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General Motors’ Opel Diesel Hybrid Coming Soon to Europe

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General Motors Could Turn this Opel Ampera EVer into a Full Plug-In Diesel Hybrid Electric Vehicle
General Motors Could Turn this Opel Ampera erEV into a Full Plug-In Diesel Hybrid Electric Vehicle

It may come as a surprise that Opel’s current engine lineup is already ready to meet European automobile emissions standards for 2015, but for 2020? Unless they go diesel hybrid, not so much.

According to the European Commission, by 2015, automobile manufacturers have to produce vehicles with average carbon dioxide emissions or 130g/km, which is the raw fuel economy equivalent of 42.0mpg in a gasoline powered vehicle, and 47.9mpg in a diesel vehicle. Diesel engines are far more common in the EU, and General Motor’s European brand Opel is confident that their current lineup of diesel engines will meet these requirements easily.

The 2015 emissions regulation is only a stepping stone, and by 2020 the regulation will require average carbon dioxide emissions to drop below 95g/km, or 65.6mpg in a diesel-powered vehicle. Here’s where Opel’s confidence fades a little with regard to pure diesel power, but they’re not giving up. Diesel hybrid electric powertrains are already in the works for Opel, and now that we’re seeing popularity rising [Volvo is already sold out of the new V60 hybrid, a diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle], this is a good time to get these vehicles on the road, the sooner the better.

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