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Union tries to seize control of works council at Tesla’s German factory

Lawsuits and slander claims fly in IG Metall’s battle with Elon Musk over employment rights and conditions Business live – latest updates Europe’s largest trade union is trying to gain control of the works council at Elon Musk’s Tesla gigafactory near Berlin, in an industrial relations showdown marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander. The works council, an elected body of employees that negotiates everything from working hours to pay deals with a company’s management, is considered an entrenched aspect of the German corporate world, particularly in the car industry. Continue reading...

Nvidia and UK Wealth Fund to invest in British autonomous driving startup Oxa

Oxford-based firm has raised $103m for commercial development of software for self-driving industrial vehicles Nvidia is investing in the British autonomous driving startup Oxa , alongside backing from the UK’s National Wealth Fund, in a boost to the country’s technology sector. The Oxford-based company, which has developed software for self-driving industrial vehicles, said it had raised $103m (£77m) from investors to focus on commercial solutions for that software, as well as its physical AI and robotics technology, and to push on with its global expansion plans. Continue reading...

Lamborghini pulls plug on plans to launch all-electric supercar

Company will shift focus to hybrids, citing drop-off in EV demand among sports car lovers who ‘miss the noise’ The Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini has abandoned plans to make all-electric vehicles, and will instead focus on making plug-in hybrid cars, after a drop-off in demand for EVs among its wealthy clientele. Lamborghini unveiled its first all-electric concept car, the Lanzador, in 2023, but it is no longer planning to put it into production. Continue reading...

Plug-in hybrids use three times more fuel than manufacturers claim, analysis finds

While most hybrids are said to use one to two litres of fuel per 100km, a study claims they need six litres on average Plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) use much more fuel on the road than officially stated by their manufacturers, a large-scale analysis of about a million vehicles of this type has shown. The Fraunhofer Institute carried out what is thought to be the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, using the data transmitted wirelessly by PHEVs from a variety of manufacturers while they were on the road. Continue reading...

Rural drivers to face steepest bills under UK’s mileage-based electric vehicle tax

Analysis reveals big regional disparities as critics say Labour’s proposed levy could slow uptake of EVs Drivers in the south-west of England would pay nearly four times as much as those in London as a result of Labour’s mileage-based tax on electric cars, according to analysis of official data. The 3p-a-mile road charge, announced in the autumn budget and due to take effect in 2028, is expected to raise £1.1bn a year, partly offsetting the loss of fuel duty revenues as drivers switch from petrol to electric vehicles. Continue reading...

A dose of smart love on Valentine’s Day | Brief letters

AI romance | Giving thanks | Hotting up in bed | £2 coins | Pub queues Confirmation that the world has gone mad: I got into my car, a Smart #1, on Saturday, and before it did anything else, the car said “Love is in the air” and wished me a happy Valentine’s Day. As a matter of principle, I refused to speak to it for the rest of the day. Ray Woodhams Cawthorne, South Yorkshire • I tried to avoid saying thank you for a whole day and ended up feeling miserable and ungrateful ( The hill I will die on: Britons love saying thank you – I think we should ban the phrase, 7 February ). I feel much better now that I have gone back to saying it whenever I feel grateful for something someone has done. Roger Mears London Continue reading...