Peugeot BB1 City Car Concept Revealed At Frankfurt

PEUGEOT HAS TAKEN the wraps off one of its more unconventional concepts at the Frankfurt Motor Show, revealing the pint-sized BB1 electric vehicle concept this week.

Although sharing a similar footprint to the diminutive smart fortwo, the 2.5 metre long BB1 is capable of carrying four people within its tiny frame.

An unusually-shaped (and almost vertical) windscreen maximises interior space, the rising roofline providing sufficient headroom for backseat passengers.

Two rear-hinged doors with small wind-down glass sections are another quirky key feature. Controls are also unusual with the driver foregoings the usual wheel and pedal arrangement in favour of a scooter-like handlebar and twist throttle.

Built atop a tube-framed chassis and clothed in carbon-fibre body panels, the BB1 is extremely light. Kerb weight is just 600kg - a featherweight by modern standards.

The BB1 is all-electric, and power is stored in two lithium-ion battery packs that can be charged from a wall outlet and topped up by a solar panel array on the car's roof.

Two electric motors drive the rear wheels and produce a combined maximum output of 20kW and 640Nm. Acceleration from 0-60km takes 6.8 seconds and top speed is just 90km/h.

Peugeot c laims a maximum range on a full charge of 120km, making the BB1 best suited to urban commutes rather than long-distance suburban hops - if it were ever to go into production, that is.

Don't expect to see the BB1 in Peugeot showrooms any time soon. Of course, we may yet see the concept's clever interior packaging finding its way into a future city car offering from the French manufacturer.