UK carmaker Vauxhall has released official photos and specifications for an all-electric version of its popular Corsa hatchback, that will be known as the Corsa-e and go on sale later this year.
The new all-electric Corsa-e, presented in a snappy orange finish in the carmaker’s official pics, will come with a 50kWh battery to give a range of around 330km in sport mode (based on the WLTP standard), with 260Nm of torque.
With three modes in total (Sport, Normal and Eco), if driven on eco mode, Vauxhall says the range of the Corsa-e can be as much as 40% more – an impressive 460km range – while regenerative braking is available in two levels, further improving efficiency and range.
An 11kW on-board charging is included as standard with the Corsa-e, and as can be seen in the photos, a CCS2 DC charging socket.
As the electric version of the very popular Corsa (over 2 million of which have been sold in the UK and which, under the Opel badge, formed the base of Holden’s recently dropped Barina in the 1990s), the Corsa-e is being tipped as a winner for Vauxhall as it kicks off its plan to electrify every model in its range by 2024.
In addition to the Corsa-e, Vauxhall will also introduce a PHEV version of its Grandland X SUV later in 2019, to be followed by all-electric versions of the Mokka X SUV and Vivaro van in 2020.
The official announcement comes following a leak of photos of the Corsa-e with Opel badge yesterday, as it will be sold in Europe – both Vauxhall and Opel, previously owned by US-based car giant General Motors (under which Auistralia’s iconic brand Holden also falls), now being owned by French PSA group.
In addition to its eco-friendly drivetrain, the Corsa-e comes with driver assist features one would normally find in more premium vehicles, as well as automatic emergency braking, “drowsiness detection”, rear view camera and parking assist technology that allows the driver to only operate the accelerator, brake and “gear shifter” (as an electric car it does not have gears as such, so we’ll assume this refers to mode shifter).
Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included, as is live navigation, roadside assist and emergency call direct connections, and keyless locking.
Pricing is expected to be revealed closer to the Corsa-e’s launch date later this year.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.