GM Volt Forum banner

GM/Opel Reveals Extended-Range Electric Cargo Van Concept

11K views 157 replies 65 participants last post by  Sandi_Ruthers  
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)

[ad#post_ad]GM has just revealed an exciting new vehicular application for it's Voltec extended range electric car propulsion system which is found in the Chevy Volt.

Opel will be exhibiting the new Vivaro e-Concept extended range electric cargo van concept at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Fair in Hannover on September 23rd.

The cargo van is intended for commercial use and for operators who would like to limit petroleum consumption. It has 5 cubic meters of cargo space and can carry a payload up to 750 kg. It is designed for use in inner city transport and delivery.

The lithium ion battery pack is floor-mounted, and the van can travel for up to 60 miles purely on electricity. For drives longer than that, the gas-powered range extender would kick in allowing a maximum range of 400 km (250 miles).

“We would like to test the acceptance of our advanced propulsion technology by showing the Vivaro e-Concept to the commercial vehicle specialists attending the show,” says Chris Lacey, Executive Director, International Operations Opel/Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles. “We are convinced that we will get a fantastic reaction from the people who use such vehicles on a daily basis: Electric mobility will allow them to travel in city areas which are now off-limits to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and the range-extender technology makes it possible to use an electric van for normal routine business.”

I asked the following questions about the van of GM spokesperson Randal Fox:

Is Vivaro a new brand?
Vivaro is a brand name for Opel and is not new.

Are there working prototypes?
There are no immediate plans to build prototypes. We want to listen to feedback from fair visitors and competitive van users and once the research is completed, we'll decide what the next steps should be.

How large is the lithium ion battery pack in kwh?
This is a concept vehicle and at this early stage we cannot disclose battery details for competitive reasons. It has similar technology as the Opel Ampera, but now in a commercial application.

Could this come to US?
There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S.

Here is a video of the van:



[polldaddy poll=3803945]

[ad#postbottom]
Source ( GM )
 

Attachments

#2 · (Edited by Moderator)

[ad#post_ad]GM has just revealed an exciting new vehicular application for it's Voltec extended range electric car propulsion system which is found in the Chevy Volt.

Opel will be exhibiting the new Vivaro e-Concept extended range electric cargo van concept at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Fair in Hannover on September 23rd.

The cargo van is intended for commercial use and for operators who would like to limit petroleum consumption. It has 5 cubic meters of cargo space and can carry a payload up to 750 kg. It is designed for use in inner city transport and delivery.

The lithium ion battery pack is floor-mounted, and the van can travel for up to 60 miles purely on electricity. For drives longer than that, the gas-powered range extender would kick in allowing a maximum range of 400 km (250 miles).

“We would like to test the acceptance of our advanced propulsion technology by showing the Vivaro e-Concept to the commercial vehicle specialists attending the show,” says Chris Lacey, Executive Director, International Operations Opel/Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles. “We are convinced that we will get a fantastic reaction from the people who use such vehicles on a daily basis: Electric mobility will allow them to travel in city areas which are now off-limits to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and the range-extender technology makes it possible to use an electric van for normal routine business.”

I asked the following questions about the van of GM spokesperson Randal Fox:

Is Vivaro a new brand?
Vivaro is a brand name for Opel and is not new.

Are there working prototypes?
There are no immediate plans to build prototypes. We want to listen to feedback from fair visitors and competitive van users and once the research is completed, we'll decide what the next steps should be.

How large is the lithium ion battery pack in kwh?
This is a concept vehicle and at this early stage we cannot disclose battery details for competitive reasons. It has similar technology as the Opel Ampera, but now in a commercial application.

Could this come to US?
There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S.

Here is a video of the van:



[polldaddy poll=3803945]

[ad#postbottom]
Source ( GM )
 

Attachments

#3 ·
Sounds like this is little more than wetting a finger to see which way the wind is blowing. I'm much more curious to hear an update about GM's plan to show a Voltec CUV in Shanghai. That's an application that would find many ready buyers over here, I suspect.

Nonetheless, I'm glad that GM continues to think about ways use Voltec in other vehicles.
 
#6 ·
Good to see Voltec being considered for larger vehicles. Should GM produce an EREV cargo van? It's better to start with an EREV family vehicle such as a crossover. And stick with a pure battery plug in on the cargo van. This is unless CS mode is solidly over 40mpg. A delivery service will do well with a mix of standard ICE vans and pure battery plug-ins. Manufacturing the Converj with a 180HP electric motor Voltec drive is also a winning combination.

=D-Volt
 
#7 ·
I am truly getting sick of hearing:

_There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S._

OT, but GM has a real winner in the Voltec technology. If they build it in large enough numbers to get the economies of scale, it will still be selling fast after the early adopters all get theirs. But if the price doesn't come down, people will make do with inferior technology with limited range, i.e. the Leaf or the Focus Electric.
And I am still waiting for the CS mileage. I am turning into a Grump on this site...
I blame it on the MBA's because the engineers appear to have hit this one out of the park but the MBA's are signaling the Volt to stop at first base.
 
#8 ·
For all the folks asking about Voltec trucks. Here's one.

Very exciting that these concept vehicles are being displayed and discussed. It's not a leap to build a small pickup or small passenger van configuration if they can do a delivery van.

GM has a tiger by the tail. The Voltec beast will propel GM and the entire industry to the next level.
 
#9 ·
herm : What is the CS mode mpg?, 60 miles range will not do it for me, granma lives 150 miles away.. thus it will be a failure, can it recharge in 10 minutes?, where are we going to get the rare metal lithium?, its too ugly..There, just wanted to get that out of the way early in the thread.  
lol. Preemptive strike eh?
 
#11 ·
This van is a very useful size. Most small business can have it as their main vehicle, and save on gas. I hope that GM also produces something for the USPS. My Dad was a mail carrier in the 1970's and he had one of the famous right-side drive Jeeps, but it was very gas-hungry, since the carriers have to stop and go at every mailbox. An electric Jeep was tested but never went to full production. Now it is GM's chance to get the USPS what it needs!

BTW, the Opel TV site (where this concept van is shown) also has videos on the Vauxhall Ampera. Look down and change pages:
http://www.opel.tv/index.php?mo=2010-09-21-Opel-Vivaro-e-concept-English&channel=mostrecent&lang=en

Raymond
 
#12 ·
This would do well in plenty of commercial apps. High use applications are the low hanging fruit for EREVs and BEVs. Put a minivan shell on it along with a little less expensive 40 mile AER battery and bring both over the pond. GM doesn't even have a minivan in it's current lineup, so its conquest sales percent would be even higher than the Volt's.
 
#13 ·
Ok
I know of a lot of small to medium size business that would jump on this in a heart beat,
ok old ad campaign.
The wife runs a Flower Shop and this would be ideal for her deliveries.
I can think of Parts store, Pizza shops and cleaning services that could use a van like this.
GM should bring this to the US or build something like it
 
#16 ·
/ PS to my #13: I also see this vehicle with its 60mi AER as 'proof of concept' for application of the Voltec drive train to CUVs and performance cars, e.g., an Equinox with 60mi AER, a Z-28E, or a Volt SS ---for which the 50% larger battery could be complemented by a higher power traction motor with, say 187.5W (250hp) for V8-like torque, high-end power and 6 second 0-60 times!
 
#17 ·
ziv : I am truly getting sick of hearing:
_There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S._


GM already has plans for the US for a cargo van partnering with Bright Automotive

http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.brand_gm.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Aug/0803_bright
 
#18 ·
Commercial van, sure, this is an excellent first step in making EV commercial vans usable. I would like to know how much weight a retail conversion would add. 60 miles and 1500 lbs of payload would be a little costly, no doubt, but this would open up the market again for conversion vans. 10 mpg would be history.

EREV possibilities look better and better every month.

Keep 'em coming!
 
#20 ·
ziv : I am truly getting sick of hearing:

_There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S._

Well then, guess you'd better "stay tuned."
.
.
.
.
(I'm so truly sorry... could not resist).
 
#22 ·
ziv : And I am still waiting for the CS mileage.

Official EPA Estimates for Cruze are now available (http://www.fueleconomy.gov)

28 Combined (24city/36hwy) 4 cyl, 1.4 L, Automatic (S6), Reg Gas, Turbo

27 Combined (22city/35hwy) 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 6-spd, Reg Gas

So, with Volt using the 1.4 L engine but in an optimized way, that expectation of 38 MPG looks pretty darn realistic at this point.
 
#23 ·
I've been screaming for years now !!! "the gene is out of the bottle" . When the Volt is a Huge success the copy cats and clones will come fast and furious . Production will ramp up world wide at a blistering pace for all types of EREV cars , trucks ,vans, motorcycles and boats . GM's lead in this tech may last for sometime but my guess is this lead will be short lived.
 
#25 ·
"Electric mobility will allow them to travel in city areas which are now off-limits to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and the range-extender technology makes it possible to use an electric van for normal routine business."


"So, can the driver manually switch from one mode to the other?" will probably be a question asked by show attendees. "For example, what if I have a lot of deliveries in the suburbs first, then need to make more downtown?"