Electric Vehicles at Opel: A Long-standing Tradition of Locally Emissions-free Mobility

• Future-oriented: Almost six decades of research into electric drive
• Electric pioneers: Opel Kadett Stir-Lec I and the record-breaking Opel Elektro GT
• Electric trailblazer in 2011: Opel Ampera as first electric car for everyday use
• New generation of electric cars: Corsa-e kicks off Opel’s electric offensive in 2019
• All-electric everyday sports cars: Opel Mokka GSE and new Opel Corsa GSE
• September 9, 2026: Electric mobility is celebrated worldwide on annual World EV Day

Combined values for Opel Corsa GSE according to WLTP¹: Energy consumption 16.0-17.0 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A
Combined values for Opel Mokka GSE according to WLTP¹: energy consumption 18.5 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A
Combined values for Opel Grandland Electric AWD according to WLTP¹: energy consumption 18.1 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A

Rüsselsheim.  Emotional, highly dynamic and all-electric – the Opel Mokka GSE and Corsa GSE hot hatches are adding a new chapter to Opel’s electrification rollout. With an electric power output of 207 kW (281 hp) and 345 Newton metres of torque, they deliver pure driving pleasure. Just in time for the annual World EV Day, which celebrates the achievements of electric mobility worldwide on September 9, Opel opened the order books for the new high-performance Corsa GSE a few days ago. Together with the Grandland Electric AWD – an all-wheel drive electric vehicle offering 239 kW (325 hp) of system power – the new GSE models thus represent the current pinnacle of performance among Opel’s battery-electric models.

However, electric mobility is nothing new for Opel; in fact, it has a long tradition in Rüsselsheim. It is not just since 2024 – when Opel became the first German manufacturer to offer all its models also with an all-electric powertrain – that customers have been able to drive locally emissions-free. Opel has been doing research and development work in the field of electric drive systems for much longer – for almost six decades. This makes Opel one of the e-pioneers in the industry.

Opel pioneers of electric mobility: Kadett Stir-Lec I and Elektro GT

As early as 1968, the Kadett Stir-Lec I featured the principle of the ‘range extender’ that would later go into production with the Opel Ampera. The Stir-Lec study was powered by 14 lead-acid batteries and the electricity that kept the batteries constantly charged was generated by a rear-mounted Stirling combustion engine.

Only three years later, Georg von Opel, the grandson of the company founder Adam Opel, broke six electric vehicle world records at the wheel of a 188 km/h Opel Electro GT powered by two coupled electric motors producing 88 kW (120 hp). Energy was supplied by a 590-kilogramme nickel-cadmium battery pack.

Sustainable electric impulse: The Opel Impuls programme

Research took a step forward with the Opel Impuls programme from 1990-99. The Impuls I was a Kadett E-based vehicle powered by a 16 kW direct-current electric motor using nickel-cadmium battery cells with a liquid electrolyte. It had a range of around 80 kilometres, and a top speed of 100 km/h. Uncompromised usability was important – the boot capacity of the standard car was virtually unchanged.

This was followed by the Impuls II, based on an Astra estate. It used 32 lead-acid batteries to power two three-phase asynchronous motors giving a total of approximately 45 kW (61 hp). Between 1993 and 1999, Opel carried out its first large-scale electric vehicle test programme with the Impuls III. A fleet of 20 Impuls III cars was tested on the German island of Rügen and in the Aachen/Maastricht/Liege region. Five vehicles were fitted with nickel-cadmium batteries (45 kW/61 hp) and the other 15 used sodium/nickel-chloride high-energy batteries (42 kW/57 hp). All the vehicles were equipped with a three-phase asynchronous motor.

In 1995, Opel took electro-mobility into the commercial vehicle segment with the Combo Plus concept van, which featured sodium/nickel-chloride high-energy batteries operating in combination with a 45 kW (61 hp) three-phase asynchronous motor.

Range champions: Opel Ampera with range extender and Opel Ampera-e

At the 2007 IAA in Frankfurt, Opel presented the innovative Flextreme Concept, which featured the Voltec extended-range electric propulsion. The Flextreme GT/E Concept, presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, illustrated how this drive concept can also be integrated into a mid-size car.

The electric drive with range extender reached series production in 2011 in the Opel Ampera, the first electric car for four people fully suitable for everyday use and travel. The energy for distances between 40 and 80 kilometres (depending on driving conditions) was supplied by the 16 kWh lithium-ion battery, which fed the 111 kW (150 hp) electric motor. Whenever the battery charge level reached a defined minimum, the 63 kW (86 hp) petrol engine switched on automatically and drove a generator to power the electric motor. This type of continuous energy supply ensures carefree driving – without a charging station and with ranges of several hundred kilometres. The Ampera was ahead of its time and was awarded the European ‘Car of the Year 2012’ title.

The Opel Ampera-e followed in 2017. With a segment-leading pure electric range of 423 kilometres (WLTP), the Ampera-e debuted as a true range champion at the Paris Motor Show. Since the batteries were mounted extra flat in an underfloor design, it offered space for five passengers and a boot with the capacity of a full-size five-door compact class model (381 litres). The Ampera-e also demonstrated how electric mobility and driving pleasure could form a single unit, as the maximum torque of 360 Newton metres ensured impressive acceleration and mid-range performance. The output of the electric motor was 150 kW (204 hp). The compact car accelerated from zero to 50 km/h in 3.2 seconds and covered the intermediate sprint from 80 to 120 km/h when overtaking in just 4.5 seconds. It was a convincing concept: in autumn 2017, Opel was awarded the internationally renowned ’Golden Steering Wheel’ in the small and compact car class for the Ampera-e. And the AUTOBEST jury had already voted the Ampera-e ECOBEST 2016.

Opel Corsa-e, Mokka-e and Co: On the road to an all-electric brand

In 2019, the Corsa-e, Opel’s bestselling small car, became electric for the first time. The manufacturer thus opened a new chapter in the company’s history and made electric mobility affordable for everyone. The electric motor with 100 kW (136 hp) and maximum torque of 260 Newton metres ensures a powerful, quiet and locally emissions-free drive. The battery-electric range at launch is up to 337 kilometres according to WLTP².

Small, manoeuvrable and practical, the Corsa-e is suitable for a wide variety of everyday tasks – even for rallying. Opel turned the nimble little car into the Corsa Rally Electric, making it a pioneer once again. With the Corsa Rally Electric, Opel was not only the first manufacturer to develop a battery-electric rally car but – together with the ADAC – Opel also launched the world’s first electric one-make rally cup. In 2020, the Opel Corsa-e³ brought the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ to Rüsselsheim, in 2021 the Opel Mokka-e⁴.

The right vehicle for every need: Electrified from little to large

The Astra Electric, Astra Sports Tourer Electric, Frontera Electric and Grandland Electric consequently have been expanding the range of locally emissions-free vehicles, meaning that by 2024 Opel was the first German manufacturer to offer its entire model range – including the Combo, Vivaro and Movano light commercial vehicles – in all-electric variants as well.

With the Opel Rocks, the manufacturer is also breathing new life into the light motor vehicle segment: the innovative city electric vehicle for two allows young people aged 15⁵ and above to get around. And the Opel Grandland Electric AWD, with a system output of a whopping 239 kW (325 hp), is currently the top-of-the-range model in the Opel passenger car line-up. The SUV ‘made in Germany’ is the first all-electric ‘Blitz’ model with all-wheel drive and ensures maximum driving comfort thanks to four driving modes and its chassis featuring frequency selective damping technology, which adapts to the current situation, road conditions and driving style.

OMG! GSE: New all-electric everyday sports cars bring rally feeling to the road

Opel’s new everyday sports cars, in particular, are licensed to thrill. With 207 kW (281 hp), the Opel Mokka GSE is just as powerful as its Mokka GSE Rally counterpart. With immediate torque of 345 Newton meters, it accelerates just as uncompromisingly completing the dash from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds – and with a top speed of 200 km/h, the ‘Golden Steering Wheel 2025’ winner⁶ is the fastest all-electric production Opel so far. The sophisticated technology, which was also inspired by the rally car, and the stunning design also strengthen the exhilarating GSE experience.

The latest addition to the GSE family is the new Opel Corsa GSE, which has been available to order for a few days now. This hot hatch, in keeping with the finest tradition, offers just as much electric power as the Mokka GSE. At the same time, however, the Corsa GSE is even more dynamic. With an acceleration of just 5.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, the high-performance Corsa pushes its driver into the GSE performance seat more vehemently than any other current Opel production model. Opel is thus demonstrating once again that electric driving today is not only sensible and suitable for everyday use, but above all offers plenty of driving fun!

^[1] The values of a vehicle depend not only on the efficient use of fuel by the vehicle, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.
^[2] Range determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). The actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.
^[3] Opel Corsa-e: AUTO BILD and BILD am SONNTAG edition 45/2020, category “small cars”
^[4] AUTO BILD edition 45/2021 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 46/2021, category for “Best car under €25,000” incl. environmental bonus.
^[5] Applies to four-wheeled light motor vehicles with a rated continuous/utilised power not exceeding 6 kW, with no more than two seats and a maximum speed not exceeding 45 km/h.
^[6] AUTO BILD issue 47/2025 and BILD am SONNTAG issue 47/2025, category ‘Small Cars’.