The Voltec-equipped Opel Ampera electric car will be revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, bringing GM's electric car technology to a grateful Europe.
The Opel Ampera, as teased in the photo above, is an electric car carrying the same Voltec (formerly E-Flex) technology found on the Chevy Volt. This means the new vehicle will be capable of traveling approximately 60 km (40 miles) on purely electric power stored in its batteries before switching over to electricity provided by a small internal combustion engine.
Opel hasn't announced whether or not the five-door, four-seat electric vehicle will share the same Delta II platform as the Chevy Volt, though it is probably safe to assume it will given the teaser image looks almost exactly like the 2011 Volt and our KORSdesign speculative illustration we showed you last September. More details as they become available.
Opel To Reveal Ampera Electric Car At Geneva Motor Show
Rüsselsheim. Opel has announced Ampera as the name of its revolutionary extended-range electric car. The five-door, four-seat Opel Ampera will be revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show (March 5-15).
“With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving,” said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer.
GM’s ground-breaking electric propulsion technology, called Voltec, operates differently from other advanced propulsion systems. For short trips up to 60 km, the Ampera will run only on lithium-ion battery power charged via a standard 230v outlet. For longer distances, the car will continue to drive on electricity that is generated by a small internal combustion engine.
The Ampera will be well-suited to the daily driving schedule of most European customers. For example, approximately 80 percent of German drivers travel less than 50 km daily.
Additional information on the Opel Ampera will be released March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show.
[Source: GM]