Electrogenic Builds the World's First Properly Converted Battery-Electric Citroen DS

The company develops a unique electric pump for the hydro-pneumatic suspension, guaranteeing that the car quietly retains its renowned magic carpet ride.

FREMONT, CA: Electrogenic, a pioneer in historic automobile electrification, develops an all-electric Citroen DS. The 1971 DS is a new and thrilling interpretation of a legendary French automobile, famed for its elegance and luxurious ride. The Oxford-based business has kept and enhanced the car's legendary magic carpet ride by integrating it with a silent, zero-emission electric drivetrain.

Electrogenic has replaced the car's original 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a Hyper9 brushless electric motor, resulting in what is thought to be the world's first professionally converted electric Citroen DS. This results in 120bhp and 235Nm of immediate torque, which are significant improvements over the original. The front wheels receive power via the vehicle's existing manual transmission.

A 48.5kWh battery is housed into the DSs elegant saloon body, providing a real-world range of around 140 miles on a single charge. The vehicle is equipped with a 29kW charger that charges the batteries in around two hours. Both the battery size and charger type can be customized to the owner's intended use. Customers can opt for an optional range extender battery to increase the car's range to more than 200 miles.

One of the DS's distinguishing features is its hydro-pneumatic suspension system, which allows the car to self-level and contributes to the car's legendary plush ride quality. Rather than using the original noisy mechanical pump, Electrogenic developed a silent electric pump that produces a more refined ride.

Electrogenic commits to preserving the elegance of the original vehicle when converting it to electric power, which means the DS's distinctive design will remain unchanged. The absence of exhaust pipes and a discreet new DS EV electronique badge on the trunk are the sole outward indicators of the car's new electric engine.

Steve Drummond, Director and Co-Founder of Electrogenic, says, “Repowering classic cars with all-electric drive brings a number of benefits, from ease of use to reliability and performance gains. But with our conversions, the aim is always to enhance the original characteristics of the car. In this respect, the Citroen DS was ideally suited to an electric conversion the silent powertrain adds to the serene driving experience and fits perfectly with the character of the car.”

Ian Newstead, Director and Co-Founder of Electrogenic, says, “It seems right to use modern technology to future-proof a car that was so far ahead of its time when it came out in the 1950s. Our conversion breathes new life into the DS and means that future generations can continue to enjoy its charm for decades to come. As with all first-time conversions, the DS presented us with unique challenges. In this case, adapting the hydro-pneumatic suspension to run without the combustion engine. The old pump was so noisy that it detracted from the silent drive of the car, but our new electric pump solved the issue completely. As with every conversion, the DS has added further to our knowledge of converting beautiful classics.”

The Citroen DS has been converted to the specifications of the customer. Electrogenic proprietary EV technology enables the sympathetic conversion of a wide variety of classic vehicles to electric power, including recent world-first conversions of the Triumph Stag and the first professionally converted four-wheeler Morgan.