Vauxhall's electric commercial prototype, the Vivaro e-Concept is set to make its debut tomorrow (Wednesday, September 22) at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Germany.
An electric van with an extended range of up to 250 miles, the Vivaro's 111 kWh lithium ion batteries supply 370 Nm of power, enabling over 60 miles pure electric driving range. Using the same range-extending technology as the Ampera, the van is always driven electrically, with a back-up combustion engine able to power the electric motors when the battery reserves are depleted, freeing its drivers from so-called ‘range anxiety’.
The lithium ion battery modules, which can be re-charged on a standard household 240V outlet, are mounted under the floor of the vehicle where they are protected from the elements and easily accessible for maintenance whilst still providing 5.0m3 of load capacity and up to 750kg of payload.
Chris Lacey, Executive Director, International Operations Opel/Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles, said: "We are convinced that we will get a fantastic reaction from commercial vehicle specialists who use such vehicles on a daily basis. Electric mobility will allow them to travel in city areas which are now off-limits to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and the range-extender technology makes it possible to use an electric van for normal routine business."
Faye has been writing about cars and environmental issues since 2007. A suspected eco-warrior working on the corporate inside, Faye mainly likes the weird, quirky vehicles that show a distinct environmental advantage. Her ideal car has enough room to fit a bale of hay in the boot. When not working, she likes nothing better than to head out on her bicycle and explore the countryside.
Faye Sunderland
September 21, 2010
Filed under: Vauxhall
Olmo Tomas Mezger
Hi, there is a mistake in this post. The car don't have a battery with a capacity of 111 kWh!!! This can't be true. The real capacity is 21 kWh. Read http://www.green-and-energy.com/blog/the-need-for-clarification-around-evs/ for more!
Thank you
Olmo
November 08, 2010
Faye Sunderland
Hi Olmo
First of all the Vivaro is not a car-it is a van-therefore it can store a larger battery with a bigger capacity. This info is correct, at least that is the official claim from Vauxhall, the source of the information. We can only assume that they would have communicated otherwise if the battery capacity was less. In the official press release it states 111 kWh.
Thanks
Faye
November 08, 2010
Olmo Tomas Mezger
Hi Faye,
You are right, the official release note from Vauxhall says the van has 111 kWh. But I'm sure this is wrong. It has a range of about 100 km in electric mode, and with a 111 kWh it will mean, that it needs around 1 kWh per km, and that don't make any sense. For me, it's clear that they know how to make engines... but they don't have any idea of electric vehicles. At least not the PR team! They mixed kWh and kW... and that's a capital mistake!
Here the official (and wrong) information from vauxhall: http://media.vauxhall.co.uk/content/media/gb/en/news/news_detail.brand_vauxhall.html/content/Pages/news/gb/en/2010/VAUXHALL/09_24_vivaro_e-concept
And here my explanation: http://www.green-and-energy.com/blog/the-need-for-clarification-around-evs/
Thank you!
Olmo
November 08, 2010