While the number of miles travelled on our roads hardly changed in 2018 compared to the previous year, the forms of transport used has changed. Van traffic, despite experiencing slower growth in 2018, still saw a slight increase which sets a new record high. Cycling miles also rose and is now 34% above what it was 25 years ago. RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes, responding to the latest … [Read more...]
Industry
Newslines 17 May
About 42% of Cardiff commuters admit to being stressed by their journeys and the Welsh capital ranks eighth in the list of the UK’s top ten worst cities. The poll for property company Good Move put York and London at the top of the stress list with 51% of drivers affected. New info-tainment systems are proving a headache for owners of the latest cars with unreliability the main feature of … [Read more...]
Recharging car and your bank account
Cenex launched a detailed analysis of the costs and opportunities of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging of electric vehicles (EVs). The report from the technology group found that bidirectional V2G charging, which sees vehicles provide energy from their batteries to the grid when plugged in, delivers greater value and revenues than unidirectional Smart Charging. The potential value which can be … [Read more...]
More are plugging into thoughts of EVs
Two in five drivers (39%) are considering an electric vehicle as their next purchase, an increase of 7.5m drivers in the past two years, according to the new Britain Under the Bonnet report from Close Brothers Motor Finance. While sales figures remain in the low thousands each month, data from dealers, drivers, and online trends suggest a surge in interest in the last two years. The … [Read more...]
Rich & poor divide appears in EV sales
A rich and poor divide is splitting sales of electric cars. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has published new data highlighting the correlation between the affordability of electric cars and their market uptake. This ACEA analysis compares national data on the sales of electrically-chargeable vehicles (ECVs) with GDP per capita in the EU member states for the … [Read more...]
Newslines 14 May
Vauxhall is continuing its journey towards electrification with the new Grandland X all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The new Grandland X Hybrid4 is Vauxhall’s first-ever plug-in hybrid and features state-of-the-art plug-in hybrid technology using a 200hp, 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric drive system with two electric motors … [Read more...]
Hay Festival to spark interest in EVs
Go Ultra Low will return to the Hay Festival this year to host a panel on the future of electric vehicles. Following a successful inaugural event at 2018’s festival, Broadcaster and author Kate Humble will chair this year’s panel, bringing together influential speakers from the Government and the automotive and energy sectors to discuss their perspectives on the transition to electric … [Read more...]
Newslines 10 May
Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford said 20mph speed limits should be the default in residential areas. Speaking in the Assembly, he said main arterial roads could have 30mph limits but residential areas should be lower. Fatal road accidents are this year increasing in Cheshire. In 2018, 46 people lost their lives as a result of a road traffic collision but so far this year 22 people have … [Read more...]
Tradelines 8 May
Following its unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, the upgraded four-model Kia Niro series is now on sale in the UK from £24,590 for the petrol hybrid to £31,945 for the plug-in hybrid ev version. Enhanced for 2019 with a new exterior design, a more upscale, high-quality interior and enhanced connectivity, the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid models feature Kia’s advanced new UVO … [Read more...]
Firms and drivers must be prepared for EU exit
Chevin Fleet Solutions is urging fleet managers to check their fleet management software capabilities to make sure that it can cope with additional paperwork and compliance demands ahead of EU Exit decisions. Fleet Managers need to be sure that their drivers have the right paperwork in place before travelling into Europe and fleet management software readily assists with this. The tools … [Read more...]