Geneva 2009: GM Unveils Opel Ampera E-REV

02 March, 2009 11:00:00

Font size:

General Motors officially unveiled the Opel Ampera extended-range electric vehicle in Geneva on March 2, 2009.

The five-door, four-seat Opel Ampera will use GM's electric propulsion technology called Voltec, which operates differently from other advanced propulsion system.

The five-door, four-seat Ampera is influenced by Opel’s award-winning design language of sculptural artistry meets German precision, incorporating several styling cues from the innovative Flextreme and GTC Concept show cars.

The Ampera will also be offered with right-hand drive in the United Kingdom by Opel’s sister-brand, Vauxhall.

The Opel Ampera will be the first emission-free, electrically driven automobile in Europe suitable for everyday driving. With its Voltec electric propulsion system providing lively acceleration and high levels of refinement, the five-door Ampera seats four passengers in comfort, offers a useful trunk for their luggage, and features an extended range of more than 500 kilometers.

Electricity drives the Ampera’s wheels at all times and speeds. For trips up to 60 km (MVEG), power is supplied by the electricity stored in the cutting-edge, 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery.

While driving on electricity delivered by the battery, the Ampera emits zero CO2. When the battery’s energy is depleted, a gasoline/E85-fueled engine-generator seamlessly provides electricity to power the electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery. This mode of operation extends the range to 500 kilometers, until the battery can be charged by plugging the vehicle's on-board charge system into a standard household 230v outlet.

The Ampera's battery pack will be manufactured by GM at the first lithium-ion production facility to be operated by a major automaker in the United States. More than 220 lithium-ion cells in the T-shaped pack provide ample power. The nearly silent electric drive unit delivers 370 Nm of instant torque, the equivalent of 150 horsepower, zero to 100 km/h acceleration in around nine seconds, and a top speed of 161 km/h.

GM estimates that the Opel Ampera will save about 1700 liters of gasoline based on 60 km of daily driving and 22,000 km annually. For drivers that commute 100 km per day or 36,500 km annually, about 2200 liters of gasoline could be saved.

As a baseline comparison, GM estimates that the cost per km to operate a car with Voltec electric propulsion system is approximately 0.02 euro per km electrically versus 0.09 euro per km using gasoline priced at € 1.16/l.

What is Voltec?

“Voltec” is the brand name for GM’s revolutionary extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology that uses electricity as its primary power source and gasoline as its secondary power source to generate electricity. The main components of the Voltec electric propulsion system include a T-shaped battery pack, an 111 kW electric drive unit, and an engine generator of electricity.

The Opel Ampera represents a significant departure from conventional hybrids. In an E-REV, the wheels are turned by an electric drive unit, whereas in conventional hybrids the wheels are turned by an electric motor, a gasoline engine, or both. For short trips, E-REVs will run on battery power alone. For longer trips, additional electricity can be supplied by an internal combustion engine. The battery and propulsion systems are sized so that when sufficient energy is available from the battery, the engine is not required for operation. During this electric only phase of driving, the battery, motor, and power electronics are designed to deliver full performance, acceleration, top speed, hill climbing on electric power alone.

Energy is stored on board in a 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery pack. The battery pack powers the electric drive unit, which is capable of meeting full vehicle speed and acceleration performance while driving the car electrically for up to 60 km (MVEG cycle) without using a drop of gas. For longer trips, the E-REV’s on-board range-extending engine is used to drive an electric generator when the battery’s energy has been depleted. The range extender, which can be powered by gas/E85 Ethanol, is able to generate additional electricity to power the car for more than 500 km.

In practice, hybrid vehicles typically require both sources – engine and battery – to provide full vehicle performance capability. In a hybrid vehicle, the combustion engine is typically the larger of the two propulsion sources, and provides most of the power during high power vehicle maneuvers like off-line starts and freeway cruising. A plug-in hybrid operates the same way, but can be recharged by plugging in. Even with useful energy in the battery, the engine will often be operating to achieve vehicle peak loads. An E-REV is unique from a hybrid or plug-in hybrid in that the vehicle’s wheels are always driven electrically by an electric drive unit.

Check out the rest of our Geneva Motor Show coverage.

Subscribe to the RSS feed for more information on green cars, green car news & green car technologies.

-----------------------

Follow PureGreenCars on Facebook and Twitter.