Ampera-e Range Ratings Showcase Differences in American, European Testing
General Motors will soon begin selling the Chevrolet Bolt, the first mass-market-priced long-range electric vehicle, in dealerships in the United States (we would say “across” the United States, but Chevy still hasn’t released delivery plans). However, as we mentioned a while back, the US isn’t the only one to get some of that sweet, all-electric action, as it will be sold in Europe under the name of the Opel Ampera-e.
As the time ticked closer and closer, we were very happy to see that the EPA has given the Bolt a range rating of 238 miles, 38 miles more than Chevy promised to deliver. You would assume, then, that the estimates the Ampera-e got in Europe are similar.
You would also be wrong, as Opel has officially revealed the Ampera-e at the Paris Auto Show with a New European Driving Cycle rating of 311 miles (actual words were more than 500 km) of range.
So what happened there to give the Ampera-e 73 more miles of range? Is there something about Europe that makes it better for electric car driving? Or, perhaps, is the Opel badge just that much aerodynamic than the bowtie?
Opel answered that question itself: it’s because of the testing. The New European Driving Cycle is, as is now admitted, woefully inaccurate in terms of actual, everyday driving. So, Opel also ran the Ampera-e through a test called the Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure, which takes into consideration road characteristics, weather, load influence, and driving styles to produce a much more accurate estimate, giving the Ampera-e a rating of more than 380 km (or 236 miles) of range—almost dead-on to EPA estimates.
News Sources: GM Authority, CarScoops
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