Vauxhall predicts Ampera will boost electric car sales
-The sluggish take-up of electric cars is expected to get a boost on Tuesday as a new model arrives in showrooms with the intention of ending fears over "range anxiety" due to limited battery life.
-Vauxhall's Ampera, which launched last year to acclaim in the US as the GM Volt, joins Renault's Fluence ZE [zero emissions], a family car that went on sale last month as one of the newest eligible for a £5,000 "plugged-in car" discount from the government.
-Vauxhall forecasts it will sell 3,500 units of the £30,000 car this year, or 5,000 in a full year. A spokeswoman said its target of 10,000 sales across Europe in 2012 was "in our reach quite easily".
-The Ampera's big selling point is that when its battery runs out after 50 miles of electric power, a petrol engine provides back-up power for a further 310 miles. But because the petrol still drives the electric motor, the company says the vehicle should be considered a "range extender", not a hybrid car like the Toyota Prius.
-At £17,500 and up, the Fluence drastically undercuts the Ampera on price, by leasing the battery – the most expensive component of electric cars – from £76 a month. The battery will manage up to 115 miles in between charges, and the leasing arrangement means it can be swapped out later by Renault.
-Marc Rinkel, senior analyst at analysts IHS Automotive, suggested the new cars would become popular among corporate clients. "In 2011, the Nissan Leaf accounted for most of electric vehicles sales in the UK. The launches of the Vauxhall Ampera and the Renault Fluence ZE are a stepping stone to broaden the electric car offering.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/01/vauxhall-ampera-electric-cars?newsfeed=true
