For barista’s: Opel brews a one-off version of the Mokka-e

It seems that Opel’s UK department, Vauxhall, doesn’t agree with John Cleese’s opinion that wordplay is the lowest form of humor. Because by presenting the Mokka Cofe-e, the brand has taken the name of its car model very literally.

Carmakers like to fool around once in a while. When some clever marketeer found out that 64% of its customers drank one cup of coffee a day, they decided to feast on this knowledge by mounting a full-fledged barista installation in the trunk of the Mokka.

The project went to great lengths, as a special activation button was added to kickstart the coffee machine – and your day? – and a special badge on the lid of a cup. And we thought Britain was all about tea…

Pods or, rather, the real stuff?

To prove us wrong, Vauxhall installed not one but two coffee machines in the back. One is for the less skilled, featuring pods to make a brew to taste, and the other one is a more professional barista unit.

Rather fancy a silky cappuccino? No problem. Vauxhall also added a refrigerator and a milk frother to ensure no coffee lover is left in the dark. A drawer packs all the necessary tools, like a knock box or scales, and desired pods. There’s even a choice of special blends curated for the occasion.

With this concept, the brand is trying to alleviate the burden of charging, which is still subject to criticism over a lack of amenities for food and beverages. Vauxhall’s Managing Director James Taylor provided more data on this: “Three-quarters of EV drivers plan their trips around their desire for coffee.”

However, entrepreneurial-minded people or Uber drivers who imagine an extra benefit from this caffeine option shouldn’t get their hopes up high. The Coffe-e is a one-off and won’t make it to showrooms.

Not from vehicle-to-load

Unfortunately, Vauxhall doesn’t mention where all the gear is powered from. While Asian brands like Hyundai and Mitsubishi feature vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality for 230-volt plugs in their EVs, the all-electric Mokka-e doesn’t offer this convenience in series production. And one question remains: why didn’t Vauxhall wait until the 1^st of October to launch this version, as everybody celebrates International Coffee Day on that date?