Opel to electrify rally racing next year. The development program “is proceeding at full speed.”
As promised, Opel developed an all-electric rally car, the Opel Corsa-e Rally (based on the production Opel Corsa-e/Vauxhall Corsa-e), which will be used in all-new ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup.
The first two development vehicles currently are undergoing durability testing at Dudenhofen Test Centre in Germany, as Opel would like to be ready within a few months.
After the development program is completed, Opel will build a reference car and start working on 20 units for the 2020/21 season starting on December 15, 2020 (15 to be available for customer teams in summer 2020 for “significantly” less than €50,000 (£46,000) (net)).
According to the press release, there will be three driving modes
“The Corsa-e Rally has the same battery as the production car. The 50kWh energy storage capacity enables a range of 337km according to WLTP. In order to optimise the range for rallying, the battery offers three modes: in “competition mode”, full power and maximum torque are available. Electric cars have especially high torque, so the “rain mode” gives a torque curve adapted to slippery surfaces. Teams will use the energy-saving “eco mode” between stages and for driving to service.”
Opel Corsa e-Rally Cup (2019)
Opel Motorsport Director, Jörg Schrott said:
“We have two objectives. Both cars are covering as many kilometres as possible, in order to gather the maximum amount of data at an early stage. There is no experience of an electric rally car that we could turn to, so initially we had to rely on calculations and simulations. These are being gradually replaced with real data. Other focuses are on loads and temperature management of the battery under rally conditions, as well as adapting the software. I am pleased to report that our programme is going smoothly.”
“With a brand cup car, it is important that the performance remains constant and accessible under all conditions. The equipment should guarantee equal opportunity for all participants. We also decided that the Corsa-e Rally should match and exceed the high standards of its petrol-engine predecessor, the Opel ADAM Cup. We are on the right road here too. While the power output is almost the same, the 260Nm of torque is much higher than the ADAM Cup’s. The centre of gravity is low, thanks to the underfloor-mounted battery, and the weight distribution is also very good, which is extremely important for an agile competition car. Now we need to find the most balanced chassis setup, so in January we will start simulating some real rally stages.”
Gallery: Opel Corsa e-Rally Cup (2019)
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