Any Ampera owners on here?
Discussion
I'm still thinking about scratching the "EV with range extender" itch.
I don't want the i3.
That seems to leave either the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or the Ampera.
I saw an Ampera recently and the outside looked really cool.
Has anyone got one and would they care to share their real-world experiences?
Thanks
I don't want the i3.
That seems to leave either the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or the Ampera.
I saw an Ampera recently and the outside looked really cool.
Has anyone got one and would they care to share their real-world experiences?
Thanks
Had one for over a year now. Great car as everyday transport. Happily eats motorway miles with no loss of power when in ICE mode and virtually zero running costs on 35 mile round commute to work. Wouldn't buy one though as guessed residuals would be terrible (see post above), so I've leased two of them for the business.
Thanks for the replies so far
mids - any idea which dealer is selling them at 21k new? That is really very cheap considering they started off at 30-something. They did feel over priced at 30-something. I know that it's new tech and the battery costs a lot of money etc. but still, that's basically 5-series money even when you factor in the government grant.
purpleperil - question, does the range extender mode also charge the battery? For example I want to be able to go through town on electric until the battery is depleted, then go on the motorway for a couple of hours in range extender mode, and then have a full battery for when going back into town at the other end. That would be a good use case for me.
Or is the the case that once the battery is depleted, you are in range extender mode until you plug it in?
It isn't obvious from the info on the web, and I would rather know as much as possible before troubling a dealer...
mids - any idea which dealer is selling them at 21k new? That is really very cheap considering they started off at 30-something. They did feel over priced at 30-something. I know that it's new tech and the battery costs a lot of money etc. but still, that's basically 5-series money even when you factor in the government grant.
purpleperil - question, does the range extender mode also charge the battery? For example I want to be able to go through town on electric until the battery is depleted, then go on the motorway for a couple of hours in range extender mode, and then have a full battery for when going back into town at the other end. That would be a good use case for me.
Or is the the case that once the battery is depleted, you are in range extender mode until you plug it in?
It isn't obvious from the info on the web, and I would rather know as much as possible before troubling a dealer...
Once the battery is depleted enough that the ICE takes over then you cannot go back into EV mode until you've plugged it back in. That said the regen will continue to pump back charge into the batteries and the car will use battery only at low speeds if enough charge has accumulated - a little frustrating when you can see green bars but can't get at them manually
So if you want to be able to use #EV mode at the end of your journey then put the car in HOLD mode. AFAIK the car actually runs more efficiently when in HOLD mode at motorway speeds and I often run it this way with the added benefit of being able to get at some of those regen miles towards the end of the journey - I hate arriving at the end of a 200 mile plus journey with green bars left
As said above the ICE engine does 'assist' the EV motor through a clutch mechanism but never drives the wheels on its own. It's certainly more EV than some other PHEVs on the market though.
So if you want to be able to use #EV mode at the end of your journey then put the car in HOLD mode. AFAIK the car actually runs more efficiently when in HOLD mode at motorway speeds and I often run it this way with the added benefit of being able to get at some of those regen miles towards the end of the journey - I hate arriving at the end of a 200 mile plus journey with green bars left
As said above the ICE engine does 'assist' the EV motor through a clutch mechanism but never drives the wheels on its own. It's certainly more EV than some other PHEVs on the market though.
Had a good look at one today.
I love the exterior. Very futuristic and a real head turner. It looks really good in silver or white. It's the best looking Vauxhall on sale today (IMHO).
The interior I am not so sure about. I love the door design and the swooping swage line that runs all around the top of the dash. Like the Insignia or Jaguar XJ. But the centre console, with its shiny grey plastic, monolithic design and screen protruding above the dash, looks a little tacky. The membrane controls reminded me of a ZX81
and would surely be difficult to use when driving. And I don't see the point of having a hulking great gearshift lever in the centre console when it's all electronic. Surely they just need a little switch on the dashboard like the Prius. It feels out of place and rather bizarre.
Bit torn at the moment as to whether I should take a test drive. I need to decide whether I could live with that centre console! I feel like I should be waiting for the Gen2 (assuming there is one).
I love the exterior. Very futuristic and a real head turner. It looks really good in silver or white. It's the best looking Vauxhall on sale today (IMHO).
The interior I am not so sure about. I love the door design and the swooping swage line that runs all around the top of the dash. Like the Insignia or Jaguar XJ. But the centre console, with its shiny grey plastic, monolithic design and screen protruding above the dash, looks a little tacky. The membrane controls reminded me of a ZX81
and would surely be difficult to use when driving. And I don't see the point of having a hulking great gearshift lever in the centre console when it's all electronic. Surely they just need a little switch on the dashboard like the Prius. It feels out of place and rather bizarre.Bit torn at the moment as to whether I should take a test drive. I need to decide whether I could live with that centre console! I feel like I should be waiting for the Gen2 (assuming there is one).
A couple of new Ampera -vs- i3 REx reviews
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/bmw/i3/bmw-i3-vs-v...
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/bmw/i3/bmw-i3-vs-v...
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results...
OP, don't forget the Plug in Prius. When I was selecting my last company car I had an Ampera on loan but went with the PiP since on my journey profile at least (5 miles A/B road, 45 miles M40, 5 miles urban) the PiP was more economical (both Tax & mpg overall) than the Ampera, despite its much smaller battery.
The key seemed to be that the Prius was much, much more economical than the Vauxhall when the battery was exhausted, and I couldn't get much range at all from the Ampera's battery on my journey.
The key seemed to be that the Prius was much, much more economical than the Vauxhall when the battery was exhausted, and I couldn't get much range at all from the Ampera's battery on my journey.
I tried an Ampera out today.
On the plus side, it looks really great (did I mention that before...) and NVH is pretty good. It's also quite nice to drive; nicer than a Prius. Having all that torque instantly from standstill is really cool. And you can get a surprising amount of stuff in the boot; I thought it would be tiny but it's not.
Main issues for me were:
On the plus side, it looks really great (did I mention that before...) and NVH is pretty good. It's also quite nice to drive; nicer than a Prius. Having all that torque instantly from standstill is really cool. And you can get a surprising amount of stuff in the boot; I thought it would be tiny but it's not.
Main issues for me were:
- Interior quality is not that great. I already mentioned the centre console. I couldn't see myself living with the buttons. Also, the graphics on the TFT screens felt rather cluttered.
- As others pointed out, you are really meant to charge it regularly and drive it as an electric car, using the range extender only when you need to. I hoped that it would be possible to drive it like a Prius with a really big battery (sort of like the Prius plug in which Bonefish Blues suggested), but you can't really do that. You could manage the power yourself using Hold mode and the various other options, but that defeats the point.
- When the range extender is running the economy is not very good. I managed about 39mpg in this mode. Allowing for the fact that I wasn't used to the car, let's add 10% and then be generous and round up to 45mpg. Not great. Under similar conditions I can get 55mpg in the Prius+, and that has 7 seats (the Ampera has 4). Again, I get the impression that range extender mode is there as a backup in case you can't charge, rather than for daily use.
AmitG said:
- When the range extender is running the economy is not very good. I managed about 39mpg in this mode. Allowing for the fact that I wasn't used to the car, let's add 10% and then be generous and round up to 45mpg. Not great. Under similar conditions I can get 55mpg in the Prius+, and that has 7 seats (the Ampera has 4). Again, I get the impression that range extender mode is there as a backup in case you can't charge, rather than for daily use.
These do look great, i've seen quite a few around recently and i would consider one for the next car i have for business travel.
I was expecting more than 40mpg from the ICE though. I assume its overall average is still way into the 100's?
I currently have a gen 3 prius and on my 50 mile commute over a-roads i'm getting over 70mpg now. I think this is helped by a few sections of 50mph which slows a bit in traffic. I think toyota must do some very clever trickery to the ICE. I'm not sure what that is but judging by the graphical display it is exactly what it says on the tin, a hybrid with battery assist so i can only assume the PiP is even greater still.
I have seen posts from seasoned Prius owners of the PiP who seem to achieve 120-130mpg on their commutes. Its very impressive considering a lot of that energy is regenerated from motor drag, small amounts of wasted ICE energy and energy recovery braking. The great thing is, you really don't have to drive it slowly to achieve this sort of efficiency. Just a shame most owners are old and do drive it very slowly.
i'm very much a believer in hybrids and electric power now for commuting so i'm watching this space quite closely for the future.
I was expecting more than 40mpg from the ICE though. I assume its overall average is still way into the 100's?
I currently have a gen 3 prius and on my 50 mile commute over a-roads i'm getting over 70mpg now. I think this is helped by a few sections of 50mph which slows a bit in traffic. I think toyota must do some very clever trickery to the ICE. I'm not sure what that is but judging by the graphical display it is exactly what it says on the tin, a hybrid with battery assist so i can only assume the PiP is even greater still.
I have seen posts from seasoned Prius owners of the PiP who seem to achieve 120-130mpg on their commutes. Its very impressive considering a lot of that energy is regenerated from motor drag, small amounts of wasted ICE energy and energy recovery braking. The great thing is, you really don't have to drive it slowly to achieve this sort of efficiency. Just a shame most owners are old and do drive it very slowly.
i'm very much a believer in hybrids and electric power now for commuting so i'm watching this space quite closely for the future.
Edited by bp1000 on Tuesday 3rd June 09:52
Good, real world, driving review of the Ampera here: http://www.greencarguide.co.uk/features/vauxhall-a...
Thought I would go and look at one as I have a Vauxhall dealer close to where I work in Bristol. However once inside I was told they didn't have one to see, so I just asked for a brochure instead. The sales chap then went looking for one. He came back empty handed and asked a colleague where they were. This colleague went on to say that they don't actually sell them and the closet dealer that did would be Swindon...oh and I could download a brochure online. Great.
c1derman said:
Thought I would go and look at one as I have a Vauxhall dealer close to where I work in Bristol. However once inside I was told they didn't have one to see, so I just asked for a brochure instead. The sales chap then went looking for one. He came back empty handed and asked a colleague where they were. This colleague went on to say that they don't actually sell them and the closet dealer that did would be Swindon...oh and I could download a brochure online. Great.
I expect they're having difficulty keeping up with demand 
c1derman said:
Thought I would go and look at one as I have a Vauxhall dealer close to where I work in Bristol. However once inside I was told they didn't have one to see, so I just asked for a brochure instead. The sales chap then went looking for one. He came back empty handed and asked a colleague where they were. This colleague went on to say that they don't actually sell them and the closet dealer that did would be Swindon...oh and I could download a brochure online. Great.
Yeah, according to the website it is only sold through certain specialist Vauxhall dealers and servicing has to be done through one of the specialists as well.I think they missed a trick there. They would surely do better if normal Vauxhall dealers at least had access to a demo model. I guess the dealers need special training...
bp1000 said:
These do look great, i've seen quite a few around recently and i would consider one for the next car i have for business travel.
I was expecting more than 40mpg from the ICE though. I assume its overall average is still way into the 100's?
I currently have a gen 3 prius and on my 50 mile commute over a-roads i'm getting over 70mpg now. I think this is helped by a few sections of 50mph which slows a bit in traffic. I think toyota must do some very clever trickery to the ICE. I'm not sure what that is but judging by the graphical display it is exactly what it says on the tin, a hybrid with battery assist so i can only assume the PiP is even greater still.
I have seen posts from seasoned Prius owners of the PiP who seem to achieve 120-130mpg on their commutes. Its very impressive considering a lot of that energy is regenerated from motor drag, small amounts of wasted ICE energy and energy recovery braking. The great thing is, you really don't have to drive it slowly to achieve this sort of efficiency. Just a shame most owners are old and do drive it very slowly.
i'm very much a believer in hybrids and electric power now for commuting so i'm watching this space quite closely for the future.
Prius 1.8 petrol runs on the Atkinson cycle (pretty much same as the Miller cycle as well by the sounds of it, though I think the original Atkinson cycle engine had a much more complicated reciprocating motion). Anyway, regardless of the name, they basically leave intake valves open longer and use part of the piston compression stroke to "throttle" the mixture. You lose some power density but gain some efficiency. The idea is that what you lose in power you can fill back in with an electric motor.I was expecting more than 40mpg from the ICE though. I assume its overall average is still way into the 100's?
I currently have a gen 3 prius and on my 50 mile commute over a-roads i'm getting over 70mpg now. I think this is helped by a few sections of 50mph which slows a bit in traffic. I think toyota must do some very clever trickery to the ICE. I'm not sure what that is but judging by the graphical display it is exactly what it says on the tin, a hybrid with battery assist so i can only assume the PiP is even greater still.
I have seen posts from seasoned Prius owners of the PiP who seem to achieve 120-130mpg on their commutes. Its very impressive considering a lot of that energy is regenerated from motor drag, small amounts of wasted ICE energy and energy recovery braking. The great thing is, you really don't have to drive it slowly to achieve this sort of efficiency. Just a shame most owners are old and do drive it very slowly.
i'm very much a believer in hybrids and electric power now for commuting so i'm watching this space quite closely for the future.
Edited by bp1000 on Tuesday 3rd June 09:52
There is a similar system on my Honda. They operate their VTEC system to do the same throttling action instead of the engine drawing a vacuum against a butterfly throttle valve. Though without an electric motor to fill in your missing power they limit its operation to < 50% accelerator and < 3500 RPM. So basically it operates like this for part load cruising.
On my trip to Goodwood and back I managed just about 47 MPG (hand calculated) and I wasn't driving like a granny. Just 70 MPH on the cruise the whole way. That is not a bad number at all for a NA 1.8 petrol.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Thursday 3rd July 15:46
Really like the look of some wraps out there on the Ampera...could be tempted if I take the plunge lol
Matte grey
http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/201...
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BBnQJ-TCMAI7liW.jpg
Matte blue
http://gm-volt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Opel...
Matte orange (on a volt)
http://static.wixstatic.com/media/62b856_9659fd080...
Matte grey
http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/201...
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BBnQJ-TCMAI7liW.jpg
Matte blue
http://gm-volt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Opel...
Matte orange (on a volt)
http://static.wixstatic.com/media/62b856_9659fd080...
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