Opel is electrifying utility vehicles
At the IAA, Opel presented the Corsa-e and Grandland X Plug-in-Hybrid, as well as the Corsa-e Rally. The Germans further announced the next steps of their electric offensive concerning light commercial vehicles.
These will be electrified to a greater extent in the near future than previously known: For example, the Opel Combo Life, Combo Cargo and Zafira Life will all be running on battery power by 2021. The Vivaro van will be available as an electric version in the course of next year. However, battery and performance data for the E-LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) are not yet available.
“Opel will be sustainably profitable, global and electric,” says Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller. “By 2024, all Opel models will be electrified. Electrically driven vehicles will be especially important for the ‘last mile’ in urban areas, for example, for transportation services or businesses.”
The Zafira Life in particular will play a key role in the future development of electric mobility at Opel. The Rüsselsheim-based company plans to develop a fuel cell car based on the large-capacity van. “Opel has many years of experience in fuel cell development, which is why the team in Rüsselsheim has been named as the Groupe PSA global competence centre for hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles,” says Lohscheller. “the new Zafira Life will be the brand’s first model to feature the new generation of fuel cell powertrain”. Opel is not yet revealing the technical data on the vehicle or a planned market launch date.
At the trade fair itself, the here and now will be the focus. With the Corsa-e, Opel will soon be launching a small electric car that will not only convince electrification believers, but also regular customers. At the same time, Opel is sending a clear signal at the IAA with the premiere of the Corsa-e Rally: The company was the first manufacturer in the world to develop an electric rally vehicle for customer sport on the basis of the Corsa-e series. Starting in mid-2020, Opel will launch the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup, the world’s first one-make cup for electric vehicles. This should also make electric mobility emotional, according to Opel.
In addition to the new Corsa-e, the Grandland X with plug-in hybrid technology and all-wheel drive will be the second model in the Opel electric offensive to be launched. The drive system of the Grandland X Hybrid4 comes from PSA’s EMP2 platform: a 147 kW 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine is supported by two 80 kW electric motors. The battery has a capacity of 13.2 kWh and an E-range of 50 kilometres according to the WLTP standard. The front electric motor transmits its power to the front wheels via an electrified eight-speed automatic transmission. The second electric motor and the differential are integrated in the rear axle.
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