Opel’s Hometown to Become “Electric City”: Rüsselsheim to Have Highest Charging Station Concentration in the European Union

• Strong electric-mobility package: Up to 1,300 charging points in 2020
• Environmentally friendly and cost-effective: Extensive use of renewable energy and minimum grid extension
• User-friendly: Transport researchers from the RheinMain University to examine mobility behaviour and thus optimise the location of the charging stations
• Unique partnership: Diverse consortium consisting of the local authority and representatives of business and science

Rüsselsheim Lord Mayor Udo Bausch, Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller, Prof. Dr. Bodo A. Igler, RheinMain University (from left to right)

Opel’s hometown of Rüsselsheim am Main will become “Electric City”. Rüsselsheim, Opel and the RheinMain University are driving the extension of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics, the installation of around 1,300 charging stations across the city will commence in the upcoming months. These will then be located in all districts and residential areas, on the Opel premises, on the campus of RheinMain University, in residential estates of gewobau Rüsselsheim, on the parking areas of selected supermarkets and shopping centres and on the premises of the municipal clinic (GPR). The ambitious project, for which the partners have received the official grants totalling around €12.8 million, will be realised in multiple steps by 2020.

Going forward, each publicly accessible charging point will service 72 inhabitants, thus creating the highest density of charging stations in relation to the number of inhabitants not only in Germany but in all of the European Union. In addition, another 400 charging points will be installed on privately owned land – 350 of these on the Opel premises. In comparison, Hamburg, currently the leading German city with regards to charging infrastructure, has 785 publically accessible charging points for its 1.8 million inhabitants (city ranking of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industry).

“The transition to electro-mobility is creating opportunities for Rüsselsheim. The city can take on a leading role for charging infrastructure, for electric vehicles and for electro-mobility in Germany thanks to this unique partnership. The project will strengthen the city as an industrial location and increase our capacity to innovate,” said Lord Mayor Udo Bausch.

Opel’s contribution to the project includes parking areas, which will be fitted with 600 charging points and be accessible to the public after completion of the work. Furthermore, charging points will be installed at 350 parking spots for the Opel company car fleet. “Opel goes electric! This promise is a core pillar of our PACE! strategic plan. And obviously a massive extension of the charging infrastructure at our Rüsselsheim headquarters is important. This is the consistent continuation of our electro offensive,” said Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller.

Thanks to the involvement of RheinMain Univeristy, the city of Rüsselsheim will become an urban laboratory for electro-mobility unparalleled in Germany. In the process, technical topics such as supply stability and network integration, along with socio-economic aspects such as mobility behaviour will be examined. The data on the charging behaviour will enable the scientists to predict future demands placed on the electricity network and help them identify the individual needs of electric car drivers. In addition to up to 20 charging points, RheinMain University will also install energy storage systems. These are designed to improve the use of renewable energies and therefore minimise the necessary network extension.

“The university is making an important contribution to the urban development of Rüsselsheim with its project-specific research. This underlines the approach we chose, which is to further strengthen the strategic role of universities in regional innovation systems,” said Prof. Dr. Detlev Reymann, President of RheinMain University.

AUTOBEST: Opel Combo Life is “Best Buy Car of Europe 2019”

• International jury of journalists from 31 countries votes for Combo Life
• New Opel Combo Life impresses with best value for money, innovative driver assistance systems, high comfort and spaciousness

Opel Combo Life

The new Opel Combo Life has been elected “Best Buy Car of Europe 2019” by the authoritative AUTOBEST jury, which was particularly impressed by the car’s excellent value for money. The Combo Life defeated five other brand new contenders for the title (Citroën C4 Cactus, Dacia Duster, Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, Toyota Corolla).

The jury of journalists from 31 European countries decided in favour of the Opel Combo Life after the final round of test driving at the Vairano racetrack in Italy. The Opel offers ultra-modern technologies such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), driver drowsiness alert, a 180-degree rear view camera, Head-Up Display (HUD) and “Flank Guard” protection for the side bodywork. 

Opel Combo also combines the comfort and driving dynamics of a passenger car with the variability of a leisure activity vehicle. In their evaluation the jury members also focus on the cost of ownership, the availability of spare parts and the standards of dealer servicing. The winner of the “Best Buy Car of Europe 2019” award must deliver the best all-round package, the fifth-generation Opel Combo therefore proved unbeatable.

“We are thrilled with the decision of the 31 independent members of the AUTOBEST jury”, said Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller. “The Combo simply offers a lot of car for the money – the key to winning ‘Best Buy Car of Europe’. The new Opel Combo Life is an all-round talent that can do almost anything. It plays a major role in our on-going product offensive that will see us launch eight new models in the next two years.”

Opel Combo Life XL

Dan Vardie, founder and chairman of AUTOBEST: “We had a very tough competition between the finalists, a record number in the AUTOBEST history. The Opel/Vauxhall Combo Life, along with Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter – competing as one model, another first in our history – managed to impress the jury members and deserve the ‘Best Buy Car of Europe’ title. The winning models are simply an efficient solution for the European customer.”

As “Best Buy Car of Europe 2019” the Combo Life continues a strong Opel tradition. In recent years, the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker was twice successful in the AUTOBEST Award. The Opel Corsa took the title outright in 2007 and 2015. AUTOBEST presents the “Best Buy Car of Europe” since 2000.

Big Anniversary and Electrification: Opel Looks Ahead to 2019

• Opel Grandland X plug-in hybrid and fully electric Opel Corsa for order in first half of 2019
• New Opel Vivaro in 2020 also as electric van
• Production of electric new-generation Opel Mokka X begins in 2020
• Great celebrations: 120 years of automobile production at Opel

Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller with Opel Grandland X plug-in hybrid

2019 will be special for Opel, a year that will see the German carmaker not only celebrate 120 years of automobile manufacturing, but also accelerate the electrification of its model range. The company will already open its order books for two electrified models in the first half of next year – the battery electric version (BEV) of the new Corsa and the Grandland X SUV as plug-in hybrid (PHEV). “Opel is going electric!” says Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller. “We made this announcement at the presentation of our PACE! strategic plan and now we are delivering.”

The new Corsa in particular will give Opel additional drive next year. The bestseller, the first generation of which made its premiere in 1982, is all-new and features an electric version for the first time. Lohscheller promises a competitive price: “The new Opel Corsa will make electro-mobility affordable for many customers, it will be a real electric car for the people.”

The Grandland X plug-in hybrid, which Opel will produce at the German Eisenach plant as of next year, is for customers who want more space and the feeling of an SUV. The hybrid propulsion system will develop the equivalent of up to 300 hp / 221 kW and comes along with an e-All Wheel Drive (e-AWD) technology.

The all-new Opel Vivaro midsize van will also be available as a battery electric vehicle in 2020; and the next-generation of the successful Opel Mokka X sub-compact SUV, which goes into production in 2020, will also include a fully electrified version. “We are putting maximum effort into the electrification of our portfolio,” says Lohscheller.

Opel has always positioned itself as the brand that makes innovation available to everyone. This will remain a core element of the 120th anniversary of automobile production, which the German company will celebrate in 2019. The success story, which began in Rüsselsheim with the production of 65 handmade Opel “Patentmotorwagen System Lutzmann” cars in 1899 – four years after the death of company founder, Adam Opel – now comprises more than 70 million vehicles. Throughout its history Opel has remained true to its ambition of producing high-quality cars as efficiently as possible and making them affordable for as many customers as possible.

The many iconic models from Rüsselsheim developed in the last 120 years include milestones of automotive history such as the Laubfrosch, Admiral, Kadett, Rekord, Manta and the GT. Simultaneously, Opel has also brought a long list of innovations to a mainstream audience. These include the first mass-production vehicle in Germany with a self-supporting all-steel body (Opel Olympia, 1935), the introduction of the three-way catalytic converter as standard (1989), fitting all passenger cars with full size airbags (1995) or bringing the adaptive IntelliLux LED Matrix light to the compact segment (2015) with the Astra.

In order to celebrate the 120th anniversary with its customers, Opel will add a “120 Years” special edition to the model range. The variant is offered by the German Brand on several models and pre-selling has just started in most markets. The “120 Year” versions will offer a variety of innovative technologies and design and comfort features as standard equipment, at especially attractive prices.