Vauxhall’s eco stars go full speed for London show
Visitors to EcoVelocity, London’s Low Carbon Motorshow, will be given the rare opportunity to test drive a prototype version of the revolutionary new Vauxhall Ampera at Battersea Power Station between September 8-11.
The all new Eco Motoring Festival is being organised by IMIE in partnership with Metro Newspaper, What Car? Magazine and TfL. As its name suggests, the show will feature the very latest green automotive technology, and visitors will get the chance to drive a variety of low- or zero-emissions vehicles on a specially constructed track in the shadow of the famous power station.
What Car? Magazine will also be showcasing its Green Award-winning cars in daily track parades at the venue. The Green Award is one of the most prestigious in the car industry and the top prize will be presented the evening before the event at Battersea Power Station.
In addition to the Ampera, Vauxhall will also be showing the groundbreaking HydroGen4* concept which is currently taking part in real world testing in Berlin as part of clean energy partnership programme. The concept, which is the fourth generation fuel cell vehicle from GM, replaces combustion with an electro-chemical reaction to power the electric drive resulting in only water vapour being emitted from the tailpipe.
The Ampera, which goes on sale in the UK early in 2012, will be the first electric car in Europe to offer zero emission potential and zero range anxiety. Thanks to its unique Voltec propulsion system, the Ampera allows drivers to travel up to 50 miles on a full charge while emitting zero CO2 tailpipe emissions. For longer journeys of up to 310 miles the system seamlessly engages a range extender to generate electricity to power the electric motor, while simultaneously sustaining minimum charge in the battery pack.
Complementing the Ampera and HydroGen4 will be some of Vauxhall’s latest green cars which use conventional engines. One of these will be the 95g Corsa ecoFLEX, which is the lowest-emission Vauxhall on sale currently, and not only avoids VED charges, but also TfL’s Congestion Charge.
