GM is predicting that the 2011 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera - Europe's version of the Chevrolet Volt - is expected to receive an impressively low emissions score, but the numbers may double for many European consumers.
GM's Vauxhall division is predicting that the Ampera will produce approximately 40 g of CO2 per kilometer. For many Europeans, however, the number could double to 80 g/km, because there is nowhere for them to recharge the Ampera's lithium-ion battery.
"We understand the problems in Britain and other European cities, where many owners can't park outside their house to re-charge," said Horst Mettlach, GM's battery development engineer."
"It's only a guess at the moment, because until we get prototypes in test this year, we don't know, but the tailpipe emissions might double. It's still a good figure, though."
The Chevrolet Volt and Opel/Vauxhall Ampera is an electric vehicle that uses a 16 kw/hr lithium-ion battery pack to move the vehicle for about 64 kilometers (40 miles). After 64 kilometers, the range is extended through the use of a 4-cylinder gasoline that powers a generator, which sends power to the motor and recharges the battery. GM has limited the amount the battery can be charged while driving because charging from the energy grid is cheaper and cleaner.
The issue in many European countries is that most people do not have access to an external outlet. Without an external outlet to recharge the battery, the vehicle will be forced to use the gas engine to recharge the battery and run the electric motor. Without the benefit of the all-electric 64 kilometers, the emissions levels will increase.
This problem isn't necessarily limited to Europe, though: consumers living in big cities around the world will have this issue. In most cases, potential Volt owners living in apartments and condominiums will have the same predicament. With any luck, some of the money set aside by the government for "green energy" will be used to begin installing the infrastructure needed to support the electric vehicles GM and other automakers will be releasing in the next few years.