FOLLOW UP: UK GOV ANNOUNCES ELECTRIC CAR GRANT

Following months and months of calling on the UK Government to help private registrations with financial aid, the motor industry has got what it wants. Sort of. The Electric Car Grant has been announced that will be up to £3,750 off the price of a new car that is listed at under £37,000 plus other criteria, including how clean the grid is where the car was built. That last point effectively cuts out Chinese EVs due to their CO2 intensive energy supplies.

The grant is active now, with OEMs and dealerships claiming the money back following registration. Added to which, it applies to all buyers and not just private, as was called for. Many within the industry have expressed their disappointment in the scheme, especially how it has ignored the second hand market plus the knock on effect this will have to depreciation. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here.

To read about the expected impact on Asian built cars, click this EVfleetworld article link here.

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT GROUP APPOINT INTERIM CEO

Duncan Minto has taken over the interim CEO position at Renault Group, following Luca de Meo’s exit. Minto was appointed chief financial officer in March. The search for a new CEO continues. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more.

CHINA THROTTLES BATTERY MATERIAL EXPORTS

China is once again reminding the world who controls almost all of the supply chain when it comes to electric cars. This time they have, due to being now classed as security relevant, implemented an immediate export restriction on battery material preparation technology, ie. stuff that goes into making battery cathodes used in electric cars and energy storage. No reason has been really given for the sudden move. You can find out more by clicking this electrive article link here.

JLR CUTS JOBS AS SALES DROP

JLR has announced it is seeking voluntary redundancies from management positions, following the last quarter’s drop in sales. The company said it expects no more than 500 roles to go. The reason for reduced sales is being mainly put at the feet of the US tariff mess. Click this Autocar article link here to read more.

GEELY BUYS ZEEKER

Geely has acquired the final 37.2% of Zeeker shares, that were listed on the New York Stock Exchange only last year. This will cost the Chinese company around $2.4 billion. Suggestions are this has happened due to the geopolitical outlook and adding them to the group enables greater cost savings thanks to increasing the economy of scale benefits when purchasing parts. You can read more by clicking this electrive article link here.

UK GOVERNMENT OPENS AV TAXI CONSULTATION

The UK Government is asking for our feedback on rolling out autonomous taxi and bus services. They are going to do it, be under no illusion, but we might be able to influence just how that looks, in terms of the information these companies must supply. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.

To go straight to the Government webpage to access the proposed rules and the consultation questions, click this link here.

HISTORIC WELSH SITES GET EV CHARGERS

Evolt has installed electric car chargers at nine historic sites across Wales. This will help to fill in some of the gaps in the public charging infrastructure across the country. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here.

UK GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES EV FLEET INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT

At the same time they were unveiling the Electric Car Grant, the UK Government was also starting the Depot Charging Scheme, where they will pay up to 75% of the costs to set up and install charge points for fleet companies. The scheme will only last until November though, so be quick! You can read more, by clicking this electrive article link here.

STELLANTIS PULLS HYDROGEN PROJECTS

Stellantis has shelved projects that were connected with hydrogen power for light commercial vehicles. Citing a lack of infrastructure and the high costs of hydrogen as reasons behind the move. Hydrogen industry has failed to learn the lessons of what Tesla did to bring so much confidence for EV owners. Click this Autocar article link here to find out more.

MERCEDES TO ALLOW IN-CAR CAMERA USE WHILST DRIVING

Mercedes-Benz is not only adding Microsoft’s Teams to their app store but enabling the use of the in-car camera for calls, on those models that have the facility. Whilst drivers will be able to use the app and have video calls whilst driving, the screen will not show the feeds from other attendees of the call. In a world where there is a mountain of research showing how dangerous hands free calls are, for impairing drivers cognitive ability, this seems utterly insane. If you want to read more, click this link to an article from The Verge.

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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -

Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid

The first of two SUVs Chery is bringing to the UK, is the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, capable of a claimed maximum range of 745 miles from one full tank and one full charge. Prices and UK specs are yet to be announced, but in the meantime you can read more by clicking this link from Top Gear.

Hyundai Ioniq 9

Hyundai has revealed UK prices and specifications for their flagship car, the Ioniq 9. Based on the same underpinnings as the Kia EV9, this is a large, luxury electric SUV. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here.

Ariel Atom 4RR

To celebrate 25 years of the Atom (how many years?!?) Ariel has taken a Civic Type R engine and made it, well, more, so that this is the most powerful and quickest Atom the company has produced. Click this article link here to read more.

LUNCHTIME WATCH: MONOBOX SPECIAL

Auto Didakt has taken a dive into monoboxes, with the help of the Renault Twingo Mk1 and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Mk1. Click this YouTube link here to see the excellent video.

LIST OF THE WEEK: 10 OLD CAR FEATURES WE MISS

Antony Ingram and Hagerty supply this week’s list, which is all about features we miss on modern cars. Excellent list, thanks to Antony’s choices and his research. Click here to see more and don’t forget to tell us if you agree with Andrew’s choice.

AND FINALLY: YESTERDAY’S WORLD

We are recommending an old snippet from Tomorrow’s World, in the 1980s, that talks about in-car CD players and how remarkable they actually are when you think about it. Click here to see the YouTube video that takes you back in time.