Photo: Opel
Marketed by the Opel and Vauxhall brands, the Vivaro used to be a badge-engineered Renault Trafic. Currently based on the Citroen Jumpy, the light commercial vehicle is now available with a hydrogen-fueled powertrain.
A very different affair from the Vivaro-e, the Vivaro-e Hydrogen converts hydrogen into electricity with the help of a 45-kW fuel cell. Converted to metric and imperial horsepower, make that 61 and 60 ponies, respectively.
By combining hydrogen atoms and an oxidizing agent such as oxygen, the fuel cell produces electricity, water, and a little heat. The fuel cell in the Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen juices up a 10.5-kWh battery that provides dynamic peak power on start-up and under acceleration. Loaded with hydrogen, the light commercial vehicle promises more than 400 kilometers (249 miles) of range. On battery power alone, make that 50 kilometers (31 miles) under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure.
Currently owned by Stellantis, the German automaker claims that a refill takes only three minutes, roughly the same time you need to fill up an internal combustion-engined vehicle with gasoline or diesel. There is, however, a problem with that. The pricing of hydrogen at the pump is one thing, but the hydrogen infrastructure is a bit lacking in the Old Continent.
In the United Kingdom, for example, there are fewer than 15 stations nationwide. As for Germany, which is the largest new vehicle market in the EU, approximately 100 stations are operational at the moment of writing.
“With the new Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen, we are opening the next chapter in our sustainable mobility offensive,” said chief executive officer Uwe Hochgeschurtz. “The clever concept combines the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion with the versatility and capabilities of our best-selling light commercial vehicle.” In this application, the panel van offers 6.1 cubic meters of cargo volume and a 1,000-kg (2,205-lb) payload capacity.
By combining hydrogen atoms and an oxidizing agent such as oxygen, the fuel cell produces electricity, water, and a little heat. The fuel cell in the Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen juices up a 10.5-kWh battery that provides dynamic peak power on start-up and under acceleration. Loaded with hydrogen, the light commercial vehicle promises more than 400 kilometers (249 miles) of range. On battery power alone, make that 50 kilometers (31 miles) under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure.
Currently owned by Stellantis, the German automaker claims that a refill takes only three minutes, roughly the same time you need to fill up an internal combustion-engined vehicle with gasoline or diesel. There is, however, a problem with that. The pricing of hydrogen at the pump is one thing, but the hydrogen infrastructure is a bit lacking in the Old Continent.
In the United Kingdom, for example, there are fewer than 15 stations nationwide. As for Germany, which is the largest new vehicle market in the EU, approximately 100 stations are operational at the moment of writing.
“With the new Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen, we are opening the next chapter in our sustainable mobility offensive,” said chief executive officer Uwe Hochgeschurtz. “The clever concept combines the advantages of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion with the versatility and capabilities of our best-selling light commercial vehicle.” In this application, the panel van offers 6.1 cubic meters of cargo volume and a 1,000-kg (2,205-lb) payload capacity.
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