The familiar Ford Mondeo reaches the end of the road next year. Almost 30 years after it was launched, Ford's medium sized family and reps car will go out of production in Valencia. It was also the basis for the Ford Galaxy large MPV and both are now seen as outdated by the new generation of SUVs such as Kuga and Ford is committed to moving onto all-electric platforms by the end of the … [Read more...]
Government move on motorways’ electric chargers
The government will break the monopoly on electric car charging at motorway services and will use legislation to ensure the points are reliable and can be accessed by anyone with a contactless card. Currently just one company -Ecotricity – has the contract to provide charging provision along the motorway network. It has been widely criticised by electric car users for its outdated and … [Read more...]
Newslines 23 March
SEAT want to build an electric battery plant outside Barcelona to supply a new city car for the company in 2025 at a rumoured £17,000. The plant will be built with Spanish and EU funds and probably supply other small cars in the VW Group. Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese carmakers are assessing the impact production after a fire at a Renesas Electronics chip plant in north-east … [Read more...]
Welsh business will drive future heavy EVs
A Welsh automotive components company has won support for a £31.9 million project to develop lightweight electric powertrains for heavy goods vehicles in the latest round of R&D funding guided by the Advanced Propulsion Centre. The Electric Powertrain Integration for Heavy Commercial Vehicles project will see Cwmbran-based company – Meritor – develop zero-emission ‘smart’ powertrains for … [Read more...]
Mazda ease into electric and zero emissions
The Mazda MX30 pure battery car is easing into its range at the right time, according to UK MD Jeremy Thompson. “Although Mazda has been researching, developing and selling electric cars for over 50 years, they did not feel the time was right to launch the pure battery MX30 until now,” he said. Mr Thompson said that major markets around the world are shifting towards ending the internal … [Read more...]
Real world costs of evs explained
The perceived high charging costs of electric vehicles is a key barrier preventing consumers switching from combustion to battery-powered electric vehicles. Survey findings from price comparison and switching site energyhelpline.com found almost two-thirds (64%) of consumers believe electric-only cars cost up to £50 to fully charge at home despite a new analysis showing that popular BEVs cost … [Read more...]
Government immediately slashes grant for BEVs
The Government is immediately slashing the grant for battery electric vehicles, lowering the price ceiling while altering the qualification for electric vans and further reductions will come. It's unheralded announcement about the changes effective today have been criticised by car makers, dealers, motoring organisations and fleet companies who say it sends the wrong message to motorists who want … [Read more...]
Optimism rises among parts’ makers
Automotive suppliers have become significantly more optimistic with their outlook on 2021, with 38% of surveyed suppliers showing positive forecasts compared to just 8% six months ago. Yet, 31% of respondents still hold a notably negative view, a much higher share than in pre-Corona times. This follows from the latest CLEPA Pulse Check survey on business sentiment in the sector, held late … [Read more...]
Costs must be centre of new emissions targets
Car parts makers have called on the European Commission for a comprehensive approach across all countries and sectors to reduce CO2 emissions in a cost efficient and affordable manner over the next 30 years. What is the way forward? CLEPA said the Green Deal should be seen as the opportunity to start aligning climate policies across sectors into a coherent framework which ensures climate … [Read more...]
Newslines 16 March
The new generation of BMW iDrive takes the interaction between driver and vehicle into a digital future where many areas of life are getting increasingly smart. The new interpretation of BMW’s operating system equips the vehicle to actively engage with those on board with the aim of precisely tailoring all the functions controlled via BMW iDrive to the driver’s needs and preferences as the … [Read more...]