Motoring Podcast - News Show Apr 29, 2026

Yippitydo - 27 April 2026

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32:32

Concept

Motor Finance Compensation Scheme

This is a UK program that tries to make things right for people who may have been treated unfairly when buying a car using finance. The debate here is about how the compensation is calculated and whether the numbers are accurate.

Concept

FCA calculations

The FCA has a method for working out how much money people should get back. Here, critics say the method underpays some people compared with what they believe they’re owed.

Concept

EV charging VAT to 5%

This is about taxes on charging electric cars. The idea was to lower VAT on public charging, but HMRC is appealing the decision.

Concept

1000 kilowatt hour per month threshold

They’re talking about a specific energy limit per month. If charging is under that limit, the policy was meant to apply a lower VAT rate, but HMRC wants the wording interpreted differently.

Car

Tesla Model

They use the Tesla Model Y as a real-world example to explain what the rule would mean in practice. The point is to show how many times you could recharge before you’d hit the monthly energy limit.

Concept

VAT differential

VAT is a tax added to many purchases. A “VAT differential” just means the tax rules aren’t the same for everything, so the cost can go up or down depending on what’s being taxed.

Concept

home VAT rate for electricity

Electricity often has taxes added to it. If the government changes the VAT rate on electricity, it can make charging at home cost less (or more), which affects how expensive it is to drive an EV.

Concept

permitted development rights for cross pavement charging solutions

Normally, putting something in or across a public pavement can require planning permission. “Permitted development rights” means some of these installations can happen with less red tape, so EV chargers can be added faster.

Term

gullies cut into pavements

They’re describing cutting small channels in the pavement for cables, then covering them. The cover is meant to stop people from tripping while still allowing the cable to run safely.

Concept

planning permission

Planning permission is official approval from the local authorities before you change something in a public area. The discussion suggests some EV charging work may be allowed without that full approval process.

Concept

off street parking

Off-street parking means you park somewhere like a driveway, not on the street. If you don’t have that, getting a charger can be harder—so public charging options matter more.

Concept

charging network

A charging network is basically the map of EV charging stations. If there are enough chargers in the right places, it’s easier to own and use an electric car without worrying about running out.

Term

seven kilowatt charges

Seven kilowatts is the charger’s power. Higher power usually charges faster, but 7 kW is commonly meant for overnight charging at home or in nearby parking spots.

Concept

tariff scheme

A tariff scheme is the pricing plan for charging. Even if it sounds cheap, the total cost can be higher if the plan has fees or doesn’t match how much you actually charge.

Company

Vauxhall

Vauxhall is a car company that did research used in this discussion. Their study is being cited to show what councils are planning for EV charging.

Company

MotorTrader.com

They’re citing an automotive website (MotorTrader.com) that tracks what dealers think about the future. The point is to show how the industry is feeling about European brands.

Company

Startline Used Car Tracker

This is the group behind a used-car survey of dealers. The hosts are basically asking whether the survey results are trustworthy because of how many dealers they asked.

Concept

electrification

Electrification is the shift from making mostly gas/diesel cars to making electric cars. It costs a lot of money to develop and build the new technology.

Term

self-driving

Self-driving means cars that can drive with little or no human input. It’s a big tech project, and it can be expensive for automakers to develop.

Concept

brand conscious and brand loyal

They’re saying EV buyers may care less about which badge is on the car and more about the deal and the product. That can make it harder for traditional brands to keep customers.

Company

Rimac Group

The Rimac Group is discussed in the context of Porsche selling its stake and rumors of a long-running disagreement. Rimac is known for high-performance EV technology, so these ownership shifts can affect investment and direction.

Company

Bugatti Rimac

Bugatti Rimac is referenced as the entity Porsche held a stake in, alongside the Rimac Group. The segment describes Porsche selling its stake, which signals a change in ownership and partnership structure.

Company

Porsche

Porsche is mentioned as selling part of its investment in the Rimac/Bugatti-related business. The idea is that Porsche wants to concentrate on its main business instead of tying up money in that partnership.

Company

HOF Capital

HOF Capital is the investor that bought Porsche’s share. That matters because it can influence how the company gets funded and what it prioritizes next.

Company

Solaris

They’re saying the Solaris family is the financial backer behind HOF Capital. It’s basically who’s behind the money in this investment.

Concept

core business

“Core business” means the main part of the company that makes the most sense to focus on. Here, Porsche is saying it wants to concentrate on what it does best.

Term

speeding fines

They’re talking about how speeding tickets in the UK have increased. That can affect how people drive and how strict enforcement feels.

Concept

freedom of information request

A freedom of information request is a way to ask the government for official records. Here, it’s being used to get data about speeding fines and enforcement.

Company

Oono

Oono is a road-safety tech company mentioned as the group that requested official speeding-fine data. They’re basically using paperwork and public records to study what’s happening.

Concept

20 mile an hour zones

A 20 mph zone is a neighborhood where the speed limit is set to 20 miles per hour. Lower speeds are meant to make roads safer, and if cameras or enforcement are used, more tickets can be issued.

Company

River Simple

River Simple is a company working on hydrogen-powered cars. They’ve been testing vehicles in real life and are now part of a bigger project to build a practical zero-emissions, long-range lightweight car.

Concept

ZELOR project

ZELOR is a project focused on building a cleaner, lighter car that can go a long way on a single “energy cycle.” The target mentioned here is about 400 miles of range with zero emissions.

Car

Mercedes-Benz Aclass

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a compact car meant for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it because they’re talking about using a different car for a test, and the A-Class would be heavier. Weight can affect how a car behaves, so it matters for comparisons.

Brand

Mercedes A-Class

The Mercedes A-Class is mentioned as a comparison point for weight. The host argues that while you could use a Mercedes A-Class, it would be heavier than the aluminum-based A2, which would work against the lightweight goal.

Company

Green Flux Motors

Green Flux Motors is a company they’re working with to supply efficient electric motors. In a hydrogen car, better motor efficiency helps the car use its power more effectively.

Company

TTPI

TTPI is mentioned as providing the “converters,” which are electrical parts that help manage power in the vehicle. They’re important because the car needs the right kind of electricity for each component to work properly.

Concept

vehicle development tool based on machine learning

The segment says the project will use a vehicle development tool based on machine learning. This implies they’ll use data-driven modeling to speed up design decisions and optimize performance targets like range, efficiency, and weight.

Concept

hydrogen fuel cell powertrain

A hydrogen fuel cell turns hydrogen into electricity. That electricity is then used to power the car, so the car can be “zero emissions” at the tailpipe.

Company

Pi Engineering Consultancy

They’re talking about a company called Pi Engineering Consultancy. They’re connected to a project the hosts think could be interesting, and they’re developing vehicles as part of it.

Concept

solid state batteries

Solid state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte in conventional lithium-ion packs with a solid material. The idea is that they can improve safety and potentially reduce some performance and reliability issues, though cost and scale are still challenges.

Car

Mercedes Benz C-Class EV

They’re talking about an electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The car will still look like a C-Class, but with a new front design, and the episode focuses on how far it can go and how fast it can charge.

Car

Bmw 3

The BMW 3 Series is a mid-size car made for everyday driving, with a focus on handling and comfort. The podcast mentions it because it’s a well-known reference for how big the front grille looks on a typical BMW. It helps listeners picture the styling change being discussed.

Car

BMW i3

The BMW i3 is a small electric car designed mainly for city driving. The podcast mentions it because it’s known for having good driving range compared with some other EVs. Range is how far you can drive before needing to recharge.

Term

472 miles

They’re quoting a claimed driving range of 472 miles. Real-world range usually won’t match the test number exactly, but it gives a baseline for expectations.

Term

94.5 kilowatt hour battery

That “94.5 kilowatt hour” number is how much energy the EV battery can store. More stored energy usually means you can drive farther before needing to recharge.

Term

800 volt architecture

“800 volt” is the EV’s electrical system voltage. Higher voltage can help the car charge faster when you use the right fast chargers.

Term

330 kilowatts

“330 kilowatts” is how fast the EV could charge at its best. In practice, the actual speed can vary depending on the charger and battery conditions.

Concept

199 miles in 10 minutes

This is a marketing-style way of saying how much driving range you can add in about 10 minutes of charging. Real results can vary a lot based on the charger and battery conditions.

Term

dual motor 400 four-matic powertrain

It’s an electric setup with two electric motors and all-wheel drive. That usually helps the car launch hard and keep grip.

Concept

0-62 time

“0-62” is how fast the car can go from standing still to 62 (about 100 km/h). Lower numbers usually mean the car feels quicker when you accelerate.

Concept

mood lighting

Mood lighting is the colored light inside the car that sets the vibe. It’s usually adjustable and meant to make the cabin feel more premium.

Term

mohusse screen

They’re talking about a big screen in the car’s dash. The concern is that it could distract the driver, so the car may let you turn parts of it off.

Term

panoramic roof sunroof

They’re talking about the big glass roof above you. The car also uses lights in/around that roof area to create the ambient lighting effect.

Topic

Chinese Motor Show

They say the car was shown as a concept at the Chinese Motor Show. That’s where manufacturers often preview new models before they’re fully detailed.

Concept

range of nearly 186 miles

The host quotes a claimed EV range of nearly 186 miles, which is the distance the car can travel on a full charge under a specified test cycle. For small EVs, that kind of range is often realistic for city driving, but real-world results depend heavily on speed, temperature, and driving style.

Concept

Charging the battery from 10 to 80% in less than 20 minutes

They’re quoting a fast-charge time: from 10% to 80% battery in under 20 minutes. Charging from 80% to 100% usually takes longer, so this metric is meant to show the most useful part of a quick top-up.

Concept

vehicle to load

Vehicle to load means your electric car can power things outside the car, like a small device or even parts of your home, using the car’s battery. It’s like having a backup power bank on wheels.

Concept

WLTP combined range

WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) is a standardized testing method used to estimate a vehicle’s range and fuel/energy consumption. “Combined range” means the estimate blends multiple driving cycles rather than representing only city or only highway driving. Listeners should treat WLTP as a lab-based estimate that can differ from real-world conditions.

Concept

20 to 80% in 36 minutes

This is a typical way EV makers describe how quickly you can charge. Charging from 20% to 80% usually takes less time than going all the way to 100%. The exact time can vary with the charger and conditions.

Term

DC charging

DC charging is the fast-charging method for electric vehicles. Instead of charging slowly through the onboard system, the charger delivers power more directly. It’s designed to get you back on the road quickly.

Term

Payload

Payload is how much stuff the van can carry. If the battery is heavier, there’s usually less room (weight allowance) left for cargo. That’s why they compare payload for the two battery sizes.

Term

Euro pallets

Euro pallets are standard shipping pallets used for deliveries in Europe. If a van can fit multiple Euro pallets, it means it’s set up for real delivery jobs, not just small packages. It’s a straightforward measure of how usable the cargo space is.

Car

Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt is a car that uses both electricity and gasoline. It can plug in to charge, and it can also use gas when the battery runs low. The podcast is talking about a built-in power outlet that can run tools or other devices.

Term

220 volt 3-pin socket

This is basically a normal-style power outlet inside the van. It lets you plug in tools or equipment without needing a separate generator. That can be really handy for work crews.

Concept

electric van market struggling

They’re saying electric vans aren’t selling or performing well enough to meet government rules. The idea is that the real-world technology and costs may not match what the rules assume. So companies are worried about penalties.

Concept

mandate fines

They’re talking about government rules that come with big money penalties if companies don’t hit targets. That pressure can change what manufacturers build and how fast they roll it out. The hosts feel the targets may be unrealistic.

Company

Hagerty

Hagerty is an automotive website/magazine that focuses on car enthusiasts, including classic cars. Here, the hosts are pointing you to Hagerty articles they think are worth reading. It helps explain where the information is coming from.

Term

car spoilers

A spoiler is a shape on the car that helps the air flow better. On many cars it also helps press the car down onto the road so it feels more stable at speed.

Car

Ford GT from 2017

The Ford GT is a modern supercar, and it has an aerodynamic spoiler that can move. When it deploys, it helps keep the car planted at speed, which is why it’s such a memorable moment.

Concept

active aerodynamic spoiler deployment

Some cars have spoilers that don’t just sit there—they can move automatically. They deploy when the car needs more grip or stability, usually at higher speeds.

Company

Funtac Labs

Funtac Labs is the company behind a smart display/garage idea. It’s meant to automatically store and show your model cars without you having to place everything by hand.

Concept

parkable smart garage

The “parkable smart garage” is basically an automated storage unit. You put your models on a platform, and the system moves them into display spots by itself.

Term

Kickstarter campaign

Kickstarter is a website where people can chip in money to help a project get made. If enough people support it, the creators can build the product and ship it later.

Concept

wind tunnel on your desktop

A wind tunnel is where you test how air flows around something. “On your desktop” usually means you can model that airflow on a computer instead of building a real wind tunnel.

Term

motorized carriage

A motorized carriage is a guided, powered moving platform used to transport an item along a track or within a mechanism. In this context, it’s part of an automated display/storage system for models, enabling consistent loading and retrieval.

Term

Auto parking lift

An auto parking lift is a motorized mechanism that raises and lowers a vehicle or display item for storage and retrieval. In enthusiast setups, it’s designed to make access seamless while keeping the collection organized and protected.

Term

Parkzible app

The Parkzible app is a phone app that controls the system. Instead of pressing buttons on the device, you can manage it remotely from your phone.

Term

ambient lighting

Ambient lighting is the soft background light that makes a setup look nicer. It’s usually meant to create a mood and make the display easier to enjoy.

LIVE

Welcome to the Motoring Podcast, your weekly discussion of motoring news. This is episode

682 on Tuesday the 28th of April 2026. Hello, I'm not Alan. I'm Andrew. And this week,

you'll hear how appealing the news is. In new, new car news, you will get to hear about

how premium is going tiny again. And points of interest will give you wings. But first,

we have some follow up. And we start with the first of two, two cases in court or going to

appeal anyway. And the first is to do with the FCA, the Financial Conduct Authority's

Motor Finance Compensation Scheme, which is being appealed against by Consumer Voice,

which is a funny enough consumer group that is not complaining that compensation is happening.

What they are saying is that the FCA's calculations to come up with a figure to give people is not

reflective of the real world. And it is not fair to everybody out there because many people will be

according to them hundreds of pounds short of what they are actually owed. They have until today

or the day of recording to get this appeal in. However, the FCA has said if there's an appeal,

then this delays the whole payment scheme to people as a bit of a threat. Moving on to the

second bit of appealing. And this is of no surprise really to anybody, because why do something good?

Why do something sensible? But HMRC is going to appeal the Tribunal ruling that would cut public

EV charging VAT to 5% says the headline in the EV-powered article linked in the show notes.

If you remembered, the whole point was that some public charging network, public charge points

should not be subject to a 20% VAT rate because an individual single customer

would not be consuming more than 1000 kilowatt hour per month on one premises.

To put it in context as EV-powered puts it here that would recharge a Tesla Model Y 16 times.

But HMRC are now appealing the case. What it has been made clear is that the HMRC are now fighting

on the precise definition of words such as, I'm quoting it from the article,

such as a month and premises. Oh boy. Here is an open goal for the government

to look like they're doing the right thing because it is the right thing.

To look like they're doing the right thing. A massive PR win for them makes considering some of the

things they've done recently which contradict policy or alleged policy. And yet here they are

just shooting themselves in the foot. I am surprised they have any feet left to shoot themselves in.

It goes in this article, it talks about there's a lot of money here but in the grand scheme of

things and considering how much is problem and how much large corporations are not taxed etc.

They make 85 million currently with the VAT differential and it is estimated that will go

up to 315 million by 2030. But frankly, they can waste that on an inquiry quite easily.

The money side of things doesn't do it for me. I am baffled by the silliness of this.

Obviously the other route to take is which what I think we are all expecting is for them to change

home VAT rate for electricity. That's what I fully expect them to do at some point.

I'm now going to take us into new news. And the government is doing something positive.

And there I was just slagging them off for being very silly. And the energy secretary Ed Miliband

announced last week that the government will introduce later in the year permitted development

rights for cross pavement charging solutions and associated charges. That they're talking about

the things like the gullies cut into pavements that have a cover over the top so they don't

create a trip hazard. By doing it is permitted development that means you don't need to get

planning permission. That seems interesting considering it is a public space. It's one

thing on your own land but a public space. And I would also presume I have someone did pass on

to me. Thankfully they did pass on to me a legislation about the permitted rights ideas of

this and the standards that these need to be built at because I'm presuming it can't be just

any Tom Dick and Harry cuts through a pavement and then throws in a channel for a cable that they

have to be done to a certain standard. So that would I presume mean that either highways or

building control has to be involved. And also for me is what happens when the council wants to come

along and I mean heaven for fend they do this but come along and resurface the pavement.

How is that going to be taken into account? Obviously for people who don't have off street

parking this is a great thing if they have on the street outside their house. But I can also see

we're now going to get into the point where people are having big fights outside their house

even though you are not legally given a parking space outside your house. This is just some sort

of social contract we've all agreed to most of the time. But it is a good step. It is another

way because I think this has to be a multi-prong attack on in terms of what our charging network

needs to look like across the country. Obviously these are cheaper rates and that's even better

because it will be the seven kilowatt charges that do that. So that's the overnight stuff and

potentially allows people but there's quite a few hoops you have to jump through and be

prepared for and you need to really crunch the numbers. If such a low tariff scheme works for

you and your family you have to be very sure because some of them can actually end up costing

you a lot more if you haven't done the maths properly. So do bear that in mind if you are

checking them out. This also ties into some research that Vauxhall did where they bought out

a freedom of information request. This is in a merchant research article again linked in the

show notes. They found that 42% of councils across England, Scotland and Wales plan to offer cross

pavement charging by the end of 2026. This also includes some of them that actually do provide

it now. This research that they did does actually show there's quite a bit of inconsistencies out

there. Some will put the installation at the cost of the council. Others will do it but they're

going to charge you. Others charge you a fee once a month every month to maintain it and therefore

when it needs either removing or whatever then that money has gone to that. It's all a bit haphazard

and there's obviously still plenty of councils who have no interest in doing this which

for the reasons I just said before I can understand equally I can understand people really wanting

charging from as economically cheap as possible. So I really know what that's like.

But hopefully more well with the permitted development hopefully this just bulldozes through

that and therefore means that all councils now have to address it in a more positive way

and be prepared for it. Tying into our live Q&A that we held last week and one of the articles

that I had put to one side already before that was and I'm going to read the title here from

MotorTrader.com. Dealers predict downfall of at least one European car maker in the next 10 years

and there was a survey by Startline Used Car Tracker and they questioned a massive 61 dealer.

The sample size is not huge however I'm hoping that when it comes to sample size they went

across the width and depth and breadth of the UK to get these answers. What they do is they're

put out of business and the Chinese cars are a primary focus on why that will happen

because the causes that were listed include cost of investing in electrification and then

they can't compete against low cost vehicles from China. Also there was talk about technology

such as self-driving and automated stuff and also as what EVs have done is made people less

brand conscious and also brand loyal and I think that's something that's come out.

But when asked about Japanese and Korean car manufacturers about the same stuff they're

nearly 50% of them believe that the pressure is exactly the same that they're going to be under

the same threats as the European ones. This is really interesting who it is. Well I mean you

could pick from a few from Stellantis as we did on the live stream. That's quite easy to do. There's

others you could question whether they're going to last as well just from their financial situations.

Again, time will tell.

Talking of financial restrictions and Porsche has sold its stake in a Bugatti

Rimac and the Rimac Group. They had a 21% stake but their partnership has now come to an end.

They have sold it on to a venture capital firm called HOF Capital which is backed by the Egyptian

billionaire family the Solaris. Rumours were that Rimac and Porsche were at odds for quite a while

over a year now and Rimac was looking for them to get out. I think the absolutely dire financial

situation Porsche and the VW Group are in has forced them to. When you read some of the quotes

that come out here it sort of hints at that as well. Porsche CEO Michael Lighters is quoted in

this Electrive article linked in the show notes. Now with the sale of our stake we demonstrate that

we will focus Porsche on the core business and yeah they really really need to. Okay I'm going to

bring us back to Blighty and speeding fines are in a four-year high for the UK. Again another

freedom of information request. There's lots of this going on and by the way the government is

looking to limit freedom of information requests. They're trying to change the legislation just a

little snippet there. But this came from the road safety technology firm Oono. Oono. It's O-O-O-N-O

is how it's spelled and they asked for the quantity of speeding fines recorded from 2024 to 2025.

24 police forces responded, 22 reporting that they the penalties had gone up, only two dropped

which was Warwickshire and Durham. Despite that Warwickshire was still inside the top five with

177,373 tickets issued. By far the area in front was London and they issued 778,600

thousand tickets which is more than double the second place which was West Yorkshire

in terms of tickets and that's wow. What it is being claimed is that the increase in 20

mile an hour zones in London has really rocketed those. It's as simple as ever, don't speed and you

don't get ticketed. I know sometimes mistakes happen but just as a general rule. I'm now going

to round out the first part of the show with news about River Simple. We haven't talked about them

for years. They were designing their own vehicle to run on hydrogen and they were doing it through

crowdfunding and they had vehicles out there and they had households using them as testbeds,

getting real world data from it and everything. They have just been awarded amongst or they're

heading up the group of companies working together on a zero emission lightweight long range project

or ZELOR which has been awarded 1.7 million pounds which is part of the UK government's

four billion drive 35 program. Now the ZELOR project is trying to bring a vehicle to the roads

that has zero emissions, lightweight and a 400 mile range and what they're doing to do this with

the vehicle they're using is they're using the original A2 which is an interesting

vehicle to use. I suppose you could use a Mercedes A-Class but that would be heavier because I don't

think that was certainly not made out of aluminium like the A2 was which helps with the lightness.

They're going to be working with a company called Green Flux Motors from Colchester for the

Efficient Electric Motors. The converters are from TTPI from Nottingham and River Simples own

hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and will use a vehicle development tool based on machine learning

called Pi Hive which is from Pi Engineering Consultancy. The vehicles will be developed at

a workshop in River Simples power base and this sounds really interesting. I wish them the best

luck and we do need to keep a wider mind in terms of what technology can be used because as we can

see still at this time electric only vehicles are not suitable for everybody but they are getting

better. Again you bring out solid state batteries and a lot of the problems and reluctance can

disappear. Cost wise won't for a while but you know in terms of the technology. I'm really

interested to follow on with this and see how they get on. Best of luck to them all here with that.

Well that means that we have a reached guilt minute. It's that quick break in the show where we

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Thank you everybody that does and is really appreciated.

That can only mean one thing and it is new new car news and I am going to start with the Mercedes

Benz C-Class EV. It is recognisable enough as a Mercedes C-Class although the front has changed

a bit it's a bit more blunt. It's grille now similar in size to the BMW 3 Series that we all jumped

up and down about a few years ago. Now this is it's got some decent tech side of it. It is

it has to be said not as good as the i3 in terms of range. It's looking at when it's going to be

launched 472 miles thanks to a 94.5 kilowatt hour battery which is good for the 472 claimed miles.

It has 800 volt architecture which means that it has the potential to charge up to 330 kilowatts

which is talking about 199 miles in 10 minutes according to Mercedes.

It's going to use the dual motor 400 four-matic powertrain that will make 483 brake horsepower

590 pounds foot of the torque and give a 0-62 time of 4.1 seconds which is apparently just

for context as quick as the old V8 powered AMG C63. Oh dear here we go again. Let's give people

who aren't capable an enormous amount of power and everything will be fine it'll all be fine.

Don't forget the BMW i3 has a claimed range I think is 550 miles that's significantly more.

There is externally obviously the fetish with sticking the three-pointed star and every light

possible continues. The back end is really quite strange it is it is more of a fastback shape

than a saloon now and yet they didn't go for a fastback I think that is a very much a wasted

opportunity. There's an auto car article linked in the show notes which has lots of pictures

but obviously because it's Mercedes the interior gets lots of talked about.

I think they've learned from recent press photos and they've dialed down the

in-cabin mood lighting significantly whereas there's not any pictures taken in the dark and

the mood lighting is just hints of it and they've chosen this a very subtle blue

in for the auto car photos. There is of course the opportunity to buy the mohusse screen across

there which is ridiculous from a safety point of view apparently you can switch off elements of it

to avoid distraction well don't install it and that avoids even more distraction.

It's bound to be very comfortable. There are buttons and there are dials that you can use as

well although it looks very clean and very minimal on the interior. It looks like there's a camera

monitor at the top of the dashboard in the middle as well so I presume that is for driver awareness

amongst other things. But when it comes to the mood lighting as well they've decided that it's not

just enough to have it on the side of the doors and in the footwells and that sort of thing.

They've now got something like 163 LEDs in the panoramic roof sunroof or not sunroof but glass

roof and that will glow as well. They will glow when your mood lighting is on. Yep do.

The Mercedes are also very very proud of their in-car assistant which they claim is going to use

and sit down because this is this is a right mix of things that smash together.

They're going to use AI technology from chat gpt google gemini and microsoft wonderful because

they work all so well so so well. Can't set a timer. They can't put dates in chronological order

all these sort of things. I am forgetting all the moral and legal justifications for not using

any of this stuff ever. I do not understand why car companies are putting in stuff that doesn't work.

Why give your customers products that will not do what you claim they will do. I'm

honestly baffled. It just seems insane but anyway moving on because I don't want to do that. I'm

in a fairly decent mood today. Don't want to ruin it. Apparently price wise it's going to come in at

just under £60,000 ish and we'll get more details when it gets closer to it.

They are talking about a lower powered rear wheel drive version that will offer around 500 miles

but information will come. Moving on now and we're going to come to sort of the other end

of the market and smart is bringing the four two back although it's going to be called a hash two.

They revealed a concept at the Chinese Motor Show and they are aiming for this to be a more

premium product this time. Do not expect the price to be in the cheap affordable for a two-seater

car. Details are very scant on specification side of things. They're claiming it will have a range

of nearly 186 miles whatever that means nearly. Charging the battery from 10 to 80% in less than

20 minutes okay that's good. They're also talking about vehicle to load so that's where your vehicle

can put energy back into your house or battery packs or something like that which apparently is

quite rare in smaller EVs and it's going to be the smallest EV out there. Again it's going to be

quite niche I would imagine because of the price although whether they do something with the

monthlies we'll have to wait and see. They're talking about lots of use of leather, translucent

surfacing, two-tone gold paintwork. Obviously aimed primarily as the city vehicle or small

commute and that sort of thing. I love the fact that this sort of thing is coming out.

186 miles for a vehicle like this makes perfect sense. Again you're going to want a home charger

or being able to charge at work. I'm going to round out the new car news with new van news

and Verizon has launched a much more affordable compact electric van called the V7E.

There is a link in the show notes to Professional Van and that article goes on to explain how the

prices will start at £28,000 on the road that doesn't include that or the government's

plug-in grant, van grant. They are looking to target more urban centric uses because it's

going to have two battery packs of 50.23 kWh and a 67.67 kWh and the WLTP combined range will be

149 miles for the former and 204 miles for the second battery pack. They are both going to be

capable of DC charging at up to 100 kW, which apparently claims it'll be enough for 20 to

80% in 36 minutes. Payloads though aren't too dreadful either considering this isn't a huge

vehicle. For the smaller battery you're going to have a payload of 1338 kg and the larger one

will be 1208 kg. The floor is sitting much lower than most, that will be a plus and also you should

be able to fit in three Euro pallets in the back of this, which again makes its capabilities much

more useful for a vehicle that needs to do a lot of different jobs. There'll also be a vehicle to

load in there as well with a 220 volt 3-pin socket and therefore if you've got tools that sort of

thing helpful. This is an interesting move. It's going to be interesting to see if this starts

to make more of a dent into the electric van market because electric van market is really,

really struggling and is nowhere near the requirements for the mandate which is causing

the industry to really start hopping up and down and shouting at the government to consider

because the fines are just going to be outrageous. That's the problem when the figures are plucked

out of fantasy land rather than in reality with taking into account the actual capability of

technologies at the time and now, but there we go. Interesting to see how this one goes, really.

That means it is time for points of interest and for the lunchtime read, I am not recommending

one but two articles to you and both are from Paranjay Dutt and he is written in Hagerty

and they're all about the O2 series from BMW. I feel like I shouldn't be talking about BMW

Fallon isn't here, but I'm going to anyway because these two articles are cracking.

The first one goes on about, well, it's titled the O2 series was peak BMW and it talks about the

history of the car, how it came to be wonderfully written, some lovely in period photos and information

looked great, but then there is also a second one which goes on to be titled how BMW O2 series

democratised fun motoring and it goes on how, again, more of the history but also explaining how

the O2 allowed BMW to really cement itself in markets outside of Germany. Cracking reads,

stuff I didn't know because I don't really know about the O2. My knowledge of older cars is

much less than Alan's as you are all well aware, but this was fascinating to read it and again,

more glorious photographs and images to check out, so do give that a look.

List of the week and AutoCar is back after a run of no AutoCar, we are now back with a slideshow

from AutoCar and this is titled Wings, history's greatest car spoilers and there are some absolutely

cracking ones in here and some, there are plenty of mad ones for various reasons,

but I am going to encourage you to go through your slide pack and get to, hang on, well I nearly

stopped at several others before then, but if you could get yourself to slide number 22 and the Ford

GT from 2017, oh dear, I mean I love the look of that car anyway, but the way the spoiler acts and

when, the first time I saw it was on the Grand Tour when Clarkson's Racing Hammond and May

and when that suddenly deployed, oh yes, that's wonderful, superb stuff, love it, love it, it

does help that the GT is in this glorious red that they used, that is fabulous, but yeah,

do have a click through, see what you think, do you agree or not, which one would you pick?

There are some usual suspects, but there are some others that are a bit out there, yeah.

And for the and finally, it's a problem I know for many of our listeners and many people out there,

how do you store and display all your hot wheel size die cast models, it is a conundrum for many

out there. Well, fear not, Funtac Labs believe they may have a solution and the solution is the

parkable smart garage. If you think about how those automated garages work, where the vehicle is

put on a platform, the humans come out, leave it alone and then the mechanism move it up and down,

put it in bays all by itself. Well, it's one of those for die cast models and it's in see-through

prospects and it's just fabulous. This is, I have to say, this is a Kickstarter at the moment.

There is a link to design news article here where it has a link at the bottom of it to the

Kickstarter campaign. There is a video in here that sort of has something to do with this.

Some of the messaging seems a bit odd to me when it comes to it, but it's great fun to watch.

And yes, what a fabulous idea. These are the lot that did the wind tunnel on your desktop.

We talked about that a year, two years ago, something like that, but this is the same

company from there. So this is just pure fun, great stuff. Some of the key features that are

listed in this article. Auto parking lift, motorized carriage for seamless model loading and

retrieval. It's app controlled, so you can assign parking spots, switch display modes and manage

your collection remotely via the Parkzible app. Multiple display modes, choose from the standard

random and snake mode to showcase your collection your way. Smart ambient, lighting, blah, blah,

blah, blah. I just, I love this. It's wonderfully over engineered, fabulous stuff, brilliant.

I love that somebody does this. It's just, yes, well done. Well done, everybody involved.

And that is pretty much it for the show, except a little bit of parish notes. Thank you, everybody

who was there or who has subsequently watched or listened to the live Q&A. Hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you very much to all the people who have sent us lovely kind messages and it

seems to be from the general consensus that you liked it and you want us to do more,

which is good because we enjoyed it and we want to do more. Don't know on timings of that or

anything like that. Yeah, Alan and I need to discuss that, but hopefully we can make that a

regular thing. It was just a really, really enjoyable evening and a way to do the show

slightly different, not quite as formal as this and allowed us to sort of work as we went.

Everybody was there, everyone who contributed and commented and asked questions in the live as well

as all the questions that were sent in beforehand. Really appreciate that and the messages you sent

subsequently warm the cockles of this cynical old man's heart, so thank you.

That leaves me then just to say that don't forget between now and next week,

you can give us any feedback and share your thoughts with the show at motringpodcast.com on

Blue Sky, at Motring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and on the contact page of www.motringpodcast.com,

the hub of all activities. Remember, you can support us financially via Patreon and please

leave a review and rating on Apple Podcast YouTube or however your podcast app lets you do such a

thing. The best way to get in touch with Alan would be Blue Sky. If you search for AJP Bradley,

that's B-R-A-D-L-E-Y, you'll find him there. He's also on LinkedIn, if that is your preferred

platform. Similarly for me, if you search for CrackWindscreen on Blue Sky, you should find me

there also on LinkedIn. We'll be back soon but until then, he's not been Alan Bradley,

I've been Andrew Clews and Safe Motoring.

About this episode

The show covers a mix of policy, industry, and new vehicle news. There’s discussion of appeals over motor finance compensation and EV charging VAT, plus a government move to allow cross-pavement charging without planning permission. On the car side, the team looks at a Mercedes C-Class EV, Smart’s revived two-seater concept, and a more affordable electric van. They also touch on speeding fines, Porsche selling its Bugatti Rimac stake, and a lightweight hydrogen project involving River Simple.

0-62 time 1000 kilowatt hour per month threshold 199 miles in 10 minutes 20 mile an hour zones 20 to 80% in 36 minutes 220 volt 3-pin socket 330 kilowatts 472 miles 800 volt architecture 94.5 kilowatt hour battery

BMW 3 Series BMW i3 Chevrolet Volt Ford GT Mercedes-Benz A-Class Mercedes-Benz C-Class Tesla Model Y

Original notes

FOLLOW UP: APPEAL AGAINST FCA RULING

Consumer Voice, a consumer group, is to appeal against the FCA car finance miss-selling redress scheme. Their argument is that the way the compensation has been calculated does not reflect the real world and those affected will not be paid what they are actually owed. To find out more on this matter, click this Motor Trader article link here.

FOLLOW UP: APPEAL AGAINST VAT RULING FOR PUBLIC CHARGERS

HMRC has decided it will appeal against the tribunal ruling that found that VAT on public chargers should have a VAT rate the same as those who can charge their EVs at home. Apparently the specific definition of “a month” and “premises” is the focal point of their case. Once again the Government manages to miss an open goal by announcing that they are dropping the VAT rate. For more on this, click the EV Powered link here.

CROSS-PAVEMENT CHARGING MADE EASIER

The Government has announced that they will be brining in rules that will make the installation cross-pavement charging gullies permitted development, meaning residents no longer have to seek planning permission for them. This will speed up and cut costs for households. Click this EV Powered article link here to read more.

Additionally, following a Freedom of Information request from Vauxhall, which councils already allow cross-pavement charging gullies to be fitted and how they go about that has been established. Only four out of ten do permit, with some giving financial aid and others have a fee of £1000 for the work to be completed. Click this Motoring Research article link for more.

AT LEAST ONE EUROPEAN OEM PREDICTED TO DISAPPEAR

A survey of used car dealers has found that six out of ten believe a European car brand will cease to exist within ten years. On top of that, nearly fifty percent believe that Japanese and Korean car makers are under the same pressure from Chinese companies. The transition to electrification and cheaper products from China are cited as the major reasons. If you want to read more on this, click here for a Motor Trader article link.

PORSCHE SELLS OFF BUGATTI RIMAC SHARES

Porsche is selling their 21 percent stake in the Rimac Group, enabling them to focus on their “core business”. Rumours have been swirling about tensions between the two companies for over a year now. The venture capital group, HOF Capital, are buying the shares. Click this electrive article link here, to read more.

FOUR YEAR HIGH FOR SPEEDING FINES

22 out of 24 police authorities have responded to a Freedom of Information request, confirming that they have had an increase in the number of speeding penalties from 2024 to 2025. London was, by far, the area with the most and double that of West Yorkshire in second. If you want to find out more, click this Motoring Research article link here.

RIVERSIMPLE DROPS OWN DESIGNED CAR

Riversimple has, with a group of other companies, been awarded £1.7 million to develop a vehicle for the Zero Emission Lightweight Long Range (ZELLOR) project. The aim of this is to produce a vehicle that has zero emissions, is light weight and a com,es with a 400-mile range. They will be converting two Audi A2s to demonstrate the technology that is being developed. You can read more by clicking this FuelCellWorks article link here.

If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

NEW NEW CAR NEWS -Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes has revealed the looks and specifications for the new electric C-Class. Coming with 800v hardware, enabling quicker charging where conditions allow, a 94.5kWh battery pack and at launch the dual motor 400 4Matic powertrain. Combined this will produce 483bhp and 590lb ft of the torques, which enables a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds. Range is significantly down on the recently revealed BMW i3, with a 472 miles maximum. Prices are indicated to start below £60,000. The interior can come with the very silly full width screen, lots of mood lighting which also includes being in the panoramic roof. Click this Autocar article to learn more.

Smart Fourtwo

Smart are brining back the Fourtwo, although it will be known as the #2. Full details will not be known until October, during the Paris Motor Show, but what has been revealed is a maximum range up to 186 miles and a 10-80% charging potential of 20 minutes. The brand is aiming for a more premium product. Click this Autocar article to learn more.

Farizon V7E

Farizon has launched a new compact electric van, called the V7E. This will be priced from £28,000 on the road (that is without VAT and any Government grant). There will be two battery options, 50.23kWh and 67.67kWh, which have a claimed maximum range of 149 miles and 204 miles, repectivley. The company is pushing the value for moeny aspects of this vehicle. Click this Proffessional Van article link to learn more.

LUNCHTIME READ: THE BMW 02 SERIES

Paranjay Dutt, via Hagerty, brings you our recommendation to read over your sandwiches. He is discussing the BMW 02 Series, the one that lead to the 3-Series. We have linked to both articles Paranjay has written as they are both excellent and linked. Click here for Part One. To read Part Two, click here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: WINGS

Autocar are back providing the slideshow for you to check out, this time all about rear spoilers. They have selected some of the most memorable for you to choose from. Click this link to see what your options are.

AND FINALLY: MODEL PARKING

Do you have a lot of Hot Wheels sized model cars taking up space in your house? Are you at a loss to know how to store and display them? Fear not, Fun-Tech Labs has a solution, the Parksible, the world’s first smart die-cast model car park. This is a model sized version of the automated parking lots that move the car to the correct space without human intevention. Yes, really! This is currently a Kickstarter campaign. Click this Design News article link here to read more and see a video.

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