SEAT delivered three plug-in electric cars to the municipal fleet of the city of Barcelona – two Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive plug-in hybrids, and one all-electric Altea XL Electric Ecomotive.
Barcelona City Hall will be testing these vehicles in its municipal car fleet for an initial six-month trial period, during which SEAT will gather information and assess performance prior to mass production of electric cars.
Within the framework of this strategy, over the past few weeks SEAT has loaned one e-Altea XL to Endesa, and another to the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN); a further two TwinDrive – one to each of the two organisations mentioned – will be made available over the forthcoming weeks. The company is immersed in the first stage of the introduction of an electric car and envisages the loan of further vehicles to different governmental departments, institutions, and private companies interested in eco-friendly fleets over the forthcoming months.
e-Altea and Leon TwinDrive, SEAT’s first electric cars
The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive and the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive are two vehicles with different but complementary technologies. The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive can be used in wide variety of different circumstances, and for that reason is SEAT’s first all-electric car. It has a range of 135 kilometers, a power output of 115 hp (85kW), an engine torque of 270 Nm and a top speed of 135 km/h.
Of the several new features found on it, two of the most striking are battery location under the rear seats and the boot – meaning no reduction in passenger compartment space – and the photovoltaic panels on the roof, cutting energy requirements for the vehicle’s air-conditioning.
The Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive couples the advantages of emission-free driving to the range of a conventional petrol-engine car. The TwinDrive allows for all-electric or hybrid driving, meaning no change whatsoever in driving habits or life style for customers. It has a range of 52 kilometers in electric mode, with a top speed of 120 km/h. In mixed mode (electric and combustion) consumption is 1.7 liters, emissions are under 39 g/km, and top speed is 170 km/h.
SEAT’s commitment to sustainable motoring and environmental protection extends to other brand vehicles already on the market. SEAT has a long track record of producing low-emission cars – for the record, 70% of cars marketed in Spain have emissions below 130 g/km of CO2.
