Fully Electric E-308 Is Peugeot’s Newest Smooth Operator

The newest fully electric hatchback to emerge from France comes from Peugeot, specifically the long awaited fully electric version of their C-segment hatchback - the 3rd-generation 308. At least in Europe, it’s accompanied by a longer and more practical wagon (SW) body style.

This is the E-308 and the E-308 SW, which are using a capital E this time instead of a lowercase one as seen before on other such fully electric variants of existing models such as the e-208 and e-2008. A little confusing as far as naming scheme alterations go but we’ll run with it.

Just Like A 308, But No Fumes, the E-308

With the addition of these zero emissions versions, the latest 308 range is pretty much all sewn up, complementing the variants powered by turbo-petrol, turbodiesel, and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Just as is the case with the standard car, the E-308 is built upon the EMP2 platform adapted to house a large bank of lithium-ion cells within its floor structure.

Specifically, Peugeot has managed to stuff 54kWh worth of battery in there though 51kWh is its usable capacity, mated to the car’s 400V electrical architecture. The French marque says that its cell chemistry has also been improved over previous generations, comprising of 80% nickel, 10% manganese, and 10% cobalt.

51kWh, 400+km Range (WLTP) E-308

Fully juiced up, the E-308 is capable of a range surpassing 400km based on the WLTP testing cycle, though the final advertised estimated endurance figures have not yet been vetted and published.

To extract the most range, the engineers didn’t bother adding a power-hungry electric motor. Instead, the car is driven by a single front-mounted drive unit with a modest 156PS and 260Nm, classifying it as one of the range’s least impressive in terms of raw output figures.

Charging is accomplished either via its onboard three-phase AC charger capable of accepting 11kW inputs or from a DC fast charger up to 100kW, which is capable of a 20% to 80% replenishment in less than 25 minutes.

3rd-Gen 308 Range Is Complete

Other than the EV-specific elements, which are confined to the powertrain and specific aerodynamic wheels, the E-308 and E-308 SW are virtually indistinguishable from their non-zero emissions counterparts. It will be made available in Allure and GT trim levels, mostly set apart by equipment levels and cosmetic enhancements.

Even stepping inside, the car displays no overt indications that it’s different from the petrol/diesel or PHEV variants of the 308. That said, the cabin design is just as stunning as before with Peugeot’s latest i-Cockpit experience taking centre stage.

It’s hard to say if Malaysia has much of a chance of eventually having the E-308 available for sale as local distributors Bermaz has remained pretty tight-lipped about even the standard 308’s local debut. Despite this, there have been numerous sightings of test units roaming our roads in localisation trials.