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The e-vehicle family

Electric vehicles cover a spectrum – from those that are mainly mechanically driven to those that are exclusively electrically driven:

Mild Hybrid (mHEV).

Mild Hybrids are powered by a combustion engine, enhanced by an compact electric motor (<20kW) as additional booster, e.g. 48 Volt recuperating system. It supports the combustion engine to lower fuel consumption and providing improved low-end torque. Mild Hybrids do not have an exclusively electrical means of transportation.

Full / Strong Hybrid (sHEV).

A vehicle with a combustion engine and a battery-powered engine. It is powered by the combustion engine, but at slow speeds (up to 50kph) and short distances (ca. 3km), also pure electric propulsion is possible. The electricity needed to operate the electric engine is produced by the combustion engine.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

Like a Full Hybrid, but PHEVs can drive higher speeds (up to 130kph) and longer distances (ca. 40km) on electric power only. The combustion engine recharges the battery, if power is insufficient. The battery can be charged by an external power supply.

Range Extender Vehicle (E-REV).

A battery electric vehicle that includes a small auxiliary combustion engine solely for the purpose of recharging the battery. In contrast to the Plug-in Hybrid, the range extender is not able to run the vehicle mechanically.

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV).

Runs exclusively on an electric engine powered by a battery, no fossil fuel is therefore needed. The battery is charged by external power supplies. Locally 100% free of emissions.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

The FCEV runs solely on an electric engine, too, but in contrast to the BEV the electricity is generated by hydrogen fuel cells instead of batteries. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. Like the BEV, the FCEV is locally 100% free of emissions.

Opel currently produces two battery electric vehicles, (the Corsa-e & the Ampera-e)  and one plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle, (the Grandland X hybrid4)

Let’s have a closer look at each type:

Battery electric vehicles have:
  • An electric motor and battery
  • Battery charged with a cable at a charging station (private/public)
  • During operation battery also charged by energy recuperated: braking energy is converted back into electricity, whenever you take your foot off the accelerator or hit the brakes
  • Average driving range depends strongly on model, driving behaviour, ambient conditions and battery capacity. Some models can even drive more than 300km, based on given test cycle. The range of the Corsa-e is 330km (WLTP)1 , the range of the Ampera-e is 423km (WLTP)1 
  • Local zero-emission driving
 

Discover the battery electric vehicle Corsa-e here.

Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicles have:
  • An electric motor and battery plus a combustion engine, e.g. 1.6T 200hp2 in Grandland X Hybrid4 
  • Battery charged with a cable at a charging station (private/public) or via internal combustion engine
  • During operation battery also charged by energy recuperated: braking energy is converted back into electricity, whenever you take your foot off the accelerator or hit the brakes
  • Average driving range in full electric mode depends strongly on model, driving behaviour, ambient conditions and battery capacity. Some models can even drive more than 40 km, based on given test cycle. The range of the Grandland X Hybrid4 is up to 59 km (WLTP) 
  • Local zero-emission driving in full electric mode. The CO2-emission in hybrid mode for Grandland X Hybrid4 is up to 32g/km (WLTP)2 
 

Discover the Plug-in Hybrid Grandland X Hybrid4 here.

Want to learn more about charging electric vehicle batteries?

1 Range data has been determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). Everyday use may differ and is dependent on various factors. In particular: personal driving style, route characteristics, exterior temperature, heating/air conditioning, pre-conditioning.

 

2 Fuel consumption combined 1,4l/km; CO2 emission combined 32g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2-emission data have been determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology, and the relevant values are translated back into NEDC to allow the comparability with other vehicles, according to regulations R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1153 and R (EU) No. 2017/1151.