Opel Meriva EV

The German automaker Opel has joined forces with MeRegioMobil and developed three electric Opel Meriva EV cars.
The Opel Meriva EV is powered by an electric motor delivering 82 HP (60 kW) and 215 Nm of torque which is enough to make it reach a top speed of 130 Km/h and have a range of 64 Km.
The Opel Meriva EV can accelerate from 0 to 100 Km/h in 11 seconds and can ‘refuel’ its lithium-ion batteries at both 230 volt outlets as well as 400 volt three-phase AC.
At this point the Opel Meriva EV is just a platform for testing bi-directional charging technologies and at this point the automaker did not mention if it plans to produce it for the masses.  
GM press release :
Rüsselsheim.  Opel has joined forces with MeRegioMobil to
advance future mobility by developing three demonstration electric
Merivas. Funded by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology, the
research project has the goal of integrating electrical vehicles as
mobile energy storage units in the intelligent power grid (smart grid)
of tomorrow.
"These demonstration vehicles, along with others GM has announced in
other markets, will be used to study the practicality, user
friendliness, and acceptance of electric vehicles among consumers. With
our demonstration, we are making an important contribution to the
definition of European standards for energy infrastructure, electricity
saving technology and data communications," said Opel Vice President of
Engineering Rita Forst.
Testing of bi-directional charging technologies
Opel will use MeRegioMobil to study new intelligent charging
technologies that could be applied to models in the future. The electric
Meriva features electronic controls which permit high power electrical
refueling using both a 230-volt household current as well as 400 volt
three-phase AC. The system is designed so that it can fit into a smart
grid and the battery can recharge whenever electricity from renewable
sources such as wind or solar energy is available and economical.
Conversely, the demonstration will explore the capability of the car
to feed power back into the grid via the bi-directional charging system
when the car is not in use and the driver permits it. This demonstration
of two-way charging technology will test the practicality of
distributed energy storage in car batteries for home usage.
The electric Meriva has a 60kW / 82hp electric motor with torque
ouput of 215 Nm. Thanks to the battery’s total energy of 16 kilowatt
hours, a range of 64 km and a top speed of
130 km/h are possible. Opel’s engineers integrated the electric drive
without making concessions on luggage capacity or comfort. "The
electric Meriva may look like the production car, but is a pure
research-vehicle. We are testing charging at high currents in less than
one hour, as well as the communication protocols between the vehicle and
charging station,” Forst said.
Data exchange between power generators, vehicles, infrastructure and users
Under the leadership of the energy group EnBW, other members of the
consortium include: Opel, Daimler, Bosch, SAP, Stadtwerke Karlsruhe, the
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute
for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
KIT will use the first electric Meriva. Two more will soon enter
service at Stadtwerke Karlsruhe and EnBW. KIT and the Fraunhofer
Institute for Systems and Innovation Research have built a “Smart Home”
on the south campus of Karlsruhe University. The home’s 60-square meter
building area is equipped with the usual appliances including
refrigerator, oven, dishwasher and washing machine and gets its energy
from a photovoltaic cell as well as a micro combined heat and power
plant. A charging station connects the Meriva as a storage unit to this
local energy grid.
"MeRegioMobil is an outstanding E-Mobility project in which we are
able – together with our partners – to conduct real-time testing of an
intelligent, bi-directional charging management with electric vehicles
for the first time. The electric Opel Meriva is a real milestone for the
research project. In the future we will be able to store energy from
renewable sources in the battery of the electric vehicle and then, when
there is less wind supply we can retrieve it,” said Lars Walch of EnBW
Energy Baden-Wurttemberg AG, and project leader of MeRegioMobil.
“Now that we have the electric Meriva, we can start the active phase
of MeRegioMobil:  Thanks to such inter-disciplinary cooperation, we can
investigate the chances and challenges of connecting the electric
vehicle into the energy system of our Smart Home demonstration and
research laboratory with a real car,” said Prof. Hartmut Schmeck,
spokesman for MeRegioMobil at KIT: “The possibility of delivering power
from the vehicle to the network is unparalleled, no other electric
vehicle can do this. Using the potential of the stabilizing effect of
the vehicle battery for the power grid can only be developed through new
concepts of intelligent information and communication technology.”
Communications technology plays a key role in the MeRegioMobil
project. Depending on how the residents want to use the Meriva, they can
distribute the energy easily between home and vehicle by computer. This
ensures that the electric Meriva always has enough energy to meet
transportation needs and enables some buffering of green power from the
photovoltaic equipment.
The participating energy providers are currently building hundreds of
public charging stations in the project region of Baden-Württemberg.
There, the demonstration vehicles can be re-charged at a variety of
destinations using renewable energy. The goal of this infrastructure
usage is also to test a new data communication and billing system
similar to the system used for mobile-phones; in the future, users of
electric vehicles should be able to recharge at any energy provider.
Users then receive the one bill from their energy provider.
Opel and GM are committed to emissions-free mobility
"Our contribution to MeRegioMobil is embedded in GM’s global
corporate strategy of developing and demonstrating electric vehicles in
daily use," Forst said.
General Motors is committed to delivering a range of electrified
vehicle technologies, offering a portfolio of solutions that will allow
customers to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs.  Deep
experience and expertise in batteries, electric motors and power
controls will ensure GM provides the best possible choices when it comes
to vehicle electrification technologies.  
The Opel Ampera, with extended-range capability, is an
industry-leading solution for customers who seek battery electric
driving for most commutes and more than 500 km of total range.  GM also
is establishing battery electric vehicle demonstration fleets around the
world to better understand urban driving patterns, battery charging,
infrastructure and customer acceptance of electric vehicles in various
global markets. At the same time, GM is investing in start-up companies
with innovative ideas to accelerate next-generation electrification
technologies. 
"Electric mobility opens for Opel and the entire automotive industry
the door to greater independence from fossil fuels and can deliver
transportation with zero vehicle emissions." Forst said.
MeRegioMobil-Meriva – Technical Data
General:

Wheels:

Drive performance:

Size and weight

Battery system

Electrical drive