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Monday, 22nd of March 2010

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Citroen C1 evie road test report

evie

There’s a lot of scepticism about electric cars, not helped by the fact that the most commonplace model in the UK is the GoinGreen G-Wiz – which is less an electric car, more of a quadricylcing accident waiting to happen. However, things are looking up for drivers who don’t want to lose any pleasure in driving, with the launch of the Citroen C1 ev’ie, an emissions-free version of the French carmaker’s class-leading city car. Because that’s what ev’ie is – a C1 that just happens to have had its internal combustion engine removed and replaced with an electric powertrain by The Electric Car Corporation (ECC).

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Performance

A 30kW (58bhp) motor powers the ev’ie, drawing it energy from 25 lithium ion batteries and allowing it to pull away smoothly and strongly. There are two gears, forward and reverse: the forward gear has a ratio similar to the C1’s third gear, which provides the best balance of performance. The C1 ev’ie is very easy to drive: turn the key in the ignition, wait for all the lights in the display to come on, engage the gear, squeeze the throttle and you’re off. You get up to a speed of 30-40mph fairly quickly (and noiselessly) and if on a stretch of open road, you can eventually get up to a top speed of 60mph. The one drawback of the C1 ev’ie is its 60-75-mile range. A full charge takes six to seven hours, so if you have a garage, it’s straightforward to just plug it in to a standard 13 amp domestic socket and charge it overnight.

Ride & Handling

The ev’ie has exactly the same steering and suspension set-up as the standard C1, so there are no surprises in the ride and handling departments. The ride is decent, feeling fairly compliant and soaking up most of the potholes and broken surfaces without too much discomfort. It handles well too, with some of the roll that the C1 experiences under heavy cornering no longer present because the 60mph top end means it doesn’t really go fast enough for it to be an issue. It does feel slightly heavier in the nose, thanks to the electric motor and batteries (they add around 120-160kg to the car’s kerb weight, depending on the trim level and how many doors you choose for your C1), but it’s pretty negligible. The ev’ie is also perfectly at home in city conditions, with the electric power steering, diminutive size and large windows making easy to park in any space.

Build Quality & Reliability

Apart from the removal of some of the oily bits under the bonnet and the fuel tank, the C1 ev’ie remains unchanged everywhere else – which is good news from the point of view of quality and reliability. The reason for this is that the C1 – like its Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 107 siblings – is built at a Toyota-designed factory, with the same quality standards that has earned the Japanese company its reputation for reliability. Panel gaps are tight and constant across the car’s exterior and the car seems to have signs of quality all over. Inside, the quality of the plastics in the cabin is what you’d expect from an inexpensive city car and the cloth seat fabrics seem pretty durable. here were some problems with water leaks through the rear hatch soon after the C1’s launch, but these should now have been sorted out with the fitting of new seals.

Safety & Security

The structure of the ev’ie is unchanged from the C1, which means it has the same Euro NCAP crash test results: four stars for adult and child protection, and two stars for pedestrian protection. The results are largely down to strengthened supports in key impact areas and crumple zones that disperse the initial brunt of a crash. Pedestrians have also been considered: the bonnet is raised a few inches above the motor and batteries, so limbs and heads don't hit hard components in a collision. BS with electronic brakeforce distribution and cornering stability is standard, and ESP can be added to VTR trim models for an extra £500. Two airbags come as standard, as do pre-tensioners on the front seats: two more airbags and Isofix child seat mounting points are also available on VTR models. There’s no alarm, but an immobiliser is standard and remote central locking is available on VTR models.

Space & Practicality

The C1 ev’ie is very much a city car and, while it has a major advantage over what will possibly be its biggest rival, the Smart Fortwo ed, thanks to its four full-sized seats, it’s still not exactly spacious inside. Anyone much over six foot won’t find the ev’ie that comfortable to drive, but the C1’s well designed interior frees up a fair amount of headroom and legroom in the front, and the rear is fine for shorter journeys. However, that means that bootspace is at a premium: 139 litres with the rear seats in place, expanding to 712 litres when flat. Equipment is also basic, with a standard MP3-compatible CD player/radio even on base models, heater (which can reduce the ev’ie’s range by up to 8%), and electric windows on VTR trim models.

Ownership & Value

The £16,800 purchase price of the ev’ie, more than twice the price of most versions of the standard C1, is a daunting proposition, as it’s a lot of money for a city car. However, once you’ve shelled out to buy one, you’ll find that running it is cheap. A full charge should only cost around 90p; there are no emissions, so there’s no road tax to pay (or congestion charge if you live in London); the insurance premium is lower; and parking in some areas will also be free. In fact, ECC calculates that London-based owners could save up to £6,500 a year. Batteries have a life of 3,000 full charges or around seven years, after which they will need to be replaced at a cost of about £2,800 (at current prices). The standard three-year, 60,000-mile Citroen warranty still applies for the ev’ie, with ECC also providing the same three-year warranty for its electric powertrain.

Submitted: 24/06/2009 16:51:12

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