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The new Peugeot 207 Epure is, as it is described, a vehicle ‘styled for pleasure’. It is equipped with an experimental power train and this really is the latest in the Peugeot offerings and is something that has no effect on the car’s styling or functioning.
The car promises zero emissions and an absolutely silent ride which makes for a lot of comfort and pleasure. It is an open-top four-seater and is somewhere in between a coupe and a cabriolet.
We'll begin with the outside. It is a powerful and yet an elegant design. It’s got clean, clear lines, including its pearl-white livery. The flowing contours and the front windscreen angle combined with the arch give it a feeling of being in motion even when it is in a stationary position. The special alloy wheels look like they were meant to hug the road. The metal surfaces are perfect and the stylish dynamic look makes it seem like a designer car.
The inside is as good. White leather engulfs the whole fascia panel and this continues to the trim on the seats, the controls and most of the passenger space. There are splashes of green very discreetly adding a touch of color. The instrument panels have white dials with chrome trims.
You get whatever information you want here – from the amount of hydrogen available to the battery charge level. In the center console, you can view the flow of power between the fuel cell, the battery and the motor. There’s an elegance and harmony in the whole interior styling.
Now for the specs. It runs on fuel cell technology so let’s take a look at how that works. The propulsion is done with hydrogen and oxygen so while the hydrogen is stored in the car, the oxygen is drawn in from the air. When these two come together, there is an electrochemical reaction which causes water, heat and of course, electricity which helps to charge the battery.
So it’s a car that riding around with its own little power plant inside. The Peugeot 207 Epure has a GENEPAC fuel cell which is efficient as well as compact. This experimental 20Kw cell has been developed in collaboration with the French Atomic Energy Commission. The car has a 50KW motor and a range of nearly 220 miles as well as a speed that can go a little over 80 mph.