The Citroen C5 Aircross Plug-In Hybrid (SUV): The Complete Electric Car Buying Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV SUV

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Citroen is a leading French automobile manufacturer, now owned by Netherlands based Stellantis N.V., which was formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (Italian/ American) and Groupe PSA (French). Stellantis owns a diverse and comprehensive portfolio of leading automotive brands, to include, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Jeep, FIAT, Alfa Romeo etc. The Citroen electric vehicle (EV) portfolio includes both, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models: 

• All-electric Citroen AMI (BEV)
• All-electric Citroen ë-C3 (BEV)
• All-electric Citroen ë-C4 (BEV)
• All-electric Citroen ë-C4 X (BEV)
• All-electric Citroen E-Berlingo (BEV)
• All-electric Citroen E-Spacetourer (BEV)
• Citroen C5 Aircross plug-in hybrid (PHEV)
• Citroen C5 X plug-in hybrid (PHEV)

The Citroen C5 Aircross SUV has been manufactured since 2017. The concept Aircross vehicle was unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. Sales in Europe commenced in 2018. The Citroën C5 Aircross is also available as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

The distinctive exterior styled C5 Aircross PHEV SUV is worth consideration for those individuals, families and corporate drivers keen on a spacious plug-in electric SUV, but at more affordable prices. As is the case for electric driving, there is significant room for financial savings when driven on e-mode. Driving on electric mode is significantly lower, compared to using a petrol or diesel combustion engine. Moreover, taking advantage of the electric hybrid drivetrain, powered by the onboard EV battery, will improve the fuel economy of the electric vehicle.

Citroen claims that the C5 Aircross PHEV has a fuel economy up to 1.8 l/100km, considerably better than the equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) variant. Of course, if the PHEV is driven primarily on the combustion engine, expect the fuel economy to be closer to the ICE variant.

The C5 plug-in hybrid SUV has a 13.2 kWh onboard EV battery, with a WLTP certified electric range up to 55 km. Both the size of the EV battery and the claimed range, is what we have now come to expect of most PHEVs currently available in the market. Though an electric range up to 55 km may not seem a lot, the reality is that the majority of commutes are shorter commutes, and in fact, an average daily distanced travelled by 2/3rd of drivers is 50 km.

Even taking into account factors that will reduce the claimed electric driving range, the PHEV should be able to delivery close to 50 km on a fully charged EV battery i.e. more than sufficient for most driving needs. Of course, the key is to keep the EV battery charged and adopting a good habit of ‘topping up’ on a regular basis, will be imperative in taking advantage of all that the electric drivetrain has to offer! Another way to improve the efficiency of an EV is to take advantage of the regenerative braking profiles on offer. Getting used to regen braking does not take time!

The Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV combines the 1.6-litre (4 cylinder) PureTech 180 petrol combustion engine with an electric motor (80 kW). The performance of the electric vehicle (EV) is not going to help you win the Formula 1, but is adequate for the affordable price tag. The front-wheel drive Aircross plug-in hybrid can achieve 0-100 km/h in 8.7 seconds. Total available power is 225 HP and 250 Nm torque. Top speed is 195 km/h. The electric car has three driving modes: electric, hybrid and sport. The higher performance sport mode will most impact the EV range!

In terms of practicality, the plug-in hybrid SUV has much to offer. The EV is spacious for adults seated in the front and rear (ample headroom and legroom). The visibility from the driver seat is good and despite the placement of the EV battery, the boot space is 460 L. The interior quality and specification is adequate and reflects the retail price of the vehicle.

The EV has claimed tailpipe emissions up to 32g CO2/km. Again, substantially lower than the emissions of the conventional combustion engine variant. Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet! The electric car is not available in India.

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PROS	CONS
A practical and spacious electric vehicle for families	Not available as a four-wheel drive
A relatively affordable plug-in hybrid. Cheap to drive on pure electric mode	Not as efficient as some of the more recent PHEVs
Ample boot space	11 kW on board charger not a standard option

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The Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV SUV(credit: Citroen)

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Body Type:	SUV
Engine:	Petrol/ Electric
Available In India:	No

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Trims (1 Option)
Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV (from ₹ N/A)

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one battery size: 13.2 kWh
Charging:	On board charger: 7 kW Standard/ 11 kW AC available as an option
Charge Port:	Type 2
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	32g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:	8 years or 160,000 km

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1670
Width (mm):	1859
Length (mm):	4500
Wheelbase (mm):	2730
Turning Circle (m):	10.7
Boot Space (L):	460

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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C5 Aircross Plug-In Hybrid
EV Battery Capacity:	13.2 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	55 km
Electric Energy Consumption (kWh/100km):	15.7
Fuel Consumption (l/100km):	1.3 – 1.8
Charging:	On board charger: 7 kW Standard/ 11 kW AC available as an option
Top Speed:	195 km/h
0-100 km/h:	8.7 seconds
Drive:	Front-wheel drive (FWD)
Electric Motor (kW):	80 (electric)
Horsepower (hp):	180 (225 combined)
Torque (Nm):	250
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	5
Doors:	5
Minimum Kerb Weight (kg):	1,770
Colours:	7
NCAP Safety Rating:	Four-Star

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Solar And EV Charging: An Overview

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The benefits of renewable energy, in particular, solar and wind energy, is already well established in India and in other parts of the world. With the increase in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past three years, the advantages of using clean and renewable energy has been further enhanced.

Firstly, on-site renewable energy systems can be used for powering, both, business premises and homes. For on-site generation, we have witnessed a significant increase in distributed clean energy generating plants i.e. many commercial buildings and residential buildings have become generators i.e. generating electricity on-site!  Solar roof projects have been popular for such on-site generation installations.

The war in Ukraine has further amplified the need to develop energy security, not only at a national level, but also at a local level, to include, businesses and households. Those households and businesses that already generate and consume clean energy on-site have been spared the significant onslaught of energy price rise in 2022 and 2023.

Installing solar panels on-site, mitigates the risks associated with energy price inflation, a significant contributor to costs for a business or a household. On-site renewable energy generation also impacts the environment positively. For those with electric vehicles (EVs), in particular, pure electric vehicles, we strongly encourage the use of renewable energy for EV charging. Of course, we also encourage the use of solar energy for charging a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

Apart from the significant cost benefit i.e. generating renewable energy is a nominal cost per kWh (after initial set-up/ installation costs), to achieve true zero-tailpipe emission electric driving, renewable energy needs to be used for EV charging. This is also known as ‘well-to-wheel’. Just one electric car on the road can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2.

The good news for electric car owners is that a number of EV charging stations are now compatible with solar/ wind generation and battery storage. The UK based manufacturer myenergi zappi is a good example of a solar/ wind compatible EV charger. We encourage business and households to adopt an on-site ecosystem of ‘renewable energy-battery storage-EV charging’, to gain the maximum from the advantages of low carbon generation and zero-emission electric driving. Bottom-line, renewable energy is good for the environment and the wallet!

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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