Ampera owners do receive one feature absent on U.S.-spec Volts. In typical operation, both cars are designed to use existing battery power to drive the car before activating the gasoline engine. Ampera owners, however, will have the option of selecting a so-called charge hold mode, prompting the car to run the engine and preserve the battery's charge for a later run.
Unusual, perhaps, but there is some method behind the madness. In Europe, this allows Ampera drivers to save their EV range for entering urban areas, which tax (or even ban) gasoline-powered vehicles. In central London, for instance, drivers using non-electric vehicles are charged nearly $16 to drive through congestion zones. Using electricity, however, allows drivers to avoid the fee.
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We've already seen the Opel Ampera - General Motors' rebadged Chevrolet Volt for Europe - in almost its entirety, but the automaker released official photos of the finished production-spec vehicle hours before it is scheduled to debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
