As reported by Vauxhall
Luton - Opel/Vauxhall Ceo Reilly drives Ampera to from Rüsselsheim to the Geneva Motor Show. On the last leg of the over 500-kilometre journey, Nick Reilly took over the wheel to personally experience the quality and reliability of Opel/Vauxhall's extended-range electric vehicle.
Before starting off, the 16 kWh lithium-ion battery was charged at the newly installed recharging station at Opel/Vauxhall's European headquarters. Gherardo Corsini, Director Electric Vehicle Implementation, headed to Switzerland initially using pure battery-electric power. After around 60 kilometres, near Heidelberg, the gasoline-powered generator started up to seamlessly supply the Ampera's electric motor with electricity. In Geneva, the battery was plugged into a conventional socket and re-charged.
"As 80 percent of drivers normally travel less than 60 kilometres per day, it is the exception rather than the rule that they experience the combustion engine in operation. Of course we want to be certain that the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera also runs smoothly during long-distance operation," said Reilly upon his arrival at the Geneva Palexpo grounds. "The positive results of our first long-distance drive with the Ampera demonstrate that we are on schedule for the start of series production at the end of next year. One year ago we presented the production design, and today we can already show the first prototype of the series production Ampera."
The drive to Geneva was fun and exhilarating. The extremely quiet 111 kW/150 hp electric motor delivers 370 Newton metres torque from a standstill. It accelerates the Ampera from zero to 100 km/h in around nine seconds and enables a maximum speed of 161 km/h.
photo:Vauxhall
Luton - Opel/Vauxhall Ceo Reilly drives Ampera to from Rüsselsheim to the Geneva Motor Show. On the last leg of the over 500-kilometre journey, Nick Reilly took over the wheel to personally experience the quality and reliability of Opel/Vauxhall's extended-range electric vehicle.
Before starting off, the 16 kWh lithium-ion battery was charged at the newly installed recharging station at Opel/Vauxhall's European headquarters. Gherardo Corsini, Director Electric Vehicle Implementation, headed to Switzerland initially using pure battery-electric power. After around 60 kilometres, near Heidelberg, the gasoline-powered generator started up to seamlessly supply the Ampera's electric motor with electricity. In Geneva, the battery was plugged into a conventional socket and re-charged.
"As 80 percent of drivers normally travel less than 60 kilometres per day, it is the exception rather than the rule that they experience the combustion engine in operation. Of course we want to be certain that the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera also runs smoothly during long-distance operation," said Reilly upon his arrival at the Geneva Palexpo grounds. "The positive results of our first long-distance drive with the Ampera demonstrate that we are on schedule for the start of series production at the end of next year. One year ago we presented the production design, and today we can already show the first prototype of the series production Ampera."
The drive to Geneva was fun and exhilarating. The extremely quiet 111 kW/150 hp electric motor delivers 370 Newton metres torque from a standstill. It accelerates the Ampera from zero to 100 km/h in around nine seconds and enables a maximum speed of 161 km/h.
photo:Vauxhall