Great news from Opel – The first Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen has rolled off the production line. It will now begin its emissions-free work, taking pride of place in the fleet of German manufacturer of premium domestic appliances, Miele. The Stellantis motoring group is the first manufacturer to put hydrogen light commercial vehicles on the road. “With the new Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen we are opening the next chapter in our sustainable mobility offensive. The clever concept combines the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion with the versatility and capabilities of our best-selling light commercial vehicle,” said Opel CEO Hochgeschurtz, at Opel’s headquarters in Rüsselsheim.
The Vivaro-e HYDROGEN is based on the existing battery electric Opel Vivaro-e, voted the 2021 International Van of the Year. With full tanks of hydrogen, the driving range is more than 400 kilometres (WLTP). The 45 kW fuel cell is capable of generating enough power for continuous highway driving. It takes only three minutes to refuel with hydrogen; about the same time needed to fill up a conventional diesel or petrol vehicle. The 10.5 kWh lithium-ion battery provides dynamic peak power when required, for example, at start-up and under acceleration. Since the battery covers power needs in such situations, the fuel cell can run at optimum operating conditions. The battery also enables regenerative braking, while the plug-in capability offers the opportunity to recharge the battery externally if necessary, e.g. at a charging station, providing 50 km of pure battery electric range. The Vivaro-e Hydrogen features a three-phase on-board charger (11 kW) and a mode 2 charging cable as standard. Thanks to smart packaging, the Vivaro-e Hydrogen demands no compromises on space compared to the combustion engine versions, offering up to 5.3 or 6.1 cubic metres of cargo volume. The fuel cell electric LCV is available in lengths M and L (4.95 and 5.30 metres) with up to 1,000KG payload.
The new Vivaro-e Hydrogen benefits from more than 20 years of experience in the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at Opel and Stellantis (and we’ve driven a couple of them). Production takes place at Opel Special Vehicles (OSV) in Rüsselsheim. With the new Vivaro-e Hydrogen, Opel is continuing its electrification offensive. The Vivaro-e Hydrogen complements the Vivaro-e and the forthcoming Combo-e and Movano-e battery-electric vans, that will come to market in Ireland in early 2022
