Don't feel like reading? Watch the video (multilingual translation)
Design
The originality is not in the design which is quite conventional, but not ugly in my opinion, far from the particular forms of the Renault Twizy, the Citroën Ami or the Microlino, we are more like an Eixam. I think it's a prudent and intelligent choice that allows not to provoke a reaction of rejection by adopting the aesthetic consensus of the moment, with a touch of aggressiveness.
Main Features
The Silence S04 is a 100% electric two-seater tubular frame quadricycle that offers two versions: a L6e version accessible without a license and therefore limited to 45 km / h, that competes with the Twizy 45, the Citroën Ami or the Eixam ECity pack, and a L7e version with license that can go up to 90 km / h and competes with the Twizy 80, and perhaps the Microlino 2.0 if it finally comes out. The cockpit is completely closed with 2 doors and traditional windows.
Price
Many automotive magazines have taken the announced base price of € 7,500 but they have often forgotten that this price is excluding traction battery (s), a very expensive component of an electric vehicle ... 'is not yet officially known, but Silence Paris kindly informed me of a price of € 3,000 for a battery.
The base price of the L6e version of the S04, with a battery, would therefore be € 10,500 and the L7e version with 2 batteries, would be at least € 13,500, rather € 14,000 to take into account the difference in motorization, prices excluding the ecological bonus.
In the "license-free" category, with its 10,500 € compared to the 7,000 € of the Citroën Ami, the Silence S04 will have to present many other advantages to convince. On the other hand, do not forget that an Eixam ECity pack still costs € 13,400.
In the "with license" category, the Silence S04 at € 14,000 would be more expensive than a Twizy 80 at € 13,000 equipped for a minimum of comfort (with options for doors, windows and heating blanket). Again, to really stand out, it will have to have other qualities ...
Unless the L7e version can run with a single battery, even if it means dividing its autonomy by 2, which would then reduce its base price to € 11,000 ...
On the other hand, the possibility of renting the batteries could also greatly reduce the cost of the purchase by bringing it down to € 7,500, plus the battery rental that could be around € 20 per month, therefore € 40. / month for 2 batteries.
Motorization, performance, batteries, range, recharging
Note: the exploded view presented above is not that of a Silence wheel-motor but that proposed by Protean Electric.
One of the great originalities of the Silence S04 is its motorization by 2 wheel-motors at the rear, i.e. an electric motor is integrated into the wheel, thus taking up what Silence already knows how to do with its electric scooters. This technology eliminates the many drawbacks of traditional gear, chain or belt transmissions: power dissipation, wear, size, weight, noise, cost, maintenance. If this system is not more widespread, it is because of the additional weight of the wheel that the suspension has difficulty in maintaining on the ground. It is therefore better suited to vehicles with low dynamics.
The L6e version of the Silence S04 receives a 6 kW motor and a 5.6 kWh battery. The speed is necessarily limited to 45 km / h and the autonomy of this model is not specified but we can extrapolate by giving it the same as that of the Citroën Ami which has similar characteristics, i.e. 75 km in eco mode according to the WMTC standard.
The L7e version has a 14 kW motor and two 5.6 kWh batteries so a total of 11.2 kWh, can go up to 90 km / h and offers a range of 149 km WMTC in eco mode (120 km in normal mode), to compare for example with 84 km / h maximum and 100 km of autonomy of the Renault Twizy 80. We go a little faster and especially much further with an S04 than with a Twizy 80.
We must stop at the system of removable and therefore interchangeable batteries that Silence has integrated into the S04, after having implemented it on its electric scooters, and which is another important innovation for this category of vehicles. Indeed, one can easily remove the battery of the S04 which weighs "only" 40 Kg, thanks to a system of handle and wheels and which one handles like a suitcase-trolley. In this way, many of the pitfalls associated with electromobility are eliminated knowing that not everyone has the possibility of plugging in their electric vehicle at the bottom of their home or office.
With the S04 you can easily take the battery home or to the workplace to recharge it. This system also makes it possible to exchange the battery very quickly with another battery already recharged in one of the exchange centers that the manufacturer intends to install little by little.
When the battery is too worn out, it will be just as easy to exchange it for a new one without any need for downtime, for an authorized technician, and therefore without any labor costs.
And I would add that in some very specific cases, we can technically imagine taking a 3rd battery in the trunk to achieve a range of around 200 km.
Of course we can fear the unreliability associated with a new technology, for the battery as for the wheel-motors, but all this is not really new for Silence since these are the same elements that already equip its S01 scooters. So the whole must be well mastered especially since it is Silence which manufactures its own batteries.
Recharging is done either by the vehicle or directly to the battery, by plugging into a simple household outlet like its competitors.
A complete recharge of a battery takes 6 hours ... Compared to the 3 hours and 3.5 hours of the Citroën Ami and Renault Twizy, it is not famous, but is it really a problem if you are recharging at home during the night or when you are at work? The real problem will only arise if you have to recharge along the way: 1 hour to recover 10 km of autonomy, that's a long time ...
Safety
The Silence S04 is equipped with seat belts like its competitors, although the driver of the Twizy is held by 2 belts.
Although its steering wheel is quite thick, the S04 does not appear to have a driver's airbag that Renault Twizy has.
Like the Twizy, the S04 is equipped with 4 disc brakes, guaranteeing effective braking even if it is not assisted. The Ami has discs in the front and only drums in the rear.
The Silence S04 is a rear-wheel drive vehicle, like the Renault Twizy, which theoretically gives it better bite but poorer behavior on slippery roads than a Citroën Ami whose drive wheels are at the front.
It can receive optional ABS, which none of its competitors offers.
It is fitted with 155 tires like the Citroën Ami, wider than those of the Twizy (125 and 135)
The lighting is entirely LED.
Dimensions - Comfort - Habitability - Equipment
With 233 cm long and 156 cm wide, compared to 234 x 123 for the Twizy, 241 x 136 for the Citroën Ami, and 243 x 150 for the Microlino, the Silence S04 is the widest but the shortest, which is in my opinion a good compromise since anyway we do not squeeze like a 2-wheeler with this type of vehicle, but every centimeter in length counts when you have to park in very small spaces.
The passengers of an S04 probably won't be much better transported than with a Twizy or an Ami. Don't dream, such small vehicles offer little overhead travel for the suspension, and the S04's seats don't feel softer than those of the competition. However, there is a bucket shape which ensures good support for the bust when cornering.
In order to improve the use of space, the two seats are not arranged exactly next to each other but are staggered, with the passenger seat further to the rear.
The Silence S04 has a practical rear trunk access and rather generous for its category, containing 310 liters, far beyond what the Microlino (220 liters), Renault Twizy (31 liters) or Citroën Ami (0 ).
The dashboard with a large storage area is less rudimentary than that of its competitors and especially the interior finishes of the cabin put it, again, far above them, practically at the level of a tourism car.
The same applies to the basic equipment which includes five-speed wiper, heater-defroster, multifunction steering wheel, electric windows, electric handbrake, central locking, Bluetooth stereo system, 7-inch TFT digital screen, smartphone holder and numerous connectivity functions allowing the vehicle to be managed remotely via an application.
As an option, air conditioning and ABS can be added.
Availability - Distribution
The Silence S04 will be available in Spain in the first quarter of 2022 and, according to Silence Paris, the release in France will be in the second half of 2022.
As Silence and Seat are already partners in the field of electric scooters, we can imagine that the Silence S04 will eventually also be available from Seat, especially since negotiations have taken place in this direction and that Seat has abandoned its own project of electric quadricycle that was the Minimo.
Conclusion
Unfortunately expensive in full purchase, the Silence S04 seems to me to be a serious offer of an innovative electric quadricycle, well thought out, very complete, superior to the competition in terms of performance and equipment, and its system of removable rechargeable at home batteries can reach a public hitherto excluded from electric mobility. To be continued then.
Sources
Automobile Propre : https://www.automobile-propre.com/silence-s04-cette-petite-electrique-low-cost-veut-concurrencer-la-citroen-ami/
Silence Paris : https://www.silence-idf.fr/actualites/silence-lance-sa-premiere-voiture-electrique-la-s04-un-vehicule-urbain-compact/
La Tribuna de Automocion : https://latribunadeautomocion.es/2021/09/seat-negocia-con-silence-para-vender-un-biplaza-electrico-en-2022/
Photo credit : Silence, Protean Electric
No comments :
Post a Comment