Vauxhaul Ampera.... anyone got one?
Discussion
I had an Ampera for a month, and was very happy with it. Spec wise, it is very well equipped. It drove nicely, and with a decent turn of speed. The EV tech was very impressive, and I could manage 40 miles on pure EV. Fit and finish were pretty Vauxhall-like i.e. poor. It has a big advantage over the i3 of a decent size fuel tank, and bigger engine. So you could, if you so chose, drive it like a normal petrol engined car over long distances. It could also run directly off the petrol engine, which has the added benefit of being able to heat the cabin using excess heat from the engine, something not possible on the i3. So on a winter's drive you could start using the engine, drive a few miles to get everything up to temperature, then turn on EV mode. Ground clearance is miniscule, so you are constantly grounding out.
TTmonkey said:
I'd like to thank the MoD that's buried this in an area where not many people venture.
Its a car. First and Foremost a car. Its a general enquiry, it should remain in the General gassing area so that it can be seen.
Yes but more likely to find an Ampera owner in here that can assist then in general gassing where they're talking about the best designed exhaust pipes etc.Its a car. First and Foremost a car. Its a general enquiry, it should remain in the General gassing area so that it can be seen.
Amateurish said:
I had an Ampera for a month, and was very happy with it. Spec wise, it is very well equipped. It drove nicely, and with a decent turn of speed. The EV tech was very impressive, and I could manage 40 miles on pure EV. Fit and finish were pretty Vauxhall-like i.e. poor. It has a big advantage over the i3 of a decent size fuel tank, and bigger engine. So you could, if you so chose, drive it like a normal petrol engined car over long distances. It could also run directly off the petrol engine, which has the added benefit of being able to heat the cabin using excess heat from the engine, something not possible on the i3. So on a winter's drive you could start using the engine, drive a few miles to get everything up to temperature, then turn on EV mode. Ground clearance is miniscule, so you are constantly grounding out.
Good stuff, many thanks for taking the time.For me, I like the look of the front end and interior. Less impressed with the side profile and rear end. Whilst the i3 is nice, I lean towards the Ampera in terms of looks but I'd need to get behind the wheel of both to really make a decision.
If I was buying, I'd probably do a deal with Pentagon as Arnold Clark don't seem to have the same deals. That said, I recently read that Vauxhall will soon be releasing a new and cheaper Ampera as they are working to reduce the cost of the £7k battery by 50%
If I was buying, I'd probably do a deal with Pentagon as Arnold Clark don't seem to have the same deals. That said, I recently read that Vauxhall will soon be releasing a new and cheaper Ampera as they are working to reduce the cost of the £7k battery by 50%
Dan_1981 said:
Does the Ampera "regenerate" while your using the normal engine?
My understanding is that it doesn't. You get a tiny bit of regen from braking, but the engine cannot top up the battery. You have to plug it in to get the electric range back.It was a deal breaker for me. I wanted to treat it like a hybrid and never plug it in, but it's not designed for that.
OP - this thread might help
http://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I think the Ampera can change its self up to 40% using mountain mode. https://twitter.com/MichiganTRADER/status/38810360...
Stinkfoot said:
I saw one today as it happens and I really like the look of them.
However I currently have a new Toyota Auris Touring Hybrid for business which is a brilliant car and at 20k its also much much cheaper than an Ampera so I wont be changing it for one anytime soon.
Pentagon sell them new for £22k so perhaps not as expensive as you think.However I currently have a new Toyota Auris Touring Hybrid for business which is a brilliant car and at 20k its also much much cheaper than an Ampera so I wont be changing it for one anytime soon.
The Ampera can regenerate the battery up to 50% using Mountain mode. A couple of caveats here though:
- You should select this mode before the battery is fully depleted
- The engine generation is less efficient than plugging in at the mains and is less efficient than just leaving it in charge sustain mode. IE just leaving it to deplete the battery and then run the generator to provide current as and when required is more efficient. This is due to the losses from generation to chemical energy in the battery.
The purpose of Mountain mode is to hold some reserve of battery to assist in climbing large mountains (not sure we have many of these in the UK). This is because the electric motors can consume more power than the 1.4 generator can produce (of the top of my head 150kW compared to 80kW from the ICE odd).
Liking mine though 129mpg over 11k miles.
- You should select this mode before the battery is fully depleted
- The engine generation is less efficient than plugging in at the mains and is less efficient than just leaving it in charge sustain mode. IE just leaving it to deplete the battery and then run the generator to provide current as and when required is more efficient. This is due to the losses from generation to chemical energy in the battery.
The purpose of Mountain mode is to hold some reserve of battery to assist in climbing large mountains (not sure we have many of these in the UK). This is because the electric motors can consume more power than the 1.4 generator can produce (of the top of my head 150kW compared to 80kW from the ICE odd).
Liking mine though 129mpg over 11k miles.
Mainly short runs to the office. If your trips between recharging are 40 miles or less then your calculated MPG will be >250MPG.
Once the battery is flat, then MPG on the petrol generator is only around 50MPG. This was worse than my previous Prius which could do high 50's to low 60 MPG.
That said, the low BIK makes up for this.
Once the battery is flat, then MPG on the petrol generator is only around 50MPG. This was worse than my previous Prius which could do high 50's to low 60 MPG.
That said, the low BIK makes up for this.
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