Blog - July 2010
The Chevrolet Volt is the extensively heralded plug-in hybrid to be launched by General Motors. The UK version, known as the Vauxhall Ampera (why the switch from volts to amps, one wonders), has been reviewed favourably by the Financial Times. Key specs: petrol consumption 170 mpg and zero carbon emissions for the majority of miles.
The Ampera will travel 40 miles on its fully charged battery, enough to satisfy most daily needs given that 80% of European drivers travel no more than 30 miles a day. For longer trips, the on-board petrol generator powers the electric drive unit and recharges the battery, providing a range of 350 miles before refuelling, whether with petrol or plug in electricity.
The Ampera is based on the Astra engineering platform and is reported to have good driving performance, with lively acceleration. However, the projected price is about £30,000, which is high, although running costs on standard rate electricity are projected to be only about one-fifth of a similar sized conventional car, which helps.
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