The Opel Ampera-e EV
The Opel Ampera-e has been revealed in Germany as an all electric car using the same drivetrain as the US Chevrolet Bolt. It should mean a Vauxhall Ampera-e too.
Vauxhall and Opel gave up on the range-extender Ampera, but the Ampera name is back to adorn a new all electric car – the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera-e – scheduled to debut in the UK and Europe in 2017.
The Ampera-e is a conventional-looking five-door, five-seat family hatchback and is based on the US Chevrolet Bolt electric drivetrain.
That should mean an electric motor with 197bhp and 266lb/ft of torque, decent performance (around 7 seconds to 62mph) and a range of up to 200 miles.
The battery pack in the Ampera-e is under the floor, so there will be no compromise on cabin or boot space and, if the Bolt is anything to go by, the Ampera-e should come with a pretty decent spec including a 10.2″ touchscreen and plenty of connectivity.
Opel/Vauxhall aren’t saying how quickly you’ll be able to charge the Ampera, but the Bolt takes a couple of hours to get enough charge for 50 miles from a domestic socket, with plans for an optional fast charger that will deliver a 90 mile range in 30 minutes.
Just how much the Ampera-e will cost is still unknown, but the Bolt costs around £26k in the US, so expect a price somewhere between the Nissan LEAF (which starts at £26k) and the BMW i3 (from £31k), and less than the price of the original Vauxhall Ampera..
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