Similar to the design strategy employed for other light cars already on sale, the BB1 has four wheels pushed right to each corner. The body consists of an upright box, but it is how Peugeot has packaged it that makes all the difference.
It's an electric car. And it seats four people in a body that measures just 2.5 metres long, making it shorter than a two-seater Smart Fortwo. And then there's that pug-nosed look. A sharply rising shoulder line runs from front to rear, while the windscreen, inset on its lower edge, wraps around above the front seats and splits to form two bubbles that provide head room for rear seat passengers.
Underneath, the BB1 is a motorcycle-inspired tubular space frame. That's then clad in a lightweight carbon fibre shell. Solar panels formed into the roof help recharge the BB1's batteries, as well as running the air-conditioning system while the car is parked so that it's not too hot, or cold, once the driver returns. The two rear seats are more like those you'd find on a motorbike than the classic rear pew you'd expect in a conventional car. The car's banks of lithium-ion batteries are stored beneath them.
To access the rear, Peugeot's designers have done away with the complications of a front seat that has to tilt and slide forward, building a seatback that folds flat into the front seat. There's no steering wheel, either. Instead, there's a motorcycle-like set of handlebars similar to a three-wheeled tuk-tuk motorcycle taxi. Driving the rear wheels are two electric motors housed inside the wheel hubs. Each produces 10kW of power and 320Nm of torque, enough to move the BB1 from 0-30km/h in 2.8 seconds. Top speed is 90km/h, while range is set at 120km.
The lightweight design means the BB1 only tips the scale at 600kg. A significant part of the weight, though, is the batteries, which alone account for 100kg. Peugeot chief executive Philippe Varin said it was the right moment for the car maker to "build a bridge between the past and the future". "We have to show that we are a responsible leader in environmental technology," he said. Mr Varin said part of the car maker's strategy was Hybrid4, a diesel-electric drivetrain that would reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions across a range of Peugeot models to below 100 grams per kilometre.
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