Ampera boost for UK

By Dan Strong

30th March 2009

Britain will be the biggest and most important market for the futuristic new Vauxhall Ampera, according to bosses in charge of its development.

The news adds hope to the possibility that parent firm GM may choose to build the car at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, before it goes on sale in 2011. The Ampera promises 176mpg economy, and looks likely to set new low standards for CO2 emissions, with an output of less than 40g/km. It will be the first ‘electric’ car to offer the versatility of conventional combustion-engined vehicles, as it claims a theoretical range of 320 miles.

The innovative drivetrain features a 150bhp motor running off a 16kWh battery. When this runs flat, a 75bhp 1.4-litre diesel kicks in. Vauxhall has promised that the advanced lithium-ion cells will take three hours to charge from a household socket, and will be guaranteed for up to 10 years.

A number of challenges remain if the firm is to deliver on these claims, though. For starters, the batteries are estimated to cost as much as £5,000, so bosses are still calculating the car’s price. Vauxhall also says it needs a Government-led effort to expand the network of roadside charging stations so the Ampera can realistically run on electric.