The Ampera is not a hybrid – in fact it works in the opposite way to a hybrid. The Ampera has an official range of around 300 miles on its petrol generator. When that range has been reached and the battery is depleted you can either recharge the battery, or carry on driving and the car will switch to its petrol generator, which will provide power to the electric motor, which will in turn power the wheels. That will give you an electric, zero-tailpipe emission range of around 25-50 miles. You plug the car into the mains to recharge its battery, for up to six hours. That vehicle was the Chevrolet Volt, or the Vauxhall Ampera – anĮxtended-Range Electric Vehicle means that the Ampera is an electric vehicle at all times, with an on-board petrol engine that acts as a generator to provide power to the electric motor if the battery becomes depleted. GM ended up disappearing into a financial black hole, and if it was to rise from the ashes successfully it had to produce a vehicle that was a leap ahead in terms of environmental impact. These vehicles were generally not particularly fuel-efficient, whereas the Japanese, and increasingly the Europeans, were manufacturing cars that were making real progress in all areas, including with the lowering of emissions. Home | Green car news | Car reviews and road tests | Car Reviews and Road Tests |Living with a Vauxhall Ampera Extended-Range Electric Vehicleįor many years General Motors was producing cars that it thought the American motorist wanted. Electric Cars on Sale in the UK in 2022.

Opel ampera battery