While there are plenty of folk who like their EV to stand out from the rest, there must be just as many who value the convenience of electric motoring in something more unassuming. The new Vauxhall Astra Electric looks like the car for them.
Because, well, to all intents and purposes it’s just an Astra. The same smartly turned-out hatch and Sports Tourer as the rest of the range, the same boot space as a plug-in hybrid version, just a small ‘e’ on the boot and green on the numberplate to mark it out. The interior is just the interior, too, without token gestures to whatever this week’s industry buzzword is. It’s an Astra, only a battery powered one. An Astra estate, too - there aren’t many electric wagons around. More than 1,550 litres of boot space and electric running might appeal.
The Electric is powered by a 54kWh battery and 156hp/199lb ft motor; there aren’t acceleration stats (so maybe they aren’t so great), but the top speed has been confirmed as 105mph. The WLTP range is 258 miles (an MG 4 is between 218 and 281 miles, for reference), and the Astra can charge at up to 100kW, meaning a best-case scenario of 80 per cent charge in half an hour. At home charging via a wallbox can be handled by a three-phase 11kW AC onboard charger.
And that’s kind of it, really. No crazy colour schemes, wild claims or far-fetched ambition for this new EV. It’s an electric Vauxhall Astra. That said, it does mark another step on Vauxhall’s path to an all-electric line up; it aims to be an electric only manufacturer by 2028, and this Astra is its sixth EV passenger car. Vauxhall’s MD James Taylor (not that one) said of the new car: “The Astra going electric is a big milestone for both our popular family car as well as for the Vauxhall brand… Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric will offer everyday practicality, comfort and locally emission-free driving pleasure combined with the innovative technology and bold and pure design language that Vauxhall is known for.” Orders will open early in the new year, with deliveries due from June 2023.
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