Alex Grant
China to remove purchase tax on electric vehicles
Aimed at easing the country’s energy dependency, improving air quality and helping its automotive industry to grow, it means all electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be exempt from the purchase … Read More »
Battery concerns said to be blunting EV residuals
Registrations of electric vehicles grew significantly during the first half of 2014, up from 1,049 units in 2013 to 2,558 this year, but the used market is still unreliable, the company explained. Low residual … Read More »
Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell travels 435 miles on one tank of hydrogen
Driven by Norwegian environmental enthusiasts Marius Bornstein and Arnt G Hartvig, the same duo who had previously taken the car on a 2,260km trip from Oslo to Monaco to demonstrate the technology and refuelling … Read More »
Beach sand could triple EV battery range
A team of graduates and two professors at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering made the discovery while investigating ways to improve the performance of batteries in personal electronics and electric … Read More »
Plug-ins to cut costs and CO2 for Wiltshire Council
The plan sets a target to reduce CO2 emissions by 11,800 tonnes by the 2016/2017 financial year, while cutting £750,000 of cost from its 3,000-strong grey fleet and £371,000 from its operations fleet. External … Read More »
LG Chem battery factory to meet Chinese EV market demands
Set to be operational by the end of 2015, the manufacturer expects to produce 100,000 battery packs per year, with contracts already in place with SAIC Motor, Qoros and a number of as-yet unnamed … Read More »
Oldham Council invests in electric vehicles
Part of ongoing attempts to cut cost and carbon emissions, six will be allocated to district teams, and the seventh to the enforcement team, and the council will share the vehicles with the Greater … Read More »
Daimler and BMW form wireless charging partnership
The technology transfers energy via a magnetic field, allowing a vehicle to be recharged without physically plugging it in, and is familiar from electric toothbrush charging stands. Under the agreement, the two companies will … Read More »
Volvo XC90 Plug-in Hybrid to emit 60g/km CO2
The XC90 is the first car to feature Volvo’s lightweight Scalable Product Archutecture and will utilise four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines from the carmaker’s Drive-E family, all of which are 2.0-litres in capacity and … Read More »
First BMW i3 arrives in Malta
The fully electric i3, purchased directly from BMW in Germany, is one of 13 electric vehicles deployed as part of the EU-funded €2.5m (£1.98m) PORT-PVEV project, and will be used by the Ministry for … Read More »
Japanese manufacturers lead growing UK electric and hybrid vehicle sales
The alternative fuel sector – which includes hybrid, plug-in hybrid, range-extended electric and pure electric vehicles grew from 15,413 units in the first six months of 2013 to 23,337 so far this year, according … Read More »
Sussex Police to test electric and fuel cell vehicles
The Surrey and Sussex Police Driving School will drive a Vauxhall Ampera range-extended electric vehicle over a four-week trial, and the team will also conduct a one-day road test of the Hyundai ix35 FCEV. … Read More »
Volkswagen XL1 to cost £98,515 in the UK
Designed as a technological showcase, the XL1 was developed with a target fuel economy of 1.0 litres of fuel per 100km – equivalent to 282mpg. The production car actually beat this target, reaching 0.9l/100km … Read More »
Detroit Electric to build first sports car in the UK
Based on the Lotus Elise, the SP:01 is said to be the world’s fastest electric car, reaching 60mph in 3.7 seconds on the way to a top speed of 155mph. It is to be … Read More »
Mitsubishi to grow Outlander PHEV production by 66%
The carmaker recently revealed planned upgrades to its Nagoya Works Okazaki plant in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, according to Japanese title Car Watch, announcing production would increase from 174,000 during 2013 to 212,000 during 2014 … Read More »
DfT announces £9m extra home charging point funding
Scheduled to come into force from the 1st September, and with a deadline of 31st March 2015 (or whenever the funding is exhausted), the scheme will offer 75% off the total cost of installing … Read More »
Toyota hydrogen fuel cell car to cost £40,000
The Fuel Cell Sedan, first shown as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, will launch in Japan next April, priced at seven million yen (£40,000). Selected markets in Europe and North … Read More »
POD Point launches business leasing for charging points
Said to be a European first, the partnership means businesses can lease a POD Point charging point for £50 per month, including professional installation, and use the company’s pay-as-you-go facilities. This would previously have … Read More »
Silver linings for the EV market
According to BBC News, there are only around 3,000 electric vehicles (one assumes this includes plug-in hybrids) registered in London, compared to a 2020 target of 100,000 set out by the Mayor in 2009. … Read More »
California extends carpool lane access for plug-in hybrids
Clean Air stickers, available in green for plug-in hybrids and white for CNG or battery-electric vehicles, allow drivers to use California’s High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes without having two or more passengers. Introduced in … Read More »
