Citroen Survolt

Citroën isn't exactly renowned for its sports car or racing heritage but at the recent Le Mans Classic it showed off its Survolt all-electric racing car concept.

Piloting it was experienced female racing driver and daughter of Le Mans legend, Jacky, Vanina Ickx, commented that: " On the track it felt really good. It's a real race car, with a very promising potential for the future."
Survolt's two electric motors provide up to 300 bhp, a top speed of 162 mph and a 0-62 mph time of less than five seconds. The twin 308 lbs lithium-ion batteries can cover 124 miles and can be re-charged in just two hours with a specific power supply, or in 10 hours on the standard, European, 220 Volt network.
The Survolt concept is an exploration by Citroën into the potential of new racing technologies, whilst showcasing a distinctive and stylish body design and could point the way to a future Citroën sports car for the road.
For starters, there are no gears - you simply push the accelerator and away you go in one constant, addictive, thrust of torque. 0-62mph is over and done with with in just under 5.0 seconds. Because there are no gearchanges to interrupt the power, you feel like you could keep accelerating forever. Not that we can do that today - this exact car, the only one in the world and valued at £1,500,000, is the star of Citroen's stand at the Paris Motor Show in two weeks. No pressure then.

Especially as there's none of the normal engine braking you get in an ordinary car. Lift off and you've only got the wind resistance slowing you down - you can't heel and toe down the gearbox, there's just the firm brake pedal. Incidentally, this needs to be pressed with your left foot because the cabin is so tight there's no room to drag your right foot across. Like a go-kart.

The second thing that strikes me is the amount of noise there is in the cabin. Sure, from the outside, the Survolt simply whirrs past, but from inside there's a real turbine whine from the gearbox. Compared to most racing cars, it's still pretty quiet, but it's certainly a long way from being silent - talking to a passenger requires a raised voice. Especially if the door pops open, as it did on my lap.

Ignore that though. This is a pre-production concept car - things don't get much more undeveloped than that - and it's been put together in only three months. For it to drive as well as it does is some achievement. It rides really well, grip levels are great and there's no lumpy handling characteristics despite it having two socking great batteries. One is mounted between the driver's feet and the front wheels, while the other is behind your head.

But perhaps the greatest thing this Survolt offers is potential. It's a long way from being a properly sorted racing car, but Citroen is driving its electric tech forward with this vehicle. Previously, manufacturers used F1 as a test bed for improvements to road cars, but maybe electric road car improvements will come from the likes of the Survolt and the one-make racing series it will hopefully spawn. If that's the case, it can only be good news.

The spectacular Survolt has hit the track!
Recently, we brought you exclusive studio pictures of Citroen’s all-electric supercar, but now Auto Express has been given the chance to pilot this one-off zero-emission concept in an altogether more exciting environment – the high-speed circuit of Thruxton in Hampshire.

As it creeps silently from its garage, the swooping lines and aquamarine slashes in the bodywork pack a massive visual punch. Yet despite its protruding rear wing and side skirts, the Survolt looks surprisingly small next to the assorted hatchbacks in the car park.
Getting behind the wheel is no mean feat – you have to thread your way carefully between the scissor doors and the latticed tubular steel frame, before dropping into the bucket seats.
With six-point racing harnesses holding you firmly in place, the start-up sequence begins – engineers adjust the huge array of switches mounted to the carbon dash, then we flick the bright red ignition, and the Survolt whirrs into life.
A low hum reverberates through the cockpit, but prod the throttle, and the hum soon becomes a high-pitched, jet-like whine. Acceleration is brutal, with the combined 300bhp from the two 31kw batteries (one mounted in the floor, the other between the rear wheels) propelling the concept down the pitlane exit.
As with other electric cars, the 480Nm of torque is available instantly. Factor in the two-pedal set-up, with the brakes operated by your left foot, and it feels similar to a big go-kart. On the short back straight, the Survolt clocked 132mph, an amazing figure when you consider that it was merely a static show model just a few months ago. The batteries only last for half an hour at these speeds, but a full
recharge can be completed in two hours.
The rock-hard suspension is unforgiving, and our racing helmet clatters against the roll cage as the car skips over the track’s bumps and undulations. Push into corners, though, and the benefit of the stiffened ride becomes clear.
Grip from the huge tyres is extraordinary, the double-wishbone suspension set-up ensures the car changes direction with ease, and there’s plenty of feedback from the F1-style steering wheel.
The Survolt is a superb achievement. And if the firm goes on to deliver a one-make race series, we could see its technology in a roadgoing Citroen sometime soon.

Key specs

* Price: £1.25million
* Power: 31kw lithium-ion batteries, twin electric motor
* Transmission: Rear-wheel drive, single-speed gearbox
* Power/torque: 300bhp/480Nm
* 0-62mph: 5.0 seconds
* Top speed: 162mph
* Range/CO2: 124 miles/0g/km
* Standard equipment: Six-point race harnesses, 20-inch alloy wheels, bucket seats, carbon fibre dash, brake balance controller, safety kill switch
* On sale: N/A

After making its first racing debut on the legendary Le Mans circuit, the Citroen Survolt has received a little head-to-toe makeover courtesy of the dynamic Francoise Nielly. Unlike Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst  , who are tremendous artists in their ow regard, Nielly’s work encompasses the creativity and incandescent colors found in the style of art cars, leaving the task of turning the Survolt into a Nielly masterpiece as a beautifully simple one.
Francoise Nielly uses a variety of fluorescent colors combined with contrasting curved lines and sculpted flanks to "reclaim the light and offer a different reading of the car running 100% power of the brand", says the manufacturer for the Rafters. Broken down, this mean that most of the coloring is found on the front of the car with a gradual decrease of color flowing towards the back. This keeps the eye focused on the most powerful view of the vehicle.
The Citroen Survolt  measures at 3.85m long, 1.87.m wide, and 1.2m high and weighs in at just 1,150 kg. It comes with a tubular chassis, a flat underside with an extractor, and full carbon bodywork. As for capabilities, the Survolt is powered solely by electricity and can produce a 0-60 mph time of just a shade under five seconds with a top speed of 162 mph.