Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated 3 days agoMotoring enthusiasts Alan and Andrew discuss their takes on the week's motoring news in this 45 to 60 minute audio podcast.
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Episodes (338)
Our Little Run of Fun - 18 January 2022
SMART MOTORWAYS HALTED BY GOVERNMENTThe roll out of new smart motorways will be halted for five years, as the Government wants to use that time to collate more data on the safety of the existing sections. Those schemes that are already being built will continue, however. In the meantime, £900 million has been pledged to improving the safety of existing smart motorways. For more on this story, click the Autocar article here. FUEL DUTY LOSS ESTIMATED AT £5 BILLION THANKS TO EVSThe RAC Foundation has estimated that the Government could lose £5 billion in revenue from fuel duty, with the rise in EV adoption, by 2030. This brings up the thorny problem of how will that be recouped, especially as car owners already feel they are over burdened with costs. To learn more, click here for the YesAuto link. LONDON MAYOR CONSIDERING A DAILY CAR CHARGESadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has commissioned a City Hall report into achieving the net zero target for London of 2030. One of the recommendations is for a daily charge of £2 per car, except the zero emission vehicles, as well as charging those from outside entering Greater London. This would increase the scope and area of existing schemes. The claim is this is needed for clean air reasons. In order to find out more, click the BBC News article here. POTHOLE DAMAGE AT THREE YEAR HIGH The RAC attended an astonishing 27 call-outs related to pothole damage each day in 2021. This is a three year high. The RAC has called on the Government to properly invest in maintaining roads to a safe and acceptable standard, as well as fresh thinking as current practices and funding levels are inadequate. Further information can be found by clicking this Motoring Research article link here. SCOTLAND PUSHING FOR CAR USE REDUCTION The Scottish Transport Minister, Graeme Day, has published a ‘road map’ for reducing the need to use cars. This has been criticised for having little in terms of actionable steps. To read more about this, click the YesAuto article here. This stance is being echoed in the UK Government, with Transport Minister Trudy Harrison, stating we need to move away from private car ownership late last year. You can read her comments and more by clicking the AMOnline link here. RENAULT GROUP SALES SLIDE AGAINFor the third year running, sales fell for Renault Group, two of the last three years are fairly easy to explain though. Last year, further disruption from Covid and the semi conductor chip shortages are being blamed. Some bright news is that Alpine, Dacia and Lada made gains. For more on this story,
Special Edition - Hyundai i20N Review
Andrew had a Hyundai i20N, for a week, to see if it could be as good as so many are saying. Listen in as he chats to a jealous Alan about what he found out whilst battling his local mud strewn roads.To listen to Alan’s review of the i20 Premium, click this link here. To listen to Alan chat to Andrew about his driving day with Hyundai, that included a quick run in an i20N, click here for the link.
Almost Coherent - 11 January 2022
FOLLOW UP: PROPOSED MANCHESTER CAZ TO BE REVIEWEDGreater Manchester’s Mayor has announced that the proposed Clean Air Zone will be reviewed, ahead of the implementation on 30 May. There are concerns that it will impact businesses heavily. Andy Burnham has called on the Government to do more to support those trying to transition to cleaner vehicles. The CAZ will only charge commercial and private hire vehicles, not private cars. For more on this story, click here for the BBC News article. FOLLOW UP: OXFORD ZEZ GOES LIVE FEBRUARY 2022Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have announced they will be opening the city’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) in February this year. Initially it will be a very small number of streets in the city centre that will charge petrol and diesel vehicles to enter. The second phase will be larger but has yet to be confirmed in size and when it will come into force. To learn more, click the Motoring Research article here. To find out more about clean air zones and if you might be affected, click this link to a Motoring Research explanatory. If you wish to find out if your vehicle will be required to pay to enter a CAZ, click here for the .GOV checker. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR DECEMBER AND 2022The December 2021 New Car Registration figures have been released by the SMMT, which you can find out more about by clicking their link here. Tristan Young has also taken a dive into the figures and has written a very good thread on Twitter, adding more context to the details. Click here to read through that. Autocar has also written an interesting article on the best selling car of 2021, the Ford Transit. Click here to find out how and why that happened. SSANGYONG BOUGHT FOR $255 MILLION The struggling Korean car maker, SsangYong has been bought for $255 million, by a local consortium which included EV maker Edison Motors. This allows Mahindra to divest itself of the company’s shares after it took up 75% ownership when it bought the collapsed company in 2010. For more information, click here for the Automotive News Europe article. TOYOTA TO REMANUFACTURE PRE-OWNED CARS Toyota is going to remanufacture and heavily refurbish cars up to three times to improve the longevity of their cars and maintain a longer direct contact with customers. To find out more about this story,
Earned Their Prosecco - 4 January 2022
FOLLOW UP: CHANGES TO CHARGER RULES ROLLED BACKOver the festive period, the Government quietly rolled back some of the changes they had outlined would have to happen when it comes to installing charging points at non residential properties with a large car park. Now only new or refurbished commercial properties will be required to install at least one charging point. To read more, click The Guardian link here. FOLLOW UP: NEW GREG KELLY EVIDENCE EMERGESInformation disclosed to Asia Times seems to show that Greg Kelly is innocent of the charges brought against him, yet is still facing trial. In a damming report, outlining the tale of what happened, how both he and Ghosn were tricked and how those inside Nissan have behaved has to be read to be believed. For more information, click here for the Asia Times article. FCA RULES SHOULD REMOVE NEED TO HAGGLE INSURANCE EACH YEARNew rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) should mean that when it comes to renewal time we will not have to haggle to get the best price from our existing insurer. Firms are no longer allowed to offer new customers a better rate than those who already have a policy with them. To read more about this, click the Autocar article here. TESLA RECALLING OVER VARIOUS SAFETY ISSUES Tesla is recalling 356,309 Model 3 cars over an issue with the reversing camera. Meanwhile they are recalling 119,009 Model S cars over a problem with the bonnet. Both of these are US only at this time. This is on top of the debacle over allowing games to be played on the touchscreen as the car is driven, forcing Tesla to disable that “feature”, as well as the ongoing investigation into their rollout of the testing program for “full self driving” software/feature, to name but two. For more information, click here for the CNBC article. CHINA REMOVES FOREIGN INVESTMENT RULES FOR CAR MANUFACTURINGAs of 1 January 2022, the rules on ownership of car manufacturing facilities in China are changed, to allow 100% foreign ownership, instead of the joint-venture policy previously. How quickly any firms move to enable this will have to be seen. To read more, click the CNBC article here. RIVIAN BATTERY FACTORY OFFERINGRivian, the EV start up based int he US, is being courted by the UK Government in the hope that they choose an offered site near Bridgewater, Somerset, over two option in the EU for their factory. A decision is expected within the first quarter of 2022. To find out what the site could be and what has been offered, click the Somerset Live article here. HYDROGEN FUEL-CELL CARGO BIKES
Men In Sheds - 21 December 2021
FOLLOW UP: CHANGES TO TOWING RESTRICTIONS NOW IN FORCEAfter recently confirming that the changes to the towing rules had not, in fact, changed, we were informed by one eagle-eyed listener that as of 16 December 2021, they have changed. To find out who is allowed to do what, compared to who was allowed to what previously, click the Government’s own guidance link here. PLUG-IN CAR GRANT ALLOWANCE CHANGED AGAINOnce again , the Government has changed the eligibility of the plug-in grant with no notice at all. The criteria is that if you select a car that has a book price of less than £32,000 new, you will receive £1,500 grant, down from £35,000 and £2,500 respectively. To learn more, click here for the Motoring Research article. Some manufacturers have reduced their prices so that certain models are still capable of collecting the grant, to find out which no longer qualify at the time of recording, click the YesAuto link here. CONGESTION CHARGE TIMING ADJUSTED OVER CHRISTMASBetween Christmas Day and 3 January 2022, the Congestion Charge will not be enforced at night, in a bid to help out the beleaguered West End. This was, clearly, an idea before the scale of the Omicron variant was known. But, from February 21 2022, the timing will change back to 07:00 to 18:00 daily when the congestion charge will be applicable. For more information, click the Evening Standard article here. NICHE UK FIRMS SUPPORTED BY SUPPLIER SUPPORT WITH EVS WEVC and Equipmake, are working together to help niche UK manufacturers electrify their range and help them deal with new and impending legislative changes. To find out more about the companies and the work they do, click here for the Autocar article. VOLVO AND NORTHVOLT JOINT INVESTMENT IN BATTERY FACTORYVolvo, with the help of Northvolt, will be opening a battery research and development centre and factory near Gothenburg next year. Investment is in the region of £2.5 billion for the factory. Volvo wants to try and control better the cost of EV batteries but also produce them in as environmentally protective manner as possible. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article. ALBERT BIERMANN RETIRESIn news that took the chap’s breath away, it was announced that Albert Biermann is to retire from Hyundai. He will be retained as an advisor, but steps away from day to day activities. He is, of course, lately known for the amazing job he has done with the N cars from Hyundai. To read more about this and who his successor will be,
Chuckle of Despair - 14 December 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW RESHUFFLE COMPLETEDVolkswagen Group announced a host of senior management changes, which didn’t occur in quite the way some reports suggested, in the previous week. The main one is that Thomas Schäfer is moving from Skoda to head up VW. Brandstätter, who was tipped to take on more responsibility from Diess is sent to head up their China operations. Added to which Diess will take control of Cariad, their software division. For more information, click here to read the Autocar article. RENAULT ZOE GETS ZERO STARS FROM EURO NCAPThe latest Renault Zoe is the third car in history to receive zero stars from Euro NCAP, but it is not just a case of safety moving on, Renault has removed part of the safety capability from the previous model, by reducing the protection to occupants with airbags. But this does bring up the worry that people may think they are buying a safe car, particularly second hand, but are in fact not. To learn more, click the Autocar article here. PEUGEOT LATEST TO ANNOUNCE ALL ELECTRIC FUTUREFrom 2030, Peugeot will be an all-electric car company, in Europe. They are the latest to declare an electric only future from a specific date. This is later than those confirmed by other Stellantis brands, so far. For further reading, click the Autocar article here. STELLANTIS SOFTWARE DRIVE Stellantis, to much fanfare, announced they anticipate €20 billion revenue from software products and subscriptions in 2030. Included in all this is over the air updating, without the need for hardware to be installed, automated driving capabilities, data and fleet services. To learn more, click here for the Autocar article. BENTLEY OPENS NEW TEST FACILITYBentley has opened a new test facility, in Crewe, that will enable them to test emission and electrification aspects of their designs. The £12.5 million facility, will start being used straight away after receiving approval from the Vehicle Certification Agency. This should speed up and eventually save costs compared to sending their vehicles to a third-party testing site. If you would like to read more, click the Autocar article here. VW DRIVES FURTHER INTO ELECTRIFICATIONVolkswagen announced that they will be investing £76 billion in electrification and digital technologies. This is an increase on their previous investment. The plans were declared in September but have taken until now to be confirmed by the Board. For more information, click the Autocar article here. GRIDSERVE CONSTRUCTING TWO NEW EV FORECOURTS
Special Edition - Bcomp Natural Fibres Composite Materials
The Swiss company, Bcomp produce lightweight, natural fibre composite materials and panels which are beginning to find their way into the automotive sector. Listen in as Andrew talks to Per Mårtenson about how Bcomp started, what they do and how these clever products can be used. Thank you to Per for chatting with Andrew and giving us this fascinating insight into a different material.
Fettling His Matiz - 7 December 2021
FOLLOW UP: MORGAN HINTS AT FUTURE DESIGNSRecently the chaps discussed the new appointment of Matthew Hole as CTO and idly wondered what that would mean for future designs. Seems Morgan heard, well, okay, they probably didn’t, but let’s not dwell on that as they have teased out some sketch designs of how future Morgan’s could look. To find out more, click the Morgan article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES NOVEMBER 2021 The SMMT has published their monthly new car registration figures, for November, which shows a continued issue due to supply. To read more, click the SMMT link here. SHARP RISE IN CYCLIST DEATHS ON RURAL ROADS89 people lost their life on English rural roads, whilst cycling, in 2020, Department for Transport figures confirm. A campaign from NFU Mutual, British Cycling and British Horse Society has begun to raise awareness in driving to the conditions and dangers of rural roads. For more information, click here for the BBC News article. 1 IN 50 CARS UNINSURED ON UK ROADSThe Government has revealed that it estimates 1 in 50 vehicles on the road, is uninsured, costing approximately £119 million in lost revenue. The suggestion is a mix of affordability and lack of enforcement, as two of the major contributing factors. To read about this, click the Autocar article linked here. RIVIAN APPARENTLY OFFERED SWEETENERS FOR UK FACTORYThe UK Government is, a report states, offering incentives to Rivian so they open a factory in the UK. The sweeteners include changes to the local road infrastructure, dust off a shuttered railway line and develop training facilities. The hope is Rivian invests around £1 billion for the facility near Bristol. In order to learn more about this, click this link here to the Autocar story.VW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE IN DISCUSSION Reports suggest that Volkswagen CEO, Herbert Diess’s future is under discussion after the Unions raised concern over the job losses touted. We will have to wait to see if this ends up with the departure or lessening of the powers Diess has. In the meantime, you can read more about the matter by clicking this Autocar link. FORD JOINS VW UK CO2 POOL To meet the rules on CO2 limits across a company’s fleet, Ford has joined the Volkswagen Group pool, that also includes SAIC, which is mainly MG Motors. To read more about this move, for 2021, click the Schmidt Automotive Research article link here. ——————————————————————————-
Maintaining The Capability - 30 November 2021
ALISON JONES NAMED PRESIDENT OF SMMTAlison Jones, Stellantis VP and Country Manager for the UK, has been announced as the first female President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. She will take up her position on 1 January 2022. Dr George Gillespie OBE, steps down after a three year tenure as President. To find out more, click the SMMT article here. UK CAR PRODUCTION WORST SINCE 1956 The continued pressures on the supply chain constrained the UK’s car production in October to on 64, 729 vehicles, the lowest since 1956. Whilst the chip shortage was a major factor, Honda permanently shutting the Swindon factory in July also impacted the figures. For more information, click here to read the Autocar article. EV CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE OPENSMilton Keynes is the preferred location for Intertek to open their electric vehicle centre of excellence, where they will test and develop EV powertrains. Costing £12 million, the centre will also develop powertrain components. To read more about this, click the Autocar article here. REE EXPANDS UK OPERATIONSREE, the Israeli electric start-up, is expanding their Warwickshire operations to include producing their ‘corners; product that combines suspension, wheel and electric drive in one compact package, effectively creating in-wheel motors. For more about this interesting company, click here for the Autocar article. LONDON SCRAPPAGE SCHEME OVERSUBSCRIBEDThe £61 million that Transport for London (TfL) had allocated to a ULEZ scrappage scheme has been oversubscribed and the budget is now used up. 23,300 applications were made, with 9,370 accepted. TfL also acknowledged that there would be a shortfall in ULEZ income at 91% of vehicles are compliant with the rules. To learn more, click the Evening Standard article here. IONITY TO EXPAND NETWORK Ionity is to expand their network of EV charging points across Europe by 2025, with a £700 million investment. The plan is to quadruple the number of 350kW chargers to 7000. For more information, click here to read the Autocar article. COST OF EV CHARGING RISES WITH ENERGY PRICE SPIKEThe rising price of wholesale energy is now hitting the EV charging network, with organisations increasing their tariffs in line with the increases. The jump in prices is not insignificant either. To find out more about how you may be effected,
Special Edition - BMW Driving Day
Alan went to Oxford for a day to try some of the new sporting and electric offerings from BMW. With the keys to everything fromt he new M3 Competition xDrive to an electric MINI, how did he get on and what new and novel insights did he gain?
Hear the Sparrows Farting - 23 November 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW SHOULD’VE PUBLISHED ENGINE PLANIn a test case brought by investors in Germany, Volkswagen is accused of failing to disclose the problem from back in 2008. The judge has stated that it is on the investors to prove VW or any of their staff withheld information, but it is up to VW to prove the board not telling investors from 2012 was not grossly negligent nor deliberate. To read more, click here for the Reuters article. FOLLOW UP: CONTINENTAL EX-CEO AND EX-CFO INVESTIGATED The ex-CEO, Dagenhart, and just sacked CFO, Wolfgang Schaefer, who held their roles for Continental, are being investigated by German prosecutors over their involvement in dieselgate, specifically regarding the 1.6 litre diesel engines. To read more on this story, click the Yahoo News article here. HAND HELD DEVICES TO BE ILLEGAL BEHIND THE WHEELThe Highway Code will be updated with changes to interacting with your mobile phone, whilst driving. The loopholes that allow playing games, filming or scrolling through playlists whilst holding the phone, will be illegal. However, if the device is in a cradle it can still be prodded as though it was a touchscreen infotainment system fitted to the car. To find out more, click here for the BBC News article. NATIONAL PARKS NOT CONSIDERING BANNING CARSStories started circulating that some National Parks were considering banning cars from some roads at certain times of the year, this is not the case. However, they are all looking at what they can do to reduce congestion and the effect so many visitors have travelling to these beauty spots. To read more, click the Autocar article here. PORTSMOUTH CAZ OPENS 29 NOVEMBERPortsmouth will be starting their Clean Air Zone (CAZ) initiative on 29 November. This will only affect HGVs, buses, vans, taxis and private hire vehicles as it is designated as a Class B CAZ, therefore private car drivers are not going to be saddled with extra costs to enter the city. To find out more, click here for the YesAuto article. VOLTA TRUCKS STARTS PRODUCTION IN COVENTRY Volta Trucks has started building their prototype all-electric Zero lorry, in Coventry. The vehicles comes with a range of 95-125 miles. 25 prototypes will be built in Coventry and once Volta are ready for full production they will be built in their Austrian factory. To find out more, click the Autocar Professional article here.
Facial Gymnastics - 16 November 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW LOSES APPEAL IN SUPREME COURTVolkswagen has lost their appeal, in the US Supreme Court, to have claims for damages brought by individual states thrown out. VW felt that the rules only allowed the federal government to make claims for damages under the Clean Air Act. This means the potential for further financial penalties is very real, with Ohio along with counties in Florida and Utah prosecuting Volkswagen and Bosch. To read more, click the Reuters article here. FOLLOW UP: TOWING RULES CHANGE POSTPONED The change in rules, to allow more people to tow larger trailers, has been quietly postponed, with no date yet given as when they will come into force. To see more, click the tweet from @thelorryist who shared the screenshot of the official site amendment, by clicking the link here. FOLLOW UP: “WINNER” OF UK EV CHARGER COMPETITION SHOWNThe Government has revealed the “iconic” charger, for the UK, following work from Royal School of Art and PA Consulting. The design is meant to put ‘ease of use and accessibility’ at the heart of the final product. To read more, about this underwhelming concept, click here for the Autocar article. STRIKE ACTION NOT VOTED THROUGH AT DVLAStrike action will not be taking place at DVLA’s headquarters, in Swansea, as there wasn’t enough votes registered. There has been a long running dispute over the safety of staff, from Covid issues, which prompted this latest move by the unions. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article. COP 26 SOME OEMS SIGN SOME DO NOTAt the recent COP 26 global gathering, to discuss and plan our way out of the climate crisis we have, some manufacturers pledged to aim for deadlines well in the future to stop selling internal combustion engined vehicles, in some markets. On the surface it looks like hitting the targets already stated by many Governments. Not every company agreed to this but as Alan argues, does it matter if a piece of paper is signed if they are actually doing it? To find out more, click the Autocar article here. UK BATTERY INDUSTRY LOSES CHEMICAL FIRMS INVOLVEMENTJohnson Matthey, who were partners for a number of battery production firms, in the UK, has announced they are pulling out of the market and will now focus on decarbonising chemicals in the supply chain and hydrogen technologies. This is a blow to the UK industry. For more information, click here to read the Autocar article. TVR IN JOINT VENTURE WITH MINING COMPANYTVR has announced a joint venture with Ensorcia Metals, a lithium mining company, who...
Special Edition - Honda HR-V Hybrid Review
Alan had a Honda HR-V for 48 hours to find out how this 3rd generation of Honda’s left-field compact SUV coped on the roads of Northamptonshire. It’s divisive in many ways, but was it a Joy Machine?
Chauvinistic Prat - 9 November 2021
FOLLOW UP: ENVISION SCALES BACK OUTPUT PREDICTIONEnvision, the Chinese company partnering with Renault on their battery factory, in Northern France, has lowered the predicted production output due to a change in the site’s layout. The wooded area, previously marked for demolition will now not be destroyed because it is a wildlife habitat and building there would be “complicated”. Output is now predicted to be 30 gigawatts per hour against 43 previously expected. To find out more, click the Today News Post here. OCTOBER 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESAnother month means more grim reading, with figures down 24.6% on last year, and that was hardly spectacular. Chip shortages are the main reason why. Electrified vehicles, though, helped reduce the pain. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. TESLA RECALLS ON BACK OF SOFTWARE GLITCH A communication error, for nearly 12,000 cars sold in the US since 2017, could result in false forward collision warning and application of the automated emergency braking. The issue appears to be two chips not communicating once woken from sentry or summon standby modes. To read more, click The Guardian article here. MERCEDES RECALLS EQC DUE TO WATER INGRESS DAMAGEMercedes-Benz has issued a recall for their EQC SUV, built between 11 December 2019 and 18 May 2020. The steering wiring harness may have been damaged during assembly, which could lead to water ingress. This model has been hit by a number of recalls. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. MERCEDES ACCUSED OF DEFEAT DEVICE USEA German environmental group (DUH) has accused Mercedes-Benz of using eight ‘defeat devices’ in an engine tested on an E350d Bluetec. The German regulatory authority has stated it was aware of these devices and that they were permissible, to ensure a long life of the engine. DUH claim, these devices are not about longevity of life. To read more, click the Autocar article here. JCB AWARDED DEWAR TROPHY BY RAC FOR HYDROGEN ENGINEThe RAC has awarded JCB their Dewar Trophy, for "an outstanding British technical achievement in the automotive field", thanks to the development of the ABH2 hydrogen engine which gives a similar performance to the diesel equivalent. Whilst it produces no CO2, it also produces less NOx than a diesel. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES ROAD COLLISION INVESTIGATION CONSULTATIONThe Government has launched a new consultation about setting up a dedicated organisation to investigate...
Fan Fiction - 2 November 2021
UK GOVERNMENT CONSULTING ON THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTThe Government has launched a consultation on the future of transport, looking at vehicles parts and equipment and engines of non-road mobile machinery. They are looking to cover everything from road vehicles, to trailers, to farm machinery etc. The aim is to ensure there is applicable regulatory powers and framework for security, environmental and safety performances. Added to this they wish the outcomes to tackle tampering as well as improving compliance. This is a big task but has caused a ripple of fear due to the unintended consequences that could come out of this. To read more, click the official website here. GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED AUTUMN BUDGETThe Chancellor of the Exchequer finally announced his budget in Parliament, with some good news for motorists. The freeze on fuel duty remains in place. He also described the monies being allocated to pothole repair, regional public transport and helping the Outer Hebrides host a round of the Extreme E championship. To read more from Autocar, click the link here. To see how much of the pledged money is new for regional public transport, click the BBC News article here. JLR Q2 LOSS DUE TO CHIP SHORTAGE Jaguar Land Rover made a loss of £302 million in the quarter from July to September, this year, on the back of the global chip shortage. The news is not all bad though, as they state they have record numbers of orders placed. To read more, click the Autocar article here. JRL JOINS TESLA EMISSION CREDIT POOLJaguar Land Rover announced that it is to join the CO2 pool that Tesla has, to offset the fines that would be imposed for fleet CO2 levels, from the EU. To read more, click the Autocar article here. UK FUELS PRICES AT RECORD LEVELSOver half of the UK is forced to pay more for petrol and diesel than in 2012, the previous record year. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article. PLUG-IN HYBRIDS NO LONGER EXEMPT OF LONDON C-CHARGEThe rules for exemptions of London’s Congestion Charge have changed, with plug-in hybrids now having to pay the same as other non-exempt vehicles. As a reminder, EVs will also be paying the charge from 2025. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. BP AND PIAGGIO TO DEVELOP SMALL EVS FOR ASIA AND EUROPEBP and Piaggio are working together to develop two and three-wheel EVs for European and Asian markets. The vehicles will be focused on urban areas to help reduce congestion and...
Special Edition - Suzuki Ignis 1.2 Hybrid SZ5 4WD Review
Andrew tried out the Suzuki Ignis 1.2 Hybrid SZ5 4WD, for a week. Find out if the chaps need to change their reviews to include small canine quantifiers, can a family of five use a four seat car and does Andrew’s lead footedness hinder the efficiency of the engine.
Slippery When Wet - 19 October 2021
FOLLOW UP: VOLVO P1800 GASSER IS UK’S HOT WHEELSThe judging of the UK’s Hot Wheels candidate took place last weekend. A Volvo P1800 gasser was chosen to represent the UK in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. To watch the Car Throttle stream of the event, click the link here. To read more about the result, click the Elan PR article here. FORD INVESTS IN HALEWOOD PLANTFord is investing £200 million in converting their Halewood transmission plant to an EV focused production line. This will safeguard 500 jobs at the plant and is a real boost to UK car manufacturing. The Government is part funding the investment. To find out more, click The Telegraph article here. TOYOTA SUED BY STEEL SUPPLIER In an incredibly rare more a Japanese supplier has sued Toyota and Chinese supplier over their use of steel technology, which Nippon Steel argues is their patent. The claim is for $177 million and for a ban on Toyota selling any cars that use the disputed technology from any other supplier buy Nippon Steel. To read more, click here for the AP News article. NISSAN ORDERED TO PAY JOIN-VENTURE PARTNER IN UAENissan’s joint-venture partner, Al Dahana FZCO, won their case that Nissan had not fulfilled it’s part of their agreement for the distribution of vehicles in the region. The Japanese company has been ordered to pay $345 million in compensation. To find out more, click the Arabian Business News article here. CASTBOX PODCAST APP ON MORE OEM APP STORESCastbox, an iOS and Android, podcasting app has partnered with Faurecia Aptoide Automotive, who power most of the car manufacturers own infotainment systems and app stores, thus making it available on the car’s own app store. This could help those who don’t use CarPlay and Auto to power their infotainment needs but who still want to listen to podcasts. To find out more, click the Faurecia Aptoide article 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 NEWSFord Focus A mid-life refresh is happening to the Focus range, with an improvement in technology, connectivity and changes to the drive-train options. The suspicion was that the diesel engine would...
Special Edition - Lexus Mindfulness Tracks
Alan spent a little while talking to mindfulness coach Christoph Spiessens about mindfulness at the wheel, how it can help and how you can start to achieve it. They also discussed four tracks that Lexus have released, created using the sounds created by Lexus cars.To listen to the tracks and read more about Lexus’ mindfulness music click this link.To listen and download the tracks from Spotify click this link.To find out more about Christoph and his work click this link.
How Obvious - 12 October 2021
FOLLOW UP: HYPER-MILING A MIRAI AGAINIn the United States a Toyota Mirai has driven 845 miles, on a single tank, to break the official record. The journey, which took two days, was carried out by Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger in California at the end of August. TO find out more, click here for the Top Gear article. GENEVA MOTOR SHOW POSTPONED AGAINGeneva Motor Show has again been postponed, this time due to “industry wide issues”. To find out more, click the Autocar article here. FUNDING DROPS FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE The Local Government Association has stated that the Department of Transport (DoT) has reduced the funding for local road maintenance by about £400 million in the last year. The calculations for making the roads truly fit for purpose is an eye-water 10 billion, so to lose this amount is a huge dent in keeping the infrastructure of Britain fit for purpose. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article. BMW M DIVISION GETS A NEW OLD BOSSThe previous head of the M division, Frank van Meel, returns to his position as Markus Flasch moves to the position of overall vehicle development for luxury, upper and mid-range cars in BMW. To read more, click the EVO article here. MCLAREN GROUP’S CASH INJECTION COMES WITH CONDITIONSMcLaren Group is having to appoint five new board members as part of the conditions for the latest £550 million injection of funding. To find out more, click here for the EVO article. THOUSANDS VOTE TO BAN CARS FROM BERLINOver 50,000 people have signed a petition to ban all private cars from approximately 34 square miles of Berlin. There are stages to go through, but this radical plan could be made law. To find out more, click the Autocar story here. PUBLIC WIRELESS EV CHARGING TRIAL BEGINChar.gy has started public trials in Bedfordshire, with modified Renault Zoes and their induction wireless charging pads. Their plan is to make EV charging without cables and especially for those without off-street parking, viable. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. ——————————————————————————-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...
Bookended - 5 October 2021
FOLLOW UP: ROLLS ROYCE 102EX CONCEPT CARIn response to Alan’s query about the wireless charging for the 2011 102EX concept car, from Rolls Royce, Dave Monks has got in touch. He confirmed that the wireless charging did work and in fact he designed it to deal with a wide range of voltages, grid frequencies and types of charging interface. There was only one model and they drove it around the world to show it working. Thank you Dave, for putting us straight! NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES SEPTEMBER 2021SMMT has released the UK’s September New Car Registration figures and they are the lowest since September 1998. On the upside, it is the best month for battery electric vehicles. Tesla is the most registered, so a boat must have docked, with the Vauxhall Corsa being the top registered car year to date. The Spreadsheet of Doom is predictably doomy. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. FISKER APPOINTS ASTON MARTIN ENGINEER David King, the former Aston Martin engineer who was head of their Special Vehicle Operations, will head up Fisker’s new UK-based special vehicles division. He is tasked with showcasing the use of specialised materials and technologies. To find out more, click the Autocar story here. FORD DITCHING MORE DIESEL OPTIONSThe Mondeo, Galaxy and S-Max will no longer be offered with a diesel engine option, joining the Fiesta. They will, instead, have a petrol hybrid choice which is very close to the same efficiency and better with the emissions. The Kuga and Focus retain diesel engines, for now. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. BIRMINGHAM LOW-TRAFFIC PLANBirmingham has proposed making the centre of the city a low-traffic area. Using existing roads, the idea is instead of funnelling cars through the centre of the city but turn them back to the ring road and travel to another of the seven zones that will be created. To read more, click The Guardian article here. ABB LAUNCHES FASTEST EVE CHARGERABB has released information on their Terra 360 modular charging station, which will be able to charge four different vehicles at the same time but is also flexible in the charging rates it can deliver that to each of the vehicles. Added to this, they claim that an EV can be fully charged in 15 minutes. To find out more, click here for the Business Motoring article. WARRINGTON INSTALLING ON-STREET CHARGERSConnected kerb, in partnership with Warrington Council, are installing 30 on-street charging stations for houses without off-street parking. To find out more,
Special Edition - Hyundai Driving Day
Alan spent a day with Hyundai driving some of the newest additions to their range.This Special Edition includes short drive opinions of:-Tucson PHEVi20 N-Linei20NKona N-LineIONIQ 5To listen to the recent Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Twin Test Review, click this link here. To listen to the recent Hyundai i20 Premium Review, click this link here.To listen to Alan’s conversation with Albert Biermann, click this link here.
Six Year Anniversary - 29 September 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW TEMPERATURE EMISSION LEVELS QUESTIONEDAt the European Court of Justice, the prosecutor’s expert witness has stated that Volkswagen has no justification in using an external temperature and altitude guided emissions device, in Austria. The average temperature and operating altitude is often outside the scope for running at lower NOx emissions. The judges have yet to give their verdict. To find out more, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: JLR SETTLES LUXURY SUV FIGHT WITH VW GROUPAt the end of November 2020, Jaguar Land Rover started legal proceedings against Volkswagen Group, over their use of Terrain Response in the group's luxury SUVs. JLR claimed the technology is patented by them and could not be used and sold by VW Group brands, in the US. The two sides have settled a week before this was due to go to court, although we do not know the details. A separate case, between JLR and Bentley is still due to go to court. For more information, click here for the CarsUK article. FOLLOW UP: WELSH ROAD SPEED LIMITS REDUCED IN SOME AREASSome areas of South and North East Wales will have a new limit of 50mph introduced next week, in a bid to improve air quality. The roads will be policed by average speed cameras. To find out more and where they are, click the BBC News article here. VAUXHALL LOOKING AT LUTON JOB LOSSESDue to the semi-conductor ship crisis, Luton bosses are looking at reducing the number of shifts and personnel. In the region of 200 job losses are expected, along with a move from three to two shifts. TO find out more, click here for the BBC News article. HERMES ORDERS 168 ESPRINTER VANS FROM MERCEDESIn the first push to electrification, by Hermes, 168 eSprinter vans have been ordered from Mercedes, along with 132 diesel versions. They will also be partnering up with PodPoint who will provide the charging points required. To read more, click the Zap-Map article here. ADDISON LEE SWITCHING TO ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET BY 2023Addison Lee has committed to ensuring their entire London fleet is electric only by 2023. They have begun the switch with the purchase of 450 VW ID 4 SUVs. This will mean that there will be 20,000 zero-emission journeys on the roads of London. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. POST OFFICE TRIALLING SMALL EV DELIVERY VEHICLESThe Post Office is trialling two types of small EVs, for delivery in residential areas. They are approximately the size of a golf buggy or quad bike. The study will look at the practicalities of replacing larger vans for the same routes. In order to read more,
Shouty Screaminess - 21 September 2021
FOLLOW UP: MAN GUILTY OF SELLING SCANIA SECRETSBack in February, of this year, we talked about the Swedish man accused of selling secrets from Scania and Volvo to Russia. His trial is now complete and he is guilty of passing on information from Scania but not from Volvo. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. OSPREY CHARGING INSTALLING 150 CHARGING HUBSOsprey Charging has announced that they will be installing 150 high-powered charging hubs across the UK, over the next four years. This will be around 1,500 rapid chargers after an investment in the region of £75 million. To find out more, click here for the YesAuto article. RENAULT ANNOUNCES JOB CUTS DUE TO EV MOVERenault has said they will cut around 2,000 jobs in their move to electrification. However, it claimed that it will be creating 2,500 roles, to help meet the needs from building nine new models in France. To learn more, click the Reuters article here. UK AUTO FLEET REDUCES CARBON EMISSIONSSMMT has revealed that the UK auto carbon emission has shrunk by 11.8% as buyers move to electrified vehicles. But, due to the pandemic, the environmental costs to production saw an increase in 2020 over 2019. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. UK TO SWITCH TO DIGITAL DRIVING LICENSESThe UK Government has announced it will start to switch over driving licenses to be digital only from 2024. Additionally they will make the process of booking and reporting MOTs digital too. To read more, click the Autocar article 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 NEWSSubaru 2022Subaru has revealed the new 2022 WRX, hooray! They also said it is not coming to the UK or Europe, boo! This looks like a slightly tighter version of the last generation, which is more rigid and therefore safer. Based on the same global platform as the latest Forrester. To learn more about what we’re going to miss out on, click the EVO link here. Skoda Fabia 2022Skoda has announced UK specs and prices for their...
Special Edition - Lexus UX300e Review
Alan spent a week with an outlier in the Lexus range, the electric UX300e. How well does Lexus’ first UK-sold EV fare in daily use and would you want to own one?
Total Trucker - 14 September 2021
GOVERNMENT CHANGES HGV AND TOWING TESTSIn a bid to reduce the backlog of tests and increase the number of HGV drivers, the Government has decided to do away with some of the previously mandatory requirements to show someone was a safe and competent driver. There will only be one single HGV test, for both rigid body and articulated lorries. The hitching and reversing elements are no longer required either. To find out more, click the YesAuto link here. ONE THIRD OF ULEZ FINES UNPAIDTransport for London (TfL) has vowed to recoup the fines of over 330,000 that are unpaid. The ULEZ will expand, in London, to the North and South Circular roads. Some argue that the current system needs amending before any expansion. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT HUB OPENED IN SUNDERLANDSunderland City Council has opened a sustainable Mobility Hub, for staff, giving them access to 10 Nissan Leafs, as part of their move to sustainable transport for the council. 20 e-bikes will be also part of the initial fleet. These are steps towards the area becoming carbon neutral by 2040. To read more, click the YesAuto article here. ITALY WANTS ENGINE EXEMPTION FOR SUPERCAR MAKERSItaly is making the argument, to the EU, that supercar makers should be exempt from the 2035 ICE ban, due to them making so few vehicles and therefore having such a negligible effect on climate change. To find out more, click here for the YesAuto article. PORSCHE STARTS BUILDING SYNTHETIC FUEL PLANTPorsche has started building a synthetic fuel plant in Chilean Patagonia. The site was partially selected due to the conditions which enable excellent wind generation of electricity, which means the site and project will be virtually carbon-neutral. The intention is to use the fuel for their own internal purposes, such as their racing teams, but the idea will be to sell it to Porsche owners. To find out more, click the EVO article here. DOUG FIELD LEAVES APPLE FOR FORDDoug Field, who is credited with leading the development and design of the Model 3 for Tesla and the mythical Apple car, will be working for Ford as their chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer. He will be overseeing the push into connected services, cyber security and over-the-air-updates amongst other aspects. To read more, click the Autocar article here. ——————————————————————————-If you...