GM declares Ampera e-car 'production ready'
But still not out until 2012
General Motors will show off what it calls the "production ready" Vauxhall Ampera at the Geneva Motor Show this week - even though the e-car won't actually go on sale here for another ten months.
GM will price the Ampera at a whopping £33,995, though Brits will get £5000 of that paid by the government. And buyers won't have to pay any road tax, either.
Still, that's a lot to lay down for a car that emits no carbon dioxide while it's running on battery power, though it does burn petrol if you drive so far that the range-extending generator kicks in.
That takes the between fuel stops distance to "over 350 miles", GM claimed.
The Ampera delivers 148 horsepower and 370Nm of torque. It can do 0-60mph in nine seconds and can attain a top speed of 100mph.
Reg Hardware will be reviewing the Ampera in due course. For now, here are our thoughts based on a preview drive. ®
COMMENTS
Mix 'n match
"The Ampera delivers 148 horsepower and 370Nm of torque."
Why not 112 KW and 273 foot pounds of torque?
Tarmac
Meh! Who needs tarmac? :)
Seriously, though, that's not quite the same thing. There's a world of difference between paying a basic level of tax to fund infrastructure that we could never realistically manage individually, and subsiding individual purchases as a way to influence behaviour.
Of course it used to be simpler, in the days where anyone owning a car paid a Road Fund licence, which paid for the roads. Once it became clear that total income from road users was 10x the money actually spend on the roads that model became untenable, though...
Same
Isn't the Ampera the European version of the Chevy Volt? If so, is it that different then the Volt? If not, why is it presented like some sort of a new car, when the Volt is already in production?
Also, regarding Ampera's range between visits to the petrol station, my lowly Citroen Xsara Picasso Diesel does between 600 and 800 miles to the tank. I am all for new technology, but please don't promote it based on its weak points - it's rather, well, pointless.
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