Opel Ampera

[vfx]

"When will you come out with an all-electric version?

 

[stopcrazypp]

I'm going to get a one hour test drive of the Ampera first thing in the morning - probably the first member of the public to take one on the highway in the UK.

Anything you'd like me to ask?

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...d-opel-ampera-what-are-the-differences/page-2

Green car reports mentioned a "EV charge holding" feature that the Volt does have. You may want to add what other kind of driving features it has over the Volt.

 

[dpeilow]

Well, I wasn't quite the first to drive one... I went to get my car from the garage this morning and found a flat starter battery. The irony...

Anyway, when I got there an hour late we got down to business and headed out in one of the prototypes. Kevin came over for a ride in the car too.




This was a LHD from Germany and what they called a production validation build. First things first, this was better finished and better sound-proofed than the prototype I tried at the ecovelocity show. Accelerating hard was the only time I could slightly hear the ICE in 'hold' mode, otherwise it is barely perceptible. It responds a lot better to your right foot in ICE mode too. I expect they have tweaked some software.

I really enjoyed getting the car out on the highway. We did a 10 mile loop around some private roads and quiet country roads. 80% of the drive was in EV mode. It drives superbly at high speed - not a drag racer but quick and effortless. The torque is all there and I think they have tightened up the steering (maybe after early feedback). The cabin is comfortable, I'd have no problems driving it on the odd long distance trip.

I think GM/Opel/Vauxhall have done a superb job with this. It is a route that many people can use to get into electric driving and the car doesn't disappoint. I believe lucky German customers are getting theirs this weekend. On the evidence of today, I can't wait for RHD customer cars to arrive here in another six months.


To answer the question: I don't believe there are any other driving mode differences with the Volt, although our Volt should also get this hold mode.

 

[widodh]

I drove the Ampera about a year ago, not a bad car to drive at all!

I also saw Chevrolet Volt commercials here today. I never thought the Volt was coming to Europe?

 

[dpeilow]

I drove the Ampera about a year ago, not a bad car to drive at all!

You kept that quiet...

It's even better now they have production ready cars.

I also saw Chevrolet Volt commercials here today. I never thought the Volt was coming to Europe?

Yep

 

[EV_de]

...I also saw Chevrolet Volt commercials here today. I never thought the Volt was coming to Europe?....

The "Volt" is comming FROM Europe ... in fact it's a Opel (GM) Ampera , cause Opel was nearly broke , they have to give it to GM .... now , 2 years later , the Volt is comming back as an GM invention

 

[widodh]

You kept that quiet...

It's even better now they have production ready cars.

Nobody ever asked about it It was a pre-production model, you could hear the generator kick in and there was this BIG red panic button in the middle.

Nevertheless was it a good drive, the torque of the electric motor was good.


But about the Volt, I know the Ampera and Volt share the same drivetrain, but I always thought that in Europe they would use the much stronger Opel brand and in the rest of the world Chevrolet.

Now those two cars will start competing?

 

[dpeilow]

I don't know about all of Europe, but in the UK they are positioning Chevrolet as the budget brand, Vauxhall as more upmarket and now even Cadillac is coming over here too (I saw a review of some ridiculously powerful CTS estate in the paper on Friday).

So we could end up with the Volt, Ampera and ELR in the future...

 

[dpeilow]

Opel expected to delay Ampera launch

Opel and its sister company Vauxhall are expected to delay the introduction of the Ampera extended-range hybrid car in the wake of battery fires after crash tests in the US.

This is despite the car being awarded a top 5-star rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP test results, announced last week.

GM and US safety regulators are trying to determine why two of the car’s lithium-ion batteries caught fire a week or more after being crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). GM says the batteries can be made safe by draining the power from the batteries after a severe crash.

The Ampera is a slightly restyled version of the Chevrolet Volt; it was scheduled to go on sale in Europe by the end of the year and in the UK next year.

GM is reported to have postponed a planned production boost in December at the Detroit plant that makes the Volt and Ampera. The facility was scheduled to double output to 3,200 cars a week to meet the expected rise in demand with Ampera sales starting in Europe.

Mark Reuss, president, GM North America, said the company would take every precaution to assure the driving public of GM’s commitment to the safety of the Volt being handled after a severe incident and the total satisfaction of everyone who owned one.

“The Volt is a five-star safety car. Even though no customer has experienced in the real world what was identified in this latest testing of post-crash situations, we're taking critical steps to ensure customer satisfaction and safety,” Reuss said.

“The question is about how to deal with the battery days and weeks after a severe crash, making it a matter of interest not just for the Volt, but for our industry as we continue to advance the pursuit of electric vehicles.”

“It’s not nearly as a big a deal as the media want it to be,” said Aaron Bragman, an analyst with IHS Automotive. “There is very little threat to anyone from these vehicles. There is more of a threat involved in carting around 15 gallons of highly flammable liquid.”

Euro NCAP is the latest third-party organization to give the Volt top marks. In April 2011, the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the car its ‘Top Safety Pick’ while the NHTSA awarded the car a five-star rating.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Makes sense -- not from an engineering POV, but simply to let this firestorm of negative press slip silently away. In a month, almost no one will remember any of the Volt stories, lost in a haze of holiday shopping and drink.

 

[dpeilow]

Vauxhall Ampera launch 'on track' for May

Of course, with Vauxhall versions scheduled for next May they have time to sort it out. But Germany was meant to be getting Opel deliveries last weekend and The Netherlands and other parts of Europe were targetted for this month.

 

[dpeilow]

BusinessCar - New fleet trim for Astra and Insignia

“This is where the [range-extender hybrid] Ampera will help – we’ll use it to get in the door and then mention the 99g/km Astra and 115g/km Insignia,” continued Taylor.

 

[dpeilow]

From Vauxhall:

Vauxhall Ampera: Hi David, Vauxhall RHD Ampera production is due to start on 6th February next year. Currently there are no delays to this timing.

 

[dpeilow]

A further update:

Dear ePioneer,

We were hoping to be in a position to announce Ampera pricing, specification and the opening of our order banks in early December but unfortunately we have not been able to do so. This is down to internal administrative processes but we are confident we will be making these announcements shortly.

There is no suggestion that this will affect the start of production of the Vauxhall Ampera scheduled for February 2012 or the arrival of the first vehicles at UK Retailers in May.

Thank you for your continuing patience & interest in this great great car.

 

[emq]

What are the Specs of the onboard charger of Volt/Ampera?

In Zurich, Opel Reseller get next week Opel Amperas or Chevy Volts.
I support the Electrican for the charging Installation.

The EVSE is a SPX PowerXpress Level2 max 24A.
There is a Switch for max Amperage selection 12,16,24,32A,

If I select 32A, the Onbord Charger determines the max Amperage
Somwere i red the Onboard Charger has max 6600W > (28,7A PF 1, > 30-32A PF below 1)

Does anybody know the Jmax RMS of the Onboard Charger 230V or 240V, if not i have to do a mesurement log of A, VA, hamonics, PF.

The Utilitys in Switzerland are responsable for keeping the conection Rules Limite for 1ph > 16A 230V 3,6kW,

the CEO of Opel reseller wants to charge with 230V 32A > 7kW.

Does anybody have experience with a J1772 EVSE Type 1, 32A or 63A Connection, what is the highest Charging current

Who is the manufactorer of the onboard charger?

 

[dpeilow]

It has a 16A onboard charger.

The PowerXpress can support 32A (for other vehicles) but you need to specify a 32A cable at ordering time.

 

[emq]

It has a 16A onboard charger.

Why do they recomend a 32A 230V Input and a 24A Output at the EVSE if Ampera/Volt has only 16A Onboard, where does this 6600W come from.

The PowerXpress can support 32A (for other vehicles) but you need to specify a 32A cable at ordering time.

For a 1 Minute Messerment shot, the 24A Cable is good enogh, for permanent 32A i am aware of the cablesize.

Do you have already Ampera /Volt in your aerea? Do you have practice with ampera /Volt?

 

[dpeilow]

Not sure, this is the first I heard of 6kW on the Volt/Ampera. Everything I ever read or discussed said 3kW.

The car is not on sale here yet although I have driven it and spoken at length with the people from Vauxhall. The EVSE that comes with the car is 16A. I can only think that GM recommend the SPX 32A chargers for future-proofing.

 

[emq]

Not sure, this is the first I heard of 6kW on the Volt/Ampera. Everything I ever read or discussed said 3kW.

The car is not on sale here yet although I have driven it and spoken at length with the people from Vauxhall. The EVSE that comes with the car is 16A. I can only think that GM recommend the SPX 32A chargers for future-proofing.

Tu 13.Dez. i measered a Ampera with 30% SOC:
230,6V 14,48A RMS, 3,34kVA, PF 0,996, THDI 7,06 % ergo nearly Sinus Current.
A unconfirmed Info of GM Suisse, 16A is max,

For more detailed Infos PM

 

[GSP]

The Volt's charger is made by Lear. The Ampera likely uses the exact same unit.

I think the max current supported by the on-board charger is 15A, not 16A. I will see if I can verify that.

By the way, the on-board charger also has a 14 vdc output to keep the AGM low voltage battery charged.

GSP