After winning the ‘Car of the Year 2012’, the Opel Ampera recently won the 13th International Monte Carlo Rally for electric cars and alternative propulsion which it took part in for the first time.
Four Amperas ranked among the top 10 vehicles. On the final day of the contest, the revolutionary electric vehicle reached the finish line in the capital of the Côte d’Azur principality. Some 130 competitors from about 30 manufacturers took part, among them seven Ampera, including one private Ampera team.
The other contenders included a Renault Fluence ZE, a Tesla Roadster sports car, a Mitsubishi I-MiEV and a Peugeot Ion. Apart from the overall victory, three Ampera teams ranked third, seventh and eighth respectively.
“The Ampera’s success in this contest under very challenging conditions proves its impressive balance between durability and fuel efficiency. This underscores our leadership role in the field of alternative propulsion,” Opel’s director E-mobility, Enno Fuchs, said.
The rally, held by the Monte Carlo Automobile Club since 1995, started in the towns of Annecy-le-Vieux, Clermont Ferrand and Lugano for 550 km via Digne-les-Bains, capital of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, to Monaco.
On the second day, the teams had to complete a distance of 272 km, leading them through Monaco and the original route of the Monte Carlo Rally through the French Maritime Alps.
Apart from the regularity tests, the focus lay with fuel consumption. With the help of a ratio derived from vehicle weight, CO2 emissions, the energy density of the fuel and its consumption, the organisers were able to calculate a comparison value and draw up an overall ranking.
The Opel Ampera is the first electric car that can go anywhere, anytime. A 16 kWh lithium ion battery powers the 111kW/150 hp electric motor. Depending on the style of driving and road conditions, it can cover a distance of between 40 and 80 km purely in battery-operated mode, completely free of emissions.
The Ampera is always powered electrically. In extended-range mode, which activates whenever the battery reaches minimum charge, the gasoline engine drives a generator that supplies the electric drive unit. The range extender enables an operating radius of 500 km.
On the road, the Ampera’s electric propulsion system provides instant torque of 370 Nm enabling zero to 100 km/h acceleration in around nine seconds and a top speed of 161 km/h.