Opel Ampera Police Car designed for Germany

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By Tim Beissmann | February 17th, 2011

Opel has released images of a new Chevrolet Volt-based Opel Ampera dressed up as a police car, as the German General Motors division aims to make the plug-in hybrid popular among the country’s law enforcement authorities.

Opel says the all-new Ampera has the potential to be a brilliant undercover vehicle, thanks to its stealthy, silent electric operating mode.

Neighbourhood watch and simple patrol tasks would present no serious challenge, with the Ampera capable of travelling between 40km and 80km in all-electric mode.

High-speed chases would be a task best left to other vehicles, however, as the Ampera has a top speed of just 160km/h and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds.

The Ampera Police Car was designed as a visual stimulus to generate interest in the vehicle among German authorities. It features no other modifications other than the exterior paint job and roof-mounted lights.

Powered by a 16kWh lithium-ion battery and supported by a range-extending 1.4-litre petrol engine, the Ampera’s electric motor produces 111kW of power and 370Nm of torque.

With a four-hour 230V charge and a full tank a fuel, it is capable of travelling 500km, which should be enough to track down the bad guys.

After government tax credits, the Ampera costs 36,050 euros ($48,700) in Germany and is available now ahead of delivery at the end of the year.

DGS

Is it really worth having a police patrol vehicle that any other car on the road can shake off with acceleration and speed? Silent running would certainly be useful, but what’s the point of sneaking up on a crook if they can jump in their Hyundai and leave you to eat there dust?

Shak

If you have seen some of the reviews, this car aint as s low as you make it out to be. Its pretty much akin to having Lancers and Camry’s like we do here in Sydney, but with the benefit of silent running and very very low emissions.

Rumps

Top speed of 160km/h?? Last time I checked, people that need to get away, choose fast vehicles, generally with more speed than 160km/h, so that’s basically every car in Germany except for the city cars.

Also, German police forces don’t run around in cars with a top speed less of 250km/h, examples are: Opel Vectras, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes Benz E-Class, Opel Insignias, etc.

Lastly, Opel said it would be a great undercover vehicle. So what’s the point of dressing it up in German police livery, isn’t that against the point or purpose they are trying to make, what about giving it a black paint job and some undercover sirens and lights??

This is where GM’s stupidness really shows in the prime.

Shak

How so. They said it would be a great undercover vehicle, and in undercover guise it would be great. Its more a city patrol car and really isn’t meant for high speed chases. Learn to read between the lines.

DGS

Even as an unmarked undercover vehicle the Volt has its drawbacks. It is an expensive car and that alone will make it somewhat conspicuous in many neighbourhoods. If a police force wanted a green, non performance hybrid for undercover work the best candidate would be the LPG/Electric Elantra Hyundai was showing off a while back. At least it looks the same as every other Hyundai Elantra, and those things are everywhere.

I fully agree with the idea of the police using ICE / Electric vehicles, but they must be up to all tasks, not just community relations or publicity. Maybe GM should look at the turbine/electric concept by Jaguar to get ideas for their next attempt (Hybrid – Fast – with Range)

Great Idea, just the wrong car.
Suntan Time

Not good enough it needs a big 6.2l V8 , no match box motors please.

nickdl

It’s stupidity, probably indicating yours. Did you read the article? Opel said it has the POTENTIAL to be a great undercover vehicle. They’re not going to advertise what the undercover version looks like for two reasons: 1 it would look close to normal and 2 no one advertises an undercover vehicle because it defeats the purpose of it being undercover.

BTW I think you’ll be struggling to get a Vectra to 250km/h.

macca

saw an unmarked Vic police commodore the other day – on gas! times are changing.

when holden and ford provide liquid gas injection, there will be a considerable take-up amongst fleet vehicles.
Rumps

I read the article, but obviously people didn’t read it properly – IT SAYS GERMANY, I don’t know about you, but I’m half German, been to Germany, spent weeks there, even driven on the autobahns, their driving culture and their whole social culture is different to ours, which is how you’re comparing this car in relation to its ability to integrate into their society – people are probably thinking this would be a great car for Australia.

German drive fast, they are better drivers and make more faster paced decisions, which ads for cars that can do the same, the Opel Ampera is an electric vehicle that was created by Americans to push a market not even worth consdiering, becuase a majority of motoring journalists and at least three big motoring companies: BMW, Honda and VW think Hyrdogen is the answer.

Plus, in case you don’t know Germany is well known and is even to the Japanese and Swiss for efficiency. I don’t see efficiency in a car that can’t accelerate as fast as the current fleet of German Police Cars. Hasn’t anyone been to Japan? Well I have, and they have Nissan GT-Rs R35s as police cars and while granted yes, they also have Corollas and other small vehicles as small cars, they do above 160km/h.

Wrong car for the market (because hybrids are just as damaging to the planet – in their production cycle); a seg way into what we know should be the future fuel of the future – Hydrogen, diesels are just as efficient; and wrong car for Germany.
Andrew M

40-80k’s on electric??
I thought this vehicle was able to travle 160k’s on all electric

Shak

Thats the Leaf. But then again, it can ONLY travel a maximum of 160km, and thats in ideal conditions with no rain or weather of other electronics running.

Sumpguard

I may be out of whack with the thinking of others but I feel electric vehicles will one day be part of history when we learn how to master the production of Bio Fuels on a large scale.

That is unless they make some massive breakthrough with battery tech and can reduce weight massively as well as increase output. At the moment the Prius is eexcessively expensive for what is essentially a small car and disposal is an environmental nightmare. Infact so is the production of those batteries. Oddly enough that fact doesn’t appear in their ads to sell the product.

Electric vehicles will never replace the sound of 8 ,10 or 12 cylinders belting out a tune and I doubt the auto makers will want that part of history to die either.

I’ve pretty much lost interest in electric vehicles already.

Rumps

You’re not out of whack, I think electric vehicles are just a consumer’s con for the so-called better future of our world.

If we are to trust history, quantium leaps and major advancements are things we need for sustainable fuels for cars.

Electric cars, hybrids, anything where a fuel pump doesn’t exist isn’t the answer, primarly because you aren’t going to get a majority of the world’s drivers no matter where you are to adjust their lives to electric cars and of course there’s the misuse of facts you said.

I mean for example, hyrdogen is a fuel we can just pop into the tank and away we go, production of the fuel is less damaging to the earth and the actual bi-product from the exhaust is water, and so what if it costs a lot to form.

I mean if Julia Gillard can stand up and bring down society to a point where we must contribute our income to saving the planet, then her Government should go off and do some real research and put a large investment in such a new form of fuel or technology.