Photo: Opel
Tesla may not be too worried about this, but launching its EVs ahead of the Model 3 gave General Motors a lead start that might prove to be very important. It all comes down to how well the Bolt and the Ampera-e are received by the public.
If they prove to be more than decent and fulfill the promises made before launch, then they will succeed in turning GM into a respectable player on the EV market - something it currently isn't. This means that future products coming from Chevrolet or Opel will be met with a lot more interest and a lot less circumspection by the public and media alike.
We said that Tesla isn't too worried and that's because, apart from the similar price and maximum range, there's very little that the Model 3 and GM's EVs have in common. Starting with their different body styles and ending with a different general approach (the Model 3 aims to be a technological powerhouse, while the Bolt/Ampera-e are just your regular electric hatchbacks), we shouldn't normally be speaking about these two (or three, if you like) in the same sentence.
But if the Chevrolet Bolt has its work cut out for it over in the USA, the Opel Ampera-e has a much simpler task ahead of it in Europe. With Tesla presence still concentrated in a few countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany and, more recently, the United Kingdom, the electric Opel will have much lesser rivals to fight off. It'll go against cars such as the BMW i3 (higher price, lower range), the Nissan LEAF (old design, lower range), the Renault ZOE (smaller size, lower range), and the Volkswagen e-Golf (considerably lower range).
Even though the Bolt and the Ampera-e are identical, they fact their range has been tested by separate entities means that they have different maximum ranges. So if the Bolt can go 238 miles on one charge (383 kilometers), the Ampera-e is slated for "over 249 miles" (that's more than 400 kilometers). With the closest rival in Europe boasting a full 100 km shorter maximum range (the BMW i3's 300 km), Opel is understandingly excited about the Ampera-e.
In fact, the company's CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann (whom we showed you a few days ago trying to seem excited about the car) declared that "Opel is democratizing the electric car with the Ampera-e." In the end, that will all come down to its price, but even taking into account real-world numbers compared to official testing, that range does make the Ampera-e a somewhat unique offering in today's market. For now.
We said that Tesla isn't too worried and that's because, apart from the similar price and maximum range, there's very little that the Model 3 and GM's EVs have in common. Starting with their different body styles and ending with a different general approach (the Model 3 aims to be a technological powerhouse, while the Bolt/Ampera-e are just your regular electric hatchbacks), we shouldn't normally be speaking about these two (or three, if you like) in the same sentence.
But if the Chevrolet Bolt has its work cut out for it over in the USA, the Opel Ampera-e has a much simpler task ahead of it in Europe. With Tesla presence still concentrated in a few countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany and, more recently, the United Kingdom, the electric Opel will have much lesser rivals to fight off. It'll go against cars such as the BMW i3 (higher price, lower range), the Nissan LEAF (old design, lower range), the Renault ZOE (smaller size, lower range), and the Volkswagen e-Golf (considerably lower range).
Even though the Bolt and the Ampera-e are identical, they fact their range has been tested by separate entities means that they have different maximum ranges. So if the Bolt can go 238 miles on one charge (383 kilometers), the Ampera-e is slated for "over 249 miles" (that's more than 400 kilometers). With the closest rival in Europe boasting a full 100 km shorter maximum range (the BMW i3's 300 km), Opel is understandingly excited about the Ampera-e.
In fact, the company's CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann (whom we showed you a few days ago trying to seem excited about the car) declared that "Opel is democratizing the electric car with the Ampera-e." In the end, that will all come down to its price, but even taking into account real-world numbers compared to official testing, that range does make the Ampera-e a somewhat unique offering in today's market. For now.
Google News