Comments on: 2009 Opel Ampera, new Euro Volt

By: Cupid Stunt

Cupid Stunt — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:24:06 +0000

Nah Holdens effort would probably be a Daewoo Nicad.

Can’t wait for electric cars. Its gonna be a great second car dfor doing the local taxi runnabout stuff. I currently do about 240k’s of urban city stuff.

By: Minnow

Minnow — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:55:59 +0000

i wonder if the commodore will adopt headlights like that for the global design, effectively making it look like a falcon.

By: lazybones

lazybones — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:32:46 +0000

Oh Year, as for the will we get the chev Volt or Euro Volt. I think the chev already looks very euro. Especially when compared to the original concept:-

caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/volt_003.jpg

Maybe the yanks are starting to realise they’re incapable of designing beautiful cars

By: lazybones

lazybones — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:29:48 +0000

“what im keen to find out about these electric cars is how many kw’s of electricity does it consume to travel 60k’s???”

Bizzare, i was talking a friend about this just the other day. Partly prompty by an episode of the series “Future Car” on descovery.

With the new Mini-E we can at last see some good pound for pound comparisons of EV’s vs traditional combustion. EV’s use energy in a much more efficient way, where a combustion engine can only use about 25% of the available energy in the fuel. Then you’ve got regenative breaking, and other smarts to make it go further.

Based on coal fired electricy creating 1.39Kg of Co2 per Kwh, and comparing the Mini-E with the 1.6ltr Clubman. The overall Co2 emissions to travel 100kms would be 15.5kg for the Mini-E and 16.6kg for the Clubman.

If you then opt for a small 1Kw PV Solar array, you could completely offset about 15000kms per year in the Mini-E. IE Zero emissions travel vs 2.5 tonnes of Co2 created by the clubman.

But there is a catch, 1) I’ve done my figures with only 1 coffee consumed 2) The clubman seats 4 people vs 2.

By: Richo

Richo — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:59:07 +0000

Crouchy – maybe Andrew M has lost patients with posting well thought out arguments on here because people just ignore them and stick strictly to their pre-conceived notions about a product and/or company. Can’t blame him…

By: Car Tuning

Car Tuning — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:24:22 +0000

i can’t see myself driving an electric car sooner or later. they might have a cute design but they look like girl cars and with those performances don’t know which speed fanatic would go for an ampera or volt.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:05:06 +0000

Building a good electric car cannot be that difficult as I believe there is a small Melbourne based company that turns Getz into all electric and the range was better than this.

By: Realcars

Realcars — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:01:19 +0000

Electric only drive would have to be more efficient than the combination drive as in the Prius.

No gearbox and smaller petrol engine designed to run at constant speed/load etc and electric drive motor is more efficient anyway.

Also simpler electronics as no split between petrol and electric drive.

I would have thought Toyota would have chosen this route to start with although battery tech may have been limitation back then.

By: Frenchie

Frenchie — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:48:44 +0000

I like this car, but I hope GM are looking at different models and styles to employ this technology to; wagon, hatch, a sedan that sits five adults, coupe, SUV.

By: o

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:25:38 +0000

it looks liek it will be a volt with just a new front and rear.i was hoping the ugly sides would go.Still it makes sense for holden to import/build the ampera and call it the volt as the insignia is coming the astra has a 40% chance of coming .At the moment holden is at a cross roads and it has about 3 choices.
1.get rid of the euros and adapt the chevy design language with differnet grill.
2.keep the current with euro and korean
3.keep the euro and create chev as a seperate brand.
ATM id say holden will do number 2 as the sketch of the new torana has euro cues,I would say that the VF commodore will have a more insignia style gril land tailights to align itself for when/if the insignia/astra arrivee