Peugeot e-3008 and e-5008: record range for electric SUVs
The new electric versions of the very popular Peugeot 3008 and 5008 have not really won over the automotive press, The Digitals understood. The lion brand, however, kept one card up its sleeve, namely a Long Range version (long range) with a larger battery.
Thus, in addition to the 73 kWh useful pack already in the catalog, the two models will gain a colossal battery of 96.9 kWh useful, offering up to 700 km of WLTP autonomy to the e-3008 and 668 km to the e-5008, larger and seven seats. This final approval marks a good surprise, since if the maximum autonomy of 700 km of the e-3008 had been announced at its beginnings, Peugeot had then been more cautious by communicating “only” on 680 km of range.
This new battery, 15 mm thicker (no impact on habitability or trunk volume), is equipped with French cells produced by ACC, while for the smallest battery of the e-3008 and e-5008, Peugeot uses the Chinese BYD. The entry-level versions of the two SUVs will only abandon BYD cells “when the volume of ACC production increases” will allow it, Emmanuel Varène told usproduct manager of the e-3008 and e-5008.
A futile race for autonomy?
With these very long ranges, the Peugeot e-3008 and e-5008 become the most enduring electric SUVs on the market. A Tesla Model Y Long Range Propulsion is thus limited to a range of 600 km, with a size comparable to the e-5008, but with only five seats.
However, the range was not really a criticism of the smaller battery of the e-3008 and e-5008, which already had a WLTP range of up to 527 and 502 km respectively. What did bother us, however, was the low charging power of both models. During our test of the e-3008, we waited 46 minutes to go from 20 to 80% charge, compared to a time of 30 minutes announced by the manufacturer, which was already not very flattering.
This time should drop to 27 minutes for this larger battery, thanks to better charging powers, according to Peugeot. The maximum peak power would still be 160 kW. In addition, on the occasion of the arrival of this new version, all newly produced e-3008s and e-5008s will finally receive a battery preconditioning system, allowing them to optimize charging times by bringing the cells up to temperature before arriving at a terminal. Let's hope that the charging time indicated by Peugeot is this time closer to reality.
The larger battery in this new version should at least make the problem of long charging times less of a problem. “The 700 km range of the Peugeot e-3008 Electric 230 Long Range allows it to travel from Paris to Nice in just two stops, compared to at least three for all its competitors”explains its manufacturer. Electric car enthusiasts know, however, that it is often preferable to make shorter stops, even if they are more numerous, in order to save on travel times.
Furthermore, solving this defect of the e-3008 and e-5008 with a larger battery comes at the expense of an even higher mass (more than 2.2 t for the first and 2.3 t for the second), which the additional 20 hp of this new version (230 hp in total) will struggle to hide. The price will also inevitably be impacted, as the e-3008 and e-5008 start at €44,990 and €46,990 respectively, excluding the ecological bonus, with their smaller battery. Let's hope that Peugeot manages to keep the price of the long-range e-3008 below €47,000, in order to maintain its access to the €4,000 ecological bonus. For the e-5008, the price of this new version should be around €50,000 and it will therefore not be eligible for this state aid.
The Peugeot e-3008 and e-5008 230 Long Range will be visible on the brand's stand at the 2024 Paris Motor Show (public days from October 15 to 20). The date of their commercial launch has not been specified. The latest news is that production was due to begin in February 2025, or “a little before”.
