PG Carz World

Manufacturers have spied a handy revenue stream by delivering upgrades ‘over the air’, but are car owners prepared to fork out? When a customer said they had driven across three US states, from Texas to North Carolina, to get their car fixed, Tesla servicer Jason Hughes knew something must be up. It turned out to be an unusual problem: the Model S had lost a third of its battery range in an instant, while it was parked on a driveway. One of the US electric carmaker’s big selling points is that it is constantly connected to its vehicles via mobile networks, offering software updates and entertainment downloads “over the air”, or OTA. That remote connection could be revolutionary for the industry , opening the door for self-driving features to be downloaded and TV shows to be livestreamed in high definition. But the connected car is having teething problems. Continue reading...

From a new eco-village in Cornwall to a Grade II-listed church and schoolhouse Continue reading...

Prof Rupert Read believes a moderate flank of activists who can bring people together is the way forward, while Cllr John Dearing urges people to get elected to local councils to make a difference. Plus a letter from Maggie LeMare Re John Harris’s article ( Berating climate sceptics isn’t enough – disruptive protest now seems the only way forward, 24 July ), it’s true that disruptive protest has been invaluable in breaking out of the crushing dead end that mainstream environmental activism had got stuck in. I’m proud to have helped launch Extinction Rebellion (XR), which, along with Greta Thunberg, most facilitated that breakout. But does disruptive protest remain the only way forward? Harris appears to suppose that the only alternatives are either to back the radical flank or to be, at best, timid incrementalists. But the emerging moderate-flank strategy supposes something different: that the most effective thing to do now – while not shying away from how grim things are – is to m...

Make the change without forking out huge sums Consumers are more and more eager to go electric. The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on British roads is soon set to exceed France after a huge surge in sales. But while a growing number of motorists want to switch, many are also wondering if they can afford it. Although they are cheaper to run, EVs are more expensive to buy than other vehicles, leading many to believe they are out of their price range. And while the number of EVs sold in the UK has now exceeded half a million, research from the Green Finance Institute says that most purchases are by corporate fleet companies, and not individuals. Continue reading...

Electric vehicle advocates and auto industry say Australia needs nationally mandated fuel efficiency standards Get our free news app , morning email briefing and daily news podcast The federal government is under pressure to act to increase the uptake of electric vehicles after the Australian Capital Territory became the first state or territory to announce an end to the sale of petrol cars. The Zero Emission Vehicle strategy was announced by the ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, on Tuesday and commits the territory to phasing out internal combustion engines by 2035. This means no new petrol engine vehicles could be sold in the territory past that date. Continue reading...

Homeowners can boost property value by average of £10,000, shows research by WWF and ScottishPower Britons could cut their annual energy bills while slashing their carbon emissions and boosting the price of their home, research has shown. A study by WWF and ScottishPower has found that installing green technologies could reduce energy bills by up to £1,878 a year and cut home carbon emissions by more than 95% over the lifetime of their installation. Continue reading...

At the public charging point my balance is always shown as zero and when it should be £175 I have a Polestar 2 electric car. Shortly after its launch, because of a number of software glitches, the company gave owners a £450 credit for use on BP Pulse public chargers. BP operates a membership scheme where you pay a monthly fee and obtain a lower charging cost. Alternatively, non-members can use chargers on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, at a higher cost. The Polestar offer also gave 12 months’ free membership. Continue reading...

Rare earth elements hold the key to a carbon-free future, but a new report reveals the UK’s shortcomings and vulnerabilities In his book Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future , Saul Griffith, an American inventor, entrepreneur and engineer, sets out a plan for decarbonising the US: electrify everything. From now on, every time people replace a vehicle or renovate a building or buy an appliance, they should be buying electric. Every new roof must have solar panels, all new housing must be energy efficient and shouldn’t contain a gas cooker. All that’s required to make this happen is a collective national effort comparable to the mobilisation of the US economy for the second world war. And it could be financed with the kind of low-cost, long-term loans reminiscent of the government-backed mortgages that created the postwar American middle class. QED. Reading Griffith’s engaging, optimistic book, a wicked thought keeps coming to mind: HL Mencken’s observation: “...

Rising costs push up prices and drivers wait more than 12 months to take delivery of some models New car sales in the UK fell by almost a quarter last month, the worst June since 1996, as global chip shortages hammered the industry, according to industry figures. Global shortages of components such as semiconductors continue to hamper manufacturers’ ability to keep up with demand, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Continue reading...

A fifth of the electric cars on British roads were made by Tesla, the US electric car pioneer The number of electric cars sold in the UK has surpassed half a million according to analysis that underlines the rapid growth in demand despite supply chain problems caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK reached the milestone in June and the number of electric cars in the country is likely to overtake France later this year, according to Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based automotive analyst. Continue reading...

None of the 22,000 luxury fast cars sold in 2021 were fully electric but with the 2035 fuel ban sports carmakers must change, fast Petrolhead supercar owners who love the rumble of a V8 and the aroma of exhaust fumes are being told to prepare for a legally enforced smoother and cleaner ride. The EU this week agreed draft legislation banning the sale of new petrol or diesel cars by 2035, ignoring a plea from Italy for a “Ferrari exception” to allow its supercar industry to continue making its petrol-powered products. Continue reading...

Fifteen black former or current employees allege they faced racial abuse and harassment at carmaker’s factories Fifteen black former or current employees at Tesla filed a lawsuit against the electric carmaker on Thursday, alleging they were subjected to racial abuse and harassment at its factories. The workers said they were subjected to offensive racist comments and behaviour by colleagues, managers, and human resources employees on a regular basis, according to the lawsuit filed in a California state court. Continue reading...