Opel's alternative energy future

2012 marks the 150th anniversary of Opel, but the GM-owned German brand is looking forward as much as it is looking back.

At the Geneva motor show two weeks ago, Opel jointly accepted (with GM for the Chevrolet Volt) the Car of the Year Award for its Ampera — basically the Volt lightly disguised.

Announcing the win, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, the company's CEO, advised that the company had already accepted 7000 orders for the Ampera. But the extended-range electric vehicle, to use GM's term for it, is neither the beginning nor the end for Opel's environmental technology drive.

"It is, actually, a very big encouragement for the entire Opel/Vauxhall team and informs our duty to continue on our path of electric mobility," Stracke said. For a company that was under threat of being sold by GM just a couple of years ago, Opel's situation looks much rosier, following the news that GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen would enter into a strategic alliance. This, according to Stracke, will help improve Opel's competitive edge in the marketplace.

"We will be able to bring to market more products and more innovative technologies in a much shorter timeframe," he said. "Irrespective of the alliance, the Opel future will be defined by making technical innovations accessible and affordable to a broad range of customers."

Within two years, Stracke revealed, the company will introduce a range of innovations to reduce CO2 and also improve driving dynamics. To start with, the company will offer new three and four-cylinder petrol and engines — in three different engine families. Following the lead of other European manufacturers, the displacement will be quite small; no more than 1.6 litres at most, with the smallest engine measuring as little as 1.0 litres. All the engines will be turbocharged and Euro 6-compliant. In addition the company will complement these engines with new six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions.

Importantly, the new engines will be compatible with hybrid-drive applications. Stracke says the internal combustion engine will play "an important role for the foreseeable future" and are integral to hybrid systems. Furthermore, the new engines will continue to provide the flexibility of LNG and CNG fuel use, as Opel's current engines do.

"Hybrid engines will play a major role in the transition to zero-emission mobility," Stracke continued.

The Ampera effectively bridges the gap between conventional hybrids and battery-electric vehicles. Given GM's remarks that there will be other vehicles using the same or similar technology reaching the market in due course, it's likely the Ampera won't be Opel's sole example of an extended-range EV.

Stracke says that Opel will be deeply embedded in GM's future fuel cell efforts.

"We have shown our commitment with the Opel HydroGen4 project, which is currently one of the biggest fuel cell market tests world-wide," he said, before revealing that GM will enter production with a "series production" fuel cell vehicle over the next 12 months — and Opel will be at the leading edge.

Since Opel is entering the Australian market this year, how much of this futuristic new technology will we see? The Ampera and the Volt will be sold in the same markets throughout Europe, but what about here? We asked Michelle Lang, the importer's Marketing and Public Relations Manager for a response.

"The Ampera, specifically, we don't have any plans to introduce just yet," she told motoring.com.au. That sort of response from a PR person can mean that the odds of the car arriving here are practically zero, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. According to Lang, Holden is not standing in the way of Opel bringing the Ampera here. "Not at all," was her precise response.

For the moment, however, Opel in Australia is concentrating its efforts on bringing the volume-selling vehicles with conventional drivetrain systems for its local launch. LPG is something "that we would look at in a couple of years time, once we've bedded down the actual launch," to use Lang's words. The Opel exec clearly feels that high-tech drive systems can bolster a brand's image — and Opel being so new to the country could do a lot worse than be perceived as a technology trend-setter.

"We're very fortunate I guess, that we're part of the broader GM group, so that we do get all the benefits of the associated technology, innovations and Research and Development... We have the resources to actually explore those options and to be that market-leading and innovative," Lang concluded.

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