Citroen has confirmed that it will put an all-electric version of its van-based MPV, the e-SpaceTourer, on sale later this year. Citroen says that it will use a 50kWh battery pack, giving it a 330km one-charge range on the WLTP emissions and economy test cycle.
One-pedal driving for the new Citroen e-SpaceTourer
Curiously, there's no mention of the larger 75kWh battery option that the e-SpaceTourer's close cousin, the Peugeot e-Traveller, gets. Perhaps it'll be launched at a later date. Either way, the e-SpaceTourer's battery is stashed under the floor, so the car's interior space is unaffected.
Maximum power from the 100kW electric motor is equivalent to 136hp, and there's 260Nm of torque, too. The maximum speed is limited to 130km/h, but you can choose from three driving modes - Normal, Eco, and Power - that alternately maximise range or performance. There are also two braking modes - Normal, which feels more or less like a conventional engine, and Enhanced, which gives stronger brake energy recuperation, and a 'one-pedal' driving experience.
The 50kWh battery can be fully charged from a home-mounted wallbox (at 7.4kW speed) in seven and a half hours, or in just four hours and 45 minutes from an 11kW wallbox (which requires the optional onboard 11kW charging system). From a 100kW ultra-rapid public charger, it'll recharge to 80 per cent power in just 30 minutes. The e-SpaceTourer's charging and pre-conditioning (cooling the cabin while charging it on a hot day, warming it up on a cold day) can be controlled and monitored via the MyCitroen smartphone app. The battery comes with an eight-year or 160,000km warranty.
Head-up Display Available
On the outside, the e-SpaceTourer is pretty hard to tell apart from its regular petrol and diesel stablemates. Really, you'll only notice the badge, the charging port cover in the front wing, and the blanked-off radiator grille. Inside, instead of a gear-stick, there's a stubby 'e-Toggle' selector switch. There's another switch for moving between the three driving modes, and new instruments which include a gauge that tells you which systems (heating, air conditioning) are chewing deepest into your battery charge.
In the centre console, there's a seven-inch touchscreen which can display power flow, energy consumption and allows you to set delayed charging and pre-conditioning. The cabin also features storage compartments which add up to an extra 74 litres of storage space.
In terms of electronic driver assistance, e-SpaceTourer buyers can have a head-up display (which Citroen claims is unique in the segment), active braking, driver attention alert, a blind-spot monitor, a top-down reversing camera, and a collision alert. There's also an SOS emergency call system.
That seven-inch touchscreen comes with navigation, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, The locations and prices of filling stations and car parks, weather information and local points-of-interest are also available. And you can get free-of-charge availability - for three years - of visual and audible warnings of danger areas and accident blackspots.
Two Trim Levels on Offer
The e-SpaceTourer comes in one body size - the 'M' version, which has a 3.27-metre wheelbase and which, in five-seat layout, has a cavernous 2,381-litre boot.
The e-SpaceTourer will be sold in two distinct versions - a 'Feel' model that's aimed at families and which can be configured as a five, seven, or eight-seater. The seats slide on rails, so that you can maximise either legroom or cargo space, and all of the seats (including the front passenger one) fold flat so that you can carry truly awkward loads when you need to.
The e-SpaceTourer Business comes with between five and nine seats, and Citroen says that it has 'upbeat styling' and 'a la carte' seating layouts so that it can be endlessly altered to suit the needs of the likes of hotel shuttles and taxis.
The Citroen e-SpaceTourer will go on sale towards the end of this year.