The electric Vauxhall Ampera was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2009;
it is the European version of the Chevrolet Volt, GMs American auto division. The Ampera is built at the Ellesmere Port car plant in Liverpool, UK. The Vauxhall Ampera is due to go on sale in the UK from 2011; it will be available at a used Vauxhall Wigan dealership as well as new dealerships across the UK.
The Ampera has recently been given a boost by qualifying for the UK governments Plug-In car grant which means the UK Government will contribute 5,000 towards the purchase price of the car. The Vauxhall Ampera is also London Congestion charge exempt, has no road fund license fee and only has a 5% company car tax rate.
The electric plug in from Vauxhall has a 50 mile battery electric drive range, which exceeds the UK's average commuting distance. When a longer journey is required, the Ampera's range-extender engine/generator produces electricity on board. The generator within the car engages seamlessly once the battery has reached a minimum level of charge. The 50-mile battery electric range is therefore extended by 310 miles permitting the driver to travel up to 360 miles without the need for recharging or refuelling.
The Vauxhall Amperas batteries can be fully charged in less than four hours via a domestic 240v electricity socket at an average cost of around 1. Commuting within the 50 mile range will mean very low running costs on battery electric drive only.
A few years ago it was unthinkable that a full size, fully electric family car would be available to the masses, but with sophisticated technology the Ampera brings uncompromised driving range firmly into the mainstream.