Peugeot RCZ Vision – four-seater EV concept showcases new design direction; 600 km range fr solid-state battery

Peugeot has revived the RCZ nameplate with the RCZ Vision concept car, showcasing the brand’s new design language for a coupé based on the STLA One platform, featuring a solid-state battery and a 1,000-volt electrical architecture.

The RCZ Vision concept’s powertrain is claimed to output 500 hp and deliver up to 600 km of range with a claimed energy consumption figure of 11.5 kWh per 100 km, and its solid-state battery is said to to be able to be recharged from 10-80% in just 10 minutes, according to Peugeot.

The RCZ Vision concept is Peugeot’s first expression of its “Feline Future” direction that will inform the design of future Peugeot models.

According to Autocar , the RCZ Vision concept measures 4.65 m long, 1.35 m tall and 1.94 m wide, while its rolling stock is a set of forged aluminium wheels measuring 21 inches and 22 inches in diameter front and rear, respectively.

Its cabin is designed to be a true four-seater, rather than the 2+2 configuration of its discontinued production namesake, and the RCZ Vision concept aims to accommodate two adults comfortably in the second row. The double-bubble roof of the previous RCZ has been rethought to optimise rear-seat headroom, while adding light to the cabin.

Further maximising interior space is the RCZ Vision’s battery, which measures just 110 mm thick in order to retain a low floor and low-profile silhouette.

Practicality and usability were priorities for the design team when designing the new RCZ Vision, as to maximise the likelihood of the car being adapted to production, said Peugeot design director Matthias Hossann.

“This was an important part of my brief. I asked my team to make it look quite realistic in terms of proportion and size, in order to make this car more approachable. It’s not just designing a UFO or something which is highly futuristic,” Hossann told the publication.

Inside, the cabin of the RCZ Vision concept is installed with the Hypersquare steering “wheel” that first featured on the Polygon concept , and the rectangular steering “wheel” will feature in the next-generation e-208 .

Displays in the RCZ Vision concept are transparent displays rather than traditional screens, which Peugeot says enables the driver to configure the information displayed, and the central display can even be completely switched off, where the transparent screen offers cleaner aesthetic.

This setup of transparent displays complements the Hypersquare “wheel”, which offers access to main functions via the four rings close to hand, and therefore does not require the driver to move their hands from the steering control, says Peugeot.

The RCZ Vision concept also serves to showcase the French manufacturer’s “X-by-wire” technologies including steer-by-wire, which means that it does not have a physical connection between the steering and the steered wheels.

Peugeot says that steer-by-wire enables the use of variable ratio steering, such as to offer much quicker input at low vehicle speeds and reduced ratios for more stable steering when the vehicle is travelling at higher speeds.

Also taking the by-wire approach is the braking system in the RCZ Vision, and the system is said to offer more precise braking modulation and seamless integration of regenerative braking. For ADAS, the RCZ Vision gets “Level 2++” automation, according to Peugeot.

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