“Electric mobility is the best solution for reducing automobile emissions and dependency on petroleum but if electric vehicles are to have a significant benefit on the environment and society, they must be attractive to a wide variety of buyers, not just city dwellers,” says Opel.
Perhaps with this in mind, the company’s designers set out to develop a version of its new Ampera electric car suitable for police forces around the world. Apart from the environmental and economic benefits of using electric vehicles, the company also hopes law enforcement officers will be attracted by the vehicle's low noise emissions, which make it ideal for meighbourhood patrol work.
With a range of 40-80 km in all-electric mode, which can be extended to more than 500 km when needed thanks to an on-board engine generator (Opel claims it is the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers with such a range), local police certainly wouldn’t need to worry about running out of juice on their rounds.
The Ampera uses electricity from a lithium-ion battery as the primary source of energy for propulsion, offering it 370 Nm instant torque accelerating it to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds. However, high-speed chases would be a task best left to other vehicles, as it only has a top speed of just 160km/h.
General Motor Volt’s European cousin has already won high accolades from specialists throughout the continent. Awards from authoritative magazines and websites include Greenest Car of the Year by www.whatcar.co.uk , innovation trophy from L’Automobile Magazine in France and best electric car by Auto Swiat in Poland.
Nevertheless, the German police may need some convincing. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price in Germany, with 19 percent VAT, is €36,050.
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