It's the ultimate green machine - a bike which grows in trees. In an article published on Wheels-Alive on 6 January 2023 on Wheels-Alive I described how the Roots Bamboo Bikes which use sustainable bamboo – ethically-sourced and fairly-traded – for their frames were developed in Ghana and how they came to be sold in Lostwithiel. In that feature I mentioned that a future ‘road test’ might follow … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 April
Welsh government is very unlikely to see £7.35m it spent on an ill-fated Circuit of Wales racetrack project, it has told the BBC. Officials say there is "little chance" of getting it back from the insolvent company behind the £433M Circuit of Wales after the project fell apart in 2017 when the Welsh government rejected a request to guarantee almost half its funding after it discovered there were … [Read more...]
Tradelines 5 April
Zero-emission, long-range hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle innovator, Hydrogen Vehicle Systems, has confirmed its state-of-the-art zero-emission hydrogen-electric Heavy Goods Vehicle will have a range of up to 370 miles depending on load and route coupled with an industry-leading refuelling time of just 15 – 20 minutes. The eagerly anticipated HGV will be revealed at the Commercial Vehicle … [Read more...]
Call for urgent open-sourcing of vehicle data
Pressure is mounting to compel vehicle makers to put technical data into an open source. A unique and broad alliance of consumer groups, automotive suppliers, leasing and rental industries, aftermarket operators, vehicle dealers, authorised and independent workshops, data publishers, and insurers have joined forces to call on Commissioner Thierry Breton to urgently bring forward long-planned … [Read more...]
Newslines 3 April
The Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 Spider will make its global online debut tomorrow afternoon. The T.33 Spider global reveal can be viewed, along with full technical details, images and supporting films, on Tuesday 04 April from 17:00 by Gordonmurrayautomotive.com. Toyota’s trend-setting Yaris reaches global sales milestone in its 25th year of production. It joins Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Hilux … [Read more...]
Government likely to miss its zero carbon goal
The Government threatens to miss its own zero carbon targets for transport, say car makers. It set out obejectives it wants to attain in a new consultation document last week but critics say it is late, lacks choice, does not address costs and is confusing for vehicle makers. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive said, “Automotive is on track to deliver zero emission motoring, so we welcome this … [Read more...]
Welsh trials power new drive
AFTER trials in North and Mid Wales a new “energy map” to quickly identify the best places to install public chargepoints for electric vehicles (EVs) has been developed as part of an innovative project led by SP Energy Networks. The project also investigated how increased charging demand can be effectively accommodated by the local electricity network. The Charge Project – funded by the … [Read more...]
Government is failing drive towards EVs
More than seven out of 10 car dealers (71%) say that not enough is being done to support the UK motor industry’s transition to electric vehicle manufacturing. March’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows that 50% believe that the blame lies with the government and 7% with motor manufacturers. Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said, “Electrification is the single biggest change to motor … [Read more...]
Suzuki dramatically extend warranty
Suzuki is moving to a longer 100,000 miles warranty. As ‘The Trusted Car brand for those who are proud to be different’ Suzuki GB PLC is very pleased to announce the imminent introduction of its Service Activated Warranty Scheme. Launching to customers on 3 April, Service Activated Warranty is offered once the vehicle reaches the end of its manufacturer warranty period of three years / 60,000 … [Read more...]
E-fuels and the future of ICEs
e-Fuels could play a “limited role” for fleets in the future, says FleetCheck, especially in applications where electric vehicles might remain impractical. The fuels – designed to be carbon neutral – have hit the headlines over the last week after several EU countries asked them to be included in future car production legislation, circumventing a 2035 internal combustion engine (ICE) … [Read more...]