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VM-Tour-Check Opel Zafira-e Life: Mile with ease
Tip from the product expert at the Opel plant: Set the cruise control to 95 km/h, and you'll go a long way! And so, on the return journey of our practical test with the brand-new, all-electric Opel Zafira-e Life, we put this to the test. It also turns into a test of patience, as the elevated truck speed is not for the impatient. You blend into the endless line of trucks in the right lane, even during the pandemic, and discover the virtue of slowness, knowing that otherwise, you won't make it back to Munich from Rüsselsheim with a "one-stop strategy." Let the others speed by. Incidentally, the chosen return route on the A3/A9 is currently ideal for this, as it is riddled with construction zones. And you'll see the speedsters stuck in the construction zones anyway. Traffic reversed! Many drivers still seem to "not have gotten the message"...
Anyhow: In this plodding pace, we actually achieved a range of 300 kilometers, which the factory states as the maximum and mostly for urban driving or such steady runs (330 km WLTP), and we managed to push down the onboard computer consumption towards the 20 kWh mark, which would be a respectable figure for a 2.6-tonne electric vehicle in van format and a value that would do credit to some electric SUVs like the Audi e-tron or Mercedes GLC.
More efficient than diesel – but unfortunately more expensive on tour
And to broaden the perspective even further: We piloted the Zafira Life with a 1.5-liter diesel engine across the country during Easter 2020 with a very frugal 6.8 liters/100 km for a diesel. Okay, the cruise control was set to a relaxed 120 km/h, and the diesel van could have covered 1,000 kilometers in one go, provided the driver could handle it. But looking purely at energy consumption, the nearly 7 liters/100 km would have meant at least 80 kWh/100 km including fuel production, more than double that with corresponding implications for CO2 emissions. At least at the EnBW chargers and the Stadtwerke München columns, as well as the free fill-up at the Opel plant, we were served with green electricity, only an old E.On Drive column in Nürnberg-Feucht let us down "ecologically." Still, formally largely emission-free.
Electric driving comes at a high cost
Unfortunately, as it stands in 2021, the cost aspect remains a sad affair. We had to shell out 90 euros at the charging stations—twice at HPC EnBW (49 ct/kWh; 100 kW), once at DC E.On (60 ct/kWh, 50 kW), and twice at AC SWM (38 ct/kWh, 11-22 kW)—to cover the 836-kilometer journey. And this is despite Opel providing us with a complete 50 kWh charge at their Rüsselsheim plant! Assuming a diesel price of 1.30 euros per liter and a consumption of 7 liters/100 km, you would have paid around 70 euros for the 800-kilometer trip, making it significantly cheaper. This can't be all there is—and it shouldn't remain that way. As we note once again, the cost of electric driving remains too high and needs to be brought down to the level of household electricity.
Speed sensitive: Hardly 200 km with 120 km/h
Back to our Zafira experiment: On the way over the A8 and A6, consumption according to the onboard computer was still 25 to 27 kWh/100 km, sometimes over 30 kWh/100 km if maintaining 120 km/h for longer periods. Even though we were not speeding at 110 to 120 km/h, we could barely achieve a range of 200 kilometers. The inherently not very efficient PSA electric single drivetrain with 100 kW drew this range from the 75 kWh lithium-ion batteries, of which 68 kWh are usable. The Zafira-e (and its identical siblings from PSA) is highly sensitive to speed. The "tipping point," where consumption spikes, seems to lie at the critical 100 km/h mark.
Ample space: Ideal mobile office for charging breaks
In summary, after three DC charging stops en route and two overnight charges at the start and end, the overall efficiency was 27.2 kWh/100 km, including charging losses. Considering the performance, this is acceptable. After all, the electric bus accelerates briskly, rides very quietly and comfortably, and can transport eight people and luggage. You can also opt to move the 3-seater bench or individual seats, easily remove them with a lever, and load bicycles or cargo.
In addition to decent build quality and a respectable material selection for a "utility vehicle," there are features like the panoramic glass roof and a sound system that may not boast big names but provides good and balanced sound quality. The individual seats in the rear are also very comfortable, making the Zafira-e a mobile office where charging breaks are not wasted time. However, such a journey requires a different mindset—no longer just the fastest connection between point A and point B. Instead, let’s borrow a successful and catchy slogan from Rüsselsheim: "Take your time while traveling."
Translated automatically from German.
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Elektromobilität , Newsletter Elektromobilität , IAA Mobility , SUVs und Geländewagen , Hybrid , Antriebsarten, Kraftstoffe und Emissionen , Oberklasse- und Sportwagen , Carsharing , Autonomes Fahren (Straßenverkehr) , Ladeinfrastruktur , Verkehrspolitik , Formel E , Brennstoffzellen , Fahrzeug-Vernetzung und -Kommunikation , Fahrzeuge & Fuhrpark , Automotive-Messen & Veranstaltungen , Pkw, Kompakt- und Mittelklasse , Minis und Kleinwagen , E-Auto-Datenbank, E-Mobilität-/Automotive-Newsletter, E-Auto-Tests
