Already with the introduction of the current generation Opel Vivaro, it became clear that the van would eventually become a fully electric version. That electric Vivaro-e has now been introduced to the world.
At the beginning of last year, the Opel Vivaro severed its ties with Renault, which of course had to do with the takeover of Opel by Groupe PSA. At the presentation of the new Vivaro, Opel already indicated that there would also be an electric variant, the Vivaro-e. That van, which of course still gets brothers from Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota, now no longer holds any secrets.
The Vivaro-e is mainly just a Vivaro on the outside. The electric orderer can be distinguished almost exclusively from its diesel brothers by its type designation and loading opening on the left front screen. The regular fuel filler flap at the rear left is not removed. Opel’s first fully electric commercial vehicle in all cases has a 136 hp and 260 Nm strong electric motor that drives the front wheels, a unit that also powers the electric versions of the Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, DS 3 Crossback and 2008. Opel does offer a choice of two battery packs. For example, the Vivaro-e is available with a 50 kWh battery pack, good for a WLTP range of 230 kilometers, and with a 75 kWh large model, which extends the range to 330 kilometers. The smallest battery pack can be charged to 80 percent of its capacity in 30 minutes on a 100 kW DC charger. With the version with the 75 kWh battery pack, you have to take 15 minutes longer to do this. The Vivaro-e can not only handle a 7.4 kW charger, but also an 11 kW 3-phase charger for an additional charge.
Dimensions
Although the Zafira Life is only available in two lengths in the Netherlands, the Vivaro-e is available in three lengths, just like the diesel engine versions: S, M and L. The S is 4.6 meters long and has a loading volume of 4.6 cubic meters. This volume can be increased to 5.1 cubic meters by using the through-loading option under the passenger seat. This creates a maximum loading length of 3.32 meters. The 4.95 meter long M version gobbles up 5.8 cubic meters (with loading hatch) of material, while the loading volume of the 5.3 meter long L variant is 6.6 cubic meters (with loading hatch). The M version has a maximum loading length of 3.67 meters, the S of no less than 4.02 meters. Just like the regular Vivaro, the Vivaro-e will also be available as a crew cabin, platform cabin and as a passenger version (Combi).
Not entirely unimportant: because the battery pack is located in the bottom, the loading volume is unchanged from that of the Vivaros with diesel engine. The payload is 1,275 kilos, but that’s not all. The Vivaro-e has a braked towing weight of 1,000 kilos, which means that you can still hang a decent trailer behind it.
Equipment
The Vivaro-e has electrically operated sliding doors on both sides of the body, which can be opened with a simple movement with the foot. In terms of safety, the Vivaro-e benefits from systems such as a lane driving assistant, a head-up display, extensive traffic sign recognition, a fatigue assistant, semi-adaptive cruise control and crash prevention with braking function. Opel distributes the Vivaro-e with various sensors that monitor the immediate vicinity of the bus. A reversing camera is optional. In addition, Opel makes a 7-inch large screen available that belongs to the infotainment system, a piece of hardware and software that can handle Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Opel will open the Vivaro-e order books in June and prices will follow in the run-up to it. The first copies must be delivered this summer. A fully electric version of the Zafira Life, in theory the successor to the Zafira, also appears. Opel does not release any information about this yet, but we are aiming for the powertrain not to deviate significantly from that of the Vivaro-e. More electrical news: the Opel Combo also has a fully electric version, the Combo-e. Just like the electric Zafira Life, it should be on the market next year.