Vauxhall Ampera FAQs

What is the driving range of the Vauxhall Ampera?

The car is designed to drive between 25-50 miles on pure electricity stored in the battery from overnight home charging. After that the on-board generator will kick in and allow the car to be driven another 310 miles on a full tank of petrol.

What happens if the battery runs low when I'm out on the road?

With the Vauxhall Ampera you don't have to worry about running out of electricity and becoming stranded - there is no range anxiety. The battery can last for up to the first 50 miles, but for longer journeys the on-board engine generator creates additional electricity to power the car for an additional 310 miles.

What kind of petrol mileage will the Vauxhall Ampera get?

That's a bit of a trick question. Because for the first 25-50 miles, no petrol will be burned.
When the generator starts, fuel consumption is estimated at:

Fuel Consumption / CO2 emissions according to UN ECE R10(weighted, combined):

175 mpg  (preliminary information)
40g CO2/km  (preliminary information)

What type of batteries will the Vauxhall Ampera use?

The car is being designed around an advanced battery pack that uses lithium-ion chemistry. For automotive use the packs and cells will be more powerful and safe.

What are the operating cost?

Electric driving is cost effective. We estimate that an electrically driven mile in the Vauxhall Ampera will cost about one-fifth the price of a mile driven in a conventional petrol-powered vehicle. It is expected that it will cost about £0.02 per mile to drive electrically vs. £0.09 using petrol priced at £1.20 per litre.

How long will it take to recharge the Ampera?

The battery takes less than 4 hours to fully recharge using the boot stored charging cable, the Ampera can be plugged into a 240-volt/13 A household outlet. Based on current UK average prices this will cost around £0.85.