“Boah” – what was it hot on June 22, 2025 in Munich! The thermometer showed 25 degrees Celsius at 7 a.m. at breakfast. On this day, Opel started at the ED 1000th EDITORRORALYE goal of the exercise: 1,000 kilometers in the electric car in a single day. And not on closed test tracks, but across Bavaria and Austria, on public roads. What sounded like a logistical nightmare became an electrifying challenge for our teams – and for the Opel Grandland Electric to the “Grand (Land) Iosen” Sparkahrt. But in turn …
The start: full of battery, big plans
7:45 a.m., Motorworld Munich: The Grandland Electric rolls quietly over the starting line, the battery is 98 percent filled. The air conditioning – of course – from! Behind the wheel, fully motivated and with activated “recuperating foot” Matthias Bruges, Head of New Mobility at Auto Bild. The route is a double 500-kilometer loop in the form of a lying eight: only west over Innsbruck, then east over Salzburg-and back to Munich. The mission: with the 400-volt system of the Opel Grandland as efficiently as possible. Because in this class it is not only speed, but above all the electricity consumption.
“The ED1000 shows impressively how economically you can be electrically traveling, even in spacious cars like the Opel Grandland Electric.”
– Matthias Brugge – Head of New Mobility, Auto Bild
Team Grandland: Boris Pieritz (left) and Matthias Bruges take on the challenge.
The route leads in two 500-kilometer loops through the German-Austrian pre-Alpine country.
After ten motorway kilometers, it was clear: the planned path over the highway would end in traffic chaos. Return backlog on the recommended route. Bad for the nerves and consumption. Alternative: up on the country road! At moderate 85 km/h, our consumption settled at less than 12 kWh – a real coup. But the next challenge was waiting in the mountains around Garmisch-Partenkirchen: let or let roll? Pilot Bruges decided to sail. His insider tip, as he said. At least for gentle grades. Here the walk was switched to “n” – freewheel, sailing mode. Power consumption: zero. Speed: 105 km/h. So the Grandland became a rapid glider. And the kilometers just flew away.
The ED1000 electricallye is pursuing the goal of covering 1,000 kilometers purely electrically on a single day. Teams compete against each other with various battery -electric vehicles in different classes. The fastest time in the 800 volt and 400-volt class and the lowest energy consumption across the entire distance is evaluated. In 2025 it took place for the fifth time.
In the case of stronger slopes, such as just behind the Austrian border on Zirler Berg, we naturally used the recuperation in 16 percent gradient – and almost fully loaded the battery again. Our new strategy worked. And in the comfortable Grandland with the very good chassis tuning and the ergonomic seats, it was always comfortable despite the heat and long driving time. Our colleagues in the Frontera Electric, with whom we kept in touch, also progressed well. Opel was on track, we in the ultimate power saving mode.
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Sweat for efficiency
While 36 degrees pressed onto the sheet outside, the air conditioning remained silent. Every fan train would have increased the consumption. Instead: Window a gap open, the glass roof – willpower instead of comfort. The reward: After 480 kilometers, the on -board computer showed sensational 11.2 kWh per 100 kilometers during the lunch break. And it was still a juice for 164 kilometers in the battery. Load? For now, superfluous! At least not the car. However, our stomachs-after almost nine hours of driving around 4:30 p.m. with a slight “lunch snack”.
After exactly 1,000 kilometers, the Opel Grandland is finished. The average consumption is 11.4 kWh instead of 17.7 kWh (according to WLTP).
Technical data Opel Grandland
Performance maximum: 213 PS battery capacity: 82.2 kwhr area: 582 km (WLTP). Combined consumption: 17.7 kWh/100 km (WLTP)
The magical limit: 662 kilometers with a battery charge
Only after 590 kilometers, at 7:30 p.m., was the first and only charging stop with the Grandland. With still 72 kilometers of residual range. Makes virtual 662 kilometers overall range. Our newly defined goal: come to the end with a 90 percent charge. So it went on – evenings with an average speed of 54 km/h through the nocturnal Salzburg region. And the strategy worked fully. At exactly 3:50 in the morning, the “Grandland” team rolled back to the starting point in Munich after a total time of 19 hours and 13 minutes with a remaining range of 151 kilometers.
Enthusiasm across the board
But there was still a little trick: one last round over the parking lot still had to be attached to really get to 1,000 kilometers. Then finally: goal achieved. The rally organizers were amazed when the Grandland team in the deepest night but still returned in a good mood-the only car with exactly 1,000 kilometers. And with an average consumption of 11.4 kWh instead of 17.7 kWh (according to WLTP) over 100 kilometers. That meant: 1st place in the consumption rating.
What do electric cars do if range is not measured on the test bench, but in the mountains, on the highway and in everyday life? The ED1000 asks and answers these questions.
Conclusion
The ED1000 is not a race in the classic sense – it is a endurance test for humans and machines. And it is precisely in this endurance test that the Opel Grandland Electric has impressively demonstrated what is already possible today: namely 1,000 kilometers in one day with just one load stop and consumption that prevents the official WLTP information far. What remains is not only a new yardstick for efficiency, but also the realization that range in the electric car is no longer an excuse. Provided you know how to do it.
August 2025
Text: Boris Pieritz; Photos: Boris Pieritz, Jasper Pape/Ed1000, Auto Bild