Fully Charged visited this summer Vauxhall/Opel's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany to check out the Vauxhall Corsa-e (the right-hand-drive version of the Opel Corsa-e for the UK). The car is not yet available for test drives, but the manufacturer provided a detailed overview of the design and technology.
Opel/Vauxhall assigned its design A-team for the project to make it on time as the company badly needed an electric model to lower its average emission after splitting from General Motors. The work on the Peugeot e-208 and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense were already well advanced at the time of acquisition of the Opel/Vauxhall by PSA Group.
All four models are equipped with a 50 kWh battery pack, formed to not intrude into the passenger compartment. The cells are supplied by CATL.
Interestingly, the 100 kW electric motor is supplied by Continental. Vauxhall implemented in Corsa-e an 11 kW 3-phase on-board charger as standard, which is better than 7.4 kW single-phase in Opel (11 kW is an option). DC fast charging at 100 kW sounds reasonable for a city subcompact.
Orders are already accepted at £29,990 / ≈€33,000 (£26,490 after the £3,500 Plug-in Car Grant), while customer deliveries are expected from February 2020.
See also
Opel Corsa-e/Vauxhall Corsa-e specs:
- 50 kWh battery (battery is guaranteed for 8 years or 160 000 km for 70% of its charge capacity, cells supplied by CATL)
- about 330 km (205 miles) of preliminary WLTP range
- 100 kW and 260 Nm electric motor
- 0-50 km/h (31 mph) in 2.8 seconds
- 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 seconds
- on-board charger 7.4 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase (5 hours recharge)
- 80% fast charge in 30 minutes using CCS DC up to 100 kW
Video Description via Fully Charged on YouTube:
Vauxhall Corsa-e zero emission city car | Fully Charged
Looking for a 4k review of a cheap electric car? You're in the right place. Here's another Jonny Smith car review for the Fully Charged Show!
Jonny heads to Vauxhall / Opel's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, to take a pre-launch look at the 'All-new Vauxhall Corsa-e' zero emission city car. Or 'Opel Corsa-e' if you prefer.
Jonny speaks to Frank Jordan (Director of Advanced Engineering & Innovation at Opel Automobile) to learn a bit more about the technology inside the new 50kWh Corsa EV:
Some specification stats from Vauxhall / Opel:
Vauxhall/Opel are not part of GM any more, they were bought by Group PSA in 2017, so the underpinnings are similar to the Peugeot e-208 and the forthcoming Citroen DS3.
The 205 mile WLTP range is extendable by 40% in Eco mode.
The Corsa-e can be charged to 80% capacity in 30 minutes at rapid-charge station and features a 136hp and 260Nm all-electric propulsion system with 50kWh battery.
It can accelerate from 0 - 31mph (0 - 50 km/h) in 2.8 seconds, reaching 62mph (100 km/h) in 8.1 seconds.
The rear axle has been developed specifically for the Corsa-e all-electric hatchback and is one of the few visible differences between this as the standard ICE model.
Jonny also chats to Mark Adams, Vice President of Design at Opel Automobile.
Gallery: Vauxhall Corsa-e
