It won't arrive in Italy before 2018, but with a 520 km range, generous interior space and top-of-the-range equipment, the Ampera-e electric people carrier promises to raise the bar for battery-powered cars. We drove it in Oslo, the European capital of sustainable mobility.
Thomas Franke, a doctoral student in psychology at the Technische Universität Chemnitz, in Germany, has shown that the worst enemy of electric car adoption is "range anxiety". A condition that, according to Californian manufacturer Tesla, afflicts a large proportion of American motorists who are, in principle, inclined to buy a battery-powered car, but worried about the risk of not being able to refuel their vehicle as easily as at a traditional filling station. For every anxiety, however, there are a number of remedies, ranging from yogic breathing and aromatherapy to, in this case… the new Opel Ampera-e. The German zero-emissions people carrier promises to change the rules of the sustainable mobility game.
The majority of motorists don't reject the idea of switching to electric propulsion, but fear having to go to great lengths to access the charging network. Regardless of the fact that there are already models on the market with a real range of at least 200 kilometres, and that everyday mobility needs do not, in the vast majority of cases, exceed 50 kilometres, the key to convincing the undecided to turn to battery-powered cars seems to be, while waiting for a widespread rollout of charging stations, the guarantee of an extra-large range. A path that German manufacturer Opel, recently acquired by the French PSA Group, which already owns the Peugeot, Citroën and DS brands, is pursuing decisively with the aforementioned Ampera-e. A car that promises to make most of its rivals look outdated, thanks to a declared range of 520 kilometres on the NEDC homologation cycle, which becomes 380 in everyday driving, that is, with the air conditioning on and in any weather condition.
Paraphrasing Huysmans and his celebrated novel "À rebours" (French for "against the grain", or "in reverse"), for once we do the opposite and start from the end. Are the 380 real kilometres of range credible? The answer is yes. The turning point has arrived. We had the opportunity to test the Ampera-e in Norway, in the surroundings of electrified Oslo, under conditions that were far from ideal for battery performance. That is to say, with temperatures close to 0°C, sleet, hilly routes broken up by long motorway stretches (around 60 kilometres) and a spirited driving style. We covered 199.5 kilometres without difficulty and parked our car with a remaining range of 107 kilometres (126 potential). Figures that suggest that, with milder weather, a more conventional route and a careful driving style, the 380-kilometre threshold is anything but a pipe dream.
The Opel Ampera-e, in addition to its benchmark range, also breaks the mould when it comes to interior space and practicality. At present, few other battery-powered models can boast such generous cabin space, both for the driver and front passenger and for the rear seat occupants. Even those of above-average height have nothing to complain about, as the ample legroom is complemented by the absence of any unwanted contact between head and headlining. The Ampera-e is a proper people carrier, with five genuine seats, proving that electric propulsion can go hand in hand with practicality. Hard to believe? Just consider the rear bench seat, which splits 40/60, and the boot, fitted with a generous underfloor compartment as well as offering a capacity of between 381 and 1,274 litres. Figures that exceed those of a conventional mid-range saloon such as the Opel Astra and are not far off those of the Opel Meriva people carrier, available in petrol, diesel or LPG versions.
Alongside its benchmark interior space and noteworthy performance — it has 204 hp at its disposal — the Ampera-e combines all the typical benefits of electric mobility. The icing on the cake of practicality. The German people carrier's credentials, in addition to a comprehensive — indeed, extremely comprehensive — equipment list and a driving experience that is anything but dull, include running costs lower than those of a conventional model, full environmental compatibility, free access to restricted traffic zones such as Milan's Area C, free parking in paid bays and road tax exemption for five years nationwide (for life in Lombardy and Piedmont). And also insurance discounts of up to 50 per cent and lower maintenance costs than any car with a combustion engine.
Don't confuse it with the previous model. The first generation of the Opel Ampera was in fact a saloon, twin to the American Chevrolet Volt, characterised by electric propulsion, but of the "extended-range" variety. It was, in essence, a hybrid car with a series rather than a parallel system; meaning the zero-emissions motor was interposed between the combustion engine (petrol) and the transmission, in such a way that the transmission was always driven by the battery-powered unit. An ingenious solution that led the first Ampera to become the best-selling EV (electric vehicle) in 2012. Now everything changes, as the new Ampera-e is a people carrier, this time related to the Chevrolet Bolt, fitted with a single motor. A 100 per cent electric unit, so as to minimise emissions and definitively shut the door on fossil fuels.
520 kilometres of range on the NEDC homologation cycle and 380 real-world kilometres per charge aren't just good — they're exceptional. At least given the current state of the art, since until now, Tesla aside, 300 kilometres NEDC had been considered the gold standard. A standard to which, for example, the compact BMW i3 94h and the recently updated mid-size saloon Volkswagen e-Golf conform — the latter credited with 200 real-world kilometres — while the Renault Zoe stretches to 400 kilometres NEDC by opting for the 41 kWh battery, and the best-seller — the world's best-selling zero-emissions model — the Nissan Leaf doesn't go beyond 250 kilometres. The Hyundai Ioniq Electric sits at 270 kilometres. Rival models that, with the exception of the Ioniq and the Leaf, are moreover more compact than the Ampera-e and offer less interior space.
The "secret" of the German people carrier lies in its batteries. The Ampera-e uses 60 kWh lithium-ion accumulators. A noteworthy figure, to the point of being on a par with what was until recently the exclusive preserve of Tesla's entry-level range. The Model S 60, boasting 300 hp and a 400-kilometre range, is offered in Italy at a price of no less than €84,600. Anything but affordable. The Ampera-e, while adopting a battery pack of comparable power and a benchmark within the EV landscape, is considerably more accessible, costing less than half the price of the Californian electric. To return to a comparison of the accumulators, consider that the new e-Golf doesn't exceed 35.8 kWh, while the Zoe stretches to a maximum of 41 kWh and the Leaf sits at 30 kWh.
The cells of the German people carrier power a zero-emissions motor capable of delivering 204 hp and 360 Nm of torque. Among the best figures in the segment. There are sensations, however, that cold numbers cannot convey. The exuberance of the Ampera-e's electric powertrain translates into a substantial surge of power in any situation, at times even bordering on sporty, accompanied by the dynamic qualities typical of battery-powered models: namely exceptional responsiveness to accelerator inputs, instant torque delivery and respectable performance, with the Opel people carrier sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds and reaching a (self-limited) top speed of 150 km/h. All of this against a declared energy consumption of 14.5 kWh per hundred kilometres — during our tour we recorded 17.3 kWh/100 km — not far removed from the 12.7 kWh attributed on paper to a less powerful rival such as the VW e-Golf.
With a weight of 1,616 kg, it must be anything but fun to drive. As true as Donald Trump's visceral love of Romance philology. The Ampera-e is anything but disappointing from a dynamic standpoint. Less sporty than a Volkswagen e-Golf, its strength lies in the suspension tuning. Springs and dampers are able to absorb road imperfections correctly, without allowing excessive body roll or pitch to develop. A characteristic aided by the positioning of the battery pack in the lower section of the floor, which preserves cabin space while simultaneously keeping the car's centre of gravity low, promoting a well-balanced distribution of mass between front and rear axles. Measures that make it possible to drive with pleasure even along winding routes. Provided, of course, one doesn't expect a sporty feel — the steering has a very high reduction ratio — and can tolerate only adequate acoustic insulation.
There is a pearl inside the shell. And it is the energy recovery system during braking and during the motor's non-load phases. A technology that features four intervention thresholds and works in favour of the German people carrier's range. Alongside the standard driving modes familiar in an electric car — the standard mode (called "D") and the high-recovery mode ("L", i.e. Low), selectable via the tunnel-mounted selector — there are also a Sport programme and a novel steering-wheel paddle. A lever, located behind the left spoke of the steering wheel, which acts as a true "dynamic brake", activatable manually whenever traffic and road conditions allow deceleration to be combined with maximum cell recharging. In doing so, recourse to the conventional braking system is considerably reduced, to the great benefit of maintenance costs, while at the same time it becomes possible to optimise range even when travelling in the standard driving programme, which is less intrusive than the high-recovery mode. A clever and effective solution.
Forget the domestic socket. Recharging a 60 kWh battery pack via a 2.3 kW electrical system would require an hourglass to calculate the time involved. Although the Ampera-e is compatible with standard 230 V systems, to speed up the energy regeneration process it is virtually essential to use an alternating-current wallbox rated at 3.7, 4.6 or 7.4 kW. Or to rely on high-capacity charging stations with a capacity of at least 50 kW. The Opel people carrier supports all of these systems and, opting for example for a public direct-current station, allows 150 kilometres of range to be recovered in 30 minutes.
It is a child of the modern era. Proof of this lies both in the high performance of the electric powertrain and batteries and in the attention paid to multimedia. Inside the cabin, for example, one of the standout features is a large 10.2-i