Alex Grant
£20m boost for Vehicle-to-Grid technology
The UK government is to provide £20m funding to projects which will develop and test technology enabling electric vehicles to return energy to the grid during periods of peak demand.
France moves towards petrol and diesel ban
France is to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040, under plans outlined by the country’s newly-appointed environment minister.
Slough Borough Council deploys first electric pool cars
Slough Borough Council has deployed three Renault ZOE electric pool cars and six e-bikes, aiming to reduce the cost and environmental impact of its staff travel.
Volvo to launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021
Volvo’s line-up will gain five fully electric cars – including two high-performance models – by 2021 in line with its plans to use electric motors in all cars from 2019.
Honda and Hitachi form EV motor joint venture
Honda and Hitachi have formed a £34m joint venture company, which will develop and manufacture motors for the growing global electric vehicle market.
First Drive: MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4
For a brand built around upmarket small cars, the first plug-in MINI feels a long time coming.
Q&A: Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors UK
Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors UK, on the changing role of diesels for a 4WD-heavy manufacturer, and government support for the EV sector.
First drive: BMW 530e iPerformance
How quickly times change. A plug-in hybrid 5 Series would have looked like a niche oddity when the last-generation model launched in 2010, but BMW is so confident about demand for the 530e in … Read More »
Volvo to launch high-performance EV sub-brand
Polestar, the performance arm of Volvo Cars, is to be repositioned as a standalone manufacturer of high-performance electric vehicles, its parent company has announced.
Road Test: Kia Niro 2
Positioned between the Soul and the Sportage, and soon to be neighboured by the Stonic, the Niro fills an unusual niche within the Kia line-up. It’s a proposition that can tick two boxes, appealing … Read More »
Road Test: Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance
In the 40 since the first GTI, Volkswagen’s widening family of performance Golfs have pioneered ideas that have found their way into the spearhead model.
Audi hints at battery-electric A3
Audi has hinted that the next-generation A3 could be offered with a fully electric drivetrain in 2020, as it aims for one in three customers to buy electrified models by the middle of the … Read More »
Saab 9-3X reborn as electric crossover
A heavily-updated version of the Saab 9-3X will be unveiled at CES Asia in Shanghai next week, powered by an electric drivetrain offering a range of up to 186 miles and aimed at the … Read More »
Mitsubishi delivers world’s largest Outlander PHEV fleet
The Ukrainian National Police force has deployed 635 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs, said to be the world’s largest fleet order for the hybrid SUV.
Continental cuts charging times and incompatibility
Continental has developed a new charging system which uses the vehicle’s motor and invertor to offer faster top-ups and much wider interoperability.
App-based electric mobility system aims to curb air pollution
A pilot for a multi-modal electric mobility service, spanning shared cars, private hire vehicles and buses, has launched in the city of Nagpur, India.
Samsung SDI to build EV batteries in growing European market
Samsung SDI has opened its first European electric vehicle battery factory in Hungary, capable of building 50,000 units per year and supporting what’s said to be a fast-growing local market.
Fleets to underpin Mitsubishi UK sales growth
Mitsubishi Motors UK has raised its volume ambitions to 30,000 units this fiscal year, up from 26,000 in 2016/17, with that growth underpinned by a much bigger focus on fleets. Growth has been aided … Read More »
Lib Dems to promote ULEVs, but ban diesels
The Liberal Democrats have pledged to ban the sale of diesel cars and small vans in the UK by 2025, with tax reforms to encourage plug-in vehicles, according to their 2017 manifesto released today.
Highly charged
As the publicly funded charging points for electric vehicles continues to make the railways look organised, is poor infrastructure stopping fleets making the switch? Craig Thomas finds out.
