Range Test: How Far Does the Citroen e-C4 Go?

[@TechInTheCar]

Check out my podcast where I talk about the e-C4 and it’s range: anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/evjfte Or on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/5OnlM7QcQ3NjFlB1JRbJ5v?si=-LgasrSJSxKDeASki2_Pww&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A59qoEMpnOrk9cGgSbdhPvv What experiences have you had with electric cars? Any range concerns or charging problems?

[@rustygamerx147]

ok :D

[@rustygamerx147]

@Quinn Duncan I just watch youtube and amazon for the grand tour and motor trend channel

[@barryallin8161]

You don't seem to realise that with electric cars the faster you drive on motorways etc, the more the drain on the battery, and thus there's a reduction in range. If you use ECO mode on motorways you will find a considerable improvement in usage. Also regenerative charging is really most efficient in town work where you brake often, as opposed to motorway where braking is much less.

[@TechInTheCar]

That all makes sense. Thanks.

[@alvonmay4543]

Worryingly you don’t seem to know about eco mode on electric cars and the use of regen. There is a huge difference on the E-C4 between normal and eco mode for range. Town driving is when Regen works at its most optimal performance. Motorways eco on regen off. The car is much more eco friendly by coasting otherwise you are constantly having to apply power to the wheels. Real world difference. Normal mode range 140 miles Eco range with a mix of town, A, B and national speed limits around 190-200 miles. Using regen when optimal towns, bendy roads slower speeds. Unlike the Niro, kona the difference between normal and eco is huge in this car due to its fine tuning. Hope that helps

[@btnbiker]

Note on a rapid you only take what you need and you never go past 80%, to protect the battery all chargers will slow way down after 80%. I usually never have to stop longer than 15 minutes when on a long trip

[@TechInTheCar]

You are totally right; however for both this video and the Honda E range video I had to show the cars from 100% but I wouldn’t go above 80% either.

[@bdeithrick]

Two errors. Went to a BP pulse charger. Never work. And filled it to 100%. Who has the time to fill to 100%. Drive it like a petrol? How do you do that. No stick or rev meter

[@theanorakchannel2496]

Not a reasonable test, as we didn’t actually find out what the range was. Also you charged in the middle, and the intention was to drive the 60 miles up there and 60 miles back without charging. The application was clearly the citron can’t even do 120 miles! I think you need to completely redo this video, drive the thing till it stops, yes I agree use eco-mode as most people would if they were doing a long journey. One of the most disorganised videos it’s it’s been my misfortune to bother watching!

[@TechInTheCar]

I will see if I can get the car to test it in eco as I have had that request now a few times!

[@Chris-ot9jf]

😂 what a useless test, eco mode and B mode would have helped, also not driving 75mph helps in every car no matter what it’s powered by.

[@wdsmauglir4683]

The key comment is ‘I’m going to drive this car just like my petrol car’ having driven an EV for over 12 months, best to drive it like an EV! If you want half decent range from it….

[@johnderekkay]

This conversation can go on forever . I do not need a sport boost and I can overtake in a normal way I will never use the sport boost I’m fine with the eco way . If the ec4 hadn’t have had the sport mode I still would have bought it . When I get to the traffic lights those sporty things are just in front of me:-)

[@TechInTheCar]

I know but that must be why they put it on the car!

[@georgewalker7061]

In ECO or Normal when flooring the accelerator or pushing far enough for overtaking you are getting the full 136Ps and not just the 80 ps or so in ECO>

[@jimgamble2429]

Has it got a heat pump, and will it exchange power to the grid when charging at home?

[@georgewalker7061]

The BP Pulse charging was hopeless, on just a 50 kWh charger you can get to full in 60 minutes taking in 28 kWh. You say you went to using Regen but you also have it in ECO then. When you say the motor power that is 134 when in Sport, when you are in Normal 110 and in ECO about 80 unless you floor the accelerator and get full power.

[@johnderekkay]

I agree if you want a sport performance buy a sport s car . If you want economy buy an economy vehicle and use the eco mode .

[@TechInTheCar]

I just think all cars should be as economical as possible. I understand a sport mode but if not in sport then it should always be eco. The Honda E I have no only has normal and sport. No eco mode.

[@chrishorsfall6525]

Have you tried it on eco another reveiw got and extra mile per kwh

[@mfs1011]

One thing I’m interested in bottoming out is how well the semi-autonomous driving features (adaptive cruise + lane keep) perform in the e-c4. Does the car ‘ping-pong’ across the lane or is it more capable of staying within the lane?

[@TechInTheCar]

Great question; well most of the driving in this video was done with those features on - as I always have them enabled. I felt it was very capable and kept me centered but like with any assistance system it depends on the road, traffic and driver.

[@taxsi]

why don't you give charging speed in kwh? That makes sense for other cars with different charging speed and batteries?

[@TechInTheCar]

I do that in my videos - but I didn't do it in this one which was an oversight. Thanks for the feedback.

[@RomanRoman-xi3dv]

Could you do another test but in ECO mode? Some ppl report up to 20% more range in ECO

[@TechInTheCar]

I will see what I can do! but I wouldn’t be concerned about range. It has more than enough to cover 150 miles in one go and can rapid charge 80% in 30 minutes.

[@Sherukka]

I have a e-208 and can confirm the Eco-mode is the way to go if you really need maximum range. I seldom do need because we have enough fast chargers in my country. Notice also that you will have full power even in the Eco mode when you “floor it”.

[@robgrootveld9609]

After comparing the specs and driving in the Kia and Citroen we opted for the Citroen as this was far more comfortable. Nissan Leaf was dropped in an early stage due to lack of 3~ charger, Hyundai was dropped after driving the Kia. Just have to wait a couple of months before it's delivered and we'll see what the actual range is in my day-to-day use in Holland.

[@TechInTheCar]

I loved driving the E-C4 and I am sure you will enjoy it when it turns up! there are no issues in my mind with range at all and if you're going far just use a rapid charger. I would say the biggest learning curve with an electric car is figuring out how to use the chargers and having the right apps on your phone! Let me know how it is when you get it! Thanks.

[@robgrootveld9609]

@@TechInTheCar So did we! For normal day-to-day use, the range won't be a problem, as we'll have our private 3~ 11KW charger (partly powered by 3.6 KW Solar system) For longer distances, we''ve plenty of options in NL as 25%(!) of the European chargers are located in NL and more and more high-way service stations have 100Kw chargers. The only challenge will be our yearly trips to Switzerland and/or Italy, but there are alternatives for that. I'll keep you informed.

[@TechInTheCar]

I’m very interested to know how things compared in Europe compared to the U.K. Thanks!

[@robgrootveld9609]

@@TechInTheCar Such as?

[@TechInTheCar]

How good the charging network is in Europe; if the chargers are reliable? are they subscription based or app based? Can you pay with card? Does contactless work reliably? (which certainly doesn’t seem to be the case in the UK).

[@alexanderirwin7271]

That is truly dreadful range to start a trip with 186 on the gom then travel 57 miles with only 65 miles range showing on the gom and having to charge up to be able to complete the return trip. I came so close to buying an EC4 I'm glad I changed my mind The guess-0-meter on my old leaf was a bit squiffy but no where near as bad as the EC4

[@andrewtrimble9770]

Lots of useful info for those of us thinking about buying an electric car. E-C4 is an interesting car but the 3.2 kWh efficiency on a long journey does not compare well with some other cars, such as the Ionique Premium SE which has a smaller 38.3 kWh battery. It does however charge much faster on a rapid charger. Swings and roundabouts.

[@TechInTheCar]

I agree that if you compare range of cars in the same price bracket you might find some better and some worse but the more time I spend driving electric cars it makes me think that maybe range or efficiency shouldn't be the biggest factor in deciding. I had no issues getting to London and back and it charged up quickly enough. Right now I am driving the Honda E - which I love - but the battery requires real planning if you wanted to travel further than around your home area.

[@MarcHumphriesUK]

Another test video showed 130 mile journey in Eco mode with no charging. It did 5.2kWh average. So significant better.

[@johnderekkay]

I use eco mode all the time in my Ec4 can’t see any reason why you would buy this kind of vehicle and drive in any other mode . In fact why does it have sport mode on it , if you want sport buy a Ferrari

[@TechInTheCar]

It does accelerate and respond faster in sport mode if you want that boost maybe for overtaking.

[@mariewells6740]

How much does it cost to charge a car

[@TechInTheCar]

That depends on what country you are in and how much you are charging however it is cheaper than petrol and as you can charge it at home it costs even less and is full up everyday unlike petrol cars.

[@georgewalker7061]

@@TechInTheCar Not that much Cheaper than petrol if you pay 50 pence a kWh at a charger at IKEA, or a BP Pulse @44 pence a kWh and certainly not if 69 pence @ Ionity. Not if getting 3.5 miles per kWh or less, that is if comparing a diesel that gets 55-60 mpg. So 26 pence @ a PodPoint and 40 kWh for £10.40 and get only 2.5 miles per kWh with cold weather, heating / climate on and people in the car is taking you 100 miles.

[@sai68]

thanks

[@TechInTheCar]

You're welcome!

[@bdeithrick]

50kW is useless battery. My old LEAF has at least 110KW peak. How can it do 3.5 miles per kW when power is instant!?

[@TechInTheCar]

I am not sure how your old Leaf worked but the battery system on this car does what I showed in the video. If I was driving in full eco mode it would have gotten better economy.

[@bdeithrick]

@@TechInTheCar but 50kW is very low power for a modern EV. No?

[@TechInTheCar]

I think we are starting to see manufacturers move to larger batteries but only recently. This is Citroens first full EV and they will no doubt take what they learn and improve but 219 miles of range WLTP and if I had maybe tested it in full eco mode it maybe would have gotten more than it did based off my test.

[@leem5894]

@@bdeithrick its 50kwh battery not 50kw power. It has 136bhp motor

[@timrothwell33]

You are clearly mixing up battery capacity, the power of the motor and the efficiency numbers stated in miles/KWh.

[@johnderekkay]

This test should have been done on eco mode as it was done on another test. Not really a genuine test as the regenerating mode was not on all the journey . Sorry not a true test

[@TechInTheCar]

I don't think you would drive a car in eco all the time as it's not a real use scenario. We shouldn't have to alter our driving to the car. I had no problems getting there doing a rapid charge and getting back and it is a great car. I have come to the conclusion when driving all these electric cars that range shouldn't be the number one factor in choosing a car but one of the things to take into account.

[@johnderekkay]

@@TechInTheCar we are never going to get the planet right if we don’t use the eco technology. If we carry on being normal we won’t be here for much longer. We agree to disagree

[@TechInTheCar]

What we want is the most efficient EV we can have without needing different modes. I don’t think we should have to consciously choose a more efficient mode. But there is a way to go clearly!

[@JEFF4507]

What a load of rubbish, this is way better than your idea of a test. I've never used ECO mode in a car, it just gives unrealistic range figures so it's nice to see a video that does a realistic drive for a change!

[@JEFF4507]

Also you're clueless. Electric cars brake using "motor deceleration" before they use the brake pads whatever mode you're in.

[@barryo8694]

Very useful video. It highlights how much crap car makers talk when reporting how far they can travel on a charge. This car will be outdated in a few months in terms of range. Nice car but terrible range

[@TechInTheCar]

To be fair as my first range test video I could have done some things differently which would have given it more range. The e-C4 is a great car but the deciding factor other than price with an EV is how far you drive everyday.

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

nice comfortable car, but insanely underpowered compared to many other EV cars on the market, even at the same price point. the recent MG4 has 200BHP compared to the 136 in this. and it's far cheaper.

[@rustygamerx147]

nice :)

[@TechInTheCar]

Thanks!

[@stephenberry1205]

You are giving me range anxiety,,,,,,,, big time.. My former Citroen Xantia 1.9 turbo diesel would do 1000 kms on a tank for a road trip escaping the city. My C4 Cactus gives me 750 kms and my 2CV gives me 300 kms on 21 litres out of a 25 litre tank.... It takes longer to go and pay for the 2CV fuel that squirting the tank.... Australia .... so much further to go... That said 2 ex Citroen owner school chums have both bought Tesla Model 3s. The city slicker bought the performance pack. The one living in a passive solar home on 100 acres of old growth forest bought the long rang model... The both love them, but agree that their CX GTIs were every bit as ground breaking and had more personality. I had a CX Prestige EFI 5 speed and loved it as much as my DS Pallas....

[@TechInTheCar]

First of all lucky you living in Australia - a country where there is less covid and it isn’t always raining! Electric cars are about managing your journey and building in time to stop along the way if it is further than the range. In return you get a car that is cheaper to run and “fuel” and your helping the environment. Eventually with 800V charging electric cars will be able to add 60 miles of range in 5 minutes like a traditional car can do with a quick fuel stop. I can see that your a huge Citroen fan! That’s very cool!

[@stephenberry8658]

I believe that the Eco mode will do a lot better in the eC4. I have owned 3 new 2CV6s. 1978, 1982. 1990. 43 years and 550,000 kms of saving the planet, small use of resources to manufacture and run.... AND.. More Smiles Per Mile. And the seats clip out for picnics or going to the drive in cinema. Maximum fun range of sheer joy. Yep, love Citroens. It is 49 years 7 months since I bought my first car. An Aussie assembled 1962 Citroen ID19... Boy did I tear up the countryside at age 18. The C4 Cactus is my 17th Citroen. Joined the Citroen Car Club before I got my licence. Total addict.

[@TechInTheCar]

They are awsome cars and I love the e-C4!