Monthly Archives: April 2023

G7 countries agree to accelerate the phaseout of fossil fuels

April 28, 2023Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

G7 ministers have collectively agreed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels during last week’s meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo, Japan.

The nations – consisting of the UK, US, France, Japan and Canada – agreed “to accelerate the phaseout of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050”.

Published yesterday (16 April), the ministers’ Communiqué recommitted the parties to the Paris Agreement, “keeping a limit of 1.5 °C global temperature rise within reach through scaled up action in this critical decade,” and to “recognize the importance of promoting an efficient diversification of supply sources to enhance energy security and energy affordability.”

The UK is seeking to pivot its trade focus to the Pacific after it joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and British energy companies like Octopus have also recently expanded their involvement in the Japanese market.

The agreement also aims for “a collective increase in offshore wind capacity of 150GW by 2030 based on each country’s existing targets and a collective increase of solar PV to more than 1TW by 2030 estimated by the IEA and IRENA through means such as each country’s existing targets or policy measures.”

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Climate change: Fossil fuel emissions from electricity set to fall – report

April 27, 2023Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Wind PowerRepost

The world will likely use fewer fossil fuels to produce electricity this year in a “turning point” for planet-friendly energy, a new report says.

It would be the first ever annual drop in the use of coal, oil and gas to generate electricity, outside of a global recession or pandemic.

As a result, fewer warming gases would be released during energy production.

The authors attribute the expected change to a boom in renewable energy led mainly by China.

Wind and solar now produce 12% of global electricity with enough wind turbines added in 2022 to power almost all of the UK.

Renewables are set to meet all growth in demand this year, the study from energy analysts Ember says.

Making electricity is the single biggest contributor to global warming, responsible for over a third of energy-related carbon emissions in 2021.

So phasing out coal, oil and gas in this sector is seen as critical in helping the world avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

This new study looks at data from countries representing 93% of global electricity demand.

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SSE Renewables installs world’s deepest offshore wind turbine foundations in Scotland

April 26, 2023Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Wind PowerRepost

SSE Renewables has announced the installation of the world’s deepest offshore wind turbine foundations at what it claims will become Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm off the coast of Angus.

The foundation, also known as the “jacket”, had been transferred to the Seagreen wind farm on the 7 April by contractor Seaway 7. It was then taken by a submersible crane vessel, the Saipem 7000, to be installed on the seabed. The foundations weigh about 2000 tonnes each.

SSE has beaten its own record, from October 2022, when it installed foundations at a depth of 57.4 metres (188 feet). The latest foundations have been installed at 58.6 metres below sea level. It is the 112th jacket to be installed at the wind farm, which will have 114 turbines.

The project is a £3 billion joint venture between SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies. SSE said the final turbine foundation would be installed later this week.

SSE recently announced plans to build the UK’s largest offshore windfarm at Berwick Bank in Scotland. The project could generate 4.1GW of electricity and is situated 38km off the coast of East Lothian. A final decision on the project is expected later in 2023.

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Going green for Earth Day? These are the EVs with the longest range

April 25, 2023Electric Cars, Hyundai, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

You’ll be able to skirt range anxiety with these 10 EVs

Charging continues to be one of the main problems with electric vehicle ownership. Having a vehicle that requires less maintenance and doesn’t run on gasoline are some major benefits of making the switch to an EV, but then you have to worry about finding a place to get electricity. Range anxiety might be blown out of proportion in the U.S., but it’s a very real thing.

Luckily, automakers are making impressive strides when it comes to range. New battery chemistry, larger battery packs, and innovative charging features mean most modern electric vehicles are now hovering around 300 miles of range. Keep in mind that getting an EV with an impressive amount of range isn’t cheap. But if money isn’t an obstacle, these 10 EV cars are some of the longest-range electric cars that are currently on sale.

1. 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring: 516 miles

Lucid practically came out of thin air and usurped Tesla with the impressive Air sedan. The California-based automaker’s first electric vehicle, the Air, has the longest range of any EV on sale with up to 516 miles. To get that kind of range out of the Air, you’ll have to go with the Grand Touring trim with 19-inch wheels.

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Best EVs 2023: putting this year’s top electric cars to the test

April 24, 2023BMW, Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, FAQ, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

From BMW to Polestar, these are some of our favourite electric cars available to

Just a few years ago, it would have been simple enough to write an article listing every electric car available. There would be a couple of Teslas, the Nissan Leaf, the Renault Zoe and the Jaguar I-Pace. But times change, and in the case of electric cars (EVs) a century-old industry can be transformed in the blink of an eye.

BMW i8 in Sophisto Grey (Image: T. Larkum)

In 2023 there are now numerous electric offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Polestar and Volvo, plus others from Ford, Porsche, Fiat, Mini, Lexus, Kia, Hyundai and Genesis.

Today’s market includes small city EVs like the Mini Electric and Honda E, all manner of SUVs, a budget estate in the form of the MG5, battery-powered sports cars like the Porsche Taycan, 2,000-horsepower hypercars like the Rimac Nevera, and fashion-forward rides from startups like Genesis and its GV60. Prices run from under £30,000 to over £2m and quoted range estimates span from a little over 100 miles to 400 or more.

With such a broad range of electric options to pick from, there’s also a lot to understand before you make your purchase. Battery size and range are only one part of the EV equation though, as charging speed is equally important.

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‘Hyundai’s Ioniq electric car range is wiping the floor with rivals’

April 21, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, Hyundai, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

If, a decade ago, those ‘in the know’ were asked to predict which country and company would clean up on the international awards front in the early 2020s, I suspect the experts would have opted for a German firm – Audi, perhaps? Or an up-and-coming US one such as Tesla? Another safe bet – maybe a less exciting, but more dependable Japanese brand?

Back then, nobody in their right mind would have gone for an Asian country whose land area, population and access to natural resources were – and still are – smaller and lower than the UK’s. Even less likely was that an unglamorous, non-premium firm from that tiny Asian peninsula would headline on the global awards stage and in other international arenas.

But that’s exactly what Hyundai, its designers and its Ioniq models have done. Almost unfathomably, they’ve taken on and beaten countless ‘better’ and longer-established premium firms and products.

The ball started rolling in summer 2021, when the Ioniq 5 was crowned Auto Express Car of the Year, and autumn saw it crowned Germany’s Car of the Year. By the winter, a panel of bestcarsoftheyear.com judges from the global motor, motorsport and media industries named the Ioniq 5 the New Car World Champion. And in spring 2022, the same model won 50 per cent of the World Car awards for that year.

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Thousands Of EV Charge Points To Be Installed Across London

April 20, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

To aid in London’s transition to a net-zero carbon metropolis by the year 2030, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and the London Councils have announced the installation of thousands more electric vehicle charge points in all 32 boroughs and the city of London.

A third of the UK’s total electric charge points are located in London, which has about 13,000 of them now. Since 2019, this number has increased by more than 200 percent. As part of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, London’s goal of having 40,000–60,000 charge points by 2030 will be achieved with the support of £35.7 million in capital funding from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. Officers tasked with assisting the installation of charging points throughout the boroughs will be funded with an additional £3 million in capability funding.

The new public charge points will be distributed fairly by the mayor, London Councils, Transport for London, and London boroughs, who will also make sure that the charge points are installed to meet the needs of local communities, with a focus on assisting those who do not have access to off-street parking. Also, the funding will be utilized to facilitate cross-borough collaboration on the delivery and procurement of charging points.

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British Army Land Rovers, at least 4 of them, are going electric

April 19, 2023Electric Vans, Fleet, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Look at that diesel engine go

Old Land Rovers never die, nor do they even fade away. Sometimes they become electrified.

The British Army is about to begin a project to modify a quartet of in-service military Land Rovers, and to convert them from diesel to electric power.

The conversions are to be done by UK defense contractor Babcock International in partnership with EV experts Electrogenic under a one-year contract granted by the British Ministry of Defense. Then the army “will assess performance over steep terrain, wading and towing, and different climate-related conditions,” according to Babcock.

The processes involved in EV conversions include dropping out the old diesel engines and fitting new, as-yet-unspecified electric powertrains before the cars are pitted against their old-school brethren.

The British Army purchased its first batch of Land Rovers in 1949 to be used for rugged, off-road purposes, much in the way that the Jeep served the military for the United States. Most army Land Rovers have been retired, but clearly some are still in service, and there is also a thriving business in Britain to sell restored examples.

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How much does charging an electric car cost? Is it cheaper than petrol?

April 18, 2023Charging, Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Your electric car charging costs are simple to calculate. Here’s how to work it out

There are plenty of reasons for going electric: that pesky CO2 stuff, for one thing. But there’s another incentive for making the switch other than doing your bit for the polar bears: electric car charging costs.

You see, charging an electric car has been – historically, at least – cheaper than filling up with conventional fuel. And that means over the course of electric vehicle ownership, you could save yourself a lot of money in running costs. Really.

There are, of course, a couple of important caveats: to make the numbers work, you will need to do the majority of your charging at home. This is where electricity is most affordable (even with energy costs ballooning) and some tariffs will allow you to make the most of cheaper overnight rates when demand is low.

Public charging points – including the so-called ‘rapid’ chargers popping up at motorway service stations – tend to be a lot more expensive. And while they’re a godsend for topping up quickly on a long journey, you will be paying for the privilege. So much so that the price per mile of driving might not be that much different to that of a petrol or diesel car. Boo! Hiss!

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Hyundai Ioniq 6 takes three trophies in World Car of the Year awards

April 17, 2023Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

The EV sedan repeats the feat the Ioniq 5 achieved last year

The New York Auto Show has hosted the prize-giving ceremony for the World Car of the Year awards for nearly 20 years. Guests in attendance for this year’s laurels might have wondered if they’d ended up at the 2022 New York show, Hyundai taking the same three awards this year as last. In 2022, the Ioniq 5 won World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, and World Car Design of the Year. At this week’s New York Show, the Ioniq 6 repeated that trifecta. The battery-electric sedan beat 29 other vehicles with a variety of powertrains, that initial group whittled down to the BMW X1/iX1, Ioniq 6 and Kia Niro.

The top prize is contested among vehicles sold in at least two major world markets on two continents between January 1, 2022, and March 30, 2023, priced below the luxury-car level in the primary markets, and produced in greater than 10,000 units during the sales timespan.

The Hyundai beat 20 other vehicles for the World Electric Car title, a category the WCOTY board inaugurated in 2022. The market qualification is the same here, but there’s no price cap and the production threshold is lowered to 5,000. The runners-up in the category are the BMW i7 and the Lucid Air. The consolation prize for the Lucid Air was winning the World Luxury Car award, beating the BMW 7 Series/i7 and Genesis G90.