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EV charger rollout in UK slows amid political uncertainty and rise in installation costs

Growth in charge points falls markedly despite surge in number of rapid-charging units Business live – latest updates The UK’s rollout of electric vehicle chargers has slowed amid challenging cost pressures and uncertainty over government sales targets. Charger companies installed 5,100 public charge points in the first half of 2026, pushing the total to 121,171, according to Zapmap, a data company. That was a 10% increase on the same point a year before – well below growth rates above 40% in 2024. Continue reading...

As auto costs rise, will the US miss the golden age of electric vehicles?

Shifting demands and political ideology have left the industry vulnerable to global competition from cheap Chinese cars Earlier this month, an intriguing new Detroit-based electric vehicle startup hit the market – Slate Auto , a Jeff Bezos-backed venture offering something US buyers rarely see these days – a pick up truck billed as “affordable”. Its base price is $24,950, making it one of the lowest-cost autos in the US market and close to half the price of the average new vehicle. But as the US contends with sharply rising auto costs, even Slate may be getting left behind in the global electric vehicle (EV) transition. The global EV industry is entering a golden age powered by cheap Chinese cars that can be bought for as little as $10,000. Continue reading...

Delhi plans to ban petrol rickshaws and scooters in effort to cut toxic fumes

Government hopes for 30% of city’s fleet to be electric by 2030, in move hailed by some as ‘gamechanger’ The unruly chaos of Delhi’s roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover. On Monday, Delhi’s government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade. Continue reading...

‘Fork in the road’: CEO of Amazon-backed Rivian on why carmakers need to invest in EVs

RJ Scaringe says firms focused on selling fossil fuel engines risk being ‘woefully behind’ on technology by end of decade Carmakers that focus on selling fossil fuel engines are at risk of being “woefully behind” on technology by the end of the decade, according to the boss of Rivian, an Amazon-backed US electric carmaker. RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and chief executive, said the car industry has reached a “fork in the road” in the choice between short-term profits and the heavy investments, particularly in software, that will be required to survive. Continue reading...

I was wary of driverless cars and their tech overlords – but they could give me a different future | Gabriel Stewart

For those of us who can’t drive due to disabilities, the drawbacks of these vehicles are vastly outweighed by the possibilities they offer The robotaxis are coming! The robotaxis are coming! Well, actually, they’re already here. Until now they’ve been the stuff of science fiction, but this summer London’s streets have seen Silicon Valley-based company Waymo testing out self-driving cars. It hasn’t been the smoothest of introductions – from cars getting stuck in a cul-de-sac and repeatedly waking up the residents of Shoreditch to one driving into a crime scene , after a double stabbing in Harlesden. The automated vehicles (AVs) have so far had trained drivers waiting behind the wheel to take control if needed, but will soon be shedding their human minders. Waymo and British rival Wayve are hoping to launch driverless minicabs in the capital this year, subject to approval from the British government and Transport for London, among others. A subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, Waymo c...