Plans for a new A487 road behind Newgate, Pembrokeshire have been unveiled. It is being threatened by rising tides and a bus was washed off it four years ago so planners have proposed a viaduct or two schemes to bypass the village. Caerphilly Council is seeking funding to introduce electric buses on local routes in a first for Wales. It’s also planning to install public electric-vehicle … [Read more...]
EV News
Tradelines 26 September
The FitCar PPV ‘prototype #2’ is based on a standard Audi A4 Avant 2.0L petrol TFSI auto, with the throttle replaced by a bicycle pedal mechanism and mated to a flywheel, which generates an electronic pulse to engage the accelerator. The car is powered as normal, delivering manufacturer specification performance and economy, governed by an active pedalling motion instead of the conventional … [Read more...]
Newcomers to watch….
The Abarth 124GT shown at Geneva last spring is now available to order. Just 50 will be imported from £33,625 with distinctive carbon fibre roof, 17-inch OZ wheels, Bose sound system and adaptive front headlights. The new VW Touareg has secured top marks for safety from Euro NCAP crash tests. It is the flagship of their range and offers the company’s greatest number of driving … [Read more...]
Jaguar completes trans-Channel crossing
The Jaguar I-PACE has demonstrated its real-world usability by driving 229 miles from London to Brussels on a single charge. The all-electric performance SUV began its intercity trip on London’s South Bank, with its 90kWh battery fully charged, before heading to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. But unlike the 80 million vehicles that have made the crossing by train since the … [Read more...]
Big is not always better for batteries
Matching battery size with vehicle use is crucial for the environment, reveals a new report from the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. It scotches the idea that a bigger battery is always better for a vehicle and says the important factor is likely use of the vehicle to better match performance and reduce emissions. A new study by Ricardo for the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) aims to … [Read more...]
Low carbon shift new opportunities for suppliers
The seismic shift towards low-carbon vehicles will open up supply chain opportunities worth hundreds of billions of pounds, according to industry experts speaking at the Future of Technology Zone at Cenex LCV 2018. In the opening seminar from the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s Future of Technology Series, Dave Oude Nijeweme, Head of Technology Trends at APC UK, explained the countless … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 September
JLR will go down to a three-day week from October. It has been hit by falling demand, particularly of the diesel engines it has heavily invested in and comprise nearly all UK sales, and hopes to avoid job cuts but is concerned about implications of tariffs and stock holding when the UK leaves the EU next spring. Motorists in north Wales face five weeks of disruption with the westbound A55 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota RAV4 Icon Tech 4×2
Hybrids powertrains are the in-thing at the moment, but that’s not a surprise to Toyota who started development nearly 50 years ago and were among the first to put one on sale 25 years ago. Alongside hybrid technology, Toyota were working on the world’s modern first compact SUV and showed us the RAV4 in the mid 1990s. Come up to date and we have the two sectors merged in the RAV4 Hybrid series … [Read more...]
Tradelines 12 September
Ford will show a new 2-tonne Transit with 48V mild hybrid powertrain at next week’s Hannover CV show. It will also reveal a PHEV Transit Custom due to launch in 2019 and the latest telematics and data services to be fitted in next year's models. Lex Autolease, the UK’s leading vehicle leasing provider, is launching a new fund to offer contributions of £1,000 towards the cost of 1,000 new … [Read more...]
Aston Martin Rapide E uses F1 technology input
With development of Aston Martin’s first all-electric production car - the Rapide E - progressing apace, the luxury British marque has today confirmed a raft of technical details for the strictly limited 155-unit special edition. Working closely with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) as its development partner, Aston Martin has utilised the hugely successful leader in … [Read more...]