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Leaked documents indicate Harita, owner of key nickel mine in Indonesia, did not reveal water contamination One of Indonesia’s largest nickel-mining companies, which supplies a mineral critical to the global electric car industry, did not tell the public that local drinking water was polluted, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Indonesia has become the world’s biggest producer of nickel, used in the production of wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. But observers have voiced concerns that regulatory oversight in the country has failed to keep up with the rush to develop mines to satisfy booming global demand. Continue reading...

British defence firms have reportedly warned staff not to connect their phones to Chinese-made EVs Mobile phones and desktop computers are longstanding targets for cyber spies – but how vulnerable are electric cars? On Monday the i newspaper claimed that British defence firms working for the UK government have warned staff against connecting or pairing their phones with Chinese-made electric cars, due to fears that Beijing could extract sensitive data from the devices. Continue reading...

In Kansas, Panasonic and two community colleges scaled up training fast. But jobs in the EV industry could be affected by Trump’s war on clean energy In a Kansas City classroom, 20 students were learning how basic circuit boards work. They fiddled with knobs, switches, levers and wires; if they got the connections right, tiny light bulbs glowed. The students, recruited for the opportunity by Panasonic, were participants in an eight-week apprenticeship course that involved classes at the community college and on-the-job training. When they’re done, they will be among the first workers at the company’s new electric vehicle battery factory in nearby De Soto, Kansas . The $4bn manufacturing plant – touted as the largest EV battery factory in the world – is expected to open in early summer and eventually employ roughly 4,000 people. Panasonic also paid for the students’ tuition, as well as the instructor’s salary. Continue reading...

In Wolverhampton, where it can take months to sit a test, there is scepticism around the government’s backlog plans “Every time I was looking for a test day, it just kept kicking me off the site,” said Menelik Calvin, 22, detailing the difficulties he experienced when trying to secure a driving test in Wolverhampton. It’s the day before Calvin’s driving test and he’s feeling “nervous” but “ready” as he practises for this sought-after test with driving instructor Donna Michelle Evans. Continue reading...

Move that opens door for companies to test self-driving technology on trucks over 10,001lb likely to face pushback California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy-duty trucks on public roads. The state’s department of motor vehicles announced proposed regulations on Friday to allow the testing of driverless trucks over 10,001lbs, opening the door for companies to test self-driving technology on vehicles roughly the size of a Ram or Ford super duty pickup truck. Continue reading...

Owners of hybrids save only £13 a year compared with petrol equivalents, thinktank says British households could miss out on savings of more than £800 a year on running costs if they choose a hybrid car over an electric one, amid concerns that recent government rule changes open the door for manufacturers to sell more polluting cars. Owners of hybrid cars only save an average of £13 a year compared with drivers of petrol vehicles, but could save as much as £850 annually if they buy electric rather than petrol, according to analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a thinktank. Continue reading...

Questions arise over election proposal to axe penalties for high-emitting cars after revelations Toyota RAV4 model used in analysis has been discontinued Polls tracker ; election guide ; full federal election coverage Anywhere but Canberra ; interactive electorates guide Listen to the latest episode of our new narrative podcast series: Gina Get our afternoon election email , free app or daily news podcast The Coalition’s claim cars will be more expensive as a result of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) has come under scrutiny because at least one of the opposition’s headline figures is based on a car no longer on sale. The revelation casts doubt on a key Coalition election proposal to eliminate penalties for cars that emit CO2 beyond regulated limits, to ensure “Australians save thousands when buying a new car”. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Enthusiasts gathering on Good Friday – renamed Carfreitag – face curbs on unauthorised tuning, illegal races and pollution Police in Germany have announced a crackdown on illegal racing and the unauthorised modification of cars as members of the so-called tuning scene meet across the country for the start of their annual season. The Good Friday holiday marking Christ’s death on the cross, called Karfreitag in German – from the Old High German word kara , meaning sorrow – is otherwise known by the extreme car enthusiasts as Carfreitag (car Friday) for its unofficial gathering of the “tuners” and “car posers”. Continue reading...

Looking for love or a new career in San Francisco, Los Angeles or Phoenix? You just might find it in a Waymo autonomous vehicle Name: Waymo. Age: Founded in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project. Continue reading...

The vehicles are not only too big and dangerous, they create a disproportionate amount of pollution that ends up in the ocean The problem with SUVs (and EVs, which are also heavy vehicles) goes way further than your leader indicates (“ SUVs are too big and too dangerous – their drivers should be made to pay ”). Tyre and, to a lesser extent, brake degradation is related to the weight of the vehicle: not in a linear way, but to the square of the weight, so doubling the weight increases wear and tear four times, other things being equal. Tyres are the main source of land-based microplastics entering our oceans, where they absorb and concentrate forever chemicals discharged by our environmentally reckless water and pharmaceutical industries. Continue reading...

Fallout from Trump’s trade war is forcing some Guardian readers to cut back or stock up on items from food to cars A few weeks ago, Dane began stocking up on “paper products”, “cases of paper towels, toilet paper”, “piddle-pads” for their shih-tzu, and his wife upgraded from an iPhone 8 to 14 . The 73-year-old in South Carolina said the purchases – which were made to get ahead of Donald Trump ’s trade policies – reminded him of the early weeks of the Covid pandemic, when he scrambled to buy masks, gloves and toilet paper. Continue reading...

Carmaker removes ‘order now’ buttons for Model S saloon and Model X SUV on its Chinese website amid tariffs war Business live – latest updates Tesla has stopped taking orders in China for two models it previously imported from the US, as companies scramble to adapt to prohibitive tariffs imposed in Donald Trump’s trade war. The manufacturer, run by Trump’s close ally Elon Musk, removed “order now” buttons on its Chinese website for its Model S saloon and Model X sports utility vehicle. Continue reading...

More than 20,000 drivers received perfect score when taking practical test last year A record number of British drivers are passing their driving test first time while committing zero faults. Official figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show more than 20,000 drivers received a perfect score when taking their practical test last year – the highest number since figures were first published in 2007-08. Continue reading...

The second Trump administration was backed and is staffed by two major – and widely differing – ideological projects The start of the second Trump administration has been chaotic, to put it mildly. It is difficult for Americans to understand what exactly the administration is trying to do and how it will affect them. It has been simultaneously a colossal remaking of the US state and the entire global order, but also seemingly haphazard, with significant policy decisions such as spending cuts and tariff rates clearly made with little thought or preparation. Analysts and commentators of all stripes have speculated on the motives and strategy behind the Trump administration’s huge overhaul of society. But what is the Trump administration’s plan for the US? The primary moves the administration has made are major cuts to federal government capacity through the “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and now an unprecedented tariff regime that has sent financial markets into a free f...

Why would anyone want a car that’s too big for parking spaces, or that’s a menace to other road users? I have a theory Excuse me for a moment while I clamber on top of my high horse to deliver an important public safety announcement: stop buying enormous cars! Please, for the love of God, pedestrians and my tiny chihuahua that is just trying to cross the road, stop this cycle of car-brained insanity. I write this from the US, where everything (including the presidential ego) is supersized and where going for a walk means having to constantly peer around one enormous truck to make sure you’re not going to get hit by another enormous truck. Still, at least in the US the big cars have big roads to drive down. The trend for bloated vehicles is spreading to places where they’re even more unsuitable. New research has found that more than 1m cars that are too big to fit in parking spaces are being sold in the UK each year. Continue reading...

Move is aimed at increasing power demand for data centers, AI and EVs, but environmentalists say it is a step back Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders on Tuesday aimed at reviving coal , the dirtiest fossil fuel, that has long been in decline, and which substantially contributes to planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Environmentalists expressed dismay at the news, saying that Trump was stuck in the past and wanted to make utility customers “pay more for yesterday’s energy”. Continue reading...

Transport secretary says overhaul in response to Trump tariffs supports car firms and climate goals UK politics live – latest updates Business live – latest updates Labour’s changes to electric vehicle (EV) rules in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs will have a negligible impact on emissions, the transport secretary has said. Keir Starmer has confirmed plans to boost manufacturers, including reinstating the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Continue reading...

Carmakers will be given more flexibility over targets on transitioning to electric vehicles Keir Starmer has said the government will step in to support key British industries, as business grapples with the economic turmoil unleashed by Donald Trump’s global tariffs. As the government attempts to counter the impact of the White House hitting the UK with a 10% base levy on exports to the US, the prime minister will promise to help shelter vulnerable sectors and will implement key parts of the industrial strategy months early. Continue reading...

If a car generates more potholes, takes up more space and poses more risk, it is only fair that its owner pays more Britain is facing an unusual crisis: carspreading. Our road vehicles are getting bigger as people buy more and more SUVs of increasing dimensions and weight . At the same time, our streets and parking places remain the same size. The consequences of this uncontrolled vehicular expansion have become profound. Potholes are being created in greater numbers as our roads are pounded by heavier vehicles; multiple parking spaces are being taken over by single, giant cars; and road accidents are now producing more severe injuries to drivers and passengers of other vehicles. This last issue is of particular concern. Continue reading...

With air pollution causing a fifth of deaths in Nepal, growing EV use could add nearly three years to Kathmandu residents’ lives In a rundown hangar in the heart of Kathmandu, the remains of a dozen electric trolley buses stand abandoned and corroding. Caked in dust and bird-droppings and lined with rubbish, they are a reminder of a bold experiment, launched 50 years ago, to electrify the city’s public transport system. Down the side of one is written, “Keep me alive”. Today, that plea is being heard. More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles – largely cars and minibuses – imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world. The figure reflects a remarkable growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the country import more than 13,000 between July 2023 and 2024, up from about 250 in 2020-21. Continue reading...

I bought it to be part of a greener future, but that was before Musk proved so awful. I’d sell it now, but prices have dropped After our children left home, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves and buy a new car for a driving holiday in Europe. We’d been driving a family estate car for years, loading it up with kids and making trips to and from universities, but we wanted something for ourselves. As a surprise, she booked a test drive for the Tesla Model S for my birthday. It was unlike any car I’d been in before. I thought “Wow, this is amazing.” It felt like the future: a computer on wheels that was constantly updating with new features. I can’t say I feel that way now – and many people seem to share that view. Tesla sales figures declined by 13% in the first few months of this year . Others feel even more uneasy: more than 200 demonstrations happened last weekend outside company facilities around the world to protest against Elon Musk and the wrecking ball he has taken to the...

Drop is likely combination of ageing lineup, increased competition and backlash to Musk’s politics Tesla reported a 13% drop in vehicle sales in the first three months of the year, making it the electric vehicle maker’s worst quarter since 2022. It’s another sign that Elon Musk ’s once high-flying electric car company is struggling to attract buyers. The drop is likely due to a combination of factors, including its ageing lineup, competition from rivals and a backlash from Musk’s embrace of rightwing politics. It also is a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors. Continue reading...