Peugeot's 141mpg hatchback

One of Peugeot's many new cars at the Paris Motor Show will be this tech demonstator, based on the 208 supermini.

What's new?
Peugeot is lining up a special hybrid for the Paris Motor Show next month - the 208 HYbrid Air 2L Demonstrator - powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine and nothing more than compressed air.

It's called the 2L because it uses 2.0 litres/100km - equivalent to around 141mpg. The PureTech 1.2 82hp 208 five-seat hatchback is the basis, with the addition of a compressed air tank below the boot and a low-pressure tank near the rear axle, which acts as an expansion chamber.

Utilising a hydraulic system consisting of a motor and pump in the engine bay, the compressed air is used to supplement the petrol motor during 'transition phases' (standing starts and acceleration) in city driving. The 208 2L can even be driven on compressed air alone - making it a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) - or just using the petrol for open road and motorway driving.

The system has its own epicyclic transmission to balance between the energy sources in hybrid running, however, this set-up replacing the manual gearbox to enable auto shifts. The compressed-air tank is recharged during coasting or braking, or through light throttle applications of the three-cylinder 1.2 engine - all of these can regenerate the tank to maximum pressure in just 10 seconds.

Tell us more...
The HYbrid 2L weighs just 860kg - 100 kilos less than the normal 208 on which it is based - thanks to the use of steel, aluminium and carbon composite materials; it is this low weight that assists with the 141mpg figure. The campaign to reduce bulk has been fastidious, right down to the exhaust being made of thinner stainless steel to reduce weight by 20 per cent.

And it's not just a one-off show car that is championing Peugeot's green credentials. The company's range of Euro 6-compliant PureTech three-pot and 1.6-litre THP four-cylinder engines, along with BlueHDi diesels, is being expanded to more and more models, bringing Peugeot's European range-wide average CO2 emissions down to 111.2g/km - compared to 115.1g/km this time last year. The BlueHDi units, for example, can now be found in Peugeot's 208, 508, 2008, 3008 and 5008 models.

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