Opel Ampera EV Police Cruiser: Volt's European Cousin Getting Ready for Patrol

If there's one way to kick-start sales of specialty vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart, the Opel Ampera, that's by enlisting the government as one of your clients. And with a starting price of €42,900 (about US$58,000 at the current exchange rates) in Europe, GM's Opel division will need all the help it can get to sell the Ampera.

Well before the Ampera hits European showrooms at the end of the year, Opel is already exploring the possibility of a police package for its range-extended electric vehicle. According to the company, the Ampera could be the perfect police car for urban use.

Like the Volt, Opel's version of the car can be driven in pure electric mode for 40-80 km before the petrol engine kicks in to produce electricity and / or motivate the front driving wheels pushing the total driving range to over 500 km [311 miles]. The Ampera completes the standard sprint in 9 seconds while reaching a top speed of 160 km/h [100 mph].

The final production version of the Ampera will receive its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

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2011 Opel Ampera - First Official Image

GM has released the first official photo of the 2011 Opel Ampera today ahead of the electric car's unveiling at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show later this week.

First, GM released a darkened teaser picture. Then, renderings of the car were leaked onto the internet. Really, though, we got our best look just over a week ago when intrepid spy photographers in Germany caught the car out in the open posing for its official GM photo shoot. Still, the official picture released today doesn't have any tall plants blocking the view, so take a look and see what you think.

Mechanically, the Opel Ampera is identical to its North American cousin, the Chevrolet Volt. Rather than design an entirely new car on the Voltec architecture, GM has restyled it for the European market, a move that will certainly save money for cash-strapped GM. Being mechanically identical, the Ampera will have the same 40-mile all-electric range and a range of "several hundred" miles after a gasoline-powered engine starts up and runs a generator.

© Source: motortrend
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2009 Opel Ampera

Opel is set to reveal the Ampera Electric car at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, effectively unveiling the European design for the Chevrolet Volt.The five-door, four-seat Opel Ampera uses an identical platform to the Volt, utilising GM’s Voltec electric propulsion technology.

Like its North American sibling, the Ampera is capable of short trips up to 60km on batter power alone charged via a standard household power outlet.

“With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometres of non-stop electric driving,” said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer.

Beyond this distance, an onboard small combustion engine generates electricity which in turn drives the motor and charges the battery. The Ampera is well-suited to the daily driving schedule of most European customers with around 80 per cent of German drivers travelling less than 50km daily.

© Source: caradvice
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