When is an electric car not an electric car? The answer is when it is a range extender like the Vauxall Ampera. This radical looking family saloon uses both the conventional petrol engine and an electric motor, but unlike regular hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, that petrol engine doesn't drive the wheels.
It simply drives a generator that tops off the batteries. So what is it that sets the Ampera apart from a regular car. Well, from the outside, not a great deal. At the front we've got these boomerang-shaped headlights which we recognize from other recent Vauxhalls such as the Sophia Torra and then these alloy wheels here are flat faced for better aerodynamics.
And you can say that it's been fitted with Michelin green tires which have lower rolling resistance. Again, to improve fuel economy. Overall the car has got a slippery false back style shape is quite similar to the Prius and the Honda Insight, so let's get in and take it for a drive.
Ampera boys will get a 5000 pound plucking car grant from the government which means the entry level model starts at 29,995. When it goes on sale in summer 2012. At launch however, there'll be two specifications. The positive at 32,250 and the electron at 34,000 pounds. That's the car we're testing in our video.
If you're not used to an electric car, the first thing that we'll strike you about the Ampera is how quiet it is. If we pull away now there is virtually no noise apart from a distant hum from the batteries. And obviously increase your speed you get the tire noise and the wind noise. If you're using all that performance you'll obviously need to be doing some braking as well.
And while the Ampera does have The normal brake pedal, you'll be pleased to hear. It also relies heavily on regenerative braking, which uses the friction and the heat from slowing down the car to recharge the batteries. So, overall then once you get used to that lack of noise, and the effects of those regenerative brakes, the Ampera doesn't really feel that much different to a normal car.
And in some ways, it's better . It's certainly more fun to drive than a Toyota Prius, and the many full electric cars I've driven such as the Nissan Leaf.
Rivals for the Ampera include everything from conventional diesel cars to hybrids to full electric cars like the Nissan Leaf.
Inside the Ampera's a gadget lover's dream, there's not one but two color LCD screens. This one in front of the driver has the speedometer, fuel gauge, and an indicator that shows you how efficiently you're driving. Whereas the one in middle here is used to control all the functions like the climate control and the stereo.
There's a floating center console which is an idea that was borrowed from Volvo gives you a bit of storage space behind. And on the front here, these touch sensitive flat buttons are like something off a high end stereo system.
Both models are well equipped. Standard equipment on the positive includes heated leather seats and a rear parking camera, while the Electron includes SatNav, a DVD player and a 30-gigabyte hard drive linked up to a Bose sound system.
However, I think my favorite feature of the Ampera is this horn here, which is designed to warn pedestrians that you're approaching. Remember that the car is almost silent at low speeds. It's different to the regular horn, but it could be enough to stop you having a nasty accident. As for interior space, well there's plenty of room here in the front, but the Ampera's a strict two-seater in the back.
There's a plastic center console with cup holders in dividing the two rear seats. To charge the car up, you basically take the charger and the sockets on the other side to the the conventional fuel filler, push in, press the button, and there you go. And about six hours later the car should be fully charged or, about four hours if you've got a dedicated charging unit like this.
After a day of driving the Ampera, I've come away really impressed. The fact that you got that back-up petrol engine eliminates the so-called range anxiety that you'd get with the full electric car. On regular day to day journeys, you should be able to top 100 miles per gallon. And even in the worse case scenario, with the batteries completely flat, you should beat 50 mpg.
To watch the full video review for the Vauxhall Ampera and find out how it fared in our lab tests, go to which.co.uk/cars.
