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When is a Citroen Ami not a Citroen Ami? When it’s an Opel Rocks-e. Somewhat daftly described as the world’s first SUM (Sustainable Urban Mobility), the entry-level machine is aimed squarely at young drivers looking for something more practical than a scooter but without the expense of a traditional car.
Pitched below the Corsa-e in Opel’s all-electric range, the Rocks-e has, unsurprisingly, identical specifications to its Citroen stablemate. It is 2.41 metres long, 1.39 m wide and tis the scales at 471kg (incl. traction battery). This means it is officially classified as an L7e vehicle, or heavy quadricycle in the UK.
The Rocks-e is powered by a 5.5kWh battery and offers 47 miles of range and a top speed of just 28mph. According to Opel, this makes it ideal for everyday city traffic – not only for young drivers, but also for those who want to commute emissions-free and don't want to spend a long time looking for a parking space at their destination.
The 5.5 kWh battery of the Opel Rocks-e can be fully recharged in around 3.5 hours via any standard household socket. The accompanying three-metre-long charging cable is permanently housed in the Rocks-e’s bodywork and can be pulled out of the passenger door when needed. Opel offers an adapter for charging at a public charging station.
In terms of design, the Rocks-e features the new Opel Vizor brand face, including LED headlights and indicators. Like the Ami, the doors on both sides are identical which helps keeps production costs down.
Inside, the two seats are offset to each other so that the front passenger has a decent amount of legroom and the driver can move their seat lengthwise. The Rocks-e has a luggage volume of up to 63 litres in the passenger footwell, plus a hook for a large shopping bag.
The dashboard display shows speed, driving mode (Drive, Neutral, Reverse), battery state of charge, remaining range and mileage at a glance. Other details include the smartphone holder located on the centre console.
In terms of range, the Rocks-e will be available in three trim levels: Opel Rocks-e, Opel Rocks-e “Klub” and Opel Rocks-e “TeKno”.
Set to be launched in Germany later this year, Vauxhall has confirmed that it has no plans to bring the Rocks-e to the UK.
