Much to the chagrin of the folks at the General, it would appear shots of the not-even-embargoed Opel E-Flex platformed concept car have made it out onto the internet well before the Frankfurt Auto Show. Ah, you've got to love the internet. Or not. Either way, courtesy of the English kids at CarScoop, here's the hot load of diesel-powered Opel concept hotness, and below the jump we've got what they're telling us about this leaked concept car:
Chevrolet's electric powered Volt Concept has just discovered its European alter ego in the form of Opel's, Frankfurt Show E-Flex Concept. The two concepts share the same basic architecture underneath their differently styled bodies. The only variation is that, whereas the Volt was equipped with a turbocharged, 1.0lt, three-cylinder gasoline engine, the E-Flex takes advantage of Opel's 1.3lt turbo diesel engine. However, the basic principles remain the same as both models are powered by a front-mounted electric motor that runs on electric power until the Lithium-ion batteries are drained out.
Once that batteries are dead, the diesel engine kicks in to "feed" the onboard generator producing electricity while the car is operating. The electricity is then stored in the batteries. As with the Volt, the E-Flex's Lithium-ion batteries can be recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet. We'll have more on the E-Flex as soon as Opel releases all the details.
[via CarScoop]