Luton – The new Car of the Year-winning Vauxhall Ampera will now be available with a fast-charge kit that reduces its full charging time by around two hours, thanks to an agreement made today between Vauxhall and British Gas.

Vauxhall will offer all Ampera owners a British Gas Home Charging solution, which will include the installation of a home charge point, three year warranty on parts and labour, and three year Home Electrical Care™ (1).

As part of the agreement formed between the two companies, British Gas will also provide a free home electrical survey to all Vauxhall Ampera customers. Without obligation, a British Gas engineer will recommend the best Home Charging solution, from dedicated circuits to the best home charging points from which to charge your Ampera.

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, reducing the car’s total charging time from six to four hours. When fully charged the Ampera will then be able to travel up to 50 miles with zero tailpipe emissions, while its clever range-extender boosts this figure by up to 310 miles.

From £799, the British Gas Home Charging solution represents excellent value, bearing in mind the inclusive three year Home Electrical Care from British Gas. However, discounts of up to 75 per cent are also available on some charging solutions to people living in areas designated ‘Plugged-in Places’ by the government.

“Our new partnership with British Gas will provide a major benefit to all Ampera customers,” said Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “We can now guarantee that new owners are assured of the very best advice about safe and efficient charging completely free of charge. It also complements our existing Ampera Customer Charter by offering customers a bespoke service, allowing them to get the very best from their car.”

Dan Taylor, Director of New Ventures at British Gas said, “Partnering with Vauxhall on powering their electric cars is a very exciting driver of growth for British Gas as electric cars move into the mainstream. With our network of engineers, we can help make buying an electric car accessible and convenient through specialist advice and the installation of charging points.”

The Vauxhall Ampera reaches UK showrooms this May, priced from £29,995 including the government’s ‘plug-in’ car grant. While electrically driven at all times, the Ampera has a range of up to 360 miles, thanks to its clever range-extender, yet can still achieve up to 50 zero tailpipe-emission miles – enough to cope with 85 per cent of commutes. Earlier this month, the Ampera was named as European Car of the Year 2012 by 59 leading journalists from 23 countries.

Vauxhall’s new Astra VXR will produce more power and torque than any car in its class and will achieve a sub 6-second 0-60mph time – quicker than any main rival – when it arrives in UK showrooms this summer.

Its keen UK pricing of £26,995 will undercut that of the less powerful Scirocco R, and will include a mechanical limited slip differential and 19-inch rims in its kit-list, neither of which is standard on either the VW or the Renault Megane Sport, the VXR’s other main competitor.

Vauxhall’s unique Lifetime Warranty will also provide first owners of the Astra VXR with the reassurance of comprehensive cover, for however long they own the car.

The UK will be the largest market for the Astra VXR and media will have the chance to see the wraps come off the first Vauxhall version at Geneva. Based on the GTC’s platform and powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection engine, the VXR produces 280PS and a mighty 400Nm of torque – 40-50Nm more than key rivals – enough for it to achieve a top speed of 155mph and accelerate from 0-60mph in just 5.9 seconds.

But while the Astra VXR is based on the new GTC, it has benefited from a raft of bespoke chassis modifications, transforming it into a focused, high-performance coupe. Setting it apart from all other current Astras is a specially developed mechanical limited slip differential, which works on the front wheels. In conjunction with the GTC’s sophisticated HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut), the LSD provides the Astra VXR with exceptional lateral grip and traction through bends.

Further changes to the chassis include brakes developed by competition supplier, Brembo, and standard fitment of Vauxhall’s fully adaptive FlexRide system. In the Astra VXR, FlexRide features not only a Sport button, but a VXR button, offering drivers the choice of two, more focused stages of damper, throttle and steering control.

Much of the chassis sign-off was done at the Northern Loop (Nordschleife) of the Nürburgring, and was overseen by Le Mans 24-hour race winner, “Smokin’ Jo” Winkelhock. “We have devised a great package that will convince even the most experienced and enthusiastic drivers – and not just on the Nürburgring!” said Winkelhock.

Visual identifiers for the Astra VXR comprise a set of specially sculpted front and rear bumpers, side skirts, an aerodynamic roof spoiler and two exhaust tail pipes in a trapeze shape. There will also be the option of an Aero Pack (£995), which includes a Bi-Plane roof spoiler, extended side skirts and 20-inch forged bi-colour alloy rims. Inside, the VXR’s cabin gets bespoke light-weight performance seats with embossed logos in the backs, a flat-bottomed VXR steering wheel and upgraded instruments.

Vauxhall is opening UK order books today for the Astra VXR, and anticipates that customers will receive first cars in July.