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General Motors will show its Opel-badged E-flex vehicle, called the Flextreme, this week at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Although the Opel-version shares the same platform as the Chevrolet Volt, it will have its own distinct body style. The Volt’s gas/E85 range extender will also be replaced by a diesel, possibly a 1.3 liter unit.
The Opel Flextreme will also boast a charge time of just 3 hours, half of the advertised 6 hours it takes to charge the Volt’s batteries. The reduction in charge time is thanks to the the fact that Europe has 220V as standard for electrical outlets while the U.S. is 110V.
According to GM product planning director Benoit Schlumberger, one of the keys to getting E-flex volumes up will be the Chinese market. GM also sees the largest potential for hydrogen fuel-cell versions of the E-flex in the Chinese market.
The news that GM will take its E-flex to China makes sense as we just reported last month that GM wants to sell 60,000 Volts in its first year. The increase in volume would also allow GM to keep E-flex prices down, helping to achieve the $30,000 price target.
