Opel Ampera

Opel
Opel Ampera (2012-2016)
Ampera
Production period:	2012-2016
Class :	Compact class
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:	Electric motor : 111 kW + 1.4-liter gasoline engine : 63 kW
Length:	4498 mm
Width:	1787 mm
Height:	1439 mm
Wheelbase :	2685 mm
Empty weight :	1732 kg
Previous model	General Motors EV1
successor	Opel Ampera-e

Other measured values
Stars in the Euro NCAP - Crash Test (2011)

The Opel Ampera was a four-seat plug-in hybrid - car model from General Motors based on the first generation of the Chevrolet Volt with GM Voltec powertrain . The sister models, which included the right-hand drive Holden Volt in Australia and Vauxhall Ampera in the British Isles, were manufactured at Chevrolet's Hamtramck plant in Detroit from July 2011 to 2014. The purely battery-powered successor in Europe from 2017 onwards was the Opel Ampera-e based on the Chevrolet Bolt .

The car was presented as the “Opel Ampera” in March 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show . Opel called it an "electric vehicle with a range extender". Abbreviated "EREV", but also advertised: "Drive into the future with our electric vehicle".

Technology and performance

When the battery is fully charged (16 kWh), the Ampera drives 40 to 80 km exclusively on electricity. The built-in combustion engine with the 54 kW generator unit starts automatically as soon as the charge level of the battery has dropped below approx. 20% (3.2 kWh) and then supplies the electrical traction current; this type of vehicle is therefore also called Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV, electric vehicle with extended range).

The electric motor of the Opel Ampera has a maximum output of 111 kW (150 hp) and a torque of 370  Nm , which is available in a larger speed range than in combustion engines. The maximum acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h takes 9 seconds, the governed top speed is 161 km / h. For comparison: the 1.8 l petrol engine with 103 kW (140 PS) of the Opel Insignia has 175 Nm, which means a maximum acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 11.4 s and a top speed of 207 km / h enough; the 2.8 l engine with 190 kW (260 hp) has 350 Nm, an acceleration time of 6.9 s and a top speed limited to 250 km / h; With a curb weight of at least 1470 kg (depending on the equipment), the Insignia is 262 kg lighter than the Ampera.

A “family 0” engine from the Opel Ecotec series with 1.4 l displacement and 63 kW is used as the combustion engine.

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  Rear view

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  Rear view at an angle

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  interior

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  Charging process

Operating modes

→ Main article : Voltec drive

With its Voltec drive, the vehicle is steplessly driven in several operating modes via a planetary gear , mainly by electric motors. When the battery is low, the internal combustion engine drives a generator, which then supplies the additional traction current (serial mode).

When high drive power is required with a low charge state of the traction battery , the internal combustion engine can be coupled directly into the drive train in a special operating mode . This “parallel mode” increases the efficiency of the overall system because multiple energy conversions (combustion engine-generator-electric motor) are eliminated.

Battery technology

A lithium-ion battery with a nominal capacity of 16  kWh is used as the traction battery , made up of 288 cells (3 in parallel, 96 in series) , which for reasons of durability is only operated in a limited operating window (useful capacity). Contrary to publications that the capacity of the traction battery is used between 30 and 80 percent of the nominal capacity (thus only around 8 kWh of usable capacity), there are reports in internet forums that report up to 10.5 kWh of effective usage energy according to the on-board computer of series vehicles.

A full charge via the plug to 100% does not take place in order to be able to take up further charge by recovering braking energy and to conserve the battery. On longer journeys, the combustion engine is automatically switched on as a generator drive to generate the traction current and maintain the minimum charge level, which increases the range to over 500 kilometers without stopping - with a 35 liter tank volume.

In contrast to (other) German vehicle manufacturers, Opel / General Motors produces the battery for the Ampera itself and grants a worldwide warranty of 8 years or 160,000 kilometers on the battery.

consumption

According to the ECE R101 standard, the manufacturer specifies consumption as 1.2 l / 100 km (petrol consumption only) for the first 100 km, and 4.8 l / 100 km or 5.0 l for every further 100 km without interim battery charging / 100 km. In practice, the Ampera could travel 40 to 80 km in purely electric mode. Quite a few Ampera drivers report from their everyday lives that purely electric ranges of well over 80 km are possible.

Technical specifications

Parameters	Ampera
Construction period	01 / 2012–11 / 2016
Engine characteristics
Engine type	Electric motor + R4 petrol engine
Displacement	1398 cc
Rated power electric motor	111 kW (150 PS) at 5000 rpm
Rated power internal combustion engine	63 kW (86 PS) at 4800 rpm
Overall system performance	111 kW (150 PS) at 5000 rpm
Max. Torque electric motor	370 Nm at 250 / min-2800 / min
Max. Internal combustion engine torque	126 Nm at 4250 rpm
Total torque system	370 Nm at 250 / min-2800 / min
Power transmission
drive	Front wheel drive
Readings
Top speed	161 km / h
Acceleration, 0-100 km / h	9.0 s
Fuel consumption over 100 km (combined)	1.2 l super
CO 2 emissions (combined)	27 g / km
Emission standard according to EU classification	Euro 6

No trailer operation

“The vehicle is neither designed nor intended to pull a trailer or tow another vehicle”, it says in the operating instructions 08/2011, p. 144 [KTA-2724_1-de], under the heading “Trailer towing device”.

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  Cutaway model

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  An Ampera at the IAA 2011 as a police emergency vehicle

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  An Ampera was on display at Frankfurt Airport for a long time (Terminal 1, Area B)

Introduction and Price

Due to a vehicle fire in an identical Chevrolet Volt three weeks after a successful crash test in the United States, the safety concept for the traction battery was revised by the end of 2011. Contrary to the recommendations of Chevrolet, the battery of the Chevrolet Volt was not completely discharged after the crash test. In vehicles with liquid fuels, it is mandatory to empty the tank after the crash test if it was not carried out with an empty fuel tank. This also delayed the start of series production of the identical Opel Ampera, the sale of which began on January 14, 2012.

Until July 31, 2012, it was available from 43,900 euros. From August 1, 2012, three equipment models were offered: "Ampera" (from € 45,900), "Comfort Edition" (from € 47,500), "ePionier Edition" (from € 51,200). In the United Kingdom , the vehicle was offered as a right-hand drive version under the name Vauxhall Ampera since the 1st quarter of 2012.

Due to initially low demand, General Motors interrupted production of the Opel Ampera and the Chevrolet Volt in March 2012 for five weeks. Since September 9, 2013, the Ampera has been offered at a significantly reduced price, so that the model was available from 38,300 euros.

Discontinuation of sales

Due to poor sales figures (332 vehicles across Europe in the first five months of 2014), production was discontinued with the appearance of the revised Chevrolet Volt in 2016. Karl-Thomas Neumann , CEO of Opel AG, announced a smaller model as a successor.

At times it was planned to offer the sister model Cadillac ELR on the German market.

Successor to Opel Ampera-e

The Ampera-e

On February 11, 2016, Opel announced the fully electric Opel Ampera-e model for the European market from 2017 . It is based on the Chevrolet Bolt that hit the US market in late 2016.

Web links

Commons : Opel Ampera  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Opel Ampera 08/2011 ( Memento from January 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Operating instructions as PDF download
• Opel Ampera: The future begins in 2011 ( Memento from February 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
• Official mini page for the Opel Ampera (requires Flash)
• MotorShow TCS: Opel Ampera driving report , vehicle presentation in Switzerland, YouTube video
• Opel Ampera brochure as PDF download

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} AutoBild, March 2, 2009: Opel Ampera in Geneva 2009
2. ↑ Bild.de, (Figure 35): Crashtest August 2011 , accessed on August 27, 2011
3. ↑ Opel advertising slogan ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ^ Opel, company website: Opel Ampera - Antriebssystem ( Memento of November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed October 11, 2013
5. ↑ Chevrolet Volt owner's manual ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. calls the vehicle an "EREV", accessed January 7, 2014 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Ulrich Eberle, Rittmar von Helmolt: Sustainable transportation based on electric vehicle concepts: a brief overview . Royal Society of Chemistry . May 14, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
7. ↑ Autoscout24: First information: Opel Ampera
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Autozeitung 2012: Opel Ampera electric car in the first practical test , inserted February 28, 2012
9. ^ The Voltec System - Energy Storage and Electric Propulsion . Retrieved May 4, 2014.
10. ^ Opel blog: Energy from the coffee pack , accessed May 9, 2012
11. ↑ GM-Volt, August 29, 2007: Latest Chevy Volt Battery Pack and Generator Details and Clarifications
12. ↑ Car press: Opel Ampera - Against the Hybrid-Strom ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ Spiegel.de Electric Car Diary: Even sports car drivers are amazed
14. ↑ www.opel-ampera-forum.de, article "Range record: 105.5 km" ; exceptionally a forum as a source, justification see this discussion , until a corresponding “better source” is found.
15. ↑ Chevrolet Volt fire damage during crash test , March 29, 2012
16. ↑ Opel: Ampera price list August 1, 2012 ( Memento of the original from August 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 3.93 MB) Is no longer available 
17. ↑ carmagazine: Volt for UK sale in November 2011
18. ↑ Handelsblatt.com: Production suspended
19. ↑ Focus Online (2014): Opel is getting more weight in Europe: Opel Ampera: Is the flagship electric car out of action?
20. ↑ spiegel.de: Unsuccessful electric car: The slow death of the Opel Ampera
21. ↑ Tom Grünweg: Electric Cars Volt and Bolt: Chevrolet's New Electricity Line - Mobility. In: Spiegel Online . January 14, 2015, accessed June 9, 2018 . 
22. ↑ https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Ampera-e-Opel-kuendigt-neues-Elektroauto-an-3099271.html?wt_mc=rss.ho.beitrag.atom
23. ↑ http://www.golem.de/news/ampera-e-opels-neues-elektroauto-kommen-300-km-weit-1602-119082.html accessed on February 12, 2016