De-mobility is gradually gaining ground in the world of light commercial vehicles. Almost all providers of delivery vans for the “last mile” are present in the market, as reported in “Technik und Motor” last week. For example, Opel has been offering the electric Vivaro for a long time, which was also a guest of the editorial team and achieved a range of almost 300 kilometers even on cold days.
Opel has now converted this vehicle to a fuel cell and is offering it in small series. The car is produced in Rüsselsheim, and because Opel now belongs to the Stellantis group, there will also be versions with Citroën or Peugeot emblems. In the case of pure electricians (and diesel vehicles) it is no different.
In a fuel cell, to put it simply, hydrogen (H2) is fused with the ambient air, resulting in electricity that is used for propulsion. So every H2 car is also an electric car. In the H2-Vivaro, three hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 4.4 kilograms take the place of the batteries, and the fuel cell itself is housed in the front of the engine compartment. A backup battery is always necessary, it comes under the seats. With 10.5 kWh, it is particularly large and can even be charged separately, giving it a range of almost 50 kilometers without hydrogen.
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Opel Vivaro
In principle, H2 can be filled up just as quickly as petrol, although the network of filling stations in Germany is still thin with currently 95 stations. Opel specifies the range as 350 kilometers. The fact that electricity can also be charged purely if necessary is certainly an advantage. The electric motor is the same as in the Stromer, delivering 100 kW, i.e. 136 hp. The achievable top speed is limited to 110 km/h. Two lengths are available, 5 and 5.30 meters. You can load one ton, 250 kilos more than in the E-Vivaro. If you want to deliver silently: The H2-Vivaro can only be leased, the rate is 700 euros, taking state subsidies into account.
Hydrogen currently costs around 13 euros per kilo, with a consumption of 1.3 kilos per 100 kilometers there is currently an advantage over operation with diesel fuel. The loading capacity in liters corresponds to the conventional models, the permissible trailer load is given as one ton.