Said to offer “the feistiness of a sports car” and an impressive zero-emission driving range of more than 500 km (311 miles), the Opel Ampera-e has taken the 2016 Paris Auto Show by storm.

Chevrolet Bolt’s European brother promises to offer at least 200 km (124 miles) of additional range on top of the BMW i3, in the NEDC test cycle, but since this “does not truly reflect everyday reality“, as the Germans admit, the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) driving cycle has been used and the results are now “closer to real driving behavior“.

After taking into consideration the road characteristics, weather conditions, load influence and the most important factor – driving style, it has been estimated that the all-new Opel Ampera-e can travel for more than 380 km (236 miles) in the real world, thanks to the 60 kWh batteries, which are integrated in the underbody.

Our Ampera-e is not eco-luxury, not a gadget and not just a second car. Opel is showing that electro-mobility is also achievable for a much broader audience thanks to the most innovative technology – Opel is democratizing the electric car with the Ampera-e“, said Karl-Thomas Neumann, Opel’s CEO.

Offering space for five passengers and a boot capacity that is said to be similar to a five-door compact car, Opel’s EV uses an electric motor, which is good for 204 horsepower and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of torque. It can cover the 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) sprint in just 3.2 seconds, while from 80 to 120 km/h (50-75 mph) it needs another 4.5 seconds. Give it enough space and it will eventually top out at 150 km/h (93 mph).

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