Opel announces the new Combo-e Life battery electric vehicle! Highly versatile and practical, with a huge amount of interior space, the all-electric leisure activity vehicle (LAV) from the German carmaker comes with either one or two sliding side doors and is available as a 4.4-metre-long standard or 4.75 m XL version, both with either five or seven seats. Depending on the driving profile and the prevailing conditions, the new Combo-e Life can drive up to 280 kilometres on a single charge of its 50 kWh lithium-ion battery (WLTP)1. Owners can “refill” the battery to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes at public charging stations.
Young families with multi-faceted lifestyles, who live in or near towns or cities, must transport several children and also want “green mobility”, will especially appreciate the Opel Combo-e Life. The new electric car from the brand with the Blitz even features a towing capacity of 750 kg2 – class-leading in this market segment – with the option of trailer stability control.
“The Combo-e Life is the multi-functional everyday hero in our electrified passenger car portfolio”, says Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller. “The new battery electric version of our successful leisure activity vehicle offers customers who need large seating capacities and lots of space the additional benefits of zero emissions and almost silent propulsion.”
Electric drive: Clean mobility for cross-country as well as downtown
Thanks to 100 kW (136 hp) and 260 Nm of torque from the electric propulsion system, the Combo-e Life is perfect also for the open road. Depending on the model variant, the leisure activity vehicle accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in only 11.2 seconds3, while the 130-km/h maximum speed (electronically limited) makes the LAV “autobahn-proof”. A sophisticated regenerative braking system with two user-selectable settings further increases efficiency.
The battery with 216 cells and 18 modules is packaged under the floor between the front and rear axles, so that it does not compromise usage of the passenger compartment. In this location, the battery lowers the centre of gravity as well, which benefits wind stability and cornering, for additional driving fun.
The Combo-e Life is ready for a variety of energy infrastructures and charging options, ranging from wall box to fast charging or even a cable for charging from a domestic plug socket if necessary. Using a 100 kW DC public charging station, charging of the 50 kWh battery to 80 per cent takes only around 30 minutes. Depending on the market and infrastructure, the Combo-e Life features a powerful three-phase 11 kW on-board charger or a single-phase 7.4 kW on-board charger as standard.
Best in class: Extensive list of ultra-modern driver assistance systems
Along with its petrol and diesel engine siblings that were crowned “Best Buy Car Europe 2019” by AUTOBEST, the zero-emission Combo-e Life also makes no compromises on safety, comfort or convenience.
The comprehensive portfolio of class-leading technologies and driver assistance systems extends from hill descent control, lane keep assist and driver drowsiness alert, to traffic sign recognition and forward collision alert with pedestrian protection and automatic emergency braking.
Particularly helpful for parking is the Panorama Rear View camera that increases vision to the rear and to the sides. Owners needing extra traction on mud, sand or snow can upgrade the Combo-e Life with the IntelliGrip electronic traction control system.
Opel offers the Combo-e Life in two lengths (4.40 m and 4.75 m as the XL model variant) with five or seven seats, which also makes it an attractive car for taxi firms. The shorter five-seater offers at least 597 litres of boot space (850 litres in the longer version).
The multifunctional everyday hero almost displays “freighter” qualities with the rear seats folded down. The luggage volume of the short version then more than triples to 2,126 litres, while the longer one can carry up to 2,693 litres. In addition, the optional front passenger dump-latch seat folds flush with the rear seats, extending the length of the loading area so that even surfboards can be transported.
Heavens above: Panorama roof with electric sunblind plus overhead storage
With the luggage safely stowed away, the optional panorama roof allows passengers to star-gaze or lap up the sun’s rays. If the sun is too strong, an electric sunblind – activated via a switch in the overhead console – can be closed to provide protection. When open, the panorama roof also improves the feeling of space even further while simultaneously creating a pleasant and light ambience.
When ordered with the panoramic roof, the Combo-e Life comes with overhead storage running down the centre of the vehicle with LED lighting as standard. In this configuration the newcomer is also fitted with a large 36‑litre storage box mounted above the hat tray in the boot.
Owners of both variants can choose between the standard second row bench with 60/40 split or three individual seats, which can be folded conveniently from the boot. In both cases, each seating position has its own Isofix child seat bracket as standard, allowing for three child seats to be fitted next to each other.
When everyone is sitting comfortably, they can enjoy the Combo-e Life’s infotainment. The Multimedia Radio and Multimedia Navi Pro systems come with a large 8.0-inch touchscreen and top connectivity. Both feature phone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
E-services: Charging the Combo-e Life throughout Europe is as easy as pie
In order to make living with the Combo-e Life as comfortable as possible, “OpelConnect”, the “myOpel” app and “Free2Move” offer special solutions for electric vehicles. The services are accessible via apps.
The “Charge My Car” function from the “Free2Move” app enables access to more than 220,000 charging points throughout Europe, including payment. The “Free2Move” app makes a preselection based on the distance to the charging point, the charging speed and the current charging price of the possible public charging options.
The “OpelConnect” portfolio ranges from eCall and breakdown calls to numerous other services, such as vehicle status and information. LIVE Navigation4 provides online traffic information in real time.
The new Combo-e Life will show up at dealerships this autumn, joining the Corsa-e, Mokka-e, Grandland X plug-in hybrid and Zafira-e Life as the newest member of Opel’s electrified passenger car range. Including the next-generation Astra as well as the Vivaro‑e, Combo-e and Movano-e light commercial vehicles (LCV), the brand will have nine electrified models in its portfolio by the end of this year. Opel will offer an electrified version of every passenger car and LCV model by 2024.
[1] Range determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). The actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.
[2] Braked, 12 per cent gradient.
[3] Provisional data.
[4] LIVE Navigation services free of charge for 36 months after activation. Fee due thereafter.
