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Opel Vivaro-e: Battery and Fuel Cell Compared at Noweda

Comparison in the tricky GDP pharma service: As the first pharmacy wholesaler, Noweda in Essen is testing a fuel cell and a battery-powered Opel Vivaro-e. And aims to gather insights on how the technologies differ in practice.

Twice electric, but different: Noweda tests an e-van and a fuel cell van in comparison. Handover with Andreas Kunkat, Head of Fleet Customers Stellantis Germany (left) and NOWEDA Board member Karl J. Paulweber. | Photo: Opel
Twice electric, but different: Noweda tests an e-van and a fuel cell van in comparison. Handover with Andreas Kunkat, Head of Fleet Customers Stellantis Germany (left) and NOWEDA Board member Karl J. Paulweber. | Photo: Opel
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von Johannes Reichel

To gather experiences with locally emission-free transporters in daily operations, NOWEDA, a cooperative of pharmacists, has put two electric transporters from Opel into service, one battery-powered and one fuel cell-powered Vivaro-e. The handover was conducted by Andreas Kunkat, Head of Major Customers at Stellantis Germany, at the headquarters of the pharmaceutical services in Essen. The electric and the hydrogen fuel cell transporter are to demonstrate their suitability for daily use in the delivery of sensitive products and show that they meet the requirements of the so-called Good Distribution Practice (GDP).

"With the Opel Vivaro-e and the Vivaro-e Hydrogen, we offer two advanced solutions with which suppliers can travel locally emission-free and reliably to pharmacies without having to compromise on time and flexibility," explains Andreas Kunkat during the handover of the two vehicles to the NOWEDA board member Karl J. Paulweber.

Both concepts – battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell propulsion – play a decisive role in the further electrification of Opel and the commercial vehicle sector in general, Kunkat believes. NOWEDA is the first company in the pharmaceutical wholesale industry to use a hydrogen-powered and thus emission-free GDP vehicle in regular daily operations. In doing so, it assumes a real pioneering role, says board member Karl J. Paulweber.

Large battery versus small battery & hydrogen tank

The battery-electric Opel Vivaro-e, with its 75 kWh battery, provides enough energy for a range of up to 328 kilometers (with a 50-kWh battery up to 229 kilometers, according to WLTP1). It also offers – depending on the vehicle length – up to 5.3 or 6.1 cubic meters of cargo space; the payload is a maximum of 1,163 kilograms. The Vivaro-e HYDROGEN is based on the "International Van of the Year 2021" Vivaro-e and features a hydrogen fuel cell drive with a 10-kWh plug-in battery. This allows it to travel more than 400 kilometers when fully fueled (WLTP). The 45 kW fuel cell is said to provide enough power for longer journeys on the highway. Refueling with hydrogen is supposed to take only three minutes, as short as a stop for conventional diesel or gasoline. The entire drive technology is housed in such a way that the hydrogen transporter makes no compromises in terms of space compared to traditional combustion engines. Thus, both commercial vehicles guarantee sufficient capacities and short refueling or charging times.

Does the strict GDP transport also work?

The further challenge is that the transport of medicines must be carried out with a vehicle whose cargo space is air-conditioned in the range between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius according to the standard 2013/C 343/01 GDP to continuously ensure the quality of the medicines. Here, Opel and the conversion specialists CSA ClimaVan Solutions Automotive GmbH and Fahrzeugbau Dülmer GmbH have already modified the electric and hydrogen transporters to meet the specific requirements for pharmaceutical logistics.

Translated automatically from German.
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