PSA Peugeot Citroen unveils Peugeot 307 and the Citroen C4 Hybride HDi cars offering 3.4 l/100 km (83 mpg)

PSA Peugeot Citroen has unveiled two demonstrator vehicles featuring a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain: the Peugeot 307 and the Citroën C4 Hybride HDi. Average diesel consumption for these two cars is 3.4 litres per 100 kilometres (83 mpg) with 90 grams of CO2 emitted per kilometre - a record for compact cars. This is some 25% better than a similar vehicle equipped with a petrol hybrid system, or as much as a litre per 100 kilometres (20 mpg) in combined urban and motorway driving. PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Hybrid HDi technology comprises a 1.6-litre HDi diesel engine, a particulate filter system (DPFS), the latest generation Stop & Start system, an electric motor, inverter, high-voltage battery pack and dedicated control electronics. The cars are also equipped with an electronically managed manual gearbox.

The performance of these cars represents a major breakthrough in further improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions. They also provide increased driving comfort under all conditions, especially in urban traffic.

The Stop & Start system enables the Hybride HDi vehicles to start and drive using only the HDi diesel engine, even when the high-voltage battery pack is totally flat. Other hybrid vehicles, in contrast, would be totally immobilised in this situation.

The Hybride HDi introduces several innovative features:

Recovery of kinetic energy during deceleration and braking.

All-electric mode, or Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV), eliminating noise and emissions for urban driving at up to 50 kilometres an hour.

Extended ZEV mode, in which electrical power is used by default, depending on the battery charge level.

For main road and motorway driving, the electric motor can provide a 35% power boost for extra acceleration when needed, thereby enhancing driving comfort.

PSA Peugeot Citroën could market its Hybride HDi vehicles as early as 2010. However, their introduction rests on making this technology available at an affordable price. Today, the price gap between a Hybride HDi model and a comparable diesel HDi model is still too wide and would have to be halved to make diesel hybrid vehicles accessible to most consumers.

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