In the German Ampera Blog we’ve already gotten lots of questions and comments, and we’ve summarized the most interesting for you here.

Albert: Finally, the Ampera Blog! I’ve been waiting a long time for this, I’m looking forward to lots of interesting information and discussions.

Paul Kowalski: Congratulations Opel! Since the Opel Admiral or Opel Diplomat Coupé, Opel hasn’t built any cars of interest to me. When I saw the first pictures of the Ampera, my opinion immediately changed. The function and form are right for me, not to mention the revolutionary technology. I hope the car is really successful and that I can afford it some day.

nie-mehr-benzin.de (never again gasoline): I’d like to know where the Voltec drivetrain for the Volt and Ampera was developed. In Rüsselsheim or Detroit?

Opel plays a leading role in GM’s global development network. Opel engineers in Rüsselsheim made vital contributions, e.g. in development of the engine, the chassis, the battery and the system integration in the entire vehicle. The same applies to the development of other future technologies like for instance fuel cells.

Nils from Probefahrten.eu (test drives) Blog: I think the topic of the new propulsion system is very interesting. We reported on this blog right away, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

ralle: Up to how many degrees Celsius does the electric propulsion work?

The Ampera’s lithium-ion battery is state-of-the-art and designed for durability. The Ampera should perfectly operate in all kinds of possible operating conditions like any other conventional passenger car. The conditions include climates from extremely cold (-25 degrees Celsius) to extremely hot (+50 degrees Celsius), namely places such as Granada in Spain to Arjeplogg in Sweden.

didi: As expensive as the Ampera is to buy for the normal consumer, GM/Opel can’t afford breakdowns because of empty batteries later in daily use. If only for this reason alone, we can be sure it won’t happen.

Vaan: What kind of lifecycle does this kind of battery have, when it’s used one day and then isn’t used for two?

The battery is designed to operate for the average mileage of a normal combustion engine, that’s about 240,000 kilometers. The battery won’t suddenly stop working at some point, but rather slowly fade. We assume that the Ampera battery will still have around 70 percent of its initial power after ten years.

Martin Jendrischik: Congratulations on the start of the Ampera Blog – we here at CleanThinking.de can’t wait to see what kind of entries will be posted here. The Ampera is heading straight towards becoming a cult car – let’s see what happens!

Günter: Somewhere in the media I read that the Ampera isn’t powered by the e-engine in range extender mode, but rather over a planetary gearbox by the gasoline engine – a hybrid then. Is that true?

The typical hybrid car uses an internal combustion engine as its prime source of energy, with intermittent support from a less powerful electric motor. Some can drive very slowly on electric power alone, but only for extremely limited distances. In contrast, Ampera’s prime mover is the super-efficient, battery-powered electric motor, which uses the support of the on-board engine-generator only when necessary. The Ampera can’t drive with the combustion engine alone, the electric motor is always involved. We’ll write more about this in this blog soon.

Joe Miller: I think it’s really clever to bring a mid-size car like the Ampera to market as an electric vehicle. Competitors like e.g. Toyota and Mercedes offer mainly hybrid cars in the small car class (Auris or Smart). Both of these minis have such low fuel consumption even with today’s traditional propulsion technology that further measurable fuel reduction with hybrid technology is hardly possible. The Ampera’s futuristic design and innovative propulsion concept show – yet again – that Opel is setting another milestone in mobility.