Opel has revealed the full specs and performance figures for its all-electric Vivaro-e delivery van. The German carmaker says that not only is the Vivaro-e its first electric commercial vehicle, but that it's one which has been designed for more than merely short-hop 'last-mile' deliveries.
Choice of big or small batteries
In fact, depending on the spec, the Vivaro-e gets a very reasonable 330km one-charge range. That's when fitted with the largest, 75kWh battery. There's a smaller, more affordable, 50kWh battery version with a 230km range for those who don't need long-haul capabilities.
"As the first all-electric light commercial vehicle to enter the Van-D market segment of medium-sized vans, and featuring a range of up to 330-kilometres in the WLTP cycle, the new Opel Vivaro-e sets the standards for ease of use, dependability and professionalism," said Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller.
As well as a maximum carrying capacity of 1,275kg, the Vivaro-e is capable of towing - there's a factory-fit towbar option, which enables the van to haul as much as 1,000kg out the back.
The battery is located under the floor of the load compartment, which not only minimises any intrusions into the cabin or the loading space, but also keeps the centre of gravity down low, for improved stability.
136hp and 240Nm of torque
The 100kW electric motor has 136hp and 260Nm of torque, so is comparable in performance terms to a mid-size turbo diesel. The top speed is limited to 130km/h to help preserve electric range when running on the motorway.
The battery can be charged at speeds of up to 100kW from a high-speed public charger, which can top the Vivaro-e up to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes (or 45 minutes for the larger battery). Optionally, the on-board charging system can work at speeds of up to 11kW, speeding up charging when connected to an on-street or home charger. The battery itself is covered by and eight-year, or 160,000km, warranty.
App to guide you to the best charging points
The Vivaro-e also comes with a range of connected services including on-board connectivity through OpelConnect and the MyOpel smartphone app. There's also the Free2Move Services, which covers all of the PSA Group's car brands, and which allows access to more than 140,000 electric car charging points across Europe. You can set up the Free2Move Services on your phone to help guide you to the charging points that are closest, cheapest, or fastest - or whichever combination works best.
Through MyOpel and OpelConnect you can also remotely manage the Vivaro-e's charging and pre-conditioning (cooling or heating up the cab while it's charging, for instance) and you can manage vehicle status and servicing, and breakdown services.
On the practicality front, the Vivaro-e has a tight turning circle (11.3 metres) and as most models have a roof height of 1.9 metres, you can get it in and out of most city centre car parks. The short-wheelbase version has a maximum cargo capacity of 4.6 metres cubed, which rises to 4.95 metres cubed for the medium-wheelbase model, and 5.3-metres cubed for the long-wheelbase version.
There's also a load-through feature, which uses the space under the passenger seats, to allow for the carrying of loads of up to 3.32 metres long in the short-wheelbase model, and as much as 4.02 metres in the long-wheelbase. Use every inch of space, and the long-wheelbase model can actually carry as much as 6.6 metres cubed of cargo.
To make loading and unloading extra easy, there are optional electric sliding side doors, which can be activated by waggling your foot underneath them when your hands are full of boxes.
In safety terms, the Vivaro-e comes with Head Up Display, the Vivaro-e includes Lane Keep Assist, Extended Traffic Sign Recognition, Drowsiness Alert, Semi-Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking. There are also parking sensors in the Vivaro-e's front and rear aprons which warn the driver of obstacles when parking and monitor the side blind spot. Depending on the equipment level, the 180-degree rear-view camera image appears on the seven-inch touchscreen.
That touchscreen comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The optional Multimedia Navi Pro features European navigation maps with 3D view.
Order books for the Vivaro-e will open in the summer, with first deliveries expected before the end of the year. Next year, Opel will also launch an electric version of the Combo van and plans to launch electrified or fully-electric versions of every van and car that it makes by 2024.