After 3 years of having the B-segment SUV market pretty much to itself, the much-liked Peugeot e-2008 gets a well-deserved update. The competition is growing stronger and EV technology is improving at an unstoppable pace – 3 years in the life of an electric car feels like a generation.
The e-2008 has been a very popular EV from the start with over 75,000 vehicles manufactured since it was introduced and its popularity is only growing. The French know how to make the car look good and the e-2008 still looks fresh and draws attention wherever it goes. The new, updated version builds on it with sensible increments rather than revolutionary changes.
So, what’s new? Starting with the most obvious – gone is the sabertooth light signature replaced with the new Peugeot-wide “claw” design – three vertical LEDs on each side of the front bumper. The grille is larger as well and although headlights have the same shape, now they come with a triple LED assembly. Rear vertical lights are now replaced with the horizontal arrangement – still tiny in its size but surprisingly bright.
Since this is a refresh, there are new wheel designs and new body colors, the interior benefits from new fabrics which include Alcantara as an option – e-2008 is moving upmarket. The interior benefits from a new digital instrument cluster on Allure and GT versions and the 7-inch screen from the current model is replaced with a much more convenient 10-inch unit.
The powertrain and battery get a decent update as well – the battery grows to 54 kWh (4 kWh more) and the electric motor gets a 15% power boost to 156 hp (115 kW) – that’s 20 hp more. The range is extended from the current 331 km all the way to 406 km on the WLTP mixed cycle – that’s a decent step-up achieved not only by having a bigger battery but thanks by the improved powertrain efficiency.
The DC fast-charging times remain unchanged – the e-2008 supports up to 100 kW charging speed and can top up its battery in about 30 minutes from 10 to 80% SoC. Charging at home from a 7.4 kW Wall Box takes 4 hours and 40 minutes which is nearly 3 hours quicker than before – that’s a huge improvement.
The tech suite is fairly comprehensive – we have the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless support, TomTom maps are built in and the wireless phone charger now charges faster thanks to its 15W output. There are numerous USB-A and USB-C ports scattered around the car to keep every passenger happy.
Peugeot keeps it simple when it comes to driver aids – adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, lane departure, and driver attention alert coupled with blind spot monitoring are the essential functions for everyday driving. High-definition parking camera set provides a 360-degree view making even the tightest parking spot a walk in the park.
The all-new freshly refreshed e-2008 goes into production at the Spanish Vigo factory as you read this and will go on sale this summer. The new battery gets an 8-year warranty with a 160,000 km limit and Peugeot will help its customers with installing home chargers. Thanks to the Free2Move initiative, Peugeot drivers have access to 350,000 charging destinations across Europe and when the time comes to sell the e-2008, owners will get a “battery capacity certificate” to make the selling process even easier.
