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| Peugeot 308 R HYbrid Concept |
For impeccable dynamic handling, the car's weight has been recentred and placed as low as possible. The Lithium-Ion 3 kWh battery has an excellent ratio between power and size, and has been placed under the rear seats in place of the fuel tank. In turn, the 50 L fuel tank has been placed in the boot above the rear electric motor and the two transformers. In their quest for perfection, the Peugeot Sport engineers have completely redesigned the bottom of the fuel tank so that it sits tightly up against the technical components. The few millimetres thus gained on the vehicle height contribute to its performance.
The toggle button on the central console is used to select one of the four driving modes:
-Hot Lap mode is the most powerful, harnessing the full potential from the three power sources to reach a total of 500 hp and maximum torque of 730 Nm.
-Track mode delivers 400 hp and 530 Nm, mainly from the petrol engine and the rear electric motor. The front electric motor serves as an additional booster when accelerating.
-Road mode is specially designed for road use with power of 300 hp and torque of 400 Nm. The petrol engine delivers its full potential while the rear electric motor helps during accelerations. The front electric motor is not used in this mode.
-ZEV makes priority use of the rear electric motor to drive the Peugeot 308 R HYbrid. The front electric motor comes into play, depending on the pressure applied by the driver on the accelerator pedal.
Thanks to the all-wheel drive system, the handling of Peugeot 308 R HYbrid is pretty formidable, especially coming out of the bends. The braking system is on a par with the car's performance with 380 mm ventilated discs at the front, gripped by four pistons, and 290 mm discs to the rear. However, they are not used every time the brakes are applied, because Peugeot Sport has designed the powertrain to decelerate using the electric motors throughout the full speed range, starting at 250 km/h. Not only does this preserve the discs and pads, but this regenerative braking system is also one of the three ways of recharging the battery.
Another recharging strategy uses the front electric engine as a generator, driven by the petrol engine. The third solution is a rapid recharging terminal restoring the battery to its maximum power in just 30 minutes.
Peugeot 308 R HYbrid is awe-inspiring proof of the engineers' and designers' talent and of the excellence of the Peugeot 308. A Peugeot is always about motion and emotion.