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Opel Ampera
- Thread starter dpeilow
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- Electric Vehicles
Earlier today I had it confirmed by Vauxhall that the Ampera uses 10.4 kWh of its 16 kWh battery (like the Volt).
The revealed the EV. Another wacky racer...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/272206/vauxhall_reveals_electric_city_car.html
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/272206/vauxhall_reveals_electric_city_car.html
So I had a drive of the Ampera yesterday. You can't get a great impression from a short closed track, but it was a taster. There should be demo cars available for more complete test drives before they are on sale.
Pros
- I actually like the cabin. Some people might find it claustrophobic but I actually like the cosseting feel.
- Build quality of the pre-production car was very good.
- Power delivery in EV mode was excellent and very smooth.
- I threw it into a few corners and it feels far more composed than some reviews had led me to believe.
- DAB radio standard - at last!
- The 8 year / 100,000 mile battery warranty will cover you if the battery capacity drops below 80%.
Cons
- I felt it to be a bit sluggish when running on the ICE.
- I waited for the track to clear, stopped and then floored it. The ICE revved up to high rpm and felt very harsh. I've had this complaint with the same 1.4 unit in the Astra - it sounds like a tractor.
- Headroom in the rear is not great. The boot/trunk lid hinges in front of your head and with it shut I can't fit. I'm 6ft/185cm.
So in summary, I like it. I can live with the odd rare interruption from the ICE for the other benefits the car brings the rest of the time. Rear headroom won't be a problem from the driver's seat.
I also had a coffee and a 20 minute chat with Vauxhall's Environmental Strategy and Ampera manager Ian Allen and fed back some comments, chief of which was that I really want a smartphone app for the car (a la Onstar). I also suggested that a pure EV version might be of interest if a real world 100 miles was possible.
Pros
- I actually like the cabin. Some people might find it claustrophobic but I actually like the cosseting feel.
- Build quality of the pre-production car was very good.
- Power delivery in EV mode was excellent and very smooth.
- I threw it into a few corners and it feels far more composed than some reviews had led me to believe.
- DAB radio standard - at last!
- The 8 year / 100,000 mile battery warranty will cover you if the battery capacity drops below 80%.
Cons
- I felt it to be a bit sluggish when running on the ICE.
- I waited for the track to clear, stopped and then floored it. The ICE revved up to high rpm and felt very harsh. I've had this complaint with the same 1.4 unit in the Astra - it sounds like a tractor.
- Headroom in the rear is not great. The boot/trunk lid hinges in front of your head and with it shut I can't fit. I'm 6ft/185cm.
So in summary, I like it. I can live with the odd rare interruption from the ICE for the other benefits the car brings the rest of the time. Rear headroom won't be a problem from the driver's seat.
I also had a coffee and a 20 minute chat with Vauxhall's Environmental Strategy and Ampera manager Ian Allen and fed back some comments, chief of which was that I really want a smartphone app for the car (a la Onstar). I also suggested that a pure EV version might be of interest if a real world 100 miles was possible.
Yep.
I had assumed that under high power demand, the motor might be able to dip into the battery buffer for the full 150 bhp (the ICE immediately replenishing it on lift off). I now feel, from the hesitancy and perceptibly slower acceleration, that it is just taking power from the ICE. Maybe a Volt owner can confirm. I will also ask Vauxhall.
I had assumed that under high power demand, the motor might be able to dip into the battery buffer for the full 150 bhp (the ICE immediately replenishing it on lift off). I now feel, from the hesitancy and perceptibly slower acceleration, that it is just taking power from the ICE. Maybe a Volt owner can confirm. I will also ask Vauxhall.
I gather it is a little complicated just how much power comes from ICE vs battery at any given moment.
One, possibly related comment here:
GM: Volt reaches 2 million miles, 1.3 million of them gas-free - Page 8 - PriusChat Forums
2011 Chevrolet Volt Horsepower Graph Photo 43
Trying to use it as a 100% EV has some limitations.
One, possibly related comment here:
GM: Volt reaches 2 million miles, 1.3 million of them gas-free - Page 8 - PriusChat Forums
2011 Chevrolet Volt Horsepower Graph Photo 43
Trying to use it as a 100% EV has some limitations.
Hmm. Of course that graph can't show you any hesitancy from 0 mph, but I'm surprised that they track as closely as that.
Here's a video from The Charging Point with Mike Boxwell.
Here's a video from The Charging Point with Mike Boxwell.
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Remember how we went through that with the Volt?
GM Volt's 230 Miles Per Gallon: New Measure Needed? - TIME
But in the end we got this:
GM Volt's 230 Miles Per Gallon: New Measure Needed? - TIME
But in the end we got this:
Not necesarily ... although it simply depends on what EC692/2008 and EC715/2007 actually use for a driving cycle or projected use. Attached is an example after 4,067 miles, having used only a little over 15 gallons of gas, with most day-to-day trips just under 40 miles.
Some of this depends if you consider the EV miles (having taken power from an external electrical source) as "infinite MPG", or as some MPGe.
For instance, 235 miles with 200 on electricity (at "infinite MPG") and 35 on gas/petrol (at 35MPG) gives 235MPG (one gallon for 235 miles.)
But if you do 200 on electricity (at 100MPGe) and 35 on gas/petrol you get 78MPG (three equivalent gallons for 235 miles.)
For instance, 235 miles with 200 on electricity (at "infinite MPG") and 35 on gas/petrol (at 35MPG) gives 235MPG (one gallon for 235 miles.)
But if you do 200 on electricity (at 100MPGe) and 35 on gas/petrol you get 78MPG (three equivalent gallons for 235 miles.)
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The other posts appear to be missing the point I see you making concerning your comparison of 235 mpg to 279g CO2/km.
The problem is that the quote does not state 279g but rather 27g.
TEG makes (repeats?) a good point on the measurement philosophy ... which is what led to so much confusion in older discussions leading up to the EPA sticker. The MyVolt website uses the first of the two philosophies (much like GM's 230 claim and ad) wherein it considers only the gas used over the total miles driven. The display on the dash in the Volt is limited to showing "250+" for the lifetime efficiency.
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