General Motors a fabricat primele exemplare Opel Ampera destinate testelor la fabrica din Warren, Michigan. Chevrolet Volt si Opel Ampera impart aceiasi platforma tehnica, lansarea oficiala a acestora fiind prevazuta pentru anul 2012. Automobilul este propulsat de un motor electric alimentat de baterii caruia i se alatura un motor pe benzina ce produce curent electric pentru incarcarea acumulatorilor in cazul descarcarii complete a acestora. Cu acest sistem, automobilul reuseste sa parcurga primii 100 de kilometri cu un consum de numai 1 litru la 100 de kilometri. Bateriile, cu o putere de 8.8 kWh, propulseaza autovehiculul pentru 64 de kilometri in modul pur electric.
Unele dintre aceste modele vor fi distruse in diverse teste pentru a se perfectiona rezistenta la impact.
Comunicatul de presa (in limba engleza)
Opel Ampera Passes Production Milestone
Warren, Mich./Rüsselsheim – The Opel Ampera passed an important milestone Friday, April 23, when the first pre-production Model Year 2012 Ampera rolled off the line at GM’s Pre-Production Operations assembly line in Warren, Michigan.
Assembly workers will build more pre-production Amperas in the coming months. These pre-production vehicles will not be sold at dealerships, but used instead for testing and validating the production intent design as well as developing the final vehicle software and controls. Engineers in Europe and the United States also use them to tune the vehicle’s overall driving experience. Some of these Amperas will have very short lives as they will be used in safety and structural integrity testing.
„We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year,” said Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Ampera „There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Opel Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”
The Opel Ampera extended-range electric vehicle delivers up to 60 kilometers of pure electric driving before an engine-generator kicks in to sustain the battery charge and seamlessly extend the range to more than 500 kilometers. The battery can be charged by plugging the vehicle’s on-board charge system into a standard household outlet. It is scheduled to go on sale end 2011.
