As the first units of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt are being delivered to expecting owners in sunny California, the 2017 Opel Ampera-e now has a price on the other side of the big blue pond we call the Atlantic Ocean. Norway is the first European country get the EV, with pricing for the Ampera-e starting from 299,900 kroner.
At the current exchange rates, NOK 299,900 converts to €33,220 or $35,390. Considering that the Tesla Model S with the 60 kWh battery pack starts from 601,300 kroner before government incentives, the Chevrolet Bolt’s European brother is pretty good value for money. The 2017 BMW i3 with the 94 Ah 33 kWh battery, which is closer in size to the Opel Ampera-e than the Model S, is cheaper still at 267,500 kroner, a sum that converts to €29,630 or $31,565.
The Ampera-e may be more expensive than the i3, but it also boasts more driving range at more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) vs. a declared 300 kilometers (186 miles) for the Bimmer using the NEDC rating system. After Norway sees the first Ampera-e being delivered in the spring, the following European countries in line to get the battery-powered EV are Germany, Netherlands, France, and Switzerland. Other markets will follow in late 2017 and early 2018, as production volume grows at the Orion Assembly plant.
“Wait a minute. Isn’t Opel a German brand? Why does Norway get the Ampera-e first?” The answer to that question is remarkably simple: the Kingdom of Norway is the most mature EV market in Europe. It simply is, especially now that it’s close to reaching 100,000 battery-powered EVs on the road. Peter Christian Kuspert, the Opel AG vice president of sales and aftersales, let it slip that the limited availability of the 2017 Opel Ampera-e is also “due to a slow ramp-up of production at the Orion plant in Michigan.”
Compared to the Opel Ampera, which was a Chevrolet Volt in drag, Opel hopes that the Ampera-e will be more to the liking of European clientele in the market for an EV. On that note, the Norwegian configurator reveals a similar problem found with the Chevrolet Bolt: fast charging is an option.
The Ampera-e may be more expensive than the i3, but it also boasts more driving range at more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) vs. a declared 300 kilometers (186 miles) for the Bimmer using the NEDC rating system. After Norway sees the first Ampera-e being delivered in the spring, the following European countries in line to get the battery-powered EV are Germany, Netherlands, France, and Switzerland. Other markets will follow in late 2017 and early 2018, as production volume grows at the Orion Assembly plant.
“Wait a minute. Isn’t Opel a German brand? Why does Norway get the Ampera-e first?” The answer to that question is remarkably simple: the Kingdom of Norway is the most mature EV market in Europe. It simply is, especially now that it’s close to reaching 100,000 battery-powered EVs on the road. Peter Christian Kuspert, the Opel AG vice president of sales and aftersales, let it slip that the limited availability of the 2017 Opel Ampera-e is also “due to a slow ramp-up of production at the Orion plant in Michigan.”
Compared to the Opel Ampera, which was a Chevrolet Volt in drag, Opel hopes that the Ampera-e will be more to the liking of European clientele in the market for an EV. On that note, the Norwegian configurator reveals a similar problem found with the Chevrolet Bolt: fast charging is an option.