Bad news for the autonomy of the new affordable electric Citroën ë-C3

Announced at 320 kilometers, the range of the new electric Citroen ë-C3 officially increases to “only” 300 kilometers. A disappointment that could trouble the manufacturer’s customers, especially in the face of the Renault 5 E-Tech.

The French are increasingly open to switching to electric cars, a fact confirmed by sales figures. The latter has in fact been on the rise in France for many years, and this should continue.

Disappointing autonomy

However, many drivers are still put off by price but especially by range. They believe that the range offered by most electric cars on the market is insufficient, although they want to keep at least 400 kilometers. Even if this logic is really wrong. However, brands do everything possible to offer cars that meet to the needs of potential customersTo reassure them.

This is not the case for everyone, especially Citroen. And for good reason, the company recently took the wraps off its new ë-C3, which features Small 44 kWh battery. The latter allows the electric city car, which we were able to discover recently, to travel, on paper, Up to 320 kilometers on a single charge. Which is still quite low, but which is higher than the 230 kilometers of autonomy on the mixed WLTP cycle of its rival Dacia Spring. However, we get an unpleasant surprise…

On its site, Citroën gives us a lot of information about its new arrival, which should also be found in the land of the Renault 5 E-Tech. And then it’s a cold shower. Because it no longer appears to be 320 km, But only 300

. A hell of a 20 km difference, which may seem insignificant but not so much at this level of autonomy. Suffice it to say that a city car with chevrons might have trouble staking its claim against its diamond-shaped rival.

Because the latter promises up to 400 kilometers according to the European WLTP approval. A figure however valid for the most high-end versions, while the cheapest But will be limited to 300 kilometers. But then, what does this change mean for Citroën?

Battery problem

In fact, you should know that the Citroën ë-C3 is not the only car of the Stellentis group that has revised its forecast downwards. This is also the case for the Peugeot e-3008, which we were able to test in real-world conditions a few weeks ago. If its most high-end version was announced at 700 km, it will eventually have to settle for 680 km WLTP. However, one difference is less significant than a city car with herringbones.

And It is not weight that explains this difference Between official announcements and information on the site. In both cases, manufacturers guarantee that the data is still valid and therefore not definitive. We have to wait before knowing the exact values. But according to reporters from NumeramaBatteries definitely have something to do with this story.

Indeed, part of the explanation may come from the fact that the Peugeot e-3008 uses batteries supplied by BYD, which will be replaced later. Cells assembled in France by ACC. Therefore, they may not be completely identical, which would be the reason for this difference. Except the Citroën ë-C3 is not affected and uses LFP (Lithium – Iron – Phosphate) chemistry, which is different from electric SUVs.

So it will be necessary to wait for official approvals, as manufacturers sometimes tend to do Underestimation of real autonomy. Is Citroen, like Peugeot, afraid of revealing too high and disappointing customer figures to the point of revising their forecasts downwards? maybe. But this deserves some clarification.

In any case, it is only a 9% difference in the case of Citroen. This should not be felt significantly on a daily basis. But it’s still embarrassing.

---