The Opel Ampera International test

Bob goes to Opel HQ in Germany to find out if the Ampera is really all it's cracked up to be. He even got involved in a competition on fuel economy which with the aid of Phil Hedderman they came last, find out why they were last in this video

[templemore]

I was under the impression that the car runs on electric all the time. The petrol engine drives a generator that drives the electric motor when the batteries are depleted thus extending the range of the vehicle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

[BobFlavinVideo]

Both, it recharges while you drive from braking but you can plug it in for a charge too

[BobFlavinVideo]

The price of the car in Ireland will be around 40k or more and that's the price of a basic 5 Series or A6 so there wouldn't be any buyers for it. I doubt it'll get any meaningful sales figures until the price goes down here.

[BobFlavinVideo]

The 450h is a 3.5 petrol and is a hybrid, the Ampera is classed as an EV. The only reason I mentioned the other two was to point out what you could have for around the same money. I love the looks of the car

[BobFlavinVideo]

I know I missing the watch, and I love watches too. I'd love an Omega Seamaster but I keep buying camera equipment! If anyone would like to provide an Omega for test I'll make a video of what I think of the watch!

[gene]

I love the looks Bob. I would love to know the economy the diesel gets.

[vauxhallmadnessuk]

My dad has this car and it's a weapon for overtaking and on a rolling start you do get pushed back into your seat.

[RichardJoashTan]

it's okay. I really like the Opel Ampera so much.

[BobFlavinVideo]

Yes, the petrol engine will go the same speed as the electric one; it's just noisier. It runs on the petrol engine when the batteries are dead, while running on petrol is recharges the battery and works like a hybrid. When the battery is full it's an EV

[BobFlavinVideo]

You are correct to a point. The car is all electric for as far as it'll go on batteries but once they are dead the petrol engine takes over and the batteries begin to recharge.
If your journey is say 200kms you might get 100kms on batteries and the rest on petrol, the problem is the petrol engine recharges very slowly. If there was more charging points in Ireland this car would be good but without them it's really hard to say if it'll be any better than a hybrid in the real world

[thomasdepaor]

And now? These cars are absolute bargains, and still within present times, as many car manufacturers are producing similar range extending vehicles, feedback re reliability and build quality is extremely positive.

[audience]

Opel dropped all mention of this car from their Irish web site a couple of months ago. Have they abandoned plans to launch it in Ireland?

[electrictroy]

$49, 000? Wow. The car is only $30, 000 (or less) after subtracting U.S. and State government rebates.

Also: I had read elsewhere the engine does NOT recharge the battery, but instead simply generates enough electricity to keep the car moving. Like a serial hybrid. (Gas--->Generator---> Electric Motor----> Wheels)

[KingScottProductions]

Surprised you didn't mention the Lexus GS450h when you mentioned the BMW/Audi competitors.

To expensive for what it is I think, like the Honda style front though.

[norwegianzound]

I got into a hire Insignia and the seating position was such that you were sat on the floor. Anybody know if these are the same? My wife has a bad back. hence the ask, Thanks

[uk]

So, is it possible to drive 160 km/h with an empty battery? Does the combustion engine and electrical generator are efficient enough to generate all the power needed for an electric engine in real time?

[LelouchVelvet]

Is it worth buying used one from 2012 with about 150, 000 km on it? It only costs 16, 00 EUR now.

[BobFlavinVideo]

And that price is with the Government grant, it's 51k really.

[KingScottProductions]

So an EV uses only electricity while you have it then just petrol? Does it charge itself or does it need to be plugged in?

[BobFlavinVideo]

Yes, a Golf with 5 seats and 1.6TDi engine would be a lot less to buy and about the same to run over 3 years