Vauxhall Receive Prestigious Green Award

Vauxhall’s new electric vehicle the Ampera receives top award at the recent green awards.

Vauxhall are due to release their new vehicle the Ampera Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) and have already pickup a top award. What Car? Green Awards are already a prestigious event with all the top brands competing for the number one awards.

The Ampera picked up the Green Technology Award for its approach to green motoring technology. Many people feel anxious about the range of electric motors due to poor battery life, however with a small onboard engine this can generate more power to extend the range the conventional electric battery can produce. The engine generator extends the range from 60-kilometres to more than 500-kilometres.

Research has shown that almost 70 percent of European car journeys are significantly less than the range of the Ampera so there should be no concerns of coming to an abrupt halt on your journey.

The awards were presented by London’s Mayor Boris Johnson and What Car? editor Steve Fowler at a ceremony in the UK capital.

“Of the myriad approaches to cutting CO2 from our cars, the Ampera’s Voltec system is one of the cleverest. It’s simple, should be effective, and as it can be adapted to be used with fuel cells, it’s pretty future proof, too,” Fowler said.

In accepting the award, GM Europe Director of Advanced Vehicle Development, Gherardo Corsini, said,

“This is a real honor for all involved in the development of Ampera and is further proof that the Voltec drive system is widely becoming recognized, both across the industry and by the general public, as the most usable and realistic form of alternative propulsion available in the near-term future.”

The Ampera will be in production by 2011 and is due to be on the roads of the UK by 2012.

E. Dooley

12/06/2009