Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020 Renault Zoe (Image: Renault)

Electric car sales soar and diesels plummet in boost for Boris Johnson’s green roads plan

Sales of electric vehicles have more than doubled in the last year while diesel purchases have plummeted by over half.

Analysis of official industry figures show 86,291 pure electric cars have been registered so far this year, up from 37,850 during 2019. Diesel sales dropped 58 per cent from 583,488 in 2019 to 246,389 this year.

In another dramatic change, sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles eclipsed diesels for the first time last month. In November, 18,062 plug-ins were sold compared to 15,925 diesels, according to the RAC’s analysis of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The figures are a boost for the Prime Minister’s plan to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and of plug-in hybrids from 2035.

But electric vehicles still account for just 0.3 per cent of the cars on Britain’s roads.

2020 Renault Zoe (Image: Renault)
2020 Renault Zoe (Image: Renault)

Sales website Auto Trader warns demand is five years behind what is needed for a 2030 ban to succeed with buyers put off by upfront costs and a lack of street charge points.

High upfront costs and a lack of chargers on residential roads have been blamed for stagnating demand, with EVs still considered an unnecessary luxury by many households.

The bosses of BMW and Honda Europe are among senior industry leaders who have criticised the 2030 ban as poorly thought-through.

Buyers are being put off by concerns over EV range and a lack of on-street charge points.

A third of households in Britain have no off-street parking, meaning a large proportion of the population has no easy access to a charger.

Buyers have also been put off by costs. Entry-level EVs are around £5,000 more expensive than equivalent petrol models, even with the Government’s £3,000 plug-in car grant taken into account.

However, the RAC said the latest EV sales figures are encouraging.

Read more: Daily Mail

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Charging Station in Sunderland (Image: Fastned)

Britain’s first electric car forecourt opens TODAY: First of 100 new ‘future-proof’ stations has been completed in Essex with 36 vehicle chargers

Britain’s first charging station dedicated to electric cars has opened to customers today.

Gridseve’s pioneering Electric Forecourt is located near Braintree, Essex, and is the first of 100 sites to be built across the country in the next five years as part of a £1billion nationwide programme.

The one-stop-shop for electric car owners features 36 EV chargers and a services building featuring ‘best of British’ retailers, including WH Smiths and the Post Office.

The aim is to provide a reliable and comprehensive network of charging stations to supply the growing number of electric vehicle drivers.

With Boris Johnson rubber-stamping a ban for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, already surging demand for EVs is set to sky-rocket in the next decade and beyond.

However, among the major concerns with electric vehicle ownership is range anxiety and the lack of charging infrastructure.

Grideserve says it will ease that burden with the proposal of building over 100 of these sites across Britain in the next five years.

Speaking at the grand opening of the Braintree site, Toddington Harper, founder and chief executive of Gridserve – and who also claims to be named after Toddington Services in Bedfordshire – said: ‘Today’s announcement represents a major milestone in achieving Gridserve’s purpose to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change.

Charging Station in Sunderland (Image: Fastned)
Charging Station in Sunderland (Image: Fastned)

‘It’s our collective responsibility to prevent greenhouse gas emissions rising further, and electric vehicles powered by clean energy represent a large part of the solution.’

At the groundbreaking location – which is adjacent to Great Notley, just off the A131 and with links to Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Colchester and the busy M11 motorway – is 36 charging devices in total.

They range from 7 kilowatt-hour (kWh) devices to 22kWh chargers suitable for the likes of the Renault Zoe and there are also six Tesla Superchargers.

In addition, there are 90kW rapid chargers and even 350kW devices.

The only vehicle capable of accepting charge from the latter system is the Porsche Taycan electric sports car, but Gridserve says the inclusion of the devices will ‘future-proof’ the site.

The powerful devices should replenish the batteries of the latest plug-in models in between 20 and 30 minutes – in which time drivers can head into a state-of-the-art building with shops including a Costa Coffee, WH Smith and Booths high-end supermarket.

The facility also includes a waiting lounge, free superfast WiFi, high-end washrooms, dedicated kid’s area, a well-being zone with exercise bikes that generate electricity, and business meeting room pods.

It will also be used as an educational centre for electric vehicles, with a number of models on site for visitors to poke around.

Drivers can pay for electricity at the forecourt using their debit or credit card. The initial cost will be 24p per kWh of charging, which is currently the lowest ultra-high power charging rate on the market.

It means a typical charge from 20 per cent battery capacity to 80 per cent costs under £10 for the average electric vehicle.

Read more: This Is Money

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

The Moment Of The Electric Vehicle Has Arrived

As more governments commit to shortening the deadlines on banning the sale of internal combustion vehicles, and with more and more manufacturers launching all-electric models across all price ranges, the market seems finally to be starting to change: interest in this type of vehicle in the UK has shot up by 500%, while sales across Europe have reached half a million units so far in 2020. It is increasingly common to have friends who have bought an electric car.

Tesla is now worth $500 billion dollars, while Volkswagen, which has built the largest production plant for electric vehicles in Europe, has started selling its ID.3, which has been the best-selling electric vehicle on the continent in October. Manufacturers such as GM and BMW are scaling up their ambitions in the electric segment, while 28 companies are launching ZETA, the Zero Emissions Transportation Association, a lobby with the main objective of creating the economic, social and political environment that will allow electric vehicles to account for 100% of sales in the United States by 2030.

Tesla Model 3

In Europe, taking into account the composition of the grid, electric vehicles are already three times cleaner than their petrol equivalents. In California, not only are they not concerned about the number of electric vehicles skyrocketing, but they are being proposed as one of the solutions to the state’s energy production infrastructure problems. In fact, several manufacturers have already abandoned Donald Trump’s initiative that sought to soften California’s tough emissions legislation: what happens in California, the most important automotive market in the United States and one of the largest in the world, usually has a great influence on the auto industry.

Japan, which has recently declared a climate emergency, has also brought forward the date for the ban on the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles to 2030. This is causing concern in Australia, which also drives on the left, but has no car industry, and fears that if it does not keep in step, it could see its market for right-hand-drive fossil fuel vehicles severely undersupplied.

There is now tremendous competition within the technologies related to electric vehicles and batteries: a new stage in which the application of continuous improvements has made this type of vehicle the logical option for the future, also linked to the development of autonomous driving.

Read more: Forbes

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

VW e-Golf (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)

Top 10 plug-in hybrid hatchbacks 2020

Our favourite plug-in hybrids from the more affordable end of the spectrum.

Thanks to CO2-based taxation rules and growing environmental concerns, the idea of running a large, diesel-powered saloon or estate as a company car is, in 2020, a pretty unattractive one for the vast majority of people.

As these rules get ever stricter, a similar shift is starting to occur further down the food chain too; the small capacity petrol and diesel hatchbacks that might have once appealed as an entry-level company car are starting to become increasingly expensive ownership propositions. From a financial point of view, it likely won’t be too long until the prospect of running a mid-spec, oil-burning Volkswagen Golf for work is about as seemingly nonsensical as running a six-cylinder BMW might be today.

Thankfully, plug-in hybrids are more widely available, and cheaper, than ever before. But a greater focus on affordability doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up on things like interior quality, driving fun or practicality. Here are some of the best everyday PHEVs from the humbler end of the spectrum – be they hatchbacks, compact estates or crossovers.

1. Volkswagen Golf GTE
When it came to the job of being a refined, easy-driving plug-in hybrid, the previous Golf GTE was a pretty slick operator. What it lacked, however, was some of the dynamic pep that was essential for it to be taken seriously as an eco-friendly alternative to the excellent Mk7 GTI.

VW e-Golf (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)
VW e-Golf (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)

This new, Mk8 version retains a healthy amount of what made the last Golf GTE a good PHEV, but brings an additional smattering of athleticism and engagement to the table too. Grip levels are good, its steering accurate and responsive, and body control is usefully tight. Make no mistake, it’s still not quite as focused as its purely petrol powered stablemate, but by PHEV standards the new GTE has enough talent about it to keep keener drivers interested.

It now has a larger 13kWh battery too, as opposed to the 8.8kWh that appeared in the last one. This means its claimed electric range is now up to 39.7 miles on the WLTP cycle – though you’d be hard-pressed to cover that much ground in the real world. Still, that figure combined with a CO2 rating of 26g/km means the GTE slots into the 10% BIK band.

Admittedly, with a price tag of just under £36,000 the GTE is one of the pricier cars on this list. But owing to the fact that it’s also most entertaining to drive, it earns its place at the top of the pile.

2. Mini Countryman Cooper S E ALL4
Mini is growing and maturing as a car brand, and that’s evident in this second-generation Countryman – a car that is more practical and multi-faceted than before, and is also available as an impressive, if expensive, plug-in hybrid with around 27 miles of electric range on the WLTP cycle

Back to top
Like all Minis, the Countryman Cooper S E is characterful, desirable, quite firmly sprung and spirited to drive – but it also offers decent space for passengers and luggage, four-wheel drive, a combined 221bhp of peak petrol-electric power, 284lb ft of torque and the potential for sub-7.0sec 0-62mph sprinting.

The car’s off-road ability is to be taken with a large pinch of salt, but if its value for money is considered in light of everything it offers, Mini-brand desirability included, it’s an appealing option – and one fully deserving of a top-half place in this chart.

3. Renault Megane Sport Tourer E-Tech
Only the estate version of Renault’s stylish Megane is offered with a plug socket and an electric motor; the French firm hasn’t yet launched an electrified take on the standard hatch.

Read more: AUTOCAR

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

SWARCO eVolt is supplying 45 charging units, including 11 of its Rapid Chargers capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously in 30 minutes, across 28 sites in East Lothian (Image: eVolt)

Electric cars can display green number plates from next week: Government incentive to promote battery vehicles starts on 8 December

Zero emissions electric cars will be able to display green number plates from Tuesday 8 December as part of the Government’s efforts to boost sales of battery vehicles.

The special registration plates – which have a green flash on one side – can be used on new and existing fully-electric cars from next week to differentiate them from motors with internal combustion engines.

By easily identifying zero-emission vehicles, transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said it will help ‘local authorities design and put in place new policies to incentivise people to own and drive them’.

While no further details have been revealed as yet, it could open the door for electric vehicles to be given special privileges, such as access to bus lanes and parking in town and town centres.

The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association confirmed the impending arrival of the green plates.

It says the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles had given the green light for the plates to be used from 8 December and that they can be retro-fitted to existing electric cars, as long as they emit no CO2 emissions.

In June, Shapps said the special number plates would help the Government to ‘drive a green economic recovery’ and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

SWARCO eVolt is supplying 45 charging units, including 11 of its Rapid Chargers capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously in 30 minutes, across 28 sites in East Lothian (Image: eVolt)
SWARCO eVolt is supplying 45 charging units, including 11 of its Rapid Chargers capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously in 30 minutes, across 28 sites in East Lothian (Image: eVolt)

He suggested that drivers could benefit from local initiatives such as cheaper parking and cost-free entry into zero-emission zones where those with a green number plate will be recognised as eligible.

The plates will be identifiable by a green flash on the left-hand side – the choice design out of three options put forward last year.

The transport minister said: ‘A green recovery is key to helping us achieve our net zero carbon commitments while also promoting economic growth.

‘Green number plates could unlock a number of incentives for drivers and increase awareness of cleaner vehicles on our roads, showing people that a greener transport future is within our grasp.

‘We’re supporting small businesses to develop the transport tech of the future through a multi-million pound investment, ensuring that UK businesses remain at the forefront of low carbon innovation and research.’

While Shapps, the owner of a Tesla Model 3 electric car himself, has backed the arrival of the plates, motor industry insiders have questioned the impact of the incentive.

The RAC said the plates could become a ‘badge of honour’ for some drivers and foster resentment among existing drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles.

Edmund King, AA president, said he supported the concept by revealed that a survey of thousands of members revealed that just over a third supported the scheme to make EVs stand out from conventional cars.

Read more: This Is Money

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Renault ZOE Van (Image: Renault)

Scottish firm drives away with UK’s first Renault Zoe electric van

A SCOTTISH family firm is leading the way on low-emission vehicles after taking delivery of the UK’s first Renault Zoe electric van.

Staff at Stirling-based duct cleaning specialists Perfect Service Solutions will use the van to travel around Scotland and Northern England meeting clients and carrying out site visits.

The new Renault Zoe, launched in July, is the third electric vehicle in the company’s fleet and was chosen for its range of up to 245 miles.

The move is the latest environmentally friendly drive by Managing Director Simone Hart Sibbald and her team who have been switching their fleet to hybrid and electric for a number of years, with plans to have an entire fleet of electric vehicles by 2026.

Ms Hart Sibbald said: “The new Renault Zoe van is an important investment which forms part of our overall sustainability strategy.

Renault ZOE Van (Image: Renault)
Renault ZOE Van (Image: Renault)

“We are determined to lead the way for our industry in cutting carbon emissions and ensuring we are as environmentally friendly as possible.

“The UK Government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 but we want to be ahead of the curve so it’s our intention that all our vehicles will be electric by 2026.

“We’re pleased to be the first company in the UK to drive the new Renault Zoe electric van which is the perfect fleet vehicle for our Field Service Teams.

“It’s amazing to own the first one in the country which was so new it wasn’t even registered on the DVLA’s database of vehicles when it first arrived in Scotland.”

The van, which can be charged from a high-voltage rapid charger in 70 minutes, will be used by Service Manager James McMurdo for managing field teams, meeting clients and for site visits.

Perfect Service Solutions Relationships & Service Director Rod Leach said: “Our first two electric vehicles had a maximum range of 130 miles which wasn’t really viable for us as our service teams operate throughout the UK.

“The new Renault Zoe van has an industry-leading range of up to 245 miles from a single charge which is much better.”

The firm has also improved its green credentials with a recent move from paper to a new app which automates the records and evidence clients require to comply with insurance and duct cleaning legislation.

Read more: SCOTTISH Business News

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Few topics are as – if you’ll pardon the pun – charged as EV charging times. So what options are available, and how fast are they really?

Charging time is a hot topic when it comes to electric cars. The onset of rapid charging means that being stranded for hours waiting for your car’s battery could soon be a distant memory. Yet these chargers are still relatively rare, so what are your options the rest of the time? Here we look at all the methods and what are the best approaches to keep you going.

Slow charging

As the name suggests, this method results in the longest charging times, with some larger EVs needing up to 24 hours to replenish their batteries when charged this way. Even something as humble as a Nissan Leaf with a 40kWh battery will require nearly 12 hours for a full battery. Normally running at about 3kW, these chargers are occasionally still found at public charging points but are more often than not the portable type that feature a three-pin plug for use with a domestic electricity supply. Most electric cars get one of these units as standard, but the ever increasing size of battery packs mean that most manufacturers recommend using them only when no other charging method is available. Of course, if you don’t cover many miles a day, then slow charging allows you an easy way to top-up the car’s cells overnight, while the slow rate of charge means less heat is generated in the battery, which can help prolong its useful life.

POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)
POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)

Fast charging

This is quickly becoming the most popular method of charging, particularly for domestic use. Fast charging runs at either 7kW or 22kW, with the latter usually being reserved for public charging points. Most dedicated domestic wallboxes, such as a Pod Point, run at the lower 7kW rate, which roughly halves the time it takes for a full charge compared to a slow charger. So for example, you can expect a Nissan Leaf with a 40kW battery to be fully recharged in about six hours, while a Tesla with a 75kW battery will require about 12 hours. 22kW requires a three-phase electricity supply, meaning they are a rare and expensive solution at home. They also require a car that can accept Direct Current (DC) charging as well as the more prevalent Alternating Current (AC) method. If your car can accept this rate of charge, then expect charging times to be slashed by around half compared to the 7kW unit, so a 75kW Tesla will be charged in under six hours.

Rapid charging

On paper, this is by far the fastest way of topping up the batteries in your EV, with some chargers able to deliver a significant injection of energy within just 20 minutes. Charging at anything from 50kW to up to 350kW, these units are usually found at motorway service stations and dedicated charging hubs. You’ll need a car that can handle this type of DC charging, and for best results you’ll only charge up to 80 percent of the battery’s capacity, because beyond this point the rate of charge slows significantly to protect the cells from the high temperatures involved in such high electrical currents.

Of course to make use of this capability you’ll need a car with a charging system that can accept rapid charging. Most entry-level models are available with an optional upgrade that allows DC charging of up to 100kW, while more expensive models such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model S can charge at a rate of 250kW. Some variants of the Porsche Taycan can handle up to 270kW, while the Lucid Motors Air will claim a 300kW figure when it goes on sale next year.

To give an idea of speed, a 40kW Nissan Leaf using a 50kW charger (currently the most popular in the UK, but more 150 and 350kW units are coming on stream all the time) can be charged to 80 percent of its capacity in as little as an hour, which is around the same time it takes to charge a 75kWh Tesla using a 150kW charger. On a 350kW charger the Taycan takes just over 22 minutes to go from five to 80 percent charge.

However, bear in mind that regardless of the power of the charger itself, your car will only be able to charge at the maximum rate of its onboard system. So a Leaf with a 50kW charging capability will receive current at this rate even when plugged into a 350kW charger.

Read more: AUTOCAR

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Ubitricity Electric Avenue project lamppost charging (Image: Siemens)

Cornwall to rollout 150 new EV chargers with £2.9m funding

Cornwall Council has secured £2.9 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund to continue its electric vehicle (EV) charging rollout.

A further £725,000 has been committed by the council to cover the remaining cost of the 150 chargers, which will be installed in a range of locations including council car parks and offices as well as in communities where there is currently limited chargepoint availability.

Ubitricity Electric Avenue project lamppost charging (Image: Siemens)
Ubitricity Electric Avenue project lamppost charging (Image: Siemens)

The move will take the number of public chargepoints in Cornwall up to over 360 by 2023, with the council citing the need to improve access to chargepoints well before the 2030 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles.

Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall Council cabinet member for climate change, pointed to how travel in Cornwall “isn’t as easy as in major cities”. Road transport accounts for 22% of Cornwall’s carbon footprint, with action to reduce this needing to be “a focus of our activities”, Hannaford said.

“As we work to improve access to infrastructure, I would also like to see more financial incentives from industry and government to enable people to make the switch.”

Read more: CURRENT

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Tesla Supercharging Station at Westfield, London (Image: Tesla)

Tesla opens its largest EV super-charging station with 56 points

Tesla has opened its largest supercharging station in California, to the public with a massive capacity of 56 V3 rated slots to charge the electric vehicle up to 250kW for fast charging.

Standard Tesla vehicles with 85 kWh batteries can fully charge on Firebaugh’s Supercharger station for under an hour only using the solar heat as power. The station is equipped with solar roofs that can significantly block out the Sun’s heat, preventing the car’s interior from rising in temperature and, at the same time, gather those to generate and store power.

Tesla Supercharging Station at Westfield, London (Image: Tesla)
Tesla Supercharging Station at Westfield, London (Image: Tesla)

Analyst comment: The massive supercharger with 56 V3 charging points appears to be the largest charging station compared to its previously installed supercharging stations in China, with 50 charging points in 2017. However, this will not hold longer because another massive supercharging station is in line with 64 points in its Gigafactory Shanghai. The 64 charging points would be V3 is not clear yet and will be used for fresh lineup out from Gigafactory production. Tesla will make its 56 V3 supercharging stations available for an electric vehicle from other carmakers such as BMW, Hyundai, Porsche, Renault, and Volkswagen. The solar roof would also ensure that there would be an alternative source of power other than Tesla’s reliance on the existing power lines from the county’s grid.

Read more: FutureBridge

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Nissan Leaf (Image: Qurren/Wikipedia)

Boris Bans Petrol and Diesels, But the Future’s Bright For Electric

On 18th November, Boris Johnson announced that no petrol or diesel cars and vans would be sold in the UK from 2030. We all knew it was coming, but the announcement still managed to send shockwaves through the media and the wider public.

The Prime Minister has labelled his ten-point action plan, which includes investment in sustainable energy and bettered public transport, a ‘green industrial revolution’.

One area which will receive funding to the tune of £1.3bn is the electric vehicle (EV) market. The UK will witness the introduction of significantly more charging points, while buyers will receive additional support thanks to a grant being implemented to aid those making the switch.

While the announcement has been met with backlash, it isn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, the electric vehicle market has been a saving grace over the last two years.
From Volvo Bolton to Volvo Warrington, the Swedish manufacturer’s investment in developing electric vehicles in-house will be welcome news for their UK retailers… Let’s take a look.

The picture over the past two years
New car sales had a poor year in 2019, there is no denying that, and it was diesel vehicles that felt the biggest pinch – the sale of new USD vehicles was down 2.3 per cent overall.
Of course, the plan to introduce additional ultra-low emission zones across the country alongside the impending fear of the ban on ICE vehicles was enough to discourage anyone from buying a diesel.
The blow that was dealt to the diesel market was softened in some respect by how the electric market excelled.
2019 saw sales of electric vehicles rise by 144 per cent. Why? Because motorists want fuel-efficient, high performance, low emission vehicles, and in the modern world we live in, thanks to stark developments automotive engineering, EVs offer exactly that.
Of course, 2020 has been particularly bleak for the automotive industry in all respects. Showrooms across the country having to shut their doors and manufacturing plants unable to take delivery of parts have further contributed to the lack of buying invoked by the recession.
However, once again, while the market itself has shrunk, new electric vehicle sales have built upon their already solid foundations – up 184% year-on-year in September.

Nissan Leaf (Image: Qurren/Wikipedia)
Nissan Leaf (Image: Qurren/Wikipedia)

The past
Way back in the early noughties and twenty-tens, electric vehicles had negative connotations. Poor mileage, expensive, and in most parts lacking in what Thierry Henry once described as ‘va va voom’.
The reputation was hardly unfair. If you went to buy an electric car, often these three attributes were true, and you were hardly spoilt for choice when it came to options either. The Prius changed the game admittedly, but even when it came to prominence, we were still left wanting more.
As the world as a whole began to develop a stronger environmental conscience, one by one, the big brands began to jump in: Jaguar, Porsche, Renault, Audi, Hyundai, and Nissan, to name just a few. The latter of the bunch, Nissan, with their innovative model Nissan Leaf, developed exactly what the average car manufacturer desired – a plug-in vehicle that had a mileage range of more than 200 miles, was powerful, and, perhaps most importantly, was affordable.

Read more: Air Quality News

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form: