Automotive

Citroen E-Berlingo has a practical body, poor range

Citroen E-Berlingo has a practical body, poor range
The Citroen E-Berlingo
The Citroen E-Berlingo 
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The E-Berlingo has traditional sliding doors
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The E-Berlingo has traditional sliding doors 
With just 106 miles of range, the E-Berlingo lags behind the competition
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With just 106 miles of range, the E-Berlingo lags behind the competition 
The E-Berlingo has space for five people and all their luggage
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The E-Berlingo has space for five people and all their luggage
The E-Berlingo joins a growing range of electric vehicles from Renault
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The E-Berlingo joins a growing range of electric vehicles from Renault
The E-Berlingo doubles as a big, practical van
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The E-Berlingo doubles as a big, practical van
Gone is the rev counter, and in its place is an energy meter in the Berlingo
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Gone is the rev counter, and in its place is an energy meter in the Berlingo
The E-Berlingo comes with the standard Citroen navigation system
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The E-Berlingo comes with the standard Citroen navigation system
Citroen is keen to point out the easily-customisable cabin of the E-Berlingo
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Citroen is keen to point out the easily-customisable cabin of the E-Berlingo
The E-Berlingo is slow and low on range
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The E-Berlingo is slow and low on range
The Citroen E-Berlingo can be charged to 50 percent in just 15 minutes
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The Citroen E-Berlingo can be charged to 50 percent in just 15 minutes
The exterior of the E-Berlingo is unmistakably Citroen
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The exterior of the E-Berlingo is unmistakably Citroen
The E-Berlingo can be used as a five-seat family hauler, or as a van
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The E-Berlingo can be used as a five-seat family hauler, or as a van
The Citroen E-Berlingo
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The Citroen E-Berlingo 
The E-Berlingo is likely to be slow, even by family van standards
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The E-Berlingo is likely to be slow, even by family van standards
Behind the wheel of the Citroen E-Berlingo
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Behind the wheel of the Citroen E-Berlingo
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Electric vehicles are starting to take hold, with early adopters of the technology faced with cars in a wider range of body styles and price points than ever before. Along with practical hatchbacks and sedans, families in need of a green-minded load-lugger can move their kids, luggage and more with the Citroen E-Berlingo Multispace.

Some companies have been reticent to embrace the electric revolution, but Citroen isn't one of them. The new Berlingo joins three other electric cars in the lineup, with that range likely to grow significantly over the next few years. With that said, more competition is on the way, with Ford and Volkswagen both working on their own battery-powered vans.

Anyone searching for Tesla (or Chevrolet)-rivalling range are likely to be disappointed in the E-Berlingo, which can only cover 106 miles (171 km) on a single charge from its 22.5-kWh battery pack. That range was calculated on the New European Drive Cycle, too, a standard known for being more lenient than EPA testing.

Range isn't impressive then, but the battery can be charged up quickly. Citroen says a half-charge takes just 15 minutes, and 80 percent of range can be topped up in just 30 minutes at a dedicated fast-charge point. Things take a little longer at home, where a full charge can take upwards of 10 hours on a standard domestic socket.

Range isn't the only area where the E-Berlingo lags behind some other attention-grabbing electric cars – it's also likely to be very, very slow thanks to the 67-hp (49-kW) electric motor on the front wheels. Not only is it low on power, but a peak 200 Nm (148 lb.ft) of torque is less than you'll find in the Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe.

Where Citroen has tried to set its battery-powered van apart is inside, where the five-seat layout can be folded and shuffled around to fit all the antique furniture, outdoor gear and child-wrangling equipment you can throw at it. It'll hold 675 liters (23.9 cu.ft) of gear with all the seats in place, but that expands to 3,000 liters (106 cu.ft) with the rear seats folded.

Citroen hasn't released pricing detail for the Berlingo, but expect it to mirror the €27,000 (about US$29,188) Renault Kangoo Z.E when it launches.

Source: Citroen

View gallery - 15 images
5 comments
5 comments
LordInsidious
Don't think the range is an issue, as long as there are charging stations 15 min for 50% is more then adequate.
LarryWolf
Range is a big issue. And it should be in the 300+ mile range for any minivan-van type of design because of the generous floor pan area. This van was obsolete before it left the drawing board.
jerryd
While a reliable range of 60 miles this van has is good for some, most need at least 100mile in any condition range so needs a larger pack optional.
notfromthisplanet
It's the right size and shape for my needs but needs more range and AWD.
YouAre
Thank you Scott for the info! I wish there were fewer faces on the pictures and more guts of the car, as none of the pictures truly speaks of the main selling point of the car.