The autonomy of electric cars is a big issue that is often debated without considering that the main issue is not the autonomy but the recharging speed. It is the combination of the latter with the best possible and lowest possible consumption that makes it possible to give electric cars good autonomy without using large, overpriced batteries.
This is Citroën's strategy: to offer batteries of reasonable size, allowing an accessible retail price, in cars with aerodynamic design that minimises fuel consumption and has sufficient charge capacity to reduce recharging times. To verify the merits of this strategy, Citroën turned to the independent organisation UTAC, a world leader in the field of automotive testing, validation and approval. The question put to them was simple: how long does it take to drive 1,000 km in an electric vehicle, in this case the C4 and its sister, the C4X? No favourable tests, no estimates, just reality and only reality.
To this end, the UTAC services carried out a 1,000 km test on the Mortefontaine circuit with the ë-C4X in its 420 km version against the Renault Mégane e-Tech, VW ID3 or even the MG 4. The Citroën ë-C4X proved to be the fastest to complete the 1,000 km with a total time of 11h57mn, including recharging, while the competitors took between 14 and 67 minutes longer to complete the same distance. According to the results recorded by UTAC, these results can be explained by lower fuel consumption and optimised recharging times, confirming the technical choices made on the ë-C4X and, by extension, on the ë-C4.
T. T. Koskas, CEO of Citroën: "The test carried out with UTAC confirms Citroën's strategic choices: a battery of a reasonable size that guarantees a range of more than 400 km, while reducing costs and fuel consumption and allowing long journeys without worries thanks to the efficiency of fast charging. Driving a ë-C4, I validate this efficiency on a daily basis in real conditions during my travels. "
The test protocol was as follows
Driving at a stabilised speed of 120 km/h on the speed ring of the Mortefontaine circuit.
At the start of the test, the vehicle is charged to 100% SOC.
Stop driving at 10% battery charge.
Recharging of the vehicle to 80% (recharging was carried out alternately on a 100 kW and a 50 kW station, according to the capacity of the site).
Sequence of recharges up to 1000 km
The results of this test carried out by UTAC are clear, it is the Citroën ë-c4X, also valid for the ë-C4, which has the same autonomy and the same aerodynamics, which shows at the same time the weakest consumption and the shortest recharge times. The combination of these two elements allowed it to cover 1,000 km in 11 hours and 57 minutes, almost 15 minutes better than the closest competitor.
In conclusion, I can only agree with the results of these tests, as the C4 and C4X are particularly economical with both thermal and electric motors, which has been proven many times over in long tests. These tests, carried out by an independent organisation according to a strict protocol, confirm the choices made by the brand in terms of optimised aerodynamics to reduce fuel consumption and optimised charge management to reduce recharging times. . These two combinations allow Citroën ë-C4 and ë-C4X to win this test, a good argument at the point of sale.