Vauxhall’s full range of cars and vans will be fully electric by 2028 as parent company Stellantis intensifies its EV offensive to offer “advanced technology at affordable prices”.
Opel will revive the name Manta for a new electric vehicle that will appear in the middle of the decade and as the successor to the Manta GSe ElektroMOD “Restomod” concept presented this spring
The announcement came yesterday on the online Stellantis EV Day 2021, during which the company – formed from the merger of PSA and FCA in January 2021 – announced plans to raise more than 30 billion euros (£ 25.8 billion) in by 2025 Invest in electrification and software. and build five giant factories in Europe and North America by 2030.
All 14 brands in the group have set themselves the goal of offering fully electric vehicles; By 2030, more than 70% of sales in Europe and over 40% in the USA should be low-emission vehicles (fully electric or plug-in hybrids), which will help Stellantis to become the market leader here.
Vauxhall is already committed to offering all-electric models across its van lineup by the end of 2021, and including the passenger car line, its entire product line will now be electrified by 2024 and then all-electric by 2028.
A new fully electric car will also hit the market in the middle of the decade, reinventing the Opel Manta. This follows the positive response to the Manta GSe ElektroMOD ‘Restomod’ concept presented this spring and is in line with the efforts of other automobile manufacturers to revive classics. The sister brand Opel will also start as a purely electric brand in China.
Paul Willcox, Managing Director, Vauxhall Motors, commented: “From 2028, Vauxhall will only sell all-electric cars and vans in the UK. The future of the automotive industry is electric – and Vauxhall will lead the way in this country. We are on our way to reinvent Vauxhall and are headed for a net-zero carbon future – carbon is the new currency in our industry. “
Stellantis added that its brands will not adopt a unified plan for moving to all-electric, but rather will adapt electrification to their own DNA. Peugeot has already committed to offering an electrified variant for its entire range of models by 2023.
The vehicles can choose between four flexible BEV-by-design platforms and a scalable family of three electric drive modules that combine motor, transmission and inverter and can be configured for front, rear, all-wheel drive and 4xe. Battery packs will be standardized to cover all brands and segments, reducing packaging costs by more than 40% from 2020 to 2024 and an additional 20% by 2030. The introduction of solid-state battery technology is planned for 2026.
One of Stellantis’ key goals is affordability – the total cost of ownership of electric vehicles is expected to be the same as that of vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2026.
It will also work on maximizing range and fast charges – both keys to the widespread adoption of BEVs by consumers – with vehicles that can range between 500-800km / 300-500 miles and with a class-leading fast charge capability of 32km / 20 Miles will be achieved per minute.
This is supported by projects that enable the development of fast charging networks across Europe, made possible by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Free2Move eSolutions and Engie EPS, which mimics Free2Move eSolutions’ business model for the North American market.
Stellantis also announced earlier this week that it is investing £ 100 million to make Ellesmere Port its first dedicated electric vehicle manufacturing facility and to secure the future of the plant. Ellesmere will be used to produce both the LCV and passenger car versions of the Vauxhall / Opel Combo-e, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroën e-Berlingo due in late 2022.
Stellantis’ plans also include hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles – the brand has already announced that it will begin production of a hydrogen fuel cell powered van by the end of the year.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said, “Our electrification journey is probably the most important building block we need to lay as we are starting to reveal the future of Stellantis just six months after it was founded and now the entire company is in full execution mode to meet expectations of all customers. ”and accelerate our role in redefining the way the world moves. We have the size, skills, spirit and sustainability to achieve double-digit adjusted operating profit margins, lead the industry with benchmark efficiency, and deliver electrified vehicles that spark passion. “
