General Motors’ European subsidiary, Opel, may not be a GM brand for much longer, but it’s business as usual at the blitz brand. Opel has officially revealed the Ampera-e will arrive with a certified range of 520 km, or 323 miles, of electric range.
If you recall, that’s significantly higher than the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV‘s 238-mile range, in which the Ampera-e is a carbon copy of. The New European Driving Cycle procedures, in which the Ampera-e is rated on, subjects vehicles in a much less scrutinous manner than U.S. regulations, leading to the range difference between both battery electric vehicles.
“We are bringing an electric car fully suitable for everyday use to market in the Ampera-e. It is not eco-luxury, not a gadget and not just a second car. Opel is showing that electro-mobility is also achievable for a much broader audience thanks to the most innovative technology,” said Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.
With a significant range of 520 km, Opel has begun taking orders for the EV in Norway. On deck for the long-range EV are Germany, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.
As for the United Kingdom and Vauxhall, the brand will not receive the Ampera-e due to right-hand drive, left-hand drive discrepancies.
Comment
I think that the 238 mile EPA rating is on average a very reasonable estimate for anywhere in the U.S. In the mild weather of Los Angeles my Bolt can easily exceed 300 miles, and I am sure even more if I tried harder.
The issue is with all electric cars, your mileage may vary (YMMV) depending on many factors such as driving style, speed, terrain, weather, heat and AC use, and on the Bolt if you take advantage of the (truly excellent) one pedal driving mode that recovers energy back to the batteries.
I could see that one could get that kind of driving range as quoted by Opel under some conditions, however, I don’t think realistic. In the U.S., I think that GM has under promised and over delivered on what’s this car can do, but Opel is overpromising what most people can likely do.