PG Carz World

Bigger vehicles including electric can cause multiple harms, yet resistance to rise of SUVs and trucks has had mixed support On a brisk winter’s evening in Europe’s automotive heartland, a cyclist who had pushed for safer streets went out on his bike for a final time. Andreas Mandalka had documented dangerous driving and shoddy cycling infrastructure for years, measuring the margins at which cars zipped past him and posting videos of blatant violations. While quick to remind readers that only a small proportion of drivers behaved badly, the 44-year-old blogger in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, had grown frustrated with authorities for failing to act. He felt they viewed him as a nuisance. As he cycled down a straight stretch of renovated road that runs parallel to a forest path he had flagged for poor quality, lights bright on his bike and helmet firm on his head, he was fatally struck from behind by a car. Continue reading...

BEV sales jumped nearly 60% in April, taking total electric car registrations to more than 2m, says SMMT Business live – latest updates A recent jump in electric car sales in the UK is likely to be “tempered” by worries over rising inflation and energy prices caused by the Iran war, a leading industry body has warned. New car sales in the UK rose by 24% year on year to 149,247 in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Continue reading...

In an electric vehicle you quickly learn when you can gun the engine, how to use the many apps – and how to enjoy the time while the car is charging I quickly discovered two important things when recently taking a three week drive over several thousand kilometres in an electric car. The first is that “range anxiety’’ is very real. The second is that veteran EV drivers are often there for us neophytes. First, some background. I’d always planned to get an electric car eventually – but then, just before Christmas, the petrol engine of our 17-year-old second-hand Subaru finally cooked itself after 360,000-plus kilometres. Continue reading...

Loaded with extras and produced at a cut price, the crossover SUV has overtaken rival cars from US, Japanese and Korean firms The UK is no stranger to foreign cars. The bestseller lists in recent years have been dominated by the US’s Ford Puma, Japan’s Nissan Qashqai, Korea’s Kia Sportage and occasionally even Tesla’s Model Y. But in March the top 10 provided a shock: a Chinese car leapt into the lead. Continue reading...

Continent ‘sleepwalking’ into series of economic and national security problems due to over-dependence Europe is “sleepwalking” into a series of economic and national security problems because of an over-reliance on Chinese green technology, according to experts. A report co-authored by Michael Collins, a former deputy head of national security strategy at the UK Cabinet Office, described the risks of depending on China for green tech as “serious”. Continue reading...

Peter Mandelson’s walkies | Farage and Trump | EV charger issues | Bard brutality | Pay your taxes I was interested to read that Peter Mandelson was seen going to the park to walk his dog “like a weekending solicitor on his way to an egg and spoon race” ( Walking the dog and braving the paps, 25 April ). Are there other professions known for their love of children’s games? Maybe a retired GP going to play musical chairs, or a pair of award-winning architects en route to a three-legged race? Lesley Warner Ilford, London • Re Graham Head’s point about Nigel Farage ( Letters, 23 April ), if the job of the US ambassador is to be an obsequious boot-licker at the court of King Donald, Farage was eminently qualified. If he’d been appointed, he wouldn’t be where he is now. And we wouldn’t be where we are now either. James Wilkinson Shrewsbury, Shropshire Continue reading...