What is it?
It's the first fruit of GM's plan to stop relying on begging just to stay afloat and instead bring in the Bunsen by not burning fuel. The Ampera does burn fuel, granted, but none of it actually turns the wheels. Confused? It's easy really: the Ampera's Voltec drivetrain relies on a t-shaped lithium-ion battery feeding an electric motor to power the wheels. It'll go up to 31-miles on a single charge and can be plugged into a normal household socket, but after the juice runs out a petrol-powered generator fires up to charge the battery for a range of about 300-miles. This eliminates the 'range anxiety', as GM puts it, of normal electric-only cars.
Why's it here?
Because until recently when the US Government stepped in GM was up the proverbial creek; the Ampera is a saloon-shaped paddle. Research by GM in Germany suggests the 30-mile range is enough for most people to get to work and back, and without showing us the figures (dubiously), it also claims the Ampera will be about a fifth of the cost of a normal saloon to run. And, GM used Geneva to confirm the Ampera is destined for the UK as a standalone model (rather than stuffing its drivetrain inside an Insignia, as had been rumoured).
Show stopper or floor filler?
Show stopper, no doubt. Its futuristic looks and drivetrain are pure concept car madness, except this time we'll see it as early as 2012. Sure, it'll be toned down - and the production interior will be nowhere near the show car's (expect something Insignia-like, obviously) - but it's a true step towards a genuine electric future - a real move away from the Prius, that is, rather than an
Insight style aping of the concept. We like it.
Mark Nichol - 5 Mar 2009