Electric cars with a dash of petrol give Vauxhall green drive

There has been a great deal of media coverage lately on an electric future for cars. The UK government is backing the drive to go electric. So ,too,Vauxhall which has been high profile with its electric/petrol car thesoon-to-be commercially produced Ampera scooping What Car's green technology award.

Behind the revolutionary Vauxhall/Opel Ampera Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), to give it its full title,is the Voltec propulsion system.The Ampera is expected to be on sale in Europe late 2011, UK early 2012.

British car magazine What Car? has honoured the Ampera with its inaugural Technology Award, thanks to its innovative and usable approach to green motoring, as well as its ability to overcome the ‘range anxiety’ suffered by users of conventional electric cars.

Unlike a plug-in electric vehicle, Ampera’s E-REV system uses an on-board petrol generator to stop the battery from discharging completely, meaning that as well as a 40-mile electric-only range, the car can be driven much further between recharges. With over 70 per cent of European car journeys being below the Ampera’s electric-only range, the majority of drivers will be able to use it with zero exhaust emissions and no petrol consumption, but with the peace of mind of knowing it is capable of undertaking much longer journeys without recharging if necessary.

For a full report Green-Car-Guide.com