Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

I doubt it was for anything to do with compliance. More that it was just PSA trying something out. PSA Group marques are fairly well known for doing unusual things, even if it isn't financially viable.

From the wiki:

In 1995, Peugeot launched an electric powered version of the 106, called the 106 Electrique. This was offered in a number of European countries including France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.

The electric powertrain was developed and built by French engineering company Heuliez. The car used Nickel-cadmium battery technology manufactured by Saft Groupe S.A., had a top speed of 56 mph (90 km/h) and had an official range of 100 km (62 mi).

Despite the high price of the vehicle, Peugeot anticipated demand for around 15,000 to 20,000 Peugeot 106 Électriques each year, with an expected total production run of 100,000 vehicles. In the end, only 6,400 Peugeot 106 Électriques were sold between 1995 and 2003, most purchased by the French Administration.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_106

To me that reads like the French govt thought that a fleet of small EVs would be useful for their staff to use for short metropolitan/LA travel thinking that it would reduce fuel/servicing costs or something. For that, it's specs are totally adequate.

Seems that they outsourced the manufacturering to Heuliez who are a coachbuilder who probably sourced some kind of milk float drive train and stuck in the body and chassis delivered to them by Peugeot.

Selling it on a wider market beyond the French govt was likely a 'well, we've gone through this effort, and we're building them anyway, might as well sell them to the public and see what happens'.

Obviously, like everyone else who tried it around the same time, they realised that it was just too soon to try tech wise. And the French govt also realised that there was little benefit to overcome the list of negatives. From things I read in trying to find out more about them, at least some are being kept on the road by replacing the batteries with LiOn and more modern e-motors. One example had a BMW i3 motor retrofitted.

This particular example was in the middle of the Angus countryside, with two toddler sized car seats on the back bench, so I suspect that it wasn't entirely as it was as it left the factory in 1998 and likely had a bit more power at its disposal.

Except that GM made the one electric car that was absolutely beloved.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Motor_Vehicle

Because women were to ~~weak~~ dainty and prim to be expected to operate a steam or petrol vehicle in the Olden Days™.

Yep, but to a casual observer they wouldn't make that connection, assuming it was just a diesel 500.

The correlation between aftershave and a small Italian people's car isn't exactly obvious 😉