IT'S the car which will help bring electric motoring to the masses and create a new breed of ‘hyper miler' driver.

The Vauxhall Ampera has to be one of the most amazing vehicles to come on to the market in years.

With its sister model, the Chevrolet Volt, the car will put General Motors out in front in the rush to slash emissions and save drivers a pretty penny in running costs.

Unlike battery cars such as the Nissan Leaf, which have a range of around 80 miles before needing to be recharged, the Ampera is a ‘range extender' with a petrol engine to generate electricity and keep it on the move when the battery runs out.

The result is the Ampera can travel for more than 300 miles without stopping - some 50 miles on battery power alone then run a further 260 miles or so on electricity generated by the petrol engine.

At all times the Ampera is driven by its electric motors keeping exhaust emissions to a minimum.

If you need to travel further, just fill it up with petrol as with any other car and carry on driving.

At last this is an electric car for which distance is no object and doesn't leave the driver suffering from ‘range anxiety' - the worry about whether they have sufficient power to get home.

Vauxhall says the Ampera manages the equivalent of 175 miles per gallon with an overall CO2 output of 40g/km - the result of burning the petrol to drive the engine.

If anything those figures are conservative. Having just put the Ampera through its paces - albeit on super-flat roads in Holland - we managed more than 55 miles on battery power then followed that up by averaging 62mpg in rush hour traffic.

On our test run, we travelled 78 miles and used a third of a gallon of fuel - an incredible 234mpg.

And that's what's creating the hyper milers - drivers who try to go as far as they can on battery power before the petrol engine cuts in.

Driving the Ampera becomes addictive as you try to eke as many miles as possible out of the car, knowing the better the figures the more you save.

Do the math - as they say in the US where the Ampera is built - and even allowing for £1 worth of mains electricity for the four hours it takes to recharge the battery, our trip in Holland cost about £3 in fuel - and there isn't a diesel car in the world which can come close to that.

Admittedly, the savings will not be so great the more miles covered on engine generated electricity but in everyday use and with an overnight recharge there is scope for serious economy.

Most daily commutes are less than 40 miles so it is feasible the Ampera's seven gallon petrol tank could last for months before needing a top up.

And it is not just with fuel costs where the Ampera can score. Its green credentials mean it escapes road tax, is in the five per cent benefit in kind tax band for business users, gives fleet buyers a capital allowance incentive and is exempt from the London congestion charge.

It's also covered by Vauxhall's 100,000 mile lifetime warranty and the battery system is guaranteed for eight years and 100,000 miles.

If there is a downside, it's not cheap. Even with the Government's £5,000 plug-in car grant the Ampera is £28,995, making it Britain's most expensive EV - some £3,000 more than the Leaf - and sat nav is an extra.

That apart, it's well kitted and the inside is as futuristic as the technology with two high definition full colour display screens replacing conventional instruments in front of the driver and in the centre of the dashboard.

It's akin to an airliner flight deck and most controls work by touch while the software is mainly dedicated to energy efficiency and power flow.

Not only can you monitor the car's electrical performance - and your own eco achievements - there are on-screen instructions about how to get the best from the vehicle.

Multi-mode drive patterns can be dialled in as required with settings for normal or sporty throttle response as well as a mountain mode to stop battery overload on steep roads.

There is also the facility to switch in the petrol engine at any time to preserve the battery charge, enabling the car to be driven into a town centre and still have full battery performance available for maximum efficiency in heavy traffic.

Under the bonnet as well as the 1.4-litre petrol engine the Ampera is fitted with two electric motors giving a total power output of 150PS - almost as much as a two-litre diesel engine in the latest Vauxhall Astra.

Because the Ampera is electrically driven there is instant - and plenty - of torque from start giving lively acceleration. 0 to 60 takes nine seconds and top speed is restricted at 100mph, again to stop battery degradation.

The lithium ion battery pack is T shaped and comprises 288 cells weighing a total of 198 kilos. It's slung under the floor to the rear of the car giving a low centre of gravity resulting in some nice sporty handling.

Such weight distribution should also come in handy in wintry conditions. Overall the car weights two tonnes.

Traction and stability controls are standard and so is a regenerative braking system which helps recharge the batteries when the accelerator is released - but technology is not yet advanced enough to recharge from the petrol engine.

The parking brake is electric, operated from a button on the dash, and the car is fitted with an ultra-low gear setting which gives additional stopping power. At low speeds it's sufficient to bring the car to rest without having to touch the brake pedal.

Gentle throttle control gets the best economy yet when the accelerator is depressed hard there is no noticeable motor whine and the car runs silently.

Even at motorway speeds there is almost no wind or road noise, such are the aerodynamics which are thorough enough to include specially designed wheels to minimise turbulence.

Since the Ampera is so quiet an audible ‘pedestrian alert' which produces a mid-pitch burble can be operated by the driver as necessary instead of unpleasantly overworking the horn.

Comfort levels inside are high and while the car is only a four seater there is plenty of room - and good interior storage space.

Luggage capacity ranges from 300 to 1,005 litres - adequate but not over generous - and although there is no intrusion into the boot from the battery pack, there is little more than a fabric screen separating your belongings from the interior.

The boot is also home for the 20 foot long charging cable which can be hooked up from a socket at the front of the car to a regular domestic supply or a street-side charger which can be found in so-called plugged in cities such as Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow and Coventry.

The four hour total recharge time is around half of that of other electric vehicles currently on the market and the Ampera can also be pre-programmed to charge at home during off-peak tariff times.

Vauxhall is cutting new ground with the Ampera, and while it will go on sale in Europe badged as an Opel later this year, it will not be available in right hand drive Vauxhall specification until next spring.

The delay is down to the production sequence at the GM factory near Detroit where both the Ampera and Volt are built.

Nevertheless when they finally arrive it will be the moment in British motoring history when electric vehicles give up their oddball looks and impractical quirks to become viable everyday alternatives.

Make no doubt about it - the Ampera is something the likes of which we have never encountered before and a car which finally makes the switch to electric a realistic proposition.