Today Opel unveiled its strategic plan and commits to electrify all passenger cars by 2024. Below you can see part of the press release that is dedicated to electric mobility.
“Having full access to Groupe PSA technologies, Opel/Vauxhall will become a European CO2 leader. By 2024, all European passenger carlines will be electrified – offering a pure battery electric propulsion or plug-in hybrid version alongside efficient internal combustion engines. By 2020, Opel/Vauxhall will have four electrified carlines on the market, including the Grandland X PHEV and the next generation Corsa as a fully electric vehicle.”
When most automakers say that all their passenger cars in the near future will be electrified, they are referring to plug-less hybrids. However, when Opel refer to electrified cars, they mean cars with plugs, either all electric or plug-in hybrids.
PSA all electric e-CMP platform
While the plan of the PSA Group seems modest regarding electric cars, there are positive things.
I like the fact that they are focusing in practical electric cars that can be very successful, especially in Europe. Electric superminis like the electric versions of the next generation Opel Corsa and Peugeot 208 are expected to arrive in 2019 and have good chances to succeed in the European electric car market. However in 2019 they’ll face the competition of new electric superminis such as the second generation Renault Zoe, the Volkswagen ID (e-Golf’s successor) and hopefully the Nissan Micra EV.
The 50 kWh battery will put the Opel Corsa EV and Peugeot 208 EV right in the middle of the current Renault Zoe and the Chevrolet Bolt EV/Opel Ampera-e. It should be enough for a 500 km range in NEDC, or around 350 km in the real world. While range seems acceptable, we still don’t know the other important factor, the price.
Furthermore, the PSA Group is preparing to expand to at least 20 new markets and there are strong rumors that the USA is one of those. If true, this means that PSA will bring their own electric cars to the USA and the decision of GM cutting the supply of the Chevrolet Bolt EV rebadged as Opel Ampera-e to the PSA Group makes sense. Both auto groups will become rivals again in a not very distant future.
Anyway, the press conference was a bit boring in my opinion, but feel free to see it in the video below.
What do you think about an electric Opel Corsa or Peugeot 208 with a 50 kWh battery?
