Not only Corsa, Mokka, Grandland and Ampera. Already in 1968 Opel was at the forefront of the electric world. It was then introduced with the Kadett B Stir-Lec the “range extension device” which would later find application in production with the Opel Ampera. The experimental Stir-Lec model had 14 lead-acid batteries constantly recharged by a small Stirling combustion engine positioned in the rear.
Just three years later, Georg von Opel, the great-grandson of the company founder, broke six world records for electric vehicles at the wheel of a Opel Elektro GT at 188 km / h; it was fitted with two coupled electric motors of 88 kW / 120 HP. The energy was supplied by a 590 kilogram nickel-cadmium battery and, at a constant speed of 100 km / h, the car had a range of 44 kilometers.
Research took the program one step further Opel Impuls in the years 1990-97. Impuls I was a Kadett-based vehicle that featured a 16 kW DC electric motor that used nickel-cadmium batteries with liquid electrolyte. It had a range of around 80km and reached a top speed of 100km / h. A year later came the Impuls II, based on the Astra station wagon. It used 32 lead-acid batteries which powered two three-phase asynchronous motors for a total of approximately 45 kW / 61 hp.
From 1993 to 1997, Opel carried out the first large-scale electric vehicle test program, theImpuls III. A fleet of ten Impuls III cars was tested on the German island of RĂ¼gen, where they covered a total of more than 300,000 km. Five cars were fitted with nickel-cadmium batteries (45 kW / 61 hp) and a further five used high-energy sodium / nickel chloride batteries (42 kW / 57 hp). The ten Impuls III cars were equipped with a three-phase asynchronous motor.
Meanwhile, the concept car was presented with great success in 1992 Opel Twin. A three-cylinder 0.8-liter petrol engine generated 25 kW / 34 hp and was available for highway driving, while the electric unit with two 10 kW / 14 hp motors placed on the wheel hubs came into play for driving urban and short distances. The Opel Twin’s driver’s seat was central, while the second row could accommodate three passengers. In 1995, Opel brought electric mobility to the commercial vehicle sector with the concept van Combo Plus, which featured two high-energy sodium / nickel chloride batteries that worked in conjunction with the 45 kW three-phase asynchronous motor.
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