Vauxhall Ampera's longest journey

The Vauxhall Ampera electric car is preparing for its longest-ever journey in the UK.

It will leave Vauxhall HQ in Luton, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday, bound for the company's factory in Ellesmere Port, Merseyside. The 170-mile journey should use less than half of the Amperas total range.

Approximately 40 miles of the trip - which includes the M1 and M6 - will be on battery power alone, after which the car's 1.4-litre petrol engine will power a generator to produce electricity for the rest of the journey.

This means the Ampera is always driven by electricity alone, but motorists need not worry about running out of power.

Emissions with the petrol engine generating the power are still low, but it will cost motorists a lot more than recharging the batteries through their household power outlets.

First drive on whatcar.com soon
We've driven the Ampera before in pure battery-electric mode without the 'range-extender' petrol engine working, but we'll be getting the chance to try it out in full early next month. Look out for the review on whatcar.com.