With an electric car on the long haul? Too complicated. Too much planning. Too few loading points. And anyway, it all takes too long. Instead of indulging in theory, Opel employees Stephane Le Floch and Fabian Kempfer just did it. You went on a long journey with the Corsa-e. The Opel Stromer drove from Rüsselsheim to the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.
The question of motivation is quickly clarified: “We are fascinated by the technology and the sheer joy of driving the Corsa-e,” says Stephane Le Floch. “Electric driving is simply addicting,” adds Fabian Kempfer. And that, although the two engineers at Opel don’t even work on e-projects. Kempfer is active as a “Subsystem Architect” in advance development, Le Floch as “Control Manager Program Execution”. But their enthusiasm for electric driving is typical of Opel – after all, Opel is on the way to becoming a fully electrified brand.
Company headquarters with connection: Fabian Kempfer (right) and Stephane Le Floch charge the Corsa-e directly at the Adam Opel Haus.
The general conditions – anything but optimal
“During our long-distance journey, we were under worst-case conditions – in the middle of winter,” explains Fabian Kempfer. “At higher temperatures, we would have achieved significantly greater ranges per battery charge.” The fact that neither of them own a Corsa-e – that doesn’t tame an Opel engineer’s curiosity either. Therefore they asked the Program Engineering Manager Georg Schade whether they could start a few self-tests with a model from the so-called “Capture Test Fleet” – an internal test vehicle fleet. They were allowed to. That too – typically Opel.
ROUTE 1
Stephane Le Floch tours to the south of France.
Stephane Le Floch decided to tour the Côte d’Azur. He divided the route into 89 to 162 kilometers long stages and eight charging stops. These took ten to a maximum of 39 minutes. In Aire du Jura near Arlay, it charged its battery to 87 percent in just 37 minutes. He had to pay eight euros to use this supercharger, as at two other stations – so that the entire trip cost him a modest 24 euros in the end.
His recommendation: To cover a long distance of 600 or 1000 kilometers, the solution for Corsa-e drivers is not the same as for diesel or gasoline engines: fill up the tank once and then get as far as possible with an economical driving style. Instead: plan the stages in such a way that only fast chargers can be used.
The diesel or gasoline driver has to allow around ten minutes to refuel as part of a half-hour break, the electric vehicle operator plugs a plug into his Corsa-e then goes for a coffee. Le Floch: “Everyone can decide for themselves what is more comfortable.”
it was as far as La Seyne-sur-Mer in France.
In general, the Corsa-e is “e” for easy in daily use. Opel engineer Le Floch: “Check the air pressure, refill the washer fluid – that’s it. Not even the brakes wear out. And I save the trip to the gas station. ”
“Check the air pressure, refill the washer fluid – that’s it. Not even the brakes wear out. ”
– Stephane Le Floch –
Well planned: In eight stages it went to the Mediterranean.
Charging: The Corsa-e recharges your batteries with a magnificent view of the Côte d’Azur.
ROUTE 2
Fabian Kempfer makes his way to Owschlag.
Meanwhile, Fabian Kempfer aimed at Owschlag near Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, 630 kilometers away. He even managed the route from Rüsselsheim to Owschlag twice with the opposite sign. Once with his family, where he prioritized the longest stages for the sake of his twins. And once alone, with the focus on reducing the overall travel time through optimized charging at fast charging stations. “There are enough charging options,” says Kempfer. “Route planning with an e-car is somewhat more demanding than with a combustion engine, but it is extremely attractive – especially with a Corsa-e and its 100 kW fast charger.”
The Corsa-e battery can be charged with up to 100 kW direct current. A complete battery charge is completed in one hour, and after 30 minutes the memory is around 80 percent full. So-called “High Performance Chargers” (HPC), which can deliver 100 kW and more, are not yet that widespread. “But there are enough of them, at intervals of no more than 150 kilometers,” explains Kempfer. And they are also easy to find with the navigation device in the Corsa-e or the Free2Move app.
it was up to Owschlag in Schleswig-Holstein.
That can be the case after 100 kilometers, even if a Corsa-e can easily manage 170 kilometers with a battery charge of almost 70 percent. In return, you can drive faster on short stages. And: “The Corsa-e’s battery can handle any number of quick charges.”
“The driving experience is simply incomparably harmonious. The power is always there when you need it.”
– Fabian Kempfer –
Better charging: on the way to Owschlag, the Corsa-e recharges direct current at a fast charging station.
Trip north: Fabian Kempfer relied on fast chargers when planning.
The bottom line
Stephane Le Floch needed 13:17 hours for the 1,066 kilometers to La Seyne-sur-Mer. The charging breaks totaled 3:32 hours. Le Floch: “If that seems too much for you, you have to consider that such a route, regardless of the drive, should not be mastered without adequate breaks and that in France there is a speed limit of 130 km / h anyway – outside of the many construction sites.”
In general, he does not attach great importance to convincing with words. “Anyone who doesn’t believe that driving electrically is simply fun should just try it out for themselves and then form an opinion. Basta.”
Stephane Le Floch needed on the 1,066-kilometer journey to charge.
Fabian Kempfer thinks that this charging capacity makes the Corsa-e suitable for long journeys.
For the first trip – with family – Fabian Kempfer needed ten hours, for the second tour – alone and with time-optimized use of fast chargers – it was only eight. “The lower weight certainly played a role. But the strategy of getting to your destination faster with several and therefore shorter stops is also known from motorsport, ”explains Kempfer, who draws a consistently positive conclusion after his two tours.
“The Corsa-e is a real bundle of energy that is also suitable for long journeys – and driving is really fun.”
January 2021
Text: Eric Scherer, Photos: Alex Heimann, private