This could be the new Vauxhall Ampera-e

After the unveiling of the Chevy Bolt at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, Opel has announced its own version. The new Ampera-e will go on sale on the European side of the pond in 2017, at the same time as the Bolt.

Whether or not it makes it to the UK market remains to be seen, however. Although having driven through the Channel Tunnel and crossed a frozen Baltic Sea in the last Ampera, TG is crossing its fingers that we see it adorned with a Vauxhall badge.

The old Ampera was a range-extended hybrid, but this time it's fully electric. Chief among the Ampera-e’s technical boasts is the flat mounted battery pack located underneath the interior floor, something GM Chairman Mary Barra says represents “game-changing technology”.

Ignoring the fact that several other manufacturers use underfloor batteries, Opel says that the efficient packaging gives it the freedom to offer a spacious interior, where passengers will be able to enjoy all of the connectivity.

The big drawback of the previous version was arguably its price, which after a government grant of five grand came to £28,750. No matter how many hundreds of miles you could squeeze from a full tank, it was always going to wind up on the steep side of the spectrum.

Opel is claiming that the Ampera-e will be “affordably priced”, though, with the promise of “a longer range on a full charge than most electric cars”. The Bolt, incidentally, promises 200 miles, so expect the same from its Opel cousin. Actual drivetrain details remain scant.

A strait-laced electric car may not be the game-changer the industry has been waiting for, but there’s no doubt something affordable - and with a genuine 200-mile range - would be a step in the right direction.

The day electric cars make sense to the masses is slowly approaching. Would you jump the internal combustion ship for the new Ampera?