Bob Upanddown Yes the Ampera has not sold well, but it's more down to GM not knowing what they had and how to market it. In the US GM have just launched the second generation Volt which with discounts and government tax break comes out cheaper than a Prius. The point about the Volt/Ampera is how people use them. These are aimed at around town work and back vehicles with 4.5hour recharge from empty on 240 volts or 9 on 120v with a 50 mile electric range this covers most peoples daily commute, 80% actually, if you want to go further, it automatically runs the IC engine when the charge is depleted.
So far GM have sold 100,000 Volts over 5 years and the new model is selling in only 10 states so far, but sales are up at nearly 2000 a month already. It is gaining momentum by word of mouth not by GM marketing. GM have discovered that the electric drive train, with a smaller battery is more cost effective than a 6 speed auto transmission and are starting to use it in Prius type hybrids as well. So electric is coming, but it will creep into the market as quietly as they drive.