Vauxhall and British Gas trying to make electric easier
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 8:01 AM
The Vauxhall Ampera can now come with a British Gas Home Charging kit for £799, but not, unfortunately, with pop princess Katie Melua to fit it
Amongst the pitfalls of electric car ownership, getting the beast charged up quickly and conveniently can be a headache for owners. Now Vauxhall is trying to encourage more new car buyers to eschew petrol engines and go electric in a Vauxhall Ampera with a partnership with British Gas.
Vauxhall is offering all Ampera buyers the £799 British Gas Home Charging solution – this includes the installation of a home charging point at the best possible spot on your property, three-year warranty on parts and labour and a three-year Home Electrical Care package.
The charge kit reduces the full charging time by around two hours. This means it will take four hours rather than six hours to get a full charge. It's all thanks to the Home Charging Solution allows the Ampera to draw 16 amps of charge, compared with the regular six or ten amps normally available to householders. A full charge gives the Ampera a range of 50 miles of zero-emissions motoring but the range-extender engine boosts this to 310 miles.
When the £5,000 government grant for electric passenger cars is included, the Ampera will cost £29,995 when it hits UK showrooms this May.
By Georgia Lewis
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