Vauxhall Ampera Confirmed for UK in 2012

Vauxhall Ampera

Plug-in Hybrid will get RHD

By Christopher Jackson
March 4, 2009 11:30 PM
Filed Under: European, Geneva Motor Show, Hybrid, Vauxhall

GM's Voltec plug-in hybrid technology continued its world tour in Geneva, where it was announced this week that the right-hand drive Vauxhall Ampera will be on sale in 2012 for the UK market. The Voltec plug-in hybrid system is already slated to power the Chevrolet Volt in the U.S., the Opel Ampera in Europe, and a Holden-badged Ampera in Australia.

GM says that the Ampera, a five-door four-seater, reveals "Vauxhall's new design language," which is shared with other GM brands like Opel and the outgoing Saturn. Badge-engineered or not, the distinctive boomerang-shaped front end styling brings hints of show vehicles like the Opel Flextreme and GTC Concept to the street, and is arguably better looking than the much more conservative Chevy Volt.

Unlike most current hybrids, the Voltec hybrid system that powers the Ampera uses electricity to drive the wheels full-time. A 16 kW/h lithium ion battery provides power, and the gasoline engine serves only as an on-board generator. This arrangement allows the Ampera to cruise completely gasoline-free for up to 40 miles at all speeds. With the engine on hand to charge the batteries, an extended range of over 300 miles is expected. When it's not on the road, the Ampera can be charged using any standard 240-volt electric outlet. GM is currently working with a number of European energy companies to determine the effect plug-in hybrids will have on the infrastructure.

Source: Vauxhall

Press Release (Click to expand)

VAUXHALL AMPERA CONFIRMED FOR UK MARKET

Electric car with 300-mile extended range
Will be marketed as part of the Vauxhall range
UK sales start in 2012, in right-hand-drive

The revolutionary Ampera today celebrated its world premiere at the 79th Geneva Motor Show. General Motors Europe president, Carl-Peter Forster, announced that a right-hand drive Vauxhall Ampera would go into production in 2012.

"The Ampera further demonstrates GM's leadership in the electrification of the automobile," said Carl-Peter Forster. "Its ground-breaking Voltec electric propulsion system is the kind of game-changing technology the automotive industry needs to respond to energy and environmental challenges."

The five-door, four-seat Ampera features Vauxhall's new design language, first introduced on the 2009 European Car of The Year award-winning Insignia, incorporating several styling cues from the innovative Flextreme and GTC Concept show cars.

The Ampera's wheels are turned electrically at all times and speeds. For journeys up to around 40-miles, it runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery, and emits zero CO2. When the battery's energy is depleted, electricity from the on-board engine-generator extends the Ampera's range to more than 300 miles.

The Ampera can be plugged into any household 240v outlet for charging. GM Europe is analysing the requirements of a recharging infrastructure for plug-in electric cars with energy companies, including Iberdrola of Spain, parent company to Scottish Power.