A new survey of electric vehicle (EV) drivers has found issues around accessibility for disabled users. Zap-Map, the UK’s leading EV mapping service, polled 2,200 EV drivers on their experiences of using Britain’s charging network. The survey has been running for four years and is seen as the go-to guide for tracking EV driver behaviour and charging patterns for the electric vehicle … [Read more...]
SUV sales are stalling as hatchbacks & wagons pick up
November saw a double-digit year-on-year drop in European new car registrations as part of the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In November, the market registered 1,045,129 new cars – 13% less than for the same period in 2019 and it has recorded the lowest volume since 2014, when just 989,500 units were registered. Year-to-date figures continue to point to a concerning trend, with … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 December
The Nissan LEAF has reached its 10th birthday. During that time 500,000 LEAF owners have covered over 16 Billion Kms and prevented a massive 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year, while covering enough kilometres to drive around the earth 400,000 times! Hyundai UK has confirmed pricing and specifications for its comprehensively updated Kona sub-compact SUV, which now … [Read more...]
Morris bows out of Bentley on a high
International GT racer Seb Morris signed-off his career as a factory driver for British manufacturer Bentley with an expectedly competitive performance on his debut outing at Kyalami in South Africa on Saturday during the final round of the series. Teaming with Oliver Jarvis and Alex Buncombe in the customer M-Sport squad’s No.8 Bentley Continental GT3, Welshman Morris - from … [Read more...]
EVs attracting company car drivers
Employees who have previously taken cash options are returning to company car schemes in “noticeable” numbers thanks to electric vehicles, reports Arval UK.Shaun Sadlier, head of consulting at Arval UK, said this was something that was predicted when the latest zero and low benefit-in-kind rates for EVs were unveiled in 2019, but is now becoming increasingly more apparent. He said: “Many cash … [Read more...]
Ghosn in French tax probe
French tax authorities have reportedly seized funds from Carlos Ghosn and his wife. He is under investigation in France for possible tax evasion during his last three years heading Renault and Nissan, according to media reports. Lawyers for Ghosn and French tax authorities have been discussing since the middle of 2019 whether the former CEO was a French resident during 2016, 2017 and 2018 after … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 December
Toyota and Lexus models roll off production lines at the rate of 19.9 models a minute. Moneyshake analysed the makers and found Volkswagen Group built 19.8 cars a minute, Hyundai 13.7, GM 13.0 and Ford 12.2 per minute but they fade into the background when all China makers churn out 48.9 cars a minute, more than double the rate in the US. Honda Swindon has restarted car production. It stopped … [Read more...]
Pothole problems & speedbumps shocking truth
One in four (29%) UK drivers have damaged their car on speedhumps or potholes, rising to almost one in three (32%) in rural areas. The Opinium research of over 2000 drivers, on behalf of InsuretheGap.com, found that of those who have damaged their car on a speedbump or pothole, nearly half (45%) paid up to £100 to fix their car; a third (34%) between £101 and £250; and one in ten (10%) paid … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Fiat 500 Hybrid 3-Door Lounge
The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power, writes David Miles. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new 500 Electric Hatch and Cabriolet models with deliveries starting next March. At the other end of … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota C-HR Dynamic 2.0 Hybrid
Continuous improvement is the philosophy of Toyota and few car makers have as much experience of evs, launching its Hybrid Synergy Drive in 1997, and is rolling out more models every few years, writes Robin Roberts. The Toyota C-HR is a good example of continuous improvement, first introduced to the UK in 2018 with a 120bhp 1.8 litre petrol engine which helped it notch up over 50,000 … [Read more...]