DS Auto Shows EV Tech Demo Car

PSA Peugeot Citroen’s DS Automobiles unit says its new E-Tense all-electric concept car is designed to production standards, including meeting European pedestrian-impact regulation. But it is not one of the six new vehicles the company plans to launch by 2020.

Instead, DS describes the sleek-looking sports coupe as a technology demonstrator model it will use to test and showcase a variety of new features. The carmaker unveiled the E-Tense today at the Geneva auto show.

Built on a carbon fiber tub with aluminum subframes, the vehicle weighs just under 4,000 lbs. It’s powered by a 53-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and two small electric motors mounted on the rear axle. DS says the twin-motor design is lighter and more compact than using a single large unit.

The motors produce a combined 402 hp and 381 lb-ft of torque, which can be split as needed between the two rear wheels. Top speed is listed at 155 mph with a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds.

DS estimates the vehicle can travel more than 190 miles per charge and go about 225 miles in city driving, where regenerative brakes help keep the battery charged longer.

The battery is mounted under the floor to improve packaging and lower the car’s center of gravity. A double wishbone suspension setup is used front and rear.

Styling cues are borrowed from last year’s Divine DS concept car. This includes an integrated roof that flows into the rear of the vehicle without a back window. A rear-facing video provides a rearward view with images that display on the car’s interior rearview mirror.

The car’s light-emitting-diode taillights and turn indicators are integrated into the roof, a look that was inspired by the 1955 DS car. The E-Tense also gets active LED headlights that can rotate 180° and allow for different intensity and beam patterns. DS plans to use the patented system on future production models.

Interior highlights include customized seats and a host of upscale materials. DS says it took some 800 hours to design, test and produce the interior, which includes a racing helmet harness, a 9-speaker Focal audio system and a specially designed BRM Chrongraphes clock that can removed and used as a watch.