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Updated - 21nd January 2010
The New Meriva - Please click here for more information and pictures
The All New Astra - Click here for more information
Vauxhall Ampera gets power and refinement from ‘Voltec’ propulsion system
- Extended-range of more than 300-miles relieves ‘range anxiety’
- Instantaneous torque – exciting power delivery
Geneva: The revolutionary Vauxhall Ampera will be the first electrically driven automobile with zero-emission capability in Europe that suitable providing lively acceleration with high levels of refinement, the five-door Ampera seats four passengers in comfort, offers a useful boot for their luggage, and features an extended range of more than 300-miles.
“Driving electrically is not only about ecology” said Frank Weber, GM global vehicle line executive and chief engineer. “Driving electrically is also great fun. Instantaneous torque of 370 Newton metres under your right foot feels like a sports car, but in almost complete silence.”
Electricity drives the Ampera’s wheels at all times and speeds. For trips up to around 40-miles, power is supplied by the electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery.
While driving on electricity delivered by the battery, the Ampera emits zero CO2. When the battery’s energy in depleted, a petrol or E85-fuelled engine-generator seamlessly provides electricity to power the electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery. This mode of operation extends the range for several hundred additional miles, until the battery can be charged via a standard household 240v outlet.
Unlike a conventional battery-electric vehicle, the Ampera eliminates “range anxiety” giving the confidence and peace of mind that the driver will not be stranded by a depleted battery.
“Advanced lithium-ion battery technology is the key to getting Vauxhall Ampera into the hands of consumers”, said Hans Demant, GME vice president of engineering. “The engineers at our research and development centre in Mainz-Kastel, Germany, are testing the battery round the clock, 365 days a year, to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of our customers.”
The Ampera’s battery pack will be manufactured by GM at the first lithium-ion production facility to be operated by a major automaker in the US. More than 220 lithium-ion cells in the T-shaped pack provide ample power. The nearly silent electric drive unit delivers 370 Nm of instant torque, the equivalent of 15bhp, zero to 60mph acceleration in around nine seconds, and a top speed of 100mph.
The Ampera will be well-suited to the daily driving schedule of most customers. For example, research by GM in Europe showed that approximately 80 percent of drivers travel less than 30-miles daily. Based on current fuel prices, Vauxhall predicts that the Ampera will cost roughly one-fifth of the current cost per mile of an equivalent petrol engine car.
Preliminary technical specifications for the Vauxhall Ampera
General
Vehicle type |
5-door, front wheel drive |
Category |
Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) |
EREV competitors |
None |
Chassis |
Idependant McPherson struts front, compound crank twist axle rear, four-wheel disc brakes, full regenerative brakes to maximise energy capture, electric power-asisst steering |
Seating capacity |
Four |
Performance
Top speed (mph) |
100 |
EV range (miles) |
40 |
Dimensions
Wheelbase (in / mm) |
105.7 / 2685 |
Length (in / mm) |
177 / 4404 |
Width (in / mm) |
70.8 / 1798 |
Height (in / mm) |
56.3 / 1430 |
Cargo volume (cu ft / L) |
10.6 / 301 |
Battery system
Type |
Lithium-ion |
Energy (kWh) |
16 |
Electric drive unit
Power (kW / hp) |
111 / 150 |
Torque (lb-ft / Nm) |
273 / 370 |
Exterior
Tyre and wheel size |
Specially developed low rolling-resistance tyres on 17-inch forged aluminium wheels |
To view a little more about the new Vauxhall Ampera, vist the Official GM site, click here
GM takes versatility to the Flextreme
European-tuned version of E-Flex propulsion system
Less than 40g/km of CO2
FlexLoad and FlexDoors offer new types of loading solution
The MPV-style concept showcases the very latest development of GM’s E-Flex architecture, first previewd on the Chevrolet Colt Concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The Flextreme uses the same electric hybrid drive system as seen on the Volt, but coupled to a 1.3 litre turbo diesel engine rather than the Volt’s petrol power unit. Using an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Flextreme is capable of a range of upto 55km on electric power alone-a range well within the needs of most European daily commuters, meaning they can travel to work and back without using any diesel or creating any emissions.
The 1.3 litre diesel engine is based on the award-winning CDTi found in the Corsa and Astra, and is not connected to the wheels. Instead the engine charges the batteries when they are empty and no plug-in facility is available, thereby extending the operating range.
But the Flextreme is more than just a demonstration of GM’s latest environmental technology. The concept itself is a clear reflection of Vauxhall/Opel’s latest design language – with narrow boomerang-shaped lights and a sloping swage line in the side. The smart monocab body is still designed with the environment in mind, however, and lightweight polycarbon panels, optimal aerodynamics and reduced weight alloy wheels add further to the car’s potential propulsion range.
As you’d expect from Vauxhall/Opel, the Flextreme is also highly innovative, with new loading systems including patented Flexload and Flexdoors, mixed with the latest advanced materials inside the cabin. The Flexload luggage compartment allows access through a pair of butterfly-style rear tailgate doors which swing open upwards along the cars central axis, making the tailgate accessible not just from the rear, but from the side of the vehicle where space is tight.
The Flextremes other innovation is its Flexload doors. While the front doors open in the conventional fashion, the back ones are hinged at the rear, while there is central B-Pillar. This provides unparalleled access into the cars cabin.
The seats are anchored to the floor in single rails in order to free up extra foot space, while a slection of cameras mounted in the cars bodywork present the driver with a complete al-round view of the cars surroundings.
At the Frankfurt Show, the Flextreme carried a cargo that’s well in tune with its electric propulsion system in the form of Segway Personal Transporters. The Segways have been modified to mount neatly inside the Flextremes body, and can be released from the cars luggage compartment with a twist of the handlebars, allowing commuters to continue their carbon-free commute.
GM reveals Vauxhall electric car
Courtesy of The Telegraph. Article written by Andrew English.
Vauxhall has revealed the first image of its version of the electrically-powered Chevrolet Volt, which will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Known as the Ampera, the five-seat, four-door car will go on sale in 2011 in right ahnd-drive form shortly after the Opel – also part of General Motors – version appears in Europe. The car is based on the Vauxhall Astra, with a 400lb, T-shaped lithium-ion battery positioned under the body floor.
Chevrolet Ampera
After Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed the desire to make Britain a centre of excellence for electric-car manufacturing, the Ampera is the subject of great interest from the British Government, which is to be said to be keen that it will be built at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory, which already produces the Astra and Astravan. The first versions of the vehicle, however, will be produced in Michigan, America, but talks are said to be on-going about possible UK manufacture.
The Ampera shares the same battery/electric hybrid driveline as the Volt, which General Motors terms an extended-range electric vehicle. The advanced 16kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged via mains electricity to provide a 40-mile range with zero tailpipe emissions. When the battery is exhausted, the specially-modified 1.4 litre petrol engine will generate electricity to supply power to the 111kW electric drive motor and provide a similar range to that of a conventional Vauxhall Astra. The car recycles about half its battery capacity and the recharging time, using a household 240 volt supply, is claimed to be about three hours.
Chevrolet Volt
GM says that 80 per cent on European motorists drive no more than 31 miles a day, so in most cases the Ampera’s petrol engine will never need to be started.
The Chevrolet Volt version will go on sale in the US next year and will cost $40,000 at launch. GM is reluctant to say how much the Ampera will cost, but Hans Demant, Opel’s European MD, says that it will not be cheap. “The battery is expensive” he admits, “and when you look on the price only, this looks quite expensive. When you take in the cost of electricity, though, you come up with some interesting technology at low running costs. We are looking at alternative marketing strategies for this car when it goes on sale.”
Chevrolet Volt
GM admits that the silent running of the Volt/Ampera when in pure battery mode could pose some problems for pedestrians who might on hear it approaching in built-up areas. “It is a challenge,” said a spokesman “and we are working on an early warning solution.”
Vauxhall Volt
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