Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated 1 day 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 (327)
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...
Special Edition - The Car Crowd
Alan had a chat to David Spickett of The Car Crowd to find out all about buying a share, or shares, in a classic car and what you can expect as a result.To find out more about The Car Crowd you can follow them on Instagram, on Facebook and on their website.
Not In Your Half-Lifetime - 7 September 2021
FOLLOW UP: PARIS SPEED CAMERAS RUNNING INTO PROBLEMSThe unpopular reduction of the speed limit in Paris has meant that some runners are being caught by the City’s speed cameras, exceeding the 30km/h limit. In a promotional and clever stunt the running shop DISTANCE has teamed up with professional athletes to get caught at night triggering the cameras. To read more, click The Connexion article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR AUGUST 2021The August figures for New Car Registrations have been revealed by SMMT and they are predictably poor. Through a combination of supply and Covid issues, SMMT tells us are the reasons behind the worst August since 2013. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. HYUNDAI LATEST TO ANNOUNCE ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET FROM 2035Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to announce when they will be electric only, in Europe. From 2035 they will only sell EV or hydrogen powered vehicles. They also aim to be carbon neutral from 2045. To find out more, click the YesAuto article here. In their drive, pun intended, to get help the public understand hydrogen and the potential for it better, they will be making efforts to ‘popularise hydrogen’, with one tactic to release a 671hp hydrogen powered sports car. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. FUEL PRICE 20P PER LITRE MORE THAN LAST YEARShocking news from the petrol retail industry, the price of fuel has not risen in August, however, we are still paying more than 20p per litre over last year’s prices. As we all holidayed in the UK this summer they didn’t need to put the price up to exploit the motorist. To find out more, click the Motoring Research article here. CONNECTED KERB INSTALLS 22 CHARGING POINTS IN LAMBETH22 roadside charging points have been installed in Lambeth, as part of a project to demonstrate how affordable public charging can be set up and accessed by all. The 7kW units utilise contactless payment, via the company’s app. To find out more, click here for the Fleet News 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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-
Shake All Your Crockery - 31 August 2021
UN SAYS LEADED PETROL IS NO MOREThe UN has announced that the last country to sell leaded petrol to the public has now stopped. Algeria was the last of 80 odd countries that used this petrol well into the 2000s. The announcement was made on the eve of E10 unleaded petrol being mandated in the UK. To read more, click the Hagerty article here. DS AND AUDI MAKE FURTHER ELECTRIC ANNOUNCEMENTSDS Automobiles is the latest manufacturer to announce their shift to fully electric models only, from 2024. To learn more about their move, click the Autocar article here. Audi have also announced an acceleration to e-mobility, with them saying they will have more than the previously mentioned 20 models as EVs, by 2025, as well as working closer with energy suppliers, as we saw with the recent news of more charging companies being accessible via their one pay service. WORLD’S LARGEST CHIP MAKER PUTS THE BOOT INTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is reportedly putting up the prices of automotive chips, at a time when the industry is struggling just to get hold of them at all. Older chips, such as those the car industry uses, will have a bigger price rise than more modern and profitable products. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. LOTUS TERMINATES DEALERSHIP PARTNERSHIPSLotus has been reviewing their dealership partnerships and has, apparently by mutual agreement. With the shift in strategy for Lotus more investment will be required by any retail locations, for branding alterations and electrification. To read more about this, click the Autocar article here. FEARS OVER PLANS TO SCRAP TRAILER AND HEALTH TESTSThe Government is proposing changing the requirement for an additional test, those who wish to tow a trailer and do not meet the exemptions. This is concerning as this is in place due to safety reasons, therefore to discard them seems dangerous. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. Additionally, the British Medical Association has expressed fears that the Government is seeking to circumvent the medical assessments required for some drivers, including HGV. This, as well as the trailer test issue, are all suggestions to get around the backlog that has built and the subsequent shortage of lorry drivers the country is facing. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research article. CITROËN ROLLS OUT SIGN LANGUAGE IN ALL RETAIL OUTLETSCitroën has started a program that will make their retail outlets more accessible to those who are hard of hearing, with sign language facilities. To find out more,
Doesn't Come Wrapped In Tartan - 24 August 2021
SEMI-CONDUCTOR CRISIS - UPDATEWhilst this has been an ongoing issue for the car industry, we haven’t updated you on who is being hit hardest at the moment, but we address that in this episode. Of note is Toyota announcing a cut of 40% in global output, Volvo idling the Gothenburg plant again and JLR telling lease companies it is struggling with supplies. To read more about that and all affected, click the Autocar link here. VAUXHALL HERITAGE FLEET AT THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUMWhat remains of the the Vauxhall Heritage Fleet will now be kept at the British Motor Museum, allowing us all to see the significant and interesting cars from Vauxhall’s past. This is great news and congratulations to all who maintained the fleet, enabling many to enjoy these cars for years to come. To find our more, click here for the Autocar link. BLACKBERRY ADMITS TO SERIOUS BUGBlackberry has finally admitted to a serious flaw in their past versions of the QNX software, to be found in 175m cars, industrial systems and medical devices. To date this has not been exploited but the race is on to update all the software. To find out more, click The Register’s article link here. BLOODHOUND LSR NEWS Bloodhound LSR has announced a new CEO, the search for future funding ramping up, contracts for the engines extended and a new display home of the Coventry Transport Museum. Whilst they have been publicly quiet over the last 18 months, clearly behind the scenes things have been busy. To find our more, click their own press release 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 NEWSNissan Z Nissan have revealed their next generation Z car, continuing the name that goes back to the lovely 240Z. Unfortunately, the car will not be coming to Europe, due to the tighter emission controls across fleets, but it is seen as a direct rival to the GR Supra in those territories it can be sold in. Alan likes it, whilst Andrew is underwhelmed by the looks. To find out more, click here for the EVO link.Kia Soul EV MaxxKia has revealed the face lifted Soul EV along with a new top of the range, in the form of the Maxx which replaces the First Edition. Fitted with a 64kWh battery the range is around 280 miles and will come with a lot of toys. With the plug-in grant of £2,500 this will cost £32,445. To learn more about this,
And What Watt - 17 August 2021
FOLLOW UP: WHAT MAKES A SALE A SALEWith thanks to the SMMT we can now confirm that a “sale” is when there is a change in owner, so if a person or company continue their lease beyond the original time frame, that will not be added to the figures reported. Which makes the reported numbers even more impressive than the chaps originally thought. CORNWALL SPARKS COMMERICAL EV DRIVEWatt Electric Vehicle Company has announced that it plans to build up to 5000 electric commercial vehicles a year, from 2023. They will be utilising a ‘skateboard’ platform to aid modularity and allow different sized vehicles to be built. The first prototype will be revealed in 2022. These will be built at a new facility in the Midlands. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. TESLA AUTOPILOT INVESTIGATED IN USThe US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has launched an investigation into 11 traffic incidents that involved stationary emergency service vehicles, whilst the driver of Tesla vehicles were utilising the Autopilot feature. This is a very tight remit of investigation, however, the findings could effect the entire industry. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. For some context and background to this, click here for the Ed Niedermeyer Twitter thread. NAT WEST TO INSTALL 600 CHARGERS Nat West Bank wants to install 600 charging points across it’s branch network by 2023. Added to that they intend to change 300 of their fleet to EVs. This plan is aimed at helping the company and staff decarbonise their transport, but will also be available for customers. To find out more, click the ZapMap article here. AUDI IMPROVES EV CHARGE CARD SERVICE Audi has announced that for UK drivers, their one-card EV charging service will now cover 17500 charging points, which is almost 75% of the public chargers available. Their service has two tiers, with city and transit tariffs. Those who mainly do urban miles are only charged £4.91 per month plus a charging fee and transit is charged out at £16.81 per month plus charging fees because they need access to faster charging points. To read more, click the Autocar article here. HYDROGEN STRATEGY ANNOUNCED BY GOVERNMENTThe Government is investing £240 million to help “kick start” the hydrogen “revolution” in transport and heavy industry, as part of their switch to a net-zero carbon future. A consultation has also been launched into how to fund the switch from fossil fuels to hydrogen. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. Autocar, also has an opinion piece from Jesse Crosse, which looks at the announcement with a slightly raised eyebrow. To read this,
Surprisingly Practical - 10 August 2021
JULY 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the July figures for new car registrations. In what is being reported as a combination of factors, thanks to Covid and chip shortages, the numbers are not good. They are the worst since the 1990s, in fact. To find out more, click the SMMT article here. To see Triston Young’s breakdown of numbers by fuel type, click his Twitter thread link here. HYUNDAI LAUNCHES ELECTRIFIED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICEHyundai has launched Mocean, a subscription service for their electrified models. The one monthly fee will cover insurance, the VED, maintenance, repairs and roadside assistance. Prices start from £339 per month, with Greater London being the first location covered. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. BMW TO REWARD PHEV OWNERS FOR ELECTRIC ONLY DRIVINGIf you drive one of the selected BMW plug-in hybrid models, in one of the selected areas, only in electric mode, you will earn yourself points that once they reach a certain level can be redeemed at selected charging units. To find out more, click the Autocar article here. GOOGLE MAPS TO WARN OF ULEZ ZONES When planning a route, with Google Maps, the service will now warn users if their intended route will go through a clean air zone. On the initial roll out, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Berlin will be covered. To find out more, click here for the BBC News article. RENAULT AND GEELY PARTNER FOR HYBRIDS IN ASIA In a shock announcement, Renault and Geely will partner up to build hybrids for the Chinese and South Korean markets. Geely will build the cars for Renault, whilst they worry about the branding and marketing. The chaps muse how this has been received in Nissan-land. 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 NEWSMorgan Plus Four CX-T Morgan, in partnership with Rally Raid UK, have revealed an overland adventure version of the Plus Four model. This looks fantastic and Andrew has added it to the yet to be realised multicar test titled ‘Surprising Cracked Windscreen Family Hauliers’ that has a number of, well, surprising cars that you wouldn’t expect would make perfect family transport. To read more about the Morgan,
Special Edition - Toyota Yaris Design Review
Alan had the Toyota Yaris Design for a week. Listen in as he explains, to us all, about the differences between this and the last generation, his surprise and we have to find out if Andrew has to pull him up for the lack of balance and justification in his review.Note:For this episode only, the Alan Drinking Game(TM) is suspended due to concerns for the listeners health.
All The Hard Words - 3 August 2021
SECURITY VULNERABILITY FOUND IN SMART CHARGERSPenTestPartners has investigated smart EV chargers available to those buying for themselves as well as public chargers, finding many security vulnerabilities. For those interested, click here for PenTestPartners’s own report. However, one concern is the operating system used by some firms. Where Raspberry Pi is used there are more issues, because that is not a suitable OS for a connected device due to a lack of security layers inherent in the system. For more info click here for Ken Munro’s tweet, commending the quick reaction by one firm to the information. Click here for another tweet from Ken Munro expressing his dismay at another company’s reaction. Click here for Cybergibbon’s tweet explaining why Rasberry Pi is not suitable. FORMER FRENCH MINISTER UNDER INVESTIGATIONRachida Dati, a former French Minister, has been placed under formal investigation for payments made by the Dutch based Renault-Nissan joint-venture, during Carlos Ghosn’s time as CEO. Dati has previously been cleared over payments and her lawyer stated these were all reported and legal. To read more, click the Automotive News article here. CLIMATE SPOKESPERSON CAUSES ONLINE KERFUFFLEAllegra Stratton, the Prime Minister’s climate spokesperson, stated that for her a third-hand diesel Golf is better than an EV, due to the lengthy journeys she travels to visit relatives. One aspect is that she seems to have no understanding of the current state of EV and the charging network. Also, however, there were many Twitter conversations, where some journalists and those who should know better, demonstrated their lack of understanding of the current situation. To read more, click The Guardian article here. GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ZERO-EMISSION TRUCKS The Government is putting forward £20 million for initiatives aimed at helping improve the viability of electric and hydrogen lorries. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. IMPORTANT CHANGES TO HIGHWAY CODE A new hierarchy of road users will be implemented with proposed changes to the Highway Code, meaning pedestrians and cyclists will be given priority over others. The idea is that those who have the potential to cause the most problems and danger have to take the most care to prevent that. Only snag the chaps can see in that idea is those who really need to know the changes will be oblivious unless there is a huge communication campaign. To read more,
Special Edition - Hyundai i20 Premium Review
Alan had the Hyundai i20 Premium for a week. Listen to us talk about the direction of the corporation, fuel filler caps and Alan’s wonderful circulation in a review that you will get no where else. Also, we do actually discuss the car, so you will find out if Alan rates it or not.
Don't Wink - 27 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: MITSUBISHI AFTERSALES DEAL DONEA deal has now been finalised between The Colt Car Company and IM Group over the future of Mitsubishi aftersales business, resulting in the formation of a new company I.M. MAPS (UK) Ltd which will take the reigns. This is reassuring news for existing Mitsubishi owners. NISSAN OPENS 400 JOB POSITIONS IN SUNDERLANDNissan has announced there will be 400 positions, in the manufacturing team, opening up at Sunderland to help build the new Qashqai and Leaf. This will be a mix of agency and permanent employees. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. RIVERSIMPLE HITS FUNDING TARGETRiversimple, the hydrogen car manufacturer, has hit their target of £1.5 million they needed to roll out customer trialling of their cars. Angle investors have pitched in and HMRC has agreed they meet the criteria for tax breaks that is advantageous to investors. To read more, click the Business News Wales article here. PROBE INTO EV CHARGING The Competitions and Markets Authority, is the latest to announce they are investigating the UK’s EV charging business. One aim is to make charging as easy as buying diesel or petrol. Another key area of investigation is the near monopoly Ecotricity (now Electric Highway) has with motorway charging facilities. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. SHELL TO CHARGE UP WAITROSEShell has announced it will be installing 800 charging points at Waitrose supermarkets across the country. This will be a mix of 22kWh and 50kWh. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. TESLA TO OPEN SUPERCHARGER NETWORK TO OTHERSMusk has announced that Tesla will open up the Supercharger network to non Tesla EVs soon. Whilst this sounds great, there are some expressing scepticism with how many will actually be able to take advantage due to charger set up and connector options. Added to this, some Tesla owners have voiced their anger at what they saw was an exclusive part of being a Tesla owner. To read more, click the Autocar article here. HIGHWAYS ENGLAND TO REDUCE MOTORWAY SPEEDS FOR NOXHighways England, working with the Joint Air Quality Unit, will monitor sections of the road network, which if they exceed safe air quality levels, will then be slowed down to reduce emissions. Other aspects, such as traffic management and congestion reduction will be used. However, this is another sticking plaster solution to a problem that requires more than Level 1 thinking. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. DVLA OLIVE...
Ghosn Watch It - 20 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW APPEALS DUTCH CLASS-ACTION RULINGVolkswagen has appealed a Dutch court ruling that gave compensation to owners of new and second-hand VW Group cars that were fitted with defeat device software. VW is adamant that the owners have suffered no financial loss in owning a car judged to have been fitted with the naughty software. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ESCAPE TEAM SENTENCED IN JAPANFather and son, Michael and Phillip Taylor, have been sentenced by a Japanese court to two years and one year eight months respectively. They had previously admitted their guilt and expressed their regret in their actions. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. MCLAREN RECEIVES CASH INJECTIONMcLaren has announced that it has received an injection of £550 million from current and new investors, which will be mainly used to push their electrification plans forward. To read more, click the Autocar article here. STELLANTIS ANNOUNCED AGENCY SHIFT TO DEALERSHIPSStellantis announced a “consultation”, which seems to be stretching definitions, by informing their franchise dealerships that it will be moving to an ‘agency-style’ retail model. The existing dealerships will be categorised A, B or C, with A remaining, B having to have a long chat with them and C being booted out. Only time will tell if they go down a big franchise or smaller, more independent, dealership route. To read more, click this link here from AM Online. PARIS MOTOR SHOW RETURNS IN 2022The Paris Motor Show will return in 2022, with new partner Equip Auto, the trade equivalent, after a four year absence. The question will be how many manufacturers turn up. To find out more, click the Autocar link here. GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO REASSURE MOTORISTSGrant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has moved to reassure motorists that the Government is not anti-car or demonising drivers. However, they want us to use transport that does not harm the environment or people’s health. Added to this, classic car owners were told that they will be able to use their vehicles for years to come, with no plans to ban them from the road. To read more, click firstly here for the YesAuto article and then click here for the second article which is from Hagerty. EU PROPOSED BAN ON ALL NON ZERO-EMISSION CARS FROM 2035A proposal has been put forward for the EU to ban...