- E-pioneers: Ancestors of Opel Corsa-e and Grandland X plug-in hybrid
- Since 1968: More than five decades of research into electric propulsion systems
- Way ahead of its time: Opel Ampera
- HydroGen test fleets: Hydrogen fuel cell propulsion has high future potential
- Opel goes electric: All models electrified by 2024
Opel Electro GT |
With the new Opel Corsa-e and the Grandland X plug-in hybrid, the newest electrified cars from Opel are just taking to the roads. All-electric Opel Vivaro and the electrified Opel Mokka X successor will follow later this year, while the Opel Combo-e, Opel Zafira-e Life and the Astra successor will join the team in 2021. All passenger car and light commercial vehicle models will be electrified by 2024. Opel is going electric and can look back on a long tradition of test, record and production vehicles. Opel has been conducting research and development work in the field of electric propulsion for more than five decades. This makes the Rüsselsheim automaker one of the e-pioneers in the industry.
Already back in 1968, Opel Kadett B Stir-Lec I featured the principle of the “range extender” that would later go into production with the Opel Ampera. The Stir-Lec study was powered by 14 lead-acid batteries and the electricity that kept the batteries constantly charged was generated by a rear-mounted Stirling combustion engine.
Opel Kadett B Stir-Lec I |
Only three years later, Georg von Opel, the grandson of the company founder, broke six electric vehicle world records at the wheel of a 188 km/h Opel Electro GT powered by two coupled electric motors producing 88 kW/120 hp. Energy was supplied by a 590 kilogramme nickel-cadmium battery pack and at a constant speed of 100 km/h, the car had a range of 44 kilometres.
Opel Electro GT powered by two coupled electric motors producing 88 kW |
Sustainable electric impulse: Opel Impuls and Opel Twin
Opel Kadett Impuls |
Research took a step forward with the Opel Impuls programme during 1990-97. Impuls I was a Kadett-based vehicle powered by a 16 kW direct-current electric motor using nickel-cadmium battery cells with a liquid electrolyte. It had a range of around 80 km and a top speed of 100 km/h. This was followed a year later by Impuls II, based on an Astra estate. It used 32 lead-acid batteries to power two three-phase asynchronous motors giving a total of approximately 45 kW/61 hp.
Opel Astra Impuls II |
From 1993 to 1997, Opel carried out its first large-scale electric vehicle test program with Impuls III. A fleet of ten Impuls III cars was tested on the German island of Rügen, covering a total of more than 300,000 km. Five vehicles were fitted with nickel-cadmium batteries (45 kW/61 hp) and the other five used sodium/nickel-chloride high-energy batteries (42 kW/57 hp). All ten Impuls III vehicles were equipped with a three-phase asynchronous motor.
Opel Astra Impuls III |
Meanwhile, in 1992 the widely acclaimed Opel Twin concept car was revealed. A three-cylinder, 0.8-litre petrol engine delivering 25 kW/34 hp was available for highway driving, while an electric unit with two 10 kW/14 hp wheel-hub motors came into play for city and short-distance driving. The Opel Twin driver had a central forward position, with three passenger seats in the back. In 1995, Opel took electro-mobility into the commercial vehicle segment with the Combo Plus concept van, which featured two sodium/nickel-chloride high-energy batteries operating in combination with a 45 kW three-phase asynchronous motor.
Fuel cells in everyday testing: emission-free HydroGen fleets
Opel HydroGen1 |
In 2000, Opel’s fuel-cell development took to the streets with the Zafira-bodied HydroGen1. Its hydrogen fuel cell supplied electricity for a three-phase asynchronous motor giving 55 kW/75 hp and 251 Nm of torque. A buffer battery covered power peaks. In 2001, a fleet of 20 HydroGen3 models was driven by test customers. Power was increased to 60 kW/82 hp, giving a top speed of 160 km/h.
In the 2004 Fuel Cell Marathon, two HydroGen3 vehicles covered nearly 10,000 km across Europe, from Hammerfest in Norway to Lisbon in Portugal. At the wheel of a HydroGen3, Grand Prix and Opel DTM driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen also won the 2005 Monte Carlo Rally for cars with alternative propulsion.
Opel HydroGen3 |
In the 2004 Fuel Cell Marathon, two HydroGen3 vehicles covered nearly 10,000 km across Europe, from Hammerfest in Norway to Lisbon in Portugal. At the wheel of a HydroGen3, Grand Prix and Opel DTM driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen also won the 2005 Monte Carlo Rally for cars with alternative propulsion.
Opel HydroGen3 - Monte Carlo Rally for cars with alternative propulsion |
Starting in 2008, a fleet of HydroGen4 vehicles began demonstrating its suitability for everyday use in a project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transport – the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) – in Berlin and later also in the states of Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.
Range champions: Opel Ampera with range extender and Opel Ampera-e
At the same time, Opel also pursued the development of battery-powered vehicles and presented the innovative Flextreme Concept at the 2007 IAA in Frankfurt, which featured the Voltec extended-range electric propulsion. Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept, presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, illustrated how this drive concept can also be integrated into a mid-size car.
Opel Ampera |
Opel Ampera-e |
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