Germany’s Volkswagen has warned its main factory in Wolfsburg faces temporary shutdowns later this year, owing to new emissions test standards.
It plans “closure days” to prevent a build-up of vehicles that have yet to be approved for sale.
From September, more rigorous EU standards apply, designed to replicate real driving conditions more closely.
Now VW says it does not have enough testing equipment to cope and fears that a backlog of cars will ensue.
Volkswagen Golf GTE (Image: T. Larkum)
At a meeting with unions on Wednesday, chief executive Herbert Diess admitted that meeting the new requirements, and getting new cars approved for sale, was proving a challenge.
Closure plan
“We will only build vehicles after the works holiday that fulfil the new standards. The deliveries will take place gradually as soon as the necessary approvals are there,” Mr Diess told staff.
“But many vehicles will have to be warehoused in the meantime. To make sure their numbers don’t become too large, we will have to plan closure days through the end of September,” he added.
VW is still facing fallout from the scandal over its emissions cheating, which erupted in September 2015.
An average car in inner London will be responsible for almost £8,000 in health costs during the course of its lifetime, researchers say.
Pollution produced by vans and cars costs almost £6 billion in damage to health annually in the UK, according to experts from Oxford and Bath universities.
They said that exposure to nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter caused by vehicles – particularly those which run on diesel – is linked to about 40,000 premature deaths a year.
Car exhaust pollution (Image: Wikipedia)
This translates into billions of pounds in associated costs for healthcare and “life years lost”, the study, released ahead of Clean Air Day on June 21, found.
On average across the country, health costs from air pollution that could be attributed to a typical UK car running on fossil fuels over its 14-year lifetime amount to £1,640, while a van costs £5,107 over its nine years on the road.
Nissan is celebrating the 100,000th delivery of the LEAF car this month in Europe, in a move hailed as a victory for electric mobility. Globally, over 320,000 Nissan LEAF have been sold, making it the most sold EV in the world.
Susana de Mena, of Madrid, milestone buyer of the 100,000th LEAF said, “I’ve spent two years trying to find an electric car. I knew it would be a Nissan!
“When I saw there was a brand-new model of the LEAF, there were no doubts in my mind it would be the perfect fit. My husband and I agreed that the quality, price and specification made it second-to-none.
“We are very conscious that we must respect and protect the environment, so we knew we’d want to go 100% electric. On top of this, an electric car lets us get to the very centre of Madrid when ordinary vehicles can sometimes be restricted due to pollution issues.”
Nissan Leaf (Image: Qurren/Wikipedia)
Combining sales of the new Nissan LEAF and previous LEAF models, the 100,000 customers across Europe have helped propel the Nissan LEAF to the position of best-selling EV in the world.
With now more than 37,000 new LEAF ordered in Europe, one new Nissan LEAF is sold every 10 minutes in Europe to customers looking to switch to innovative and zero-emission technology.
The council has promised to invest £1 million in creating pollution barriers around its primary schools.
The clean air fund aims to cut harmful emissions by bringing in road closures, banning polluting vehicles, replacing old boilers and planting gardens around the schools.
The zones will be funded by Westminster City Council’s D-charge — a surcharge of £2.45 an hour for pre-2015 diesel vehicles parking in areas of the city. The surcharge has raised more than £1 million in its first nine months and reduced the number of polluting vehicles driving through the borough by 14 per cent.
Car exhaust pollution (Image: Wikipedia)
The council said it will also extend its D-charge across the whole borough in phases.
Council leader Nickie Aiken said: “As parents we all want to ensure our children can grow up in a safe and healthy environment.
“Air quality is the number one concern for our residents and it is crucial that we tackle poor air quality for the young people in our schools.
“Introducing the first no-pollution zones in Westminster will cut the number of vehicles around schools, encourage cleaner, greener habits and make a big difference locally.”
New petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from 2040 but bringing it forward ten years could help the car industry, it is claimed
Ministers have been urged to bring a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars into force ten years early, to cut air pollution deaths and help the car industry.
The UK is currently set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040.
But Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson has told transport ministers that the change should come into effect in 2030, partly to drum up business for car manufacturers.
Her constituency includes the Nissan car plant, where 7,000 people are employed. Nissan is one of a number of carmakers to have announced job cuts, following a fall in demand for diesel vehicles and uncertainty about the impact of Brexit on the automotive sector.
The market share of electric cars, which was only a fraction of that of gasoline cars a few years ago, has reached 50 percent in Norway. Over the past 12 months, an identical number of electric vehicles as gasoline cars have been manufactured in Norway, demonstrating the country’s exponential adoption of electric cars.
Electric Cars Favored Over Gasoline Cars
In Norway, a liter of gasoline costs around $2, a rate that is substantially higher than in other places such as South Korea and Japan that are also known to have expensive gasoline. In contrast to high gasoline costs and taxes on conventional vehicles, the Norwegian government does not impose tax on the sale of electric vehicles, allowing consumers to obtain electric cars at around 50 percent of the cost required to purchase gasoline-powered vehicles.
According to a report by the Norwegian government entitled “Sales of Petroleum Products,” the demand for petroleum products have fallen for the first time in history, primarily due to the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and the drop in demand for gasoline and fuel.
“Motor gasoline sales declined by 2.9%, dutiable diesel fell by 2.7%, and duty-free diesel declined by 2.6%. This decline follows sales that were flat in 2014, and then grew by 1% in 2015 and 3.2% in 2016. Overall petroleum product sales declined by 2.2%, although some categories of consumption, such as heavy fuel oil, jet kerosene, and other petroleum products all showed higher consumption,” the government’s report read.
The embrace of electric vehicles in Norway can be attributed to newly implemented policies of the Norwegian government, and its intent to ensure all vehicles sold in the country are electric from 2025 onwards.
Whether you are looking for your first electric car or your next electric car, there are many reasons why opting for a used one might be the best option for you.
See: Used ZOE 22kWh available now from £206 PCM with £250 deposit.
I’ve had my ZOE for almost 2 years, it’s a 2015 model with a reasonable range of 75-80 miles (real world). I was recently considering upgrading to the latest model that offers 250 miles (NEDC) range, however the price on the latest model was much higher than my current model (due to the larger battery and increased range). With budget in mind I started to weigh up the want for more range against the need for more range and soon realised that actually a used electric car with a range I am currently used to will continue to suit me just fine.
So when thinking about your first or next electric car, consider the following:
How many miles do you actually need your electric car to cover each day? And does a used electric car cover this?
If not, do you have the opportunity to charge it easily during your day? At work or during a commute?
What spec and features does a used electric car have compared to a newer one? Sometimes features in older model may cost extra in newer versions, for example the reversing camera in the ZOE is extra in the new model but comes as standard in most of the older models. And sometimes the features don’t differ much at all.
You still get a minimum of 1 year warranty with a used electric car.
Some used cars still come with a free charge point.
Availability of the car is almost always immediate so you can be driving electric in no time at all.
Low and zero deposit options are available, or you can increase the deposit to really drive down any monthly finance costs.
And let’s not forget opting for a pre-owned used electric car is a greener approach to electric car ownership, recycle and re-use.
“We run POLAR, the UK’s biggest public charging network. It links over 5,000 public charging points, not limited to just Chargemaster units, giving EV drivers a convenient and reliable nationwide charging system. The POLAR network is growing all the time, making the future of electric motoring possible for more and more drivers.
POLAR Plus is our unique subscription service that offers members better value and special benefits. With the first three months’ membership free, you pay just £7.85 per month thereafter. Members enjoy unlimited access to over 5,000 charging points, most of which are then free to use. For the others, they just pay for the electricity consumed (at only 9p per kWh, which is cheaper than the average cost at home). There’s no long term contract or nasty notice period to worry about. If you decide for any reason to cancel, you can do so. Immediately. It’s as simple and painless as that.
POLAR Plus members earn ‘POLAR Points’ when they charge in a different town each month. Points can be used to borrow one of our fleet of 20 EV Experience cars for free for a week, including our BMW i8 and i3, Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf.
POLAR Plus Ts & Cs: To receive three months’ free POLAR Plus membership, you must first sign-up for the scheme and provide your Direct Debit details. From the start of month four you will automatically be charged £7.85 each month for membership on an ongoing basis, until you cancel. New customers only. You can see whether a charging post is free or chargeable using our live map. Please note that during the free membership period you will still be charged for any electricity used.
Close-up of POLAR charge point (Image: J. Pegram-Mills)
POLAR Instant is a smart phone app that is available for both iPhone and Android smart phones that enables you to use hundreds of charging points across the country directly from your smart phone without the need for a RFID card or pre-registration to a “scheme”. iPhone App will be available from Mid April,2014 and Android from early May.
You can view where all the charging points are across the country, check if they are free to use in or what tariff they are charging, see what type of socket and output they have, see if they are available for use in real time, get directions to the charging point and then simply start and stop the charge from your phone with simple instructions.
POLAR Instant Ts & Cs: All charges are subject to a £1.20 admin fee which is deducted from your balance once the charge is complete. Some chargepoints will also incur a cost for the electricity used. To check the costs of individual chargepoints, please view our map. You may set up your account, make credits, view charging point check locations and tariffs as well as check your charging history and account balance on line at www.POLARinstant.com in the same way as on your smartphone app. If you need any assistance when charging call the POLAR Instant Help line on 0845 5280 289.”
Our View
POLAR is the biggest network of chargepoints around England. If you have seen chargepoints around your town, at supermarkets, town centres, car parks and public buildings, then chances are they are part of the POLAR network. Most of the points are low power and will charge an electric car in 3-8 hours (for these you will need to provide your own Type 2 cable – there is usually one supplied with each car). However, some are rapid chargers that can charge to 80% in about half an hour (these have their own tethered cables); the majority are manufactured in-house by Chargemaster.
POLAR rapid chargers (Image: T. Larkum)
There are two ways to pay – by subscription on POLAR Plus or Pay As You Go (PAYG) on POLAR Instant. The POLAR Plus subscription costs £7.85 per month (including VAT) which gets you an RFID access card. Most charging is then free, though some is charged per unit of electricity (kWh). On POLAR Instant you use a Smartphone App and you prepay into your account. There is a £1.20 ‘administration fee’ per charge and most charging is then either free or charged per hour (for example, £1.50 per hour on the ones I use in Milton Keynes). Note, however, outside Milton Keynes the majority of Chargemaster rapid chargers are only available on POLAR Plus. If you charge regularly on POLAR, more than a few times a month, or you want access to all the rapids, it’s generally worth joining the POLAR Plus scheme; you will also get additional benefits such as ‘POLAR Points’ allowing you to borrow from Chargemaster’s pool of electric cars.
Reliability of the POLAR charge points is generally good, and as the maps are real-time you can check in advance if a particular one you want is working. Further, you can check to see if it’s actually in use.
The POLAR network continues to expand and develop. In January 2017 Chargemaster completed the acquisition of Elektromotive and its Charge Your Car network (though access is not available via Polar Instant). In March 2017 it took on some parts of the Source East network. In July 2017 it announced that it was switching to 100% renewable energy.
LONDON – Electric-vehicle manufacturers look as if they’ve cracked the youth market in the U.K., with 24- to 34-year-olds most likely to own one.
At the same time, research by the Automobile Assn. reveals people over 55 are the least likely to own an EV.
Results of the Populus polling firm’s survey of 16,508 AA members conducted in mid-July will come as welcome news to the U.K. government following its announcement it intends to eliminate sales of internal-combustion-engine-powered cars by 2040.
“This may confound the ‘boy racer’ image that older people may have of young drivers,” AA President Edmund King says of the survey results. “Although overall numbers are still low, it shows that young drivers are taking an interest in new-car technology despite the fact that three-quarters (76%) are concerned about the high purchase price of EVs – but even that compares with 84% of older drivers concerned about price.”
The study also shows that among those who don’t own an EV, barriers to ownership stubbornly remain: the perceived lack of charging stations, the cost of buying an electric car and durability of the battery.
Other concerns include the potential time it might take to offset low operating costs against purchase price and limited range.
“In reality, these concerns are evaporating much more quickly than perhaps most people realize,”
King says.
“It seems that young drivers certainly ‘get’ the concept of electric driving, and our research consistently showed that it is older drivers who are putting up concerns that simply don’t exist.
“In fact, a third of respondents overall say they have no understanding of EVs.”
To counter that lack of awareness, the AA Trust has launched Drive Electric, a series of free sessions designed to help drivers understand EVs and how to obtain the best economy from them. The first sessions are being run in conjunction with the new Electric Vehicle Experience Center in Milton Keynes – the first center of its type dedicated to electric and plug-in vehicles.
The French automaker believes this will add flexibility to charging infrastructure.
Call it Recyclin’ Renault: The French automaker is now using old electric-car batteries to power charging stations in Europe. These so-called “second-life” batteries were integrated with energy-storage systems from British firm Connected Energy and installed at two charging sites on highways in Belgium and Germany.
Like its partner Nissan, Renault is a major proponent of electric cars. Its Zoe hatchback rivals the Nissan Leaf as the best-selling electric car in Europe – meaning a lot of used batteries. The battery packs in electric cars eventually lose too much storage capacity to be useful. But even after they’re too degraded for automotive use, these packs still have plenty of capacity left over.
By using them to power charging stations, Renault claims DC fast-charging stations can be installed in more locations, since they won’t require a dedicated high-power grid connection. Instead, the battery packs can be charged using the same electricity infrastructure as lower-power stations.
In the United States, Tesla has used solar energy to charge energy-storage battery packs, taking some charging stations completely off the grid. Nissan and Chevrolet have experimented with turning old battery packs into energy-storage units, and BMW has even discussed selling them to homeowners.
More broadly, energy storage is now being used to increase the effectiveness of renewable-energy sources like wind and solar. Energy is harvested when wind and sunlight are available, and stored for when they aren’t. Energy storage can also help balance the grid by evening out the flow of electricity through the system. California already has some large energy-storage sites, and Tesla is involved with a major project in Australia.
Large-scale energy-storage projects will require a lot of batteries, and if electric-car sales live up to the hype, automakers could end up with plenty on their hands.
