SMMT: EVs drive down carbon emissions and lift vehicle ownership to record high

The number of vehicles on UK roads reached a record high in 2023, rising by 1.7% to 41,404,589 vehicles, according to new Motorparc data published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – with plug-in vehicles driving the biggest growth in car ownership since 2016. Total cars on the road rose by […]

Hertz appoints Gil West as CEO as Stephen Scherr steps down

Hertz have announced that Gil West, former Chief Operating Officer of Delta Airlines and GM’s Cruise unit, will become CEO effective 1 April 2024, at which time he will join the Board. West will succeed Stephen Scherr, who has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors on March 31, 2024. West and Scherr will work […]

£800m worth of electric buses face urgent recall

Safety watchdogs have ordered the recall of almost 2,000 electric buses over fears they can catch fire if left unattended.  Mailonline reports the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has warned operators who use the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 and Enviro400 single and double decker buses of the critical safety issue.  The buses are currently operational across […]

Apple cancels EV car project

Technology giant Apple is cancelling a decade-long project aimed at building an electric car. Financial news service Bloomberg is quoting people with knowledge of the matter, saying this is abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company. It says Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, “surprising the nearly 2,000 employees […]

Costain and Enterprise drive new electric van pilot

The infrastructure solutions company Costain has completed one of the UK construction sector’s first pilots to test the use of electric vans on major project sites. The pilot programme, in partnership with Enterprise Flex E-Rent, tested the use of electric vehicles in construction projects, with electric vans trialled across a range of different teams and […]

Octopus Energy launches EV vehicle-to-grid tariff

Global energy and technology company Octopus Energy has launched the UK’s first mass market vehicle-to-grid tariff – Octopus Power Pack – which it says guarantees free charging for drivers. Octopus Energy says an average electric car driver will be able to save more than £850 a year in charging costs on Octopus Power Pack compared […]

Shadow roads minister commits to reintroducing 2030 ICE sales ban

Shadow Roads Minister Bill Esterson has told members of electric vehicle trade group RECHARGE UK that a future Labour government would restore the 2030 date for the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars “in an effort to rebuild consumer and investor confidence”. Last September Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ditched the 2030 […]

Black Cab association boss calls for EV grant extention

The general secretary of London’s black cab industry association is telling the government it must extend its £7,500 grant to taxi drivers to help continue the transition to electric vehicles. London’s financial newspaper City AM says Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) has told the PA News Agency it is […]

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