Category Archives: Electric Cars

News and reviews of the latest electric cars (full electrics and plug-in hybrids).

Electric cars: Have we reached turning point?

May 14, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Electric cars are coming, but we already know this to be a fact.

Carmakers are ramping up their battery-powered fleets in significant numbers – everyone from Audi to Volkswagen and most brands in between. Until now, the widespread acceptance of them has been relatively minor, but are we about to see a dramatic change?

It’s human nature to try and look for the silver lining in the darkest times. And as the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the world, one of the few positives to come from this crisis is the dramatic reduction in air pollution around the world, largely brought on by the drop in traffic as people leave their cars in the driveway and stay inside.

You may have seen anecdotal evidence on your social media feed – pictures of clearer skies over major cities like London and Sydney – but there’s scientific evidence to back this up. Earlier in April, NASA released satellite data that showed a 30 per cent drop in air pollution over the north-eastern corner of the United States. The space agency’s images showed the dramatic reduction around major cities, including New York and Boston as well as regional areas, comparing the average concentration each March between 2015 and 2019 to March 2020.

A report from the BBC cited the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs indicating air pollution in some cities had dropped up to 60 per cent in March, after British prime minister Boris Johnson encouraged people to work from home.

The evidence demonstrates what we have all known for some time but have largely ignored: the overwhelming reason for poor air quality is vehicle traffic using internal-combustion engines.

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:

Is Elon Musk going to war with Britain’s Big Six? Tesla chief plans to supply UK homes with electricity

May 13, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

US carmaker Tesla has applied for a licence to generate electricity in the UK
The application was made to the UK Gas and Electricity Markets Authority
Purpose of the licence may be to introduce the company’s ‘Autobidder’ platform
Autobidder is a real-time trading platform currently operating in South Australia

Tesla has applied for a licence to generate electricity in the UK, according to documents, sparking rumours that Elon Musk is going to war with Britain’s Big Six.

The US carmaker is mainly known for its electric vehicles but also has operations in battery energy storage and solar panel and solar roof tile manufacturing.

The purpose of the licence may be to introduce the company’s ‘Autobidder’ platform, according to a company source speaking to The Telegraph.

Having built a significant battery business in recent years, the carmaker is now preparing to enter the UK market with its technology, industry sources claim. The application, made to the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority by Tesla Motors Co. on Tuesday, does not specify the reasons for seeking a licence.

However, it is suspected it will aim to introduce Tesla’s Autobidder – a real-time platform which provides independent power producers currently operating at Hornsdale Power Reserve (HPR) in South Australia – to Great Britain.

Autobidder claims that, through market bidding, it has ‘added competition to drive down energy prices’, according to its website. This looks to give executives at the UK’s Big Six suppliers – British Gas, EDF Energy, E. ON, Npower, Scottish Power, and SSE – a headache.

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:

How to drive an electric car: petrol vs EV driving styles

May 12, 2020Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

We get behind the wheel of an electric Hyundai Ioniq and petrol Hyundai i30 Fastback to see if their motive power has an impact on the way we drive

Electric cars are different from petrol and diesel ones, and that becomes clear even before you’ve sat in one. From range and charging infrastructure, to government tax breaks and miles per kilowatt hour replacing miles per gallon, moving from fossil fuels to electric power requires a change in mindset.

When you get behind the wheel of an EV, even more differences emerge. The silent running, the instant torque, the regenerative braking – electric cars have intrinsic character differences when compared with their counterparts, and require different driving styles.

But how do these differences impact drivers and how they drive, and is it a positive change? In the hope of finding answers to these questions, Hyundai came to us with a proposition. The firm presented us with two cars – one a pure-electric Ioniq, the other a petrol-powered i30 Fastback – and asked politely if they could hook me up with a blood-pressure monitor and track my eye movement during a pair of 30-minute drives, one in each car.

It wouldn’t be just me that was wired up. The cars would be rigged with pressure pads on their steering wheels, accelerometers and all manner of other sensors. The measurements gathered by these instruments would, together with the assessments of an observer sitting in the passenger seat, generate category scores in five areas: awareness, ability, confidence, efficiency and calmness. The experiment is called Drive Different and its aim, it almost goes without saying, is to look at how my driving changes as I switched from one car to the other.

The day gets off to a bad start, with the cars held up by traffic on their way to the office and rain pounding London’s streets. But soon I’m hooked up; the heart-rate monitor is an unobtrusive bit of kit like a wristwatch, while aside from pressure-pad covers on the cars’ steering wheels and pupil-tracking cameras on their infotainment screens, all seems fairly normal.

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:

Make electric car charge point signs green to ‘help them stand out’

May 9, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

An AA survey suggests 85% of drivers think the signs would have ‘more impact’ if they were green.

More than four out of five drivers believe signs for electric vehicle (EV) charge points would be easier to spot if they were green, a new survey suggests.

Some 85% of 17,500 drivers polled by the AA said signs featuring a white “P” in a green box would have “more impact” in indicating the location of charge points.

Slow Charging the ZOE at Highgate (Image: T. Larkum)

This would be instead of a blue box, which is the colour used on designs currently approved by the Department for Transport.

AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said transforming charge point signage in this “simple” way could make a “big difference” to demand for electric cars by easing concerns over the extent of the charging infrastructure.

He went on:

“Drivers believe there are a lack of charging points, but the case is they are hidden in plain sight. While fuel forecourts have the benefit of large totem poles, charge points can blend into the background.

“Changing to a green parking sign will help them stand out and reassure drivers who are thinking about buying an EV that there are more charge points than they think.”

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:

Union urges Renault workers at Flins plant not to return to work

May 8, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOERepost

PARIS — A trade union representing workers at Renault’s Flins plant near Paris on Sunday urged staff not to return to work before May 11, saying it was still too risky in terms of their health given the coronavirus crisis.

The SUD union said that Renault management had asked workers to return to the Flins plant from April 28/April 29.

The factory, which builds the Renault Zoe electric small car and the Nissan Micra small hatchback, will be the first Renault assembly plant to start up again after the automaker closed European factories in mid-March. Renault’s other French car plants will resume production in May, Renault has said.

The French government has earmarked May 11 for when it will start to ease a national lockdown imposed in mid-March to tackle the spread of the virus.

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:

EVs and public charging network keep key workers moving in midst of pandemic

May 7, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Zap-Map in partnership with the REA has carried out a survey on EV use during the COVID-19 pandemic
83% EV users still reliant on their EV for essential travel and almost three in ten (29%) are still using the public charging network
Almost a quarter of these EV users (24%) identify as ‘key workers’
98% of the public charging infrastructure is operating as normal – although there is an increase on normal reporting rates of issues

A survey by Zap-Map in partnership with the REA has found that EVs and the public charging network are vital for essential travel and keeping ‘key workers’ on the move during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey which took data from over 3,000 EV users found that, despite EV use falling significantly in line with the overall reduction in travel, 83% of users are still reliant on their EV for essential travel. Of these, just under a quarter (24%) identify as key workers with the majority of these (36%) working in healthcare with others working across a range of sectors including utilities, food delivery, transport, public safety and education.

Amongst those surveyed, 29% are still using the public and manufacturer-owned charging network. This number increases when looking at key workers, with just under half (47%) reliant on the public charging network. Although this is a reduction in the pre-COVID proportion of usage (which is more than 90%), it demonstrates how important the charging infrastructure continues to be for many EV drivers.

Whilst the vast majority of those surveyed were satisfied with the public and manufacturer-owned network, 21% of users reported experiencing some issues, an increase on normal reporting rates. This number increased to 28% amongst key workers, most likely due to this group utilising the infrastructure more frequently. The two key lockdown-related issues cited are either delays to chargers being repaired and inaccessibility of charge points where a site has been closed or is now behind a barrier.

Zap-Map has also been working closely with the network operators and incorporating direct feedback from EV drivers to identify and highlight the chargers clearly on the map. As it stands, 430 charging points, out of a total of over 18,000 across the UK (2%), have been identified as temporarily non-accessible due to lockdown measures.

In light of the issues identified in the survey, the REA has contacted the Government asking them to classify public and manufacturer-owned EV charging maintenance personnel as key workers. The REA and Zap-Map are also working with the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to fully understanding issues relating to site accessibility.

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 will have new all-electric SUV at the end of 2021

May 6, 2020Electric Cars, RenaultRepost

Zoe will no longer be the French brand’s only big bet on the electric market. The SUV will be based on the Renault Morphoz concept

Renault is one of the brands that most bet on all-electric cars – so much so that it simply ignores hybrid cars. But, over time, Zoe has been the French brand’s only major commercial bet in this segment. Now the situation is going to change. According to the English magazine Auto Express, within 18 months a new car with good commercial potential will keep Zoe company. It is an SUV based on the Morphoz concept.

Renault’s new electric SUV will be the production version of the Morphoz concept.

According to Auto Express, Renault Group’s head of design, Laurens van den Acker, said: “I hope we can make it look more like a Morphoz. O [conceito] Morphoz was an interesting exercise, because I wanted to make sure that our electric cars had a lot of personality, even if they didn’t have the usual features or elements that a traditional car has, like a large grille; the traditional elements that you encounter in a vehicle ”.

The car uses the new CMF-EV electric car platform from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

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:

Battery electric cars driven 26% further than petrol models, finds RAC Foundation

May 5, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

Electric cars are driven for 26% more miles in their first three years on the road than petrol models, research from the RAC Foundation has found.

The analysis, which pre-dates the steep fall in road traffic seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, is based on the MOT data for 516,936 vehicles.

It found battery electric cars cover an average of 9,435 miles per year over their first three years, compared to a petrol car’s 7,490.

Diesel cars are driven the most, and cover an average of 12,496 miles in each of their first three years.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:

“Unsurprisingly people with diesels have been doing most mileage, probably seeking better long-distance fuel economy, but this study is also evidence that battery-electric powered cars are not just trophy vehicles signalling their owners’ green credentials but prior to the lockdown were racking up the miles as everyday transport.

“Tens of millions of people still drive petrol and diesel-powered cars, but this data suggests that owners of electric cars have found them to be a practical proposition, running up the sort of big annual mileages that many of us need to do, challenging preconceptions about their range and the ease of re-charging.”

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:

SSEN to trial portable EV chargers in £320,000 LEVEL project

May 3, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is looking at portable electric vehicle (EV) chargers in a new project.

The £320,000 Local Electric Vehicle Energy Loop (LEVEL) project, which has secured funding from Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance (NIA), is to scope out the design and capabilities of portable EV charging devices.

The project is to last 18 months, starting this month, with the aim of identifying ways to improve network and charging resilience to meet short term demand.

Future applications of the technology include deployment in advance of bad weather, such as in remote locations across Scotland that experience power cuts as a result of adverse weather.

LEVEL will also investigate the feasibility of positioning charging devices in public car parks during the summer months, boosting local capacity.

The project will develop the standard and specification of the temporary chargers and will include a demonstration of a device in SSEN’s licence area in the north of Scotland.

It will consider the customer interface, such as the development of an app to display the charger locations, as well as what the best ownership model for the devices would be, which SSEN said may be public bodies.

The role of the chargers in vulnerable communities and the implications for metering and settlement from temporary connections will also be considered.

“A portable charging device could be a valuable tool to help us manage short-term and short-notice surges in demand, whilst avoiding costly network reinforcement,” said Kate Jones, project manager for LEVEL at SSEN.

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:

Number of hybrid and electric vehicles on UK roads reaches all-time high

May 2, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

Nearly 20 per cent of all new cars that joined UK roads last year were either fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, an all-time record, new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show.

While the number of vehicles on UK roads surpassed 40 million for the first time, CO2 emissions fell to the lowest on record.

The UK now has more than three quarters of a million low, ultra-low and zero-emission cars, although this makes up only around 2 per cent of all vehicles.

The number of these cars grew by 26 per cent last year, with 532,603 hybrids, 144,335 plug-in hybrids and 92,913 battery electric vehicles now in use.

Meanwhile the number of diesel cars in use fell marginally by -0.9 per cent to 13,723,299, accounting for 39 per cent of the parc, while petrol cars grew by 1.2 per cent to 20,657,838.

Diesel vehicles have seen declining sales ever since VW was caught using emissions-cheating software in its vehicles, coupled with rising concerns about their impact on air pollution.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the figures highlight the “essential role” the UK’s vehicle fleet plays in keeping vital goods and workers moving during the coronavirus pandemic.

It also illustrates that investment in cleaner, safer and more reliable vehicle technology is paying off as “demand for mobility grows”, he claimed.

“To ensure this trend continues, we must get the right support for businesses and their workers in place now so that when this crisis is over, the sector can help get the whole country and our economy back on the move,” he added.

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: