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Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concerns The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement. Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. Continue reading...

Suggestion the Luce EV should be stripped of prancing horse logo shows strength of feeling from Ferrari fans For passionate enthusiasts, Ferraris are not merely cars but works of art. The emotion stirred by their classic red curves is, they say, akin to standing before a Michelangelo sculpture, while the sound of the engine revving evokes a sensation comparable to listening to the music of Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini. Which is why the sight of the Italian carmaker’s first fully electric car, the Luce EV, unveiled this week , left many fans aghast. Continue reading...

The Italian marque has broken with the past with its four-door, €550,000 Luce and traditionalists are furious Ferrari is different from other carmakers, and so are its product launches. So revered is the company in its native Italy that among the first people to sit behind the wheel of its first electric vehicle were the country’s president, and the pope. Yet judging by the backlash from investors, some critics and – inevitably – a horde of online commenters, the sportscar manufacturer may need help from a higher power if it is to win over its traditional fanbase. The Luce (pronounced “loo-chey”, Italian for “light”) is priced for the super-wealthy, at €550,000 (£476,000), with an electric motor for each wheel and the ability to get from zero to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. But the design, led by the former Apple executive Jony Ive, has proven controversial. It is certainly unlike any Ferrari has made before. Continue reading...

Department for Transport is understood to back reducing levy, which critics have called a ‘pavement tax’ Business live – latest updates Government officials considered cutting the VAT charged on electricity used at public EV chargers from 20% to 5% at the last budget, but the Treasury under chancellor Rachel Reeves rejected the proposal amid disagreement between departments. Officials in the Department for Transport encouraged electric car charge point operators to write to the Treasury explaining how they would respond to a VAT cut, according to three industry sources. The charger companies said that they would pass the tax cut on to consumers. Continue reading...

China is dominating the energy transition with astonishing result, while fossil fuel fascists in the US try to turn back the clock “Farewell,” the flag-waving Chinese children chanted to Donald Trump as he strolled along the red carpet back to Air Force One at the end of his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing. The US leader claimed he was leaving with a cluster of “fantastic” trade deals to sell US oil, jets and soya beans to China. That has not been confirmed by his smiling host, but one thing was crystal clear from the two days of meetings: the global balance of power is shifting, from the declining petrostate in the west to the rising electrostate in the east. Continue reading...

Many European motoring manufacturers are in retreat with plants to off–load – while China’s industry is on the march Chinese carmaker Xpeng is on the hunt for a factory in Europe. Volkswagen is aiming to reduce the number of its factories. It seems like it should have been the perfect set-up for a deal. Yet there was one problem with the plant on offer, according to Elvis Cheng, Xpeng’s managing director of north-eastern Europe: “It’s a little bit, I would say, old.” Continue reading...

CEO admits talks with Chery as other European carmakers discuss plans with Chinese firms to share factory space Nissan’s chief executive has confirmed he would consider building cars for other manufacturers at the UK’s largest car factory in Sunderland, amid talks with China’s Chery. Ivan Espinosa said Nissan was “looking at options” for Sunderland and its 6,000 workers as the struggling Japanese carmaker on Wednesday reported steep losses for the year to March. Continue reading...

Sports carmaker extends lifespan of petrol-engined Emira, made in Norfolk, to continue to cater for US market Business live – latest updates The boss of the luxury sports carmaker Lotus has called for government support for its UK factory as the Chinese-owned company insisted it will not abandon its British roots. Lotus said it had extended the lifespan of the £80,000 Emira petrol-engined sports car, made by 900 employees in its factory in Norfolk, in order for the brand to continue to serve the US market. Continue reading...

The BYD factory being built in Szeged, Hungary, is facing scrutiny after reports of EU labour laws being violated among the Chinese migrant workforce Multilingual signs in most airports in the EU opt for English, but in Hungary, there is also Chinese, making it easy for migrant workers flying in to staff China’s first electric car plant in Europe – due to open in 2027. The third language was introduced in 2019 as the recently ousted leader Viktor Orbán embarked on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with China, positioning himself as its most reliable friend in Europe. Continue reading...

Electric upgrades can mean long-term savings. We look at ways the government can help reduce their upfront cost Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Interest in EVs – and electrification more generally – has risen along with fuel prices amid the global energy shock unleashed by the US-Israel war on Iran. Kristen McDonald, a director at Rewiring Australia, says the case is “even more compelling now” for electric upgrades to home appliances, solar panels, batteries or cars. Continue reading...

As fuel prices soar, millions of people could reduce their electricity costs by installing home storage Consumers across the UK are bracing for the war in the Middle East to deliver a sharp rise in home energy bills from this summer. The looming energy cost crisis has prompted a record number of households to investigate green home upgrades to try to keep bills down, including heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles. Continue reading...

As electric vehicle sales hit all-time highs, the need for more places to plug in is growing – fast Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com Australia is having an electric vehicle moment. Close to 25,000 electric vehicles were sold in Australia in March, an all-time record and an increase of 69.6% compared with March 2025, according to the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia . Although still lagging behind countries like China where close to half of new passenger vehicles sold are electric, soaring petrol prices on the back of the war in Iran have accelerated interest in EV ownership in Australia. Continue reading...

Decades of complacency cannot be magicked away by drilling in the North Sea – or even by hoping that renewables will quickly power everything Ewan Gibbs is a historian of energy at the University of Glasgow First it was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now it is the blockade of the world’s petroleum artery in the Gulf. For the second time in four years, Britain is facing an energy crisis that has been made much worse because of the absence of preparation by its political leaders. The fact is that our energy politics were conceived for a world where convulsive, global events were a thing of the past. The notion that it would be difficult to access supplies of oil or liquefied natural gas from the international markets did not figure in the understanding of the politicians and officials who shaped our perilous current moment. But even today, the advocates of energy sovereignty on the left and right appear to lack knowledge, understanding or power over this very foundational matt...

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...