Britain’s car-makers and component suppliers face opportunities as the race speeds up towards a future of pure electric vehicles, delegates to the annual Autolink Conference in Cardiff were told yesterday. On the day that the UK Government announced a £620 Million grant to boost ev-sales, extend the national recharging network on-street and in homes, as well as introduce a compulsory mandate … [Read more...]
Features
Look Once, Look Twice, Think Bike, say Gwent police
By distance travelled, motorcyclists have the highest rate of death or serious injury of all road users. Gwent Police is launching a campaign emphasising the need for car drivers to take a second look for motorcycles, and for bikers to take personal responsibility for riding safely. The campaign is reminding drivers that under the crash helmet is a real person with a job, commitments, … [Read more...]
Young applying brakes to driving
Passing your driving test was once seen as a rite of passage for most youngsters, but times are changing. The number of young people getting behind the wheel now declining, research conducted by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has indicated why many young people aged 17-24 have put the brakes on learning to drive. Of 1,000 young drivers … [Read more...]
£230M investment saves Ford Halewood jobs
Ford Halwood plant will get a £230M investment to produce electric powertrain components in two years for the company's European EV fleet. An undisclosed amount of that has come from the UK Government and it will safeguard about 500 jobs on Merseyside which have been under threat as the industry moves from internal combustion engined cars and vans to pure electric models by 2030. Ford has … [Read more...]
Motor industry lies at heart of world trade
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has called on government to put the automotive sector at the heart of future trade negotiations, after a new report confirms vehicles are the UK’s single most valuable goods trade export. Vehicle export revenues reached £27 billion in 2020, making them more valuable to the UK than power-generating machinery and gold, even during a year when … [Read more...]
Hatchbacks still dominate sales but vans doing well
Hatchbacks are the most popular cars among drivers in 2021, with over a third of motorists saying a hatchback will be their vehicle of choice if they buy this year, said AA Cars. At a time of surging demand in the used car market, partly caused by the supply of new vehicles being restricted due to microchip shortages, hatchbacks remain enduringly popular and are the first choice of 35% of … [Read more...]
Cutting queues and saving fuel with these hacks
You can make queuing shorter and your scarce fuel last longer with a few simple hacks, says Scrap Car Comparison. Dan Gick, Managing Director from Scrap Car Comparison has these tips: 1) Fuel efficient driving - "A driving technique to use is keeping your revs low by driving in the highest gear possible for the speed you’re travelling at. The optimum time to change gear for petrol … [Read more...]
New range anxiety – for petrol & diesel cars
With new car registrations at their lowest since 1999 and the fuel crisis showing no sign of slowing data from New AutoMotive that shows “range anxiety” is becoming a thing of the past for electric vehicle drives with the number of charging points across the UK increasing by 32%, from 18,265 in July 2020 to 24,374 in July 2021 - an increase of 6,000. Sales in September show the only segment of … [Read more...]
Fuel shortages drying up car sales, says finance company
The ongoing fuel crisis is detering new car buyers, according to Close Brothers Motor Finance. A fifth (20%) of the UK public admit the fuel shortage up and down the country has put them off buying a new car. The research, which examined the impact of the national fuel shortage on car buying, found that well over a quarter (27%) say the crisis has made them think about purchasing an … [Read more...]
Growing greener is a good ID.3 plan
Volkswagen don't want its electric vehicles to leave a stain on society and speed up global warming so it's entered into a long-chain programme to negate the evs carbon costs. Emissions are created during the entire life cycle of an electric vehicle. To reduce them sustainably, we follow this principle: Avoid first, then reduce and finally compensate unavoidable emissions – with projects to … [Read more...]