What do you guys think of Opel Ampera aka Chevy Volt

Moses7

First pics are out and you can see them here.

I like it more than the Chevy version even though they are almost identical. Ampera front fascia just fits my taste better.

rumor is that it will go on sale in 2011 and gets 65 km pr charge, plus then you can continue with the gasoline engine that charges the battery.

Recharging time will be around 3 hours. If Opel prices it right I would love it as most of my driving a day are under 40 km.

Drummerboy08

Bluuuuuugh. Just buy a decent diesel.

What happens if you need to drive further than 40kms a day?

Cosmo K

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

What happens if you need to drive further than 40kms a day?

A small petrol engine, that only drives a generator, kicks in and recharges the batteries.

Drummerboy08

Ah............................. I still think a diesel would be better.

Cosmo K

Hmmm, I like Diesels, drive one myself. But I don't think, they are the future. The trend goes towards small, turbo charged or supercharged petrol engines. Or Hybrids.

Berty

Only 65 clicks. What if you forget to plug it in that night?

Explain that to your boss.

What if you want to go away for the day? Limerick to Tramore. Nope.

I bet the car will still be around €20k

HashSlinging

No THIS is the future..

Drummerboy08

HashSlinging wrote: »

No THIS is the future..

Whats this, the Flintstones?!

Apparently this is due for general release soon.
http://www.modelcars.com/products/large/sun2712.jpg

bazz26

Looks like the new Honda Insight or Toyota Prius:

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Why do all hybrid's have to look like this by default?

Berty

HashSlinging wrote: »

No THIS is the future..

I like it. Shame they could not have found a lighter car.

Matt Simis

Cosmo K wrote: »

A small petrol engine, that only drives a generator, kicks in and recharges the batteries.

I know it kinda says that, but surely the "small engine" is both propelling the car and recharging..

GM says that Voltec system has a 40 mile (65 km) range from a single charge. Small gasoline engine on the car which powers the generator will increase the range to about 500 miles (800 km).
Recharging from a European 230-volt outlet is expected to take 2-3 hours.

Given that the almighty 230v mains is taking 3hrs to charge up a whopping 40mile range (that could be easily traversed in 30min, oh havent electric cars come far), that 500mile range must be coming from the 100+ year old antique combustion engine.

peasant

Well, lookswise I think the Ampera is a stunner.

As to how well the charging / driving works ...we shall see.

If it actually does what it says on the tin, I could see myself driving one a few years down the line.

Sounds good. I have a 45 km daily commute so this would be perfect for me. And the same vehicle could still be used for bigger trips in the weekend.

What's the extra urban mpg for this using petrol?

Eoin

bazz26 wrote: »

Why do all hybrid's have to look like this by default?

Maybe there are very good technical reasons, but I think that a lot of hybrid drivers like people to know they are driving a hybrid. I'd much prefer something that doesn't scream the owner's environmental smugness.

Twin-go

samih wrote: »

Sounds good. I have a 45 km daily commute so this would be perfect for me. And the same vehicle could still be used for bigger trips in the weekend.

What's the extra urban mpg for this using petrol?

What if there was a detour on one of the days that added 5km to your commute?

What if there was a power cut during the night and the car didn't get the full charge?

Diesel is much better option. Plus probable has less carbon foot print per km than charging at the mains for 3hrs for 45km.

Cosmo K

Twin-go wrote: »

What if there was a detour on one of the days that added 5km to your commute?

What if there was a power cut during the night and the car didn't get the full charge?

All your questions answered:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4215492.html

nialler

No. This is the future:

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/exterior-photos.aspx

Mr Benevolent

45km per charge? Are they trying to put us off electric cars or something? That's terrible efficiency when the Telsa Roadster can do 200km (from a 16 hour charge, but still)

Zube

Confab wrote: »

45km per charge? Are they trying to put us off electric cars or something? That's terrible efficiency when the Telsa Roadster can do 200km (from a 16 hour charge, but still)

When a Tesla runs out, it stops. It's also based on the Elise, so it's not exactly practical.

Electric cars are the future, but not today or tomorrow: they need to be ready when the oil runs out. For now, when the electricity is being made from coal, they aren't even green.

Anan1

For all those who didn't notice: It has a petrol engine too.

peasant

Still a bit puzzling though ...

It has a petrol engine of unknown output which doesn't drive the wheels, but a 53 kw Generator, which in turn charges a 16kw/h battery (in 30 minutes) to run a 120 kw motor for 40 miles.

Or if the battery is empty, the engine drives the generator which drives the motor.

Somehow the equasion seems to be few kw short on one side ??

Peasant, a hint:

For the non-boy-racer types the 120 kW motor does not need to run at 120 kW all the time :-)

About the shape of all the hybrids: They are all trying to be as low drag as possible to maximize the range on battery power at higher speeds.

PaddyFagan

samih wrote: »

For the non-boy-racer types the 120 kW motor does not need to run at 120 kW all the time :-)

That's my understanding alright - they're quoting a 40 mile range battery only (assuming you're not at 100% throtle 100% of the time) and a 500 mile range with the petrol motor (same assumption).

I also read that that the car will only operate off the battery for a range of it's charge (30%-80% comes to mind - i.e. it will only discharge the battery down to 30% and only charge upto 80%) in order to meet a stated goal of 150,000 miles over the life of the battery/engine/drivetrain combination.

See http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/02/05/gm_on_li_ion_battery_tech/

In an effort to prolong the life of the Volt's battery pack, Kruse explained, it won't charge to above 80 per cent of capacity, nor will it deplete to below 30 per cent. Allied to its liquid-cooling system, this should help prevent the heat build up that causes electrode cracking due to thermal stress and so enable GM to meet its ten-year/150,000-mile durability target.

Paddy

Mr Benevolent

But is the petrol engine running at the same time as the motors? Or does it only take over at higher speeds? Seems like a bit of a cock-eyed juryrig idea to me, unless they're using the engine to run the generator, which means you've got twice number of components to go wrong... crazy scheme.

peasant

Not that crazy ...

A petrol engine can be very energy efficient when it is run at optimum performance. If all it has to do is run a generator it can do just that, instead of like in a normal car have to suffer constantly changing load conditions or even worse, idling.

Kinda like diesel-electric locomotives only on a much smaller scale.

Mr Benevolent

In that case why not do that in all cars, run the engine as a constant speed device and let the gearbox do the work?

Anan1

Because we don't always need the same power output.;)

Moses7

GM releases official pictures

Why is it a four seater? sure i see there is a center console, but why? there is nothing in the chassis that would stick up so high.

AugustusMaximus

Confab wrote: »

In that case why not do that in all cars, run the engine as a constant speed device and let the gearbox do the work?

Isn't this what cars with CVT gearboxes do ?

peasant

Moses7 wrote: »

Why is it a four seater? sure i see there is a center console, but why? there is nothing in the chassis that would stick up so high.

seems like some of the electrickery runs through the "spine" as seen on the left

Anan1

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Isn't this what cars with CVT gearboxes do ?

Ish. Thre's no point in running an engine at peak efficiency if to do so will produce more power than is required, unless you have a battery to charge with the surplus.