The recently unveiled Opel-Vauxhall Ampera will be made available as a rental car throughout Europe by the end of current year, thanks to an agreement between Europcar and German auto brand Opel.

Opel and Europcar announced that that agreement aimed to launch the first Ampera rental outlets in Germany in November 2011, with Belgium and Netherlands to get the Ampera rental outlets later on.

The Opel-Vauxhall Ampera will then be rolled out in Italy, France, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom in the beginning of 2012.

Vice president Alain Visser, of sales and marketing at the Opel/Vauxhall, said that electric cars are on e of the the best long-term solutions to meet energy and environmental challenges of the society. He added that the Ampera was totally apposite for everyday use, even as a fleet vehicle.

The electrically-driven Ampera can deliver pure electric operation in the range of 40km to 80km with zero emissions. It actually consumes around 147mpg and emits less than 40g/km of CO2.

Meanwhile, General Motors Europe president Nick Reilly has shrugged off rumors that Vauxhall/Opel is up for sale, saying the company was very pleased with the progress at its Vauxhall-Opel subsidiary.