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UK urged not to further weaken EV rules as CO2 impact revealed

British vehicles will emit extra 17m tonnes of CO2 by 2030 due to loophole allowing sale of more PHEVs, data suggests Campaigners have urged the government to resist calls to further water down electric car sale rules, as an analysis reveals that vehicles on UK roads will emit an extra 17m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 mostly because of changes last year. Parts of the car industry have urged ministers to review for a second time the rules that force manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric cars each year. Continue reading...

UK car sales hit post-Covid high as Chinese EV makers gain ground

Registrations are up 7% in May, with battery electric vehicles recording the fastest growth and Tesla jumping 45% British car sales rose in May to their strongest level for the month since before the Covid pandemic, driven in part by strong growth from the Chinese manufacturers BYD and Chery. Car registrations rose 7% to 160,662 during the month, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. Continue reading...

Nissan maps out deal to build cars for Chery at its Sunderland plant

Non-binding agreement to start building vehicles in 2027 would safeguard jobs at UK’s largest car factory Nissan has agreed to look at building cars in northern England for Chinese manufacturer Chery, in a move that would secure jobs at the UK’s largest car factory. The Japanese carmaker on Wednesday said it had signed a non-binding agreement and that discussions were ongoing over contract manufacturing by Nissan for Chery, which is part-owned by the Chinese state. Continue reading...

On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections

Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concerns The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement. Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. Continue reading...

‘How can you have a Ferrari without any vroom?’: electric model shocks owners’ club

Suggestion the Luce EV should be stripped of prancing horse logo shows strength of feeling from Ferrari fans For passionate enthusiasts, Ferraris are not merely cars but works of art. The emotion stirred by their classic red curves is, they say, akin to standing before a Michelangelo sculpture, while the sound of the engine revving evokes a sensation comparable to listening to the music of Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini. Which is why the sight of the Italian carmaker’s first fully electric car, the Luce EV, unveiled this week , left many fans aghast. Continue reading...

Why is Ferrari facing such a backlash to its first electric car?

The Italian marque has broken with the past with its four-door, €550,000 Luce and traditionalists are furious Ferrari is different from other carmakers, and so are its product launches. So revered is the company in its native Italy that among the first people to sit behind the wheel of its first electric vehicle were the country’s president, and the pope. Yet judging by the backlash from investors, some critics and – inevitably – a horde of online commenters, the sportscar manufacturer may need help from a higher power if it is to win over its traditional fanbase. The Luce (pronounced “loo-chey”, Italian for “light”) is priced for the super-wealthy, at €550,000 (£476,000), with an electric motor for each wheel and the ability to get from zero to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. But the design, led by the former Apple executive Jony Ive, has proven controversial. It is certainly unlike any Ferrari has made before. Continue reading...