The comprehensive development programme of the Opel Corsa-e Rally for the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup is proceeding at full speed. Two examples of the battery-electric rally car are currently undergoing durability testing at the Dudenhofen Test Centre.
“We have two objectives,” said Opel Motorsport director, Jörg Schrott. “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.”
The engineers at Opel Motorsport will turn to the speed of the 100kW (136hp) electric rally car in the second phase of development.
“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,” said Schrott. “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. Now we need to find the most balanced chassis setup, so in January we will start simulating some real rally stages.”
As soon as development of the Corsa-e Rally has been completed, a reference car will be built that will also serve as the template for customer vehicles. Around 20 examples are expected to be built for the 2020/21 season, up to 15 will be delivered to customer teams in the summer – in time for the first test event in July.
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.