DS N°8: 750 kilometres without charging
French luxury marque DS Automobiles has achieved something many electric car sceptics once dismissed as impossible. Two DS N°8 Etoile FWD Long Range models recently travelled from Vélizy to Biscarrosse in France — a distance of 750 kilometres on public roads — without stopping to charge and without the battery ever reaching a critical level.
When the cars arrived, around 50 kilometres of range still remained, suggesting a theoretical total of more than 800 kilometres. Average energy consumption stood at just 11.7 kWh per 100 kilometres, notably lower than the official WLTP figure of 12.9 kWh/100 km. The brand did not disclose average speed, a detail that can significantly affect real-world results.
At the heart of the DS N°8 lies a 97.2 kWh high-energy-density battery (264 Wh/kg) developed and produced by the French company Automotive Cells Company (ACC). The electric motor comes from the Trémery plant, while the entire model was designed and built in Europe. With an aerodynamic drag coefficient of only 0.24, the DS N°8 shows how far efficiency and refinement have come in the electric era.
