Opel Ampera

2012 Opel Ampera

2012 Opel Ampera interior

Some say this is the Chevrolet Volt but it isn't. It's the Chevrolet Volt's European cousin, the Opel Ampera, Europe's first electric car with a range extender that can run on both gasoline and electricity. This car demonstrates GM's commitment in the electrification of the vehicle and the Voltec electric propulsion system is the game-changing technology in the motoring industry in today's standards.

Like its Chevrolet Volt cousin, the Opel Ampera comes with an electric drive unit and a 1.4L petrol engine combined, which makes it essential on your long journeys. If the Chevrolet Volt knows that "gasoline when you need it, electric when you want it", the Opel Ampera does the same thing. If the electric drive unit's battery is out of charge, the 1.4L petrol engine serves as a backup. The electric drive unit equipped on the Ampera generates 111kW of power and 370Nm of torque. Once you're driving on the Ampera's EV mode, it's really quiet and it doesn't shout, bellow, or roar. It just sort of humming like happy monks. Hmmmmmmmm....... Anyway, it can go 0-100kph in 9 seconds and top speed limited to 161 km/h. The EV range is accumulated to 60km in the MVEG cycle and the total range will cover over 500km, thanks to the lithium-ion battery, which is a first for a European car.

The Opel Ampera's available colors are Schneeweiß, Nachtschwarz, Cybergrau, Argonsilber, Powerblau, and Impulsrot.

My comment:
The Chevrolet Volt's European cousin changes the future of the European motoring industry thanks to the combination of an electric drive unit that generates 111kW if power and a 1.4L petrol engine that produces less power than the electric drive unit but it's served for emergency purposes. I wouldn't believe that the pricing of the Opel Ampera is about four times as expensive as the most affordable Opel Europeans can by, which is the Opel Agila but doesn't matter. Despite the heavy pricing, this is the only car you would rely on because it runs on both electricity and petrol.

Photo: Adam Opel AG