The 2020 is the year of electric cars for all, with a more affordable price than in the past but without sacrificing the typical comforts of the category. A revolution is taking place, which is why several car manufacturers have begun to invest heavily in new propulsion technology. If on the one hand the engine represents the pivot of electric cars, on the other hand the charging technology is of fundamental importance. And we’re not just talking about efficiency, range and speed, but also about the real possibility of taking a trip with the new electric cars.

And that is why Groupe PSA intends to reassure all those who want to buy an electric car but they are worried about the “new”. One of the most interesting electric cars of the Group is the Opel Corsa-e (which we have discussed extensively here): it is a car for everyone, comfortable on the road as well as on the narrowest urban streets, which is sold with a series of customized charging solutions ranging from various cables to connect to traditional sockets and charging stations with a wide choice of wallboxes.

Opel’s electric car can offer several on-board chargers : in Italy starting from the model Edition comes standard equipped with the 7.2kW single-phase on-board charger . By purchasing the equipment instead First Edition , Opel’s electric car is equipped with the three-phase on-board charger from 11 kW . The standard equipment present on any set-up allows the fast charging stations to be used up to 100 kW. The Opel Corsa-e is also prepared for all charging options, starting from household sockets and wallboxes, up to high-speed charging.

Corsa-e, cables – standard and non-standard – for charging

Each option has pros and cons: for example the “mode 2 cable” standard is convenient and is designed for home charging, offering the possibility of recharge the ‘car with the normal 1.8kW home socket . The cable is offered in each country with the plug suitable for the local energy infrastructure, but this is the slowest charging solution. Those who buy the Corsa-e can also choose other chargers to their liking, among those in the range of compatible Opel accessories.

If the Mode 2 cable is convenient for home charging, when you are traveling it is useful to have more specific cables. They are the “mode 3 cables” , which fit in optimal way to on-board chargers: six meters long, these cables allow access to public charging points even if it is not possible to park near the columns. With the way 3 cables it is possible to charge the car quickly through the wallboxes or public chargers from 11 kW: in 90 minutes you get about 100 km of autonomy, while a full recharge takes 5 hours and 15 about minutes.

The same cables can also be used with DC charging stations, which are often found along motorways. They reach powers up to 100 kW, and allow to extend the ?? autonomy of 100 Km in only 10 minutes or reach the 80% office less than 30 minutes.

To relieve stress from battery consumption, the Opel Corsa-e integrates a specific menu displayed on the screen of the infotainment system that allows you to monitor the state of battery charge, energy consumption and range by pressing a button.

• Click here to find out more about the Opel Corsa-e

No stress while traveling with Opel services

As we have already said long journeys are possible without too many compromises with electrically driven cars , but require different planning than is required with internal combustion vehicles. On the Corsa-e Opel offers various technologies available to the user that allow him to manage the journey even before leaving. Here are the main ones.

Through infotainment systems Multimedia Navi and Navi Pro , together with Free2Move , Opel offers dedicated solutions for electric vehicles that can also be easily used with a smartphone. For example, with the myOpel app you can check autonomy and charge status and you can program the start time of the charge with the home wallbox. Using “smart charging”, you can start charging immediately or set it for later when electricity is cheaper.

Through the app, moreover, is The air conditioning or heating of the car can also be set remotely. Free2Move , on the other hand, makes available on request the “Charge My Car” pass, which allows you to access more 110 thousand charging points in Europe through the app. The service also makes a preliminary selection based on the distance from the charging point, the speed and the price of the recharge of the possible public options in the route, offering a trip planner that calculates the optimal route in order to avoid any inconvenience while driving.

If the route is sent from the app to the navigator, the navigator connected to the network drives the car directly to the station selected charging station and always shows the best route on the touch screen through Navi Pro. The system allows you to avoid unnecessary stops or waste of time in the search of an available charging station, also offering a forecast of the duration of the trip or the time left to reach the destination even before leaving.