Vauxhall Ampera: Spotted
Two engines and cheap to run, how can that be? It's one of those blasted range extender electric cars, isn't it?
We haven't suddenly had a change of heart about the wonders of the high-performance petrol engine. True, this Vauxhall isn't the sort of car to get traditional lovers salivating, but by the end of this Spotted, there should be a clear and reasoned argument for having an Ampera in your life. If not, lambaste me in the comments.
The newsfeeds of most automotive websites are full of new electric vehicles: Audi has just introduced their E-tron electric SUV, Tesla has started delivering the Model 3 to customers and Mercedes recently revealed the EQC. However, they're either too expensive, fraught with delivery problems or don't exist yet, which is no good to us in the here and now with only a fiver in our back pockets. Thankfully, there is a growing supply of used electrified vehicles for sale that are similar money to a regular petrol hatchback. This is where the Vauxhall Ampera begins to make a case for itself.
Introduced in 2012, the Ampera, and closely related Chevrolet Volt, were built both to satisfy the growing demand for electric vehicles, and because the American government insisted upon it. When the big automakers went to Washington to ask for a bailout back in 2008, the administration were said to be none too pleased when they found out that executives had used expensive private jets to get there. So the bailout came with the condition of forcing the US auto industry to produce cars that were much more competitive with Japanese and European imports. The Toyota Prius had cleaned up in the hybrid market, so America had to come up with something special to challenge it.
GM had previous experience with electric cars, having made the EV1 in the 90s, so it wasn't beyond them. However, even though the electric car had been around just as long as petrol alternatives, the public wouldn't spend $30-40k on a vehicle that they could only use for 50-100 miles before it needed a lengthy recharge. To try and please everyone, the new car would be a range extender that would run primarily on battery power until it was out of juice, then switch over to a conventional engine to keep owners mobile.
The engine in question is the 1.4-litre petrol engine from the Corsa. It's a bit noisy when running because it has to sit at higher revs in order to act as a generator, and produce enough charge to satisfy the demands of the electric motors that drive the wheels. There are occasions when the engine does actually drive the wheels directly - which GM initially denied to try and avoid confusion - but for the most part, this is an electric vehicle.
Of course, when it does run on electric power, the car is incredibly quiet. It takes only six hours to replenish the battery from a slow 240v mains plug, which can be done easily overnight. The range is between 30-40 miles and then the petrol engine takes over and extends your range by 300 miles or more. The idea is that during your working week, you use electric power and switch over to petrol at the weekend when you want to get away. Thinking about it, despite the oldest being six years old, the current crop of plug-in hybrids haven't improved much upon this.
And when you consider that this is the lowest mileage example currently for sale, the £14,500 asking price is quite remarkable for a three-year-old car. It's essentially half of what it was new. Yes, early examples of the BMW i3 are similar money, but the Ampera can go further, is a bigger car and comes loaded with kit. There are even five years left of the eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty. All things considered, if you want an electric car but don't want to be bogged down by range anxiety and infrequent charging stations, the Ampera is one of the best used electrified vehicles you can buy. See, I told you there was a reasoned argument to be made for it.
SPECIFICATION - VAUXHALL AMPERA
Engine: 1,398cc, four-cylinder, 45Ah battery pack
Transmission: Permanent magnet electric propulsion motor located in a multi-mode transaxle, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 148@ 5,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 237@ 250-2,800rpm
MPG: 235.4 mpg
CO2: 27g/km
First registered: 2015
Recorded mileage: 15,000
Price new: £33,750 (£28,750 with grant)
Yours for: £14,500
See the full ad here.
My key concern is how good are the dealers in servicing and repairing the car.
We ended up with an Outlander PHEV instead. I suspect the Ampera would have had a bigger electrical range and be a bit better on fuel so it is a shame really.
It further complicates thing when you're explaining to the service manager that it went into 'reduced propulsion mode' and he couldn't even say the word 'propulsion', let alone understood it. Sigh.
I averaged 178MPG on mine, and regularly got 50 miles out of a charge. When the 1.4 engine was running, it really was godawful though.
It further complicates thing when you're explaining to the service manager that it went into 'reduced propulsion mode' and he couldn't even say the word 'propulsion', let alone understand it. Sigh.
I averaged 178MPG on mine, and regularly got 50 miles out of a charge. When the 1.4 engine was running, it really was godawful though.
We ended up with an Outlander PHEV instead. I suspect the Ampera would have had a bigger electrical range and be a bit better on fuel so it is a shame really.
Great looking car though.
Went for a Avantime instead.
The current Prius Plug-In can manage up to 39 miles of EV driving from a single charge which takes 3.5 hours from a 240v socket, or closer to 2 hours using a fast charger (which you get fitted for free by Chargemaster if you buy a new one). Once the electric runs out, the car will run as a normal hybrid vehicle, just like a regular Prius. That means around 80mpg providing a decent length journey. The Prius Plug-In also has the ability to charge the battery back up whilst driving, unlike the Ampera.
Personally, I think that's a massive improvement in technology. That's before you even start to get into reliability, dealer service etc.
Personally, I think that's a massive improvement in technology. That's before you even start to get into reliability, dealer service etc.
The Prius battery is only 8.8kWh, the Ampera 10.5kWh (16kWh actually but it's very heavily protected).
The Prius only has a 91hp electric motor and limited to 62mph in EV. The Ampera EV motor is 130hp and goes all the way upto 100mph.
The Prius charges at 3.3kW like the Ampera.
The Ampera ICE will never kick in before the battery is depleted. Not under heavy acceleration. Not under high speeds.
I'd kill for the Prius MPG on petrol, but other than that it's definitely not a better car.
You're full of crap.
These are interesting because majority of UK cars are MY12/13, rarely 14 and 15 are an unicorn. This car even though it's 15 reg will most likely be MY13, the only way to say for sure is VIN, there's also a way to tell the unicorn because they are post facelift and have slightly different central panel.
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