To this day, one of the main problems that electric cars face in order to become popular in the European market is their high rates. Florian HuettlCEO of Opel, is aware that this situation should improve in the short term, since the German brand plans to abandon internal combustion engines in 2028.
Opel’s electric range currently consists of four models, the corsa-e, Mokka-e, Astra-e and Astra-e Sports Tourer. To them we would have to add the quadricycle rocks-eonly available in some markets, as well as vans Combo-e, Vivaro-e and Movano-e and the passenger versions of the first two, called Combo-eLife and Zafira-e Life.
The lightning firm is already working on its next three electric launches, which will replace the Crosslands, Grandlands and Badge. The last two will be replaced by two separate crossovers sports, which will resume the mythical denominations Manta and Monza. At the moment, only some data is available from the first, which will be the brother of the Peugeot e-3008.
Although the blanket-e It will be a very advanced model with a range of up to 700 km WLTP thanks to the use of the Stellantis STLA Medium platform, the truth is that it will not be a particularly affordable proposal. Rather the complete opposite.
Opel could return to segment A
Despite everything, Huettl believes that making electric mobility accessible will be one of the most important tasks in the sector in the coming years. «We are working very hard to control prices. First, we need to get our product right, which is the battery and the entire electric drivetrain, because they represent a large part of the cost of an electric car.”
According to the executive, autonomy is no longer a priority in segment B (utility), in which the Corsa-e and Mokka-e are active. In his opinion, a range of between 350 and 400 km is already sufficient for this type of vehicle. “Our customers have learned to deal with it and it’s no problem to commute with such a product.”
A few months ago, Huettl also dropped that Opel could return to segment A (urban), in which it has not been present since the disappearance of the Karl and Adam. “We see that there may be a gap that Opel can benefit from. Because in the small and micro car sector, competitors are pulling out and we currently don’t have an electrified model in that segment.
We see the need for affordable mobility; even in the electric age, this is a big problem for us. Today, electromobility is more expensive than classic combustion engines. But there is still a lot of potential […] to reduce costs. If the prices of raw materials and energy prices experience large changes, this can have an impact on the size of the batteries. Maybe we need less range and therefore charge faster.”
Source | automobilwoche
