The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen: twice is better

2022-09-16T09:10:49.706Z


Which drive will prevail in minibuses and vans: rechargeable batteries or fuel cells? Opel relies on both – in one and the same car. A test drive with the Vivaro.


Driving is electric, but water drips from the exhaust.

Refueling takes three minutes and the range is around 400 kilometers.

What fuel cell technology promises sounds tempting.

No wonder that different car manufacturers dig them out again and again.

This even includes Opel – a brand that has mostly been in trouble in recent decades.

The engineers in Rüsselsheim have been working on alternative drives for more than 20 years.

The fuel cell worked for research purposes in the Zafira minivan at the beginning of the millennium.

In 2007, Opel's parent company, General Motors (GM), tried them in the Chevrolet Equinox.

After that it became quiet about the exotic drive.

However, the topic was never off the table.

Does the combination have a future?

Expert is skeptical

Now Opel has started the next attempt - and combines hydrogen with batteries in a different way than was previously the case: The battery is particularly large and can be charged from the outside.

The fuel cell drive in light commercial vehicles should prove that it still has future potential and that it may become a common alternative to purely battery-electric drive in a few years.

Fuel cell plus a fairly large battery in one vehicle, does this combination have potential?

Peter Fintl, mobility expert at the technology consulting company Capgemini Engineering, is skeptical: »With the further significant advances in battery technology, especially in the areas of costs, energy density and cycle stability, it is becoming increasingly difficult for fuel cell systems to claim advantages. «

Perhaps the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker will benefit from the fact that it is concentrating on a special target group: "Customers who often drive long distances, need to fill up quickly and still want to be on the road with zero emissions," says project manager Lars Peter Thiesen.

Within the Stellantis Group, to which Opel has belonged for around one and a half years, the brand with the lightning bolt was awarded the contract to develop the technology.

more on the subject

We do a lap: Toyota Mirai: This is how a hydrogen car drivesBy Jürgen Pander and Niko Bünten (video)

First, Opel equips the Vivaro panel van with the fuel cell.

The Stellantis sisters Citroën and Peugeot offer technically identical vehicles (Jumpy and Expert).

All three models are converted in Rüsselsheim by the Opel Special Vehicle department.

In order to keep the costs reasonably within reason, it uses the battery-electric Vivaro-e as a basis.

There are now three cylindrical hydrogen tanks in the floor of the vehicle, where the high-voltage battery, which weighs almost 500 kilograms, was previously located.

At a pressure of 700 bar, they can hold up to 4.4 kilograms.

Opel's technicians have balanced the two drive systems so that most of the technology fits under the hood at the front.

The fuel cell, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, delivers 45 kW of power to maintain a speed of 110 km/h on the motorway.

If more power is called up, for example for acceleration, the battery helps.

Specifications Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen

drive

in front

engine

electric

perfomance

100kW

torque

260 Nm

Acceleration 0-100km/h

15.0s

fuel cell

45kW

battery

10.5kWh

battery power

90kW

onboard charger

three-phase 11 kW

tank capacity

4.4kg

consumption

1.2kg/100km

total range

400 km

Range FC

350 km

battery range

50 km

payload

1000kg

towing capacity

1000kg

standard length

4.96m

long version

5.30 m

load volume

5.3/6.1 cubic meters

leasing costs

700 euros/month

The lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 10.5 kWh comes from the Peugeot 508 plug-in hybrid.

In the Vivaro, Opel has placed the energy storage device across under the front seats.

So if there is no hydrogen filling station nearby, charging the battery enables an additional range of 50 kilometers.

With hydrogen alone, the Vivaro-e Hydrogen should cover 350 kilometers, even when it's cold.

"There are no winter restrictions as with a purely battery-powered vehicle," says Thiesen.

Opel took the electric motor (100 kW) off the corporate shelf.

Among other things, it is in the Corsa-e, the Mokka-e and of course also in the battery-electric Vivaro.

It is therefore not surprising that the hydrogen van drives almost identically to its battery brother.

Only the air compressor for the fuel cell produces a slight howling sound, which can only be heard at low speeds.

However, the Vivaro only develops its full power in power mode.

If you set the switch to normal, 80 kW are still available.

In the Eco position, fun takes a backseat with only 60 kW.

Filling up the car is not that easy at first.

The connection must be plugged together securely, which requires getting used to, strength and skill.

If the gas then flows, the tanks are filled in just a few minutes - a huge advantage over charging a battery.

more on the subject

Phasing out petrol and diesel: »We will make electric cars affordable« An interview by Arvid Kaiser

It was important to the developers that the customer of a Vivaro-e Hydrogen does not have to make any concessions in terms of loading space, payload and towing capacity.

Everything should remain the same as with the combustion and electric versions.

That succeeded.

1000 kilograms can be packed in the cargo area, and the fuel cell van can also carry a ton.

The question remains: What does the fun cost?

It is known from models such as the Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo that hydrogen vehicles can quickly cost over 60,000 euros and that this price has little to do with the actual costs of the manufacturer: With the small quantities and the high costs for the stacks, these Cars are highly subsidized, otherwise they would not be for sale.

The same applies to the Vivaro, even Opel cannot do magic, the fuel cell technology is expensive.

Therefore, the Vivaro-e Hydrogen cannot be bought, only leased.

Because hydrogen technology is subsidized by the German federal government, the monthly leasing rate is only 700 euros.

What remains are the fuel costs: The Vivaro e-Hydrogen only consumes around 1.1 kg of hydrogen per 100 kilometers, but a kilogram of this high-energy gas costs 12.85 euros.

Until recently, the price was 9.50 euros.

more on the subject

Small series of the iX5: BMW also wants to rely on the fuel cell for cars

"Due to the more expensive production and transport service, this could no longer be maintained," says Sibylle Riepe, spokeswoman for gas station operator H2 Mobility.

But the pure driving costs of around 14 euros per 100 kilometers are no higher than with diesel and a consumption of seven to eight liters.

The battery-electric Vivaro-e consumes around 28 kWh/100 km.

At 40 cents/kWh, that would be 11.20 euros per 100 km in electricity costs.

Opel has already delivered a number of Vivaro-e Hydrogens, including to household appliance manufacturer Miele, which is using them for customer service.

The complete conversion takes about two weeks, about 1000 cars are to be delivered per year.

From 2024, the manufacturer wants to set up a more efficient production line and produce ten times the amount.

"We're ramping up the technology," says project manager Thiesen, and promises that private customers will soon be able to lease the hydrogen Vivaro as a bus variant.

Capgemini expert Fintl remains reluctant to Opel's plans.

He considers hydrogen produced with renewable energy to be too valuable to be used in rather small commercial vehicles: “If we are striving to decarbonize society, we absolutely need a hydrogen economy.

However, we then have to use the scarce resource of sustainably produced gas where there is no alternative.

Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are not part of the masses.« The gas may be needed more urgently in steelworks or for heavy trucks.

This is probably how the majority of experts currently see it.

But maybe they have to rethink - if craftsmen and camping families are increasingly attracted to hydrogen.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2022-09-16

You may like

News/Politics 2024-01-30T16:49:06.791Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.