A new initiative has been launched in Nottingham with the aim of increasing the uptake of electric vehicles, as well as improving air quality in the city.
The Workplace Travel Service: ULEV Experience programme held its first event – a ‘Ride and Drive’ Electric Vehicle showcase – on Friday 22nd June 2018 at Nottingham Racecourse, which was attended by a range of Nottingham businesses and public sector organisations.
Vredestein’s Ultrac Vorti ultra-high performance tyres have been specified for a unique project: a Tesla Model S-based Shooting Brake commissioned by a Dutch collector, designed by award-winning Niels van Roij Design and built by renowned Dutch coach-builder RemetzCar.
Bridgestone is pushing its high performance tyre design into new areas with its supply of the sporty new BMW i3s electric car.
LeasePlan has released its annual Car Cost Index, with the latest analysis showing that electric vehicles (EVs) are now becoming cost competitive in several European countries, including the UK. The UK has been ranked as the fifth most cost-effective country in Europe to own an electric vehicle. According to the Index, the total monthly cost of owning an electric vehicle in the UK is £630 (€719), 14 per cent lower than the European average of £719 (€819).
Auto Windscreens, working with ChargedEV, has become the first UK provider of vehicle glass repairs and replacements to introduce electric vehicle (EV) charging points across its network.
The electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing rapid growth as a result of several global trends. Increasing city regulations, a decline in lithium-ion battery prices, and high demand in China are expected to push global EV sales to an unprecedented 1.6 million unit sales, with China leading the market at 49.5 per cent market share, followed by Europe with 25.6 per cent. Frost & Sullivan expects solid-state batteries to be a game-changer, potentially opening up significant growth opportunities for future battery chemistries due to manufacturers’ claims of an energy density 2.5 times higher than lithium-ion batteries.
Dealerships are being advised to create EV champions in their dealerships to take advantage of the growing demand for electric vehicles. According to Gain Solutions, who have been at the forefront in the development of electric vehicles, dealerships need to invest in specialist EV training for their sales and technical teams.
Van and truck operators could lose out to more forward-thinking competitors if they don’t start investigating the potential for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on their fleets, Government officials have warned.
The Government has committed to ending the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040 and is under pressure from some quarters to bring this deadline forward. Technology company and tyre maker Continental, on the other hand, recommends a more protracted timetable for phasing out conventional power sources – and it has called upon governments to provide sufficient breathing space for the development of appropriate technologies.
OEMs are driving the rapid deployment of autonomous vehicles and the growth of sensor types that underpin the technology. With this in mind, ABI Research analysts recently forecast that there will be 8 million consumer vehicles shipping in 2025 that feature SAE Level 3 and 4 technologies (where drivers will still be necessary but are able to completely shift safety-critical functions to the vehicle under certain conditions) and SAE Level 5 technology (where no driver will be required at all). This, in turn, will help drive the shipments of vital Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors that underpin the technology. As many as 36 million LiDAR units are expected to ship in 2025, corresponding to a market value of $7.2 billion.
Motor manufacturers are being urged to ‘get their houses in order’ and learn from past mistakes if they are to capitalise on the anticipated surge of electric vehicle (EV) sales.
Goodyear’s latest concept tyre, introduced at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show in March, once again sees the company look forward in a bid to lead discussions relating to the future of mobility. However, this also has an inevitable impact on the future of the tyre industry – which is where Goodyear’s FACE (Fleet Autonomous Connected Electric) acronym comes in. More on that later. First, the headline grabbing products – the Oxygene and the EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology.
AA Garage Guide has announced a partnership with electric vehicle charging provider, Chargemaster. The provider of online bookings, patrol referrals and the ‘Certified Garage Programme’ said the move is in response to positive feedback from both the garages in its network and those surveyed on Garage Wire.
Volvo has confirmed it will begin sales of electric trucks in Europe in 2019, with the first units being put into operation with selected reference customers later this year. As well as reducing CO2 emissions, Volvo sees the introduction of electric vehicles as an opportunity to reduce the number of trucks operating in peak hours.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) is calling for government to offer grants to retailers for investment into charging infrastructure, following news that the Automated and Electric Vehicles (A&EV) Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons.
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