The Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid has been awarded the 40th Environmental Award by the KS eV Automobile Club. “We are convinced that vehicles with electric motors and fuel cells have a great future along with vehicles with electric motors and lithium-ion batteries. We would therefore like to honor Opel on behalf of this innovative driving concept that has already been put into practice,” Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Anselm, spokesperson for the Automobilclub KS eV Specialized Jury, explained the decision in favor of the hydrogen fuel cell truck with lightning bolt at the awards ceremony. Held in Munich today.The KS Energy and Environment Award is under the auspices of the Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Protection and has been awarded for the 40th time.Established in 1981, innovative and environmentally friendly technologies, concepts and developments in the automotive and mobility industries have been honored with the famous award ever since.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles enable environmentally conscious daily operation without compromise. We build on more than 20 years of experience developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Rüsselsheim. We want to expand our leadership position – and this also includes extending this technology to large delivery trucks from 2024,” announced Stellantis Europe President Uwe Hochschurtz, who is responsible for managing and marketing the group’s hydrogen vehicles.
Peter Kuhn, director of the light commercial vehicle group at Opel, accepted the award in front of about 100 guests from politics, business, management and media in Munich. The jury sees the long run, zero emissions and short refueling downtime as advantages, especially in the commercial sector for delivery services and the like. The battery electric truck “International Car of the Year 2021 Opel Vivaro-e” is an ideal solution for fleet customers who want long distances without emissions or who need to refuel quickly. The electric carrier contains a hydrogen fuel cell motor with an additional lithium-ion battery.
The technology is positioned in a space-saving manner so that the conveyor makes no compromises in terms of space compared to traditional driving technologies. The 700-bar hydrogen tanks are located at the bottom of the car, and the 10.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, which supports peak loads, is located under the front seats. With a full tank, the Vivaro-e HYDROGEN can travel up to 400 kilometers (WLTP). Hydrogen refueling takes three minutes. The cargo space provides up to 6.1 cubic meters of cargo volume and 1,000 kg of payload as well as 1,000 kg of towing capacity. The model is available in two lengths, M and L (4,959 and 5,306 mm) and has already begun emission-free work in early customer fleets, such as home appliance manufacturer Miele.
