Opel Astra-e EV will come in either hatchback or Sports Tourer estate guise.
Stellantis-owned company Opel will launch an electrified version of the eighth-generation Astra. It will follow the introduction of the plug-in hybrid variant version, hitting the roads in 2023.
Opel/Vauxhall plans on having an electrified version edition of every model by 2024, with the range to be fully electric from 2028. The firm already has electric cars in the shape of the Corsa-e and the Mokka-e and they’ll be joined by the Astra-e as a hatchback and a Sports Tourer wagon.
Technical details on the Astra-e remain light. Stellantis has developed a new electric-specific STLA Medium platform, suitable for C and D-Segment vehicles.
The platform is the Stellantis branded version of the eVMP platform, which was being developed by PSA back when it was a standalone company. It is, in effect, a further development of the EMP2 platform that sits underneath the new Astra in petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid format.
It all means that despite being on a platform with a different name, there will be some mechanical similarities between the combustion engined and fully-electric versions of the Astra, and if the STLA Medium/eVMP system works in the same way as the e-CMP platform for smaller cars, it will run down the same production line as vehicles on EMP2 as well.
Battery packs between 60kWh and 100kWh in capacity were initially touted for the eVMP system when it was a pure PSA project. Since it has been incorporated into Stellantis as the STLA Medium, the group has promised that the platform will deliver EVs capable of almost 700km on a single charge, more or less tallying with the 100kWh maximum capacity previously confirmed by PSA.
We expect Astra-e’s battery pack will be the same as the upcoming Peugeot e-308 EV, given the 308 and Astra already share the same powertrains. This means a 54kWh battery and 115kW electric motor. Peugeot claims the e-308 will offer over 400km of range, so we expect a similar amount from the Astra-e.
If the Astra-e model follows the design convention set out by the Corsa-e and Mokka-e, there will be minimal difference in the way the Astra-e looks in comparison with its combustion engined siblings. A few key identifiers, such as a charging flap, distinct alloy wheels and paint options, may be the only real source of differentiation.
Alastair Crooks