kg lower than the petrol-powered Professional Lengthy Auto.
The Peugeot’s payload is greater than the brand new rival Renault (615kg), however its towing capability can’t match the Kangoo’s 1500kg determine.
How does the Peugeot e-Accomplice drive?
This isn’t probably the most radical of recent EVs, which is each a great and unhealthy factor.
Not like many EVs, you begin the automobile with a standard switchblade key, and there’s no one-pedal drive mode. You’ll be able to activate B mode, which maximises deceleration while you let your foot off the pedal, however whereas it would gradual the automobile down it doesn’t convey the van to an entire halt.
Like Peugeot’s vehicles and SUVs, there’s additionally no auto maintain operate. For these of us who’ve gotten fairly used to this characteristic, the dearth of auto maintain – significantly in inner-city visitors – is an annoyance.
Whereas the moment torque of some front-wheel drive electrical autos will see their entrance tyres scrambling for grip, the e-Accomplice is clean off the road.
We drove it largely in Regular mode, which doesn’t make the most of the total outputs out there in an try to stability enough energy with ample vary, and it didn’t really feel like a slug. That was regardless of a 200kg load strapped in within the again.
Energy mode offers you the total outputs, although we didn’t really feel the necessity to use it. A quick attempt demonstrated the e-Accomplice doesn’t really feel massively faster on this mode.
The steering within the e-Accomplice may be very properly weighted, serving to to offer this lengthy, skinny van a quite car-like really feel. The system genuinely does really feel prefer it’s out of one of many EMP2-based passenger vehicles, very similar to the beautiful leather-wrapped wheel itself.
Journey consolation is mostly fairly good. We felt some muffled thumps on some extra patchy Sydney roads, however issues like freeway growth joints had been dispatched with out drama.
The cabin additionally appears to be decently insulated, helped little question by the bulkhead sealing off the cabin from the echo chamber on the again. Regardless of the pretty giant exterior mirrors, there’s little in the best way of wind noise at greater speeds.
There’s no adaptive cruise management or blind-spot monitoring such as you’ll discover in, say, a Toyota HiAce, nonetheless there are nonetheless some welcome driver help options like computerized high-beam and lane-keep help.
The latter doesn’t have any sort of related lane centring operate, nevertheless it works nicely to stop you from veering into one other lane with out being an excessively intrusive presence.
The visitors signal recognition works nicely at detecting velocity indicators, however doesn’t know what to make of college zone instances – it merely assumes the posted velocity is identical all day lengthy.
Peugeot places its cruise management switches on a stalk behind the wheel. It’s laborious to see, however when you get used to it it’s very simple to make use of. We want there was adaptive cruise, nonetheless.
What do you get?
e-Accomplice highlights:
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- DAB+ digital radio
- 1 x USB outlet
- 1 x 12V socket
- Cruise management
- Electrical parking brake
- Air con
- 4-speaker sound system
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
- Distant keyless entry
- Automated headlights
- Automated high-beam
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Entrance fog lights
- Material upholstery
- Top-adjustable entrance seats with lumbar adjustment
- 16-inch metal wheels
- Twin sliding doorways
- 180-degree opening rear barn doorways
- Full-sized spare wheel
As talked about, you miss out on numerous options discovered within the Professional Lengthy Auto. These embody power-folding exterior mirrors, AM radio, a bulkhead pass-through, and rake and attain adjustment for the steering wheel.
Is the Peugeot e-Accomplice secure?
Combustion variations of the Peugeot Accomplice have a four-star ANCAP security score based mostly on testing of the Rifter folks mover by Euro NCAP. The electrical e-Accomplice stays unrated for now.
The e-Accomplice comes commonplace with the next security tools:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Lane departure warning
- Lane hold help
- Pace signal recognition
- Reversing digicam
- Rear parking sensors
- Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
- Hill begin help
How a lot does the Peugeot e-Accomplice value to run?
Peugeot gives the e-Accomplice with a alternative of three- and five-year pay as you go service plans, costing $600 and $1000, respectively. In distinction, the combustion-powered Accomplice’s plans value $1000 and $1900.
The corporate says by buying the pay as you go plans, patrons will see a saving of $398 and $530, respectively. These pay as you go plans are transferable must you promote the automobile earlier than the plan has been used.
There are fewer service objects than a combustion-powered Accomplice, however Peugeot says there are nonetheless objects just like the tyres, brake fluid, coolant and pollen filters, amongst others, that must be checked at a go to. You’ll be able to view a full breakdown of the service objects with every go to on the Peugeot web site.
In the event you don’t buy a plan, you’ll pay $293, $412, $293, $425 and $307, respectively, for the primary 5 providers.
Servicing is required each 12 months or 25,000km. That’s an extended distance than Peugeot’s petrol-powered fashions, which have 15,000km or 20,000km intervals. The e-Accomplice will also be serviced at any of Peugeot’s 36 sellers nationwide.
It’s backed by the identical five-year, 200,000km guarantee as the remainder of Peugeot’s industrial automobile vary, with a separate eight-year, 160,000km guarantee for the battery.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Peugeot e-Accomplice
Small vans are usually not solely the smallest dimensionally, but in addition by way of gross sales. And but Peugeot has an actual alternative right here with the e-Accomplice by providing one in every of simply two electrical choices on this phase.
The e-Accomplice is a totally nice factor to each sit in and drive. Its outputs are modest on paper nevertheless it doesn’t really feel beleaguered on the kinds of roads that will kind a part of its homeowners’ supply routes, together with hills and highways.
Energy supply is clean, the journey is settled, and noise is stored to a minimal. The cabin is snug and stuffed with storage, although there are quite a few omissions – this could be dearer than the flagship petrol Premium, however its tools ranges are nearer to that of the bottom Metropolis.
Peugeot says it would have sufficient provide of its new electrical van. We all know there’s loads of demand for equally priced electrical sedans and SUVs, however let’s see if this enthusiasm extends to vans, too.
Click on the photographs for the total gallery
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