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Production process problems have been blamed for recalls by Ford and BMW affecting more than 46,000 cars, including almost 5,000 in the UK.

Ford recalled more than 20,000 Kuga plug-in hybrids in August after it found, in some instances, faulty batteries had overheated when charging, causing a fire. Owners, including around 1,800 in the UK, were advised not to charge their cars and to operate them in ‘EV Auto’ mode only.

Ford also sent affected customers a £500 fuel card for use at BP fuel stations, acknowledging that the fuel economy of the PHEV “may not be what customers may have expected when they took delivery”.

The manufacturer has now announced a fix for the problem, which will involve the entire drive battery pack being replaced.

The work will be carried out towards the end of December for customers who already have their vehicles, with the recall expected to take until late March to complete.

“We will be communicating with customers directly later in November to arrange a time to implement the replacement,” it said.

Following Ford’s recall, BMW revealed it has identified almost 3,000 plug-in hybrid models in the UK that could be at risk of a battery fire.

It has now issued a recall and suspended delivery of affected new models as a preventative measure. A total of 26,700 vehicles are said to be involved worldwide, of which around 2,930 are either with UK customers or awaiting delivery.

The recall affects plug-in hybrid versions of the 3, 5 and 7 Series, the X1, X2, X3 and X5 SUVs, the 2 Series Active Tourer and the Mini Country-man PHEV, built between January 20 and September 18, 2020. It also affects i8s built this year.

“I see this is as just another recall and it doesn’t cause me any concern about the technology,” Debbie Floyde, Bauer Media

In a statement, the German carmaker said particles may have entered the battery during the production process, which could lead to a short circuit within the battery cells when it is fully charged. This may lead to a fire.

BMW says it is currently working on a solution to the fault. Until a remedy is available, drivers have been instructed to not charge their vehicle, not to drive in manual or sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles.

Ford also acknowledged that the issue had arisen in the production of the car’s battery, which is sourced from an external supplier.

“The root cause has been identified as a battery cell contamination issue in our supplier’s production process,” it said.

The two recalls come a year after Kia recalled more than 5,000 Niro hybrid and plug-in hybrid models due to an electrical relay that could overheat.

Vehicle fire data

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that in 2019 the London Fire Brigade dealt with 54 electric vehicle fires compared with 1,898 petrol and diesel fires.

Vehicle registration numbers from the Department for Transport (DfT) show there are 50,000-plus plug-in cars licensed in the capital out of a total 4.63 million licensed cars.

Looking at the London Fire Brigade data, that would suggest an incident rate of 0.04% for petrol and diesel car fires, while the rate for plug-in vehicle is more than double at 0.1%. So far this year, there have been 1,021 petrol and diesel fires and 27 EV fires in the capital.

Leasing companies are reporting a surge of interest in plug-in vehicles thanks, in part, to new, EV-friendly company car tax rates introduced in April.

Plug-in vehicles, both PHEV and pure electric new registrations, accounted for 12% of all new registrations in October, while Tusker reported that more than 45% of all its new orders over the past 30 days have been for pure EVs.

Group fleet manager at Bauer Media, Debbie Floyde, has first-hand experience of the issue after a BMW 330e on her fleet suffered an electrical fire.

The car was left on charge on overnight at the employee’s home, but the following morning he discovered the car had not charged and there was a fault on the dash saying that the car was using power while stationary.

On closer inspection he found that both his outside plug socket and the charging unit plug had melted.

However, the experience has not put Floyde off electric cars.

“I see this is as just another recall and it doesn’t cause me any concern about the technology,” she said.

“We have lots of drivers interested in having an electric car and we’re happy for them to make that choice.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The number of public electric vehicle charging devices has increased 18% in the UK over the past year to 19,487.

The figure is included in the latest Electric Vehicle Charging Device Statistics report produced by the Department for Transport, which says that, of these, 3,530 were rapid devices.

This is an increase of nearly 10 times since 2015.

Rod Dennis, RAC data insight spokesman, said: “The rise in the number of charge points across the UK is very encouraging and sends all the right signals to drivers who might be thinking about opting for an electric model next time they change their car.

“Add in the fact that many people with electric cars can charge from home and overall it’s a positive picture.

“But there’s still a way to go and the focus now needs to be on installing as many fast chargers as possible, given that less than a fifth of public chargers are rapid.

“While the speed of fully charging an electric car can’t compete with the five minutes or so it takes to fill up a petrol or diesel model, a greater number of faster chargepoints could help tempt more people to ‘go electric’ sooner.”

The DfT report says there is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK.

London has the highest level of charging device provision per 100,000 of population with 63, while Northern Ireland is lowest with 17. The UK average is 29 per 100,000 people.

Some UK local authorities have bid for Government funding for charging devices, and others have not.

The report says most of the provision of charge points has been market led, with individual charging networks and other businesses such as hotels choosing where to install devices.

Charlie Jardine, founder and CEO, EO Charging, the electric vehicle charge point and charging software developer, added: “It’s great to see an 18% increase in public chargers this year with a 7% increase in available chargers in the last quarter alone.

“We look forward to seeing this number grow as electric vehicles are set to be an essential part of how we ‘build back better’ from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Whilst increasing the availability of public charge points is an important step in overcoming the barriers to EV adoption, 59% of vehicles on roads are company vehicles so businesses must carefully consider installing their own EV charging infrastructure.

“We’ve seen much evidence of businesses leading the way on this in recent months, with significant demand from our customers transforming their fleets across the UK and Europe from diesel and petrol to electric.”

At the end of last month, Richard Jones, managing director of Lex Autolease – the UK’s largest leasing company – labelled the country’s charging infrastructure “not-fit-for-purpose”.

He told Fleet News parts of the country are poorly served, limiting the wider adoption of EVs.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

BMW has unveiled its iX: its first purpose-built fully electric SUV, offering more than 500PS and a range of up to 373 miles.

A similar size to the X5, it will rival the Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC when it goes into production in the second half of 2021.

The iX features two electric motors – a 121PS one to drive the front wheels and a 400PS on to power the rear wheels.

It will be offered with different battery options with the range-topping model featuring a battery of more than 100kWh.

The iX can be charged at up to 200kW, allowing the battery to be charged from 10% to 80% in under 40 minutes.

The standard charger works at 11kW which means the battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in 11 hours.

BMW says the iX will offer a new level of connectivity through the presence of 5G and cloud technology, with some functions which need a lot of computing power carried out in the cloud, where they can be processed faster than in the car.

Frank Weber, member of the board of management of BMW AG, Development, said: “We are setting new industry standards with the technology in the BMW iX.

“The iX has more computing power for data processing and more powerful sensor technology than the newest vehicles in our current line-up, is 5G-capable, will be given new and improved automated driving and parking functions and uses the high-performing fifth generation of our electric drive system.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The UK’s automotive trade body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), is calling on the UK Parliament to ratify the Brexit trade agreement.

MPs are debating the draft deal with the EU today (Wednesday, December 30) after Parliament was recalled to put the deal into law, a day before the UK severs ties with the European Union.

The SMMT wants the immediate ratification of the draft UK-EU Trade and Cooperation agreement (TCA), to ensure all automotive companies benefit from continued tariff-free trade from January 1.

It says that the draft TCA delivers across several areas for UK automotive, keeping the sector connected to a market that accounts for eight out of 10 of its vehicle exports.

Furthermore, the SMMT says that the TCA delivers on the core ask to avoid tariffs for most finished vehicles, parts and components.

Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, explained that for automotive, Brexit has always been about “damage limitation”.

“The draft Trade Cooperation Agreement, while no substitute for the completely free and frictionless trade with Europe we formerly enjoyed, will address immediate concerns,” he said.#

“The TCA provides the opportunity for tariff and quota-free trade, foundations on which the industry can build.

“Even with immediate ratification, however, there will be just hours to adjust to new trading rules, so a phase-in period is critical to help businesses adapt.

“All efforts should now be made to ensure its seamless implementation, with tariff-free trade fully accessible and effective for all from day one.”

The SMMT says that the inclusion of specific provisions on transitional phase-ins for both electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries is also welcome.

However, it argues that the deal does not deliver some key asks, including formalising co-operation on the development of regulations and standards after the end of transition.

Nor does it prevent increased administration and potential for friction at the border, as we leave the single market and customs union, it said.

Hawes continued: “Further ahead, we must pursue the wider trade opportunities that Brexit is supposed to deliver while accelerating the UK’s transition to electrified vehicle manufacturing. 

“With the deal in place, Government must double down on its commitment to a green industrial revolution, create an investment climate that delivers battery gigafactory capacity in the UK, supports supply chain transition and maintains free-flowing trade – all essential to the UK Automotive sector’s future success.”

The eleventh-hour post-Brexit trade deal struck between the UK and the EU has been welcomed by the fleet and leasing industry.

It had faced a significant rise in costs, with tariffs imposed on cars and vans, if no deal had been agreed when the UK exits EU trading rules tomorrow (Thursday, December 31). By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Government is calling on local authorities to stock-up on salt and grit to keep key routes open, while bolstering Highways England’s fleet of gritters. 

 

Roads minister Baroness Vere wants councils across the country to ensure key transport routes to Covid-19 test centres are kept open this winter.

In a letter to councils, she urged them to ensure they have adequate supplies of salt and grit as the country prepares for the potential challenge of severe weather alongside Covid-19.

Salt producers – through the Salt Association – have confirmed that production is at sufficient levels to protect road users over the coming months.

The Government has also invested more £16 million to help Highways England deploy 93 new gritters this winter on the country’s motorways and major A-roads.

The new gritters join a 535-strong winter fleet, including 23 snow blowers capable of removing up to 2,500 tonnes of snow per hour.

A further £40m will be invested by Highways England to help more than 250 replacement winter vehicles join the fleet.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We have worked tirelessly with the country’s highways teams to make sure our transport networks are kept open and running in whatever weather we encounter. 

“This year, it is more important than ever that Britain is prepared for the winter as we continue to tackle the pandemic. Through this work, we’ll ensure key routes to Covid-19 test centres remain open in the coming months.” 

Jim O’Sullivan, chief executive of Highways England, added: “Our winter fleet will be out treating our roads around the clock whenever ice or snow is forecast, but it is still important that drivers plan their journeys, make sure they are prepared for the winter weather and drive safely in all conditions.”

The UK’s rail network is also prepared for the more challenging weather conditions, with contingency plans put together so essential workers can rely on the railways.

Network Rail and train operators are implementing a range of measures, from deploying specialist cold-weather vehicles such as de-icers at strategic locations, to using inflatable flood defence measures, as well as special timetables ready to implement if needed. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has attempted to clarify the types of hybrid cars and vans that will be allowed to remain on sale until 2035.

The Government have announced that new petrol and diesel cars and vans will not be allowed to be sold in the UK from 2030.

However, it said that it would continue to allow the sale of hybrid cars and vans that can drive a “significant distance with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe” until 2035.

BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said that the 2035 extension for hybrids would provide an “essential lifeline” for those facing a greater zero-emission challenge.

However, he said that vehicle rental companies and van fleet operators would need “clarity on exactly what types of hybrid are in scope”.

Speaking at the Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle conference, following the Government announcement on the petrol and diesel ban,  Natasha Robinson, head of OLEV, said: “From 2035 all new cars and vans will need to be fully zero emission at the tailpipe and between 2030 and 2035 all new cars and vans must have significant zero emission capability.

“That means for example plug-in hybrids and what are called full hybrids would count, but what are known as mild hybrids, which just help with acceleration and deceleration, wouldn’t necessarily count as having significant zero emission capability.”

What constitutes significant zero emission miles hasn’t been decided yet, she said.

“What we are looking at is the really cleanest vehicles that are out there where the battery should be able to operate independently, so we would expect them to be able to operate as a zero emission vehicles for a certain amount of time – we will be talking to industry and talking to others more widely around defining that more tightly over the coming months – but at the moment just to be clear what we are looking at is those plug-in and full hybrids.”

Full hybrids include the likes of the Toyota Prius and the Kia Niro, while mild hybrids, which are rapidly becoming the norm on most engines, are offered by Ford, with MHEV engines on the Fiesta, Puma and Focus.

The BMW 320d and 520d are now mild hybrid too, while Volvo has all but one of its petrol or diesel engines as mild hybrid now (badged B instead of D or T).  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Roads pricing plans are likely to be revived in a bid to stem the estimated £40bn tax revenue that will be lost as new car buyers switch to electric vehicles (EVs), according to a report by The Times.

The paper claims that Chancellor Rishi Sunak was presented with a Treasury paper that outlines a nationwide road pricing scheme and he is “very interested” in the idea.

Replacing the estimated £40bn of annual tax revenue from fuel duty and vehicle excise duty (VED) is becoming a higher priority for the Treasury as the shift to EVs gathers pace.

Incentives to boost the sales of EVs include zero VED in the first year and 0% benefit-in-kind tax.

Fuel duty tax, which currently contributes some £28bn per year (excluding VAT) to the public purse, will also diminish as fewer petrol and diesel cars are used on British roads.

The Government has announced its ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, brought forward from 2040 to 2030.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “While the push toward electric vehicles is good for the environment, it is not good for the Exchequer.”

The AA has proposed ‘Road Miles’ whereby every driver gets 3000 free ‘miles’, with one third more for those in rural areas, and then a small charge thereafter.

“Combined with commercialising the roads with an adopt a highway scheme with naming rights such as the Minecraft M1, Manchester Utd M6 or Adidas A1, this should be prove a more popular solution,” King added.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “While not paying car tax is clearly an incentive to go fully electric at the moment, we will very soon need a system that can levy tax on both conventionally fuelled and battery electric vehicles fairly. If this isn’t addressed, we risk finding ourselves in a situation where petrol and diesel drivers continue to pay all the tax for using the roads which is unsustainable.

RAC research shows around four-in-10 drivers believe that some form of ‘pay-per mile’ system would be fairer than the current system of fuel duty, while half (49%) agree that the more someone drives the more they should pay in tax. Drivers are also clear that tax revenues from any replacement for fuel duty should be solely reinvested back into the road network.

The Treasury has refused to comment.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Fleet decision-makers and the leasing industry is bracing itself for a price hike on new company car and van orders in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

However, in a note from BMW, seen by Fleet News, the German manufacturer has announced a customs duty related increase of more than £3,000 on the recommended retail pricing (RRP) of the BMW i3, irrespective of whether there is a free trade deal or not.

BMW had announced at the beginning of October that BMW i3 models, along with the majority of other BMW models, would be subject to an “economic increase” in the recommended retail price rise from January 1, 2021.

Due to changes in the ‘Product Specific Rules of Origin’ legislation, it says that the maximum permitted content of non-EU and non-UK materials means these models will be subject to additional tariffs after the end of the Brexit transition period.

This will be the case, it adds, “whether or not there is a free trade agreement with the EU”, which means a further increase in the RRP of BMW i3 models is needed.

The current RRP for a BMW i3 (ZI3I), valid until December 31, is £35,120 – the previously announced RRP, to be effective from January 1, was £35,670. However, BMW says that the new RRP from January will now be £38,785 – an increase of more than £3,600.

Similarly, the current RRP for a BMW i3 (ZI3J), valid until December 31, is £37,650 – the previously announced RRP, to be effective from January 1, was £38,200. However, BMW says that the new RRP from January will now be £41,315 – again an increase of more than £3,600.

It says that for Direct Sales Agency Agreement vehicles, orders registered on or before December 31 will be charged the pricing valid on the date of order.

Meanwhile orders registered on or after January 1 will be charged as follows:

Vehicles which arrive in the UK on or before December 31 and which are marked sold on or before December 31 will be charged the pricing valid on the date of order as the vehicle will not incur additional import charges. Vehicles must be registered by April 30, 2021, to benefit from this pricing.

Vehicles which arrive in the UK on or after January 1, regardless of the date of order, or which are marked sold on or after January 1, will be charged at the new price, incorporating the customs duty increase and are not price protected.

BMW’s price hike comes after Renault issued its own price warning ahead of a free trade agreement not being reached.

In a letter from Renault’s fleet director, Mark Dickens, to customers, he says that the manufacturer has been in discussions with our factories to secure “increased production of vehicles and parts” to mitigate any risk of disruption to supply at the UK-EU border.

In addition, he said that Renault has increased capacity and staffing to ensure the “timely delivery of vehicles, parts and accessories to our customers”.

Any customer order created up to and including October 31, 2020, will be price protected regardless of the importation date, he says.

Any order placed from November 1 onwards, and that is matched to a vehicle imported from January 1, however, could be subject to revised pricing based on the imposition of vehicle tariffs.

In the event that tariffs apply on import, Renault says that those will be as per World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, and will be added to the order price. Tariffs on WTO terms equate to 10% of the total new vehicle price including options.

Furthermore, it says any vehicle imported from January 1, ordered from November 1, could be subject to revised pricing based on the imposition of vehicle tariffs.

Finally, it says that any customer order created from January 1 would be subject to any new pricing irrespective of vehicle importation date.

Dickens wrote: “We will continue to closely monitor events and will keep you informed of any developments.”

Fleet News reported last month, how manufacturers had written to leasing companies warning them that they cannot guarantee company car prices beyond the end of the year, even for some models being ordered now.

In letters sent to vehicle lease provides by major carmakers, including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz, they say that the threat of a ‘no deal’ Brexit was to blame for the potential price hike.

Talks between the UK and EU are due to resume in Brussels at this 11^th hour. A free trade deal is looking less likely but still in the balance.

Any deal between the UK and EU would need to be ratified by parliaments on both sides, so time is running out for an agreement to be reached and to get the sign off before December 31.

Residual Value Concerns

A senior manager working at an FN50 vehicle leasing company, said the lack of clarity around pricing was a big issue for the industry.

He said: “Our view is that we should be advising clients to hold back on orders unless they choose from the manufacturers that have said they will honour prices.”

He envisages a number of cancellations from customers where any price protection doesn’t apply.

Furthermore, in terms of future residual values, he said they were in a state of “limbo”.

“There is an argument that they should increase proportionately to the increase in new vehicle prices,” he said, “but that would only be if we expected that the used market increases in value proportionately in three years’ time.

“There is an argument for that, but the future used values would then be increasing in value because of a one-off tariff that is being imposed rather than anything that relates to enhanced value.

“Such increases may be correct when looking at the actual price values of new vehicles, but it is also a value based on the future value prediction of a tax, which doesn’t feel quite right either.”

He continued: “If the tariff was imposed for just an – undetermined – period of time, and then taken away, what would happen to used car prices? Will they also increase now for a while and the turn back or will they stay at the higher value? Will future residual values also rise and then fall again in that scenario?

“In essence, the uncertainty will show through in the new car and used car market we believe and cause a de-stabilising effect. This is never good news for anyone in the automotive sector.”

‘Costly’ Brexit Preparations

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed the cost to the sector of preparing for Brexit has surpassed £735 million, with more than £235 million spent in 2020 alone.

Most companies (67%) across the industry say they are doing everything in their control to prepare for new processes that will come into play on January 1, with 70% securing GB Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) numbers, 60% spending significantly on stockpiling and 52% employing customs agents, as companies also try to prepare for any disruption or delay to supply chains.

However, significant gaps in the industry’s ability to plan still exist, with a lack of clarity on the nature of the UK-EU’s future relationship hampering the efforts of almost nine in 10 (86%) firms to prepare.

Critical questions remain unanswered. With the industry’s competitiveness built on Just-in-Time deliveries, companies cannot afford any supply chain delays so clarity on the operation of key new customs systems such as the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) and the Permission to Progress (P2P) process, is vital, says SMMT.

Moreover, even if the UK and EU do conclude a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) from the end of 2020, there is uncertainty as to how companies will prove origin or products; if firms cannot do this then they will not be able to benefit from preferential trading terms.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “As the UK-EU FTA negotiations enter the endgame, now is the time for both sides to deliver on promises to safeguard the automotive industry.

“Securing a deal is absolutely critical but it cannot be any deal. To work for UK automotive it must deliver for UK products and that means securing the right terms and conditions that allow our exports – now and in the future – to be zero tariff and zero quota trade.

A deal that failed to achieve this would be the equivalent to no deal at all, devastating jobs and slamming the brakes on the UK’s ambitions to be a world leading manufacturer and market for electrified mobility and battery technologies.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

For the last two years I’ve questioned the need for an electric vehicle charge infrastructure. We now have a deadline following which no petrol or diesel cars can be sold so we need to be satisfied that we can charge our EV’s.

Manufacturers are already developing cars with ranges up to 800 miles whilst BP have superfast chargers that can charge 80% in around 30 minutes. With average annual mileage dropping and set to remain low post COVID there is no need to have a massive charging infrastructure.

These are my views but they don’t seem to be shared by too many others. Let’s see what others say.

The number of public electric vehicle charging devices has increased 18% in the UK over the past year to 19,487.

The figure is included in the latest Electric Vehicle Charging Device Statistics report produced by the Department for Transport, which says that, of these, 3,530 were rapid devices.

This is an increase of nearly 10 times since 2015.

Rod Dennis, RAC data insight spokesman, said: “The rise in the number of charge points across the UK is very encouraging and sends all the right signals to drivers who might be thinking about opting for an electric model next time they change their car.

“Add in the fact that many people with electric cars can charge from home and overall it’s a positive picture.

“But there’s still a way to go and the focus now needs to be on installing as many fast chargers as possible, given that less than a fifth of public chargers are rapid.

“While the speed of fully charging an electric car can’t compete with the five minutes or so it takes to fill up a petrol or diesel model, a greater number of faster chargepoints could help tempt more people to ‘go electric’ sooner.”

The DfT report says there is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK.

London has the highest level of charging device provision per 100,000 of population with 63, while Northern Ireland is lowest with 17. The UK average is 29 per 100,000 people.

Some UK local authorities have bid for Government funding for charging devices, and others have not.

The report says most of the provision of charge points has been market led, with individual charging networks and other businesses such as hotels choosing where to install devices.

Charlie Jardine, founder and CEO, EO Charging, the electric vehicle charge point and charging software developer, added: “It’s great to see an 18% increase in public chargers this year with a 7% increase in available chargers in the last quarter alone.

“We look forward to seeing this number grow as electric vehicles are set to be an essential part of how we ‘build back better’ from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Whilst increasing the availability of public charge points is an important step in overcoming the barriers to EV adoption, 59% of vehicles on roads are company vehicles so businesses must carefully consider installing their own EV charging infrastructure.

“We’ve seen much evidence of businesses leading the way on this in recent months, with significant demand from our customers transforming their fleets across the UK and Europe from diesel and petrol to electric.”

At the end of last month, Richard Jones, managing director of Lex Autolease – the UK’s largest leasing company – labelled the country’s charging infrastructure “not-fit-for-purpose”.

He told Fleet News parts of the country are poorly served, limiting the wider adoption of EVs.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Ford will begin recalling Kuga PHEV models to replace their battery packs, following an announcement in August that a potential fault could lead to fires.

Sales of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV were halted in the Summer when it was discovered that the car’s battery pack could overheat and cause a fire.

The manufacturer says it has now identified the cause of the issue and will replace the battery packs in all affected vehicles.

A statement issued by the brand said: “The root cause has been identified as a battery cell contamination issue in our supplier’s production process and we have determined that the best course of action for the safety of our existing customers is to replace the drive battery pack.”

The same issue was discovered with batteries used in some BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The recall will require the car to be in a workshop for at least one day. Ford will offer a collection and delivery service, as well as courtesy vehicle where required.

Ford says it will carry out the necessary repair to all affected vehicles between late December 2020 and March 2021.

Ford will provide extended warranties or £500 fuel vouchers as compensation to affected owners.

Drivers are advised not to charge their vehicle and not to use the EV Mode, Sport or Snow settings until the vehicle has been repaired.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News