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Software experts have discovered numerous security flaws with a range of smart electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

They were able to remotely switch the chargers on and off, remove the owner’s access and lock or unlock the charging cable.

Devices from Wallbox and Project EV – both approved for sale in the UK by the Department for Transport – were found to be “lacking adequate security” by researchers at Pen Test Partners.

Speaking to the BBC, Vangelis Stykas, a cyber-security researcher, said: “On Wallbox you could take full control of the charger, you could gain full access and remove the usual owner’s access on the charger. You could stop them from charging their own vehicles, and provide free charging to an attacker’s vehicle.

“Project EV had a really bad implementation on their back end. Their authentication where it existed was pretty primitive, so an attacker could easily escalate themselves to being an administrator and change the firmware of all the chargers.”

He says changing the programming on the device would allow an attacker to permanently disable the charger, or use it to attack other chargers or servers.

Hackers could also infiltrate a home network, in cases where the chargers were connected by Wi-Fi.

Pen Test Partners believes that multiple chargers could also be controlled at the same time using some of the vulnerabilities it found, which could potentially be used by an attacker to overload the electricity grid in some areas and cause blackouts.

The company assessed charging units from Project EV, Wallbox, EVBox, EO Hub, Rolec and Hypervolt.

Most of the faults have now been addressed, however charge point owners are advised to install the latest software updates to the devices.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Up to 800 Shell electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be installed in as many as 100 Waitrose shops across the UK by 2025.

Each site is expected to have six 22kW and two 50kW rapid charging points so customers can charge their vehicles while they shop.

The first charge points are expected to go live early next year and will represent Shell Recharge’s first move into ‘destination charging’, whereby customers charge their vehicle while it is parked at a location they are primarily visiting for another activity such as shopping.

Shell’s ambition is to grow its Shell Recharge-branded network to 5,000 charge points on forecourts and other locations by 2025.

Bernadette Williamson, general manager Shell UK Retail, said: “This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose.

“We want to make EV charging as hassle-free as possible and support our customers wherever they want to charge.”

Waitrose executive director, James Bailey, added: “We’re delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.”

The charge point deal comes as a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation has found that some areas of the development of the UK’s charging infrastructure are facing problems which will hinder the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs). 

It says that this could impact the Government’s plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and its wider commitment to make the UK net zero by 2050.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The following article illustrates why branding on vans could void their insurance but I’ve included the article for all to read because it could equally apply to doing similar to your car.

Van operators are being urged to check vehicle signage or branding is recorded as a modification on their insurance policy or risk voiding their cover.

Insurance comparison website Quotezone.co.uk says many van operators are unaware that their van’s branding falls into the modification category on current policies, alongside items such as spoilers and alloy wheels.

Drivers need to keep their insurance provider up to speed with any modifications, including newly added branding or signage, because those modifications can sometimes change the van’s risk profile, it says.

Signage or branding on a van, for example, might increase the risk of a break-in if thieves think valuable equipment or tools might be stored in the vehicle.

In addition, if the vehicle is ever involved in an accident the cost of repairing or replacing the signage might increase the overall cost of repairing the van.

The insurance comparison website advises van owners to make sure forms are correctly answered when taking out a new policy, inform their existing provider if signage or a vehicle wrap is added after the policy was taken out, and if in doubt ask the provider.

Greg Wilson, founder of Quotezone.co.uk, said: “It’s worth checking how their insurer views any branding on the vehicle to ensure they’re correctly declaring everything they’re required to declare.”

Making sure the policy is always accurate ensures drivers are protected should they need to make a claim, added Quotezone.co.uk.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Electric vehicles (EVs) fall short of their claimed WLTP range figures by 14.8%, on average, according to independent testing by What Car?

The magazine put 10 of the latest EVs through a real-world range test to see how close they could get to the official figures.

The best performing model was the Porsche Taycan, which was 3% shy of its official 290-mile figure, achieving 281 miles in the test.

The Porsche beat the Mazda MX-30 into second place, with that falling 7.1% short of its quoted 124-mile range. The Fiat 500e was farthest away from its official range, falling 29.2% shy of its 198-mile WLTP figure.

Ford’s Mach-E fell 20.2% short of its official figure, but the Extended Range RWD achieved the highest outright test mileage, covering 379 miles before its battery ran out.

What Car? tested how close 10 current electric vehicles could get to their quoted WLTP range figures. The test was conducted on a closed vehicle proving ground, on a 15-mile route consisting of 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban traffic, four miles of steady 50mph driving and eight miles of driving at a constant speed of 70mph, to simulate motorway journeys.

Each of the vehicles was fully charged and left outside for 15 hours, before being fully charged again ahead of the test. The cars were then driven until they ran flat, with on-road position and driver changes at the end of each lap.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “Range is one of the key criteria for new and used electric car buyers. Our real-world driving test shows that some electric vehicles can get incredibly close to their quoted figures in the real world, while others are farther behind, so it’s important buyers do their research and organise test drives when considering a new electric vehicle.”

What Car? EV range test results:

Make / Model	Usable battery size (kWh)	Official (WLTP) range (Miles)	Test range   (Miles)	Shortfall	Miles per kWh*
Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus	83.7	290	281	3.0%	3.4
Mazda MX-30 SE-L Lux	30.0	124	115	7.1%	3.8
Kia e-Niro 64kWh 3	64.0	282	257	8.5%	4.0
Renault Zoe R135 GT Line	52.0	238	208	12.4%	4.0
Audi Q4 e-tron 40 S line	77.0	308	266	13.6%	3.5
Volkswagen ID.3 58kWh Pro Performance Life	58.0	264	226	14.2%	3.9
Skoda Enyaq 60	58.0	254	207	18.3%	3.6
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD	88.0	379	302	20.2%	3.4
Tesla Model 3 Long Range	70.0	360	284	21.1%	4.1
Fiat 500 42kWh Icon	37.3	198	140	29.2%	3.8

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The number of people paying company car tax has again fallen substantially, with HMRC reporting 70,000 fewer people paying for the benefit.

The latest benefit-in-kind (BIK) statistics, published by HMRC today (July 29), show there were 800,000 company car drivers in 2019/20 – down from 870,000 the previous year.

New company car tax rates, including an initial zero percentage rate for pure electric vehicles (EVs), were introduced from April 2020, with many leasing companies suggesting an increased uptake in company cars.

However, any potential increase in company car drivers will not be reflected in HMRC’s figures until the next year’s data set is released. 

Instead, this year’s provisional figures suggest the number of employees receiving the benefit has fallen by some 160,000 in the past five years, from 960,000 in 2015/16.

The new data also shows that the amount of company car tax collected has stayed the same at £1.75 billion, despite the dramatic decline in employees paying BIK on a company car between 2018/19 and 2019/20.

National Insurance Contributions (NICs) have increased, however, with the tax man collecting £750 million in 2019/20 compared to £730m in 2018/19.

The reduction in company cars seen over the past few years coincides with the introduction of voluntary payrolling.

HMRC claims that at least part of the reduction is due to employers moving from submitting P11D returns to collecting tax on company cars through payroll.

In 2016/17, employers were not able or required to submit more detailed information about company cars when collecting tax on this benefit through voluntary payrolling.

The following tax year employers payrolling car benefit were able to provide more detailed data about the cars being provided through their FPS (Full Payment Submission), which at the time HMRC told Fleet News would rectify the situation.

However, HMRC says suggests that “significant numbers” were not reported in all three years, even after reporting became mandatory in 2018/19.

Between tax years from 2010 to 2016 the reported number of recipients of company car benefit remained relatively stable (at just under one million).

More recently the number of reported company car users has fallen to 900,000 in 2017/2018 and then to 870,000 in 2018/2019.

Provisional figures show a further fall to 800,000 in 2019/20, with HMRC suggesting that there is likely to be a substantial number of individuals in these years who received company car benefit that (while taxed at payroll) was not properly reported.

Over the same period the total taxable value of reported company cars has increased significantly.

In tax year 2010/11 it was £3.66bn but by 2019/20 it had reached £5.42bn. This increase, says HMRC, is primarily due to increases in the average taxable value of a company car, which is itself a result of increases in average car list prices and increases to the ‘appropriate percentages’ used to calculate a company car’s typical value.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Up to 800 Shell electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be installed in as many as 100 Waitrose shops across the UK by 2025.

Each site is expected to have six 22kW and two 50kW rapid charging points so customers can charge their vehicles while they shop.

The first charge points are expected to go live early next year and will represent Shell Recharge’s first move into ‘destination charging’, whereby customers charge their vehicle while it is parked at a location they are primarily visiting for another activity such as shopping.

Shell’s ambition is to grow its Shell Recharge-branded network to 5,000 charge points on forecourts and other locations by 2025.

Bernadette Williamson, general manager Shell UK Retail, said: “This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose.

“We want to make EV charging as hassle-free as possible and support our customers wherever they want to charge.”

Waitrose executive director, James Bailey, added: “We’re delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.”

The charge point deal comes as a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation has found that some areas of the development of the UK’s charging infrastructure are facing problems which will hinder the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs). 

It says that this could impact the Government’s plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and its wider commitment to make the UK net zero by 2050. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Sprint Power is leading a multi-million-pound Government-backed project that aims to demonstrate the suitability of wireless charging technology for fleets.

The company has developed a series of wireless charging modules ahead of the trial beginning in Leeds, Nottingham and Warwick next month.

Funding for the wireless charging project has been awarded by Innovate UK.

In addition to Sprint Power, the consortium includes the University of Warwick, the University of Nottingham, Loughborough University, Leeds City Council and MyEVS.

Sprint Power has developed an electrical distribution system (EDS), a power distribution module (PDM), and a high voltage harness assembly that will enable a fleet of vehicles to charge wirelessly via pads attached to the ground.

It automatically recognises which power source to draw current from, with each vehicle featuring both wireless and plug-in charging capability. A display screen inside the cabin of each vehicle will indicate to the user the status of each charge.

Founder and CEO of Sprint Power, Richie Frost, said: “As we move steadily towards the UK’s ban on pure ICE vehicles in 2030, more commercial operations will be switching their fleets to electric vehicles.

“We are delighted to be part of this pioneering trial that aims to make this transition easier through the development and implementation of wireless charging. I strongly believe these solutions will be key to this country’s shift towards sustainable mobility.”

Project AMiCC (AMiCable Charging) will trial eight modified Nissan Leaf and Nissan ENV200 models to evaluate the benefits of using wireless charging systems for security, estate and pool car fleets.

An AI (artificial intelligence) machine learning algorithm will capture information such as vehicle movement and optimum charging behaviour, while drivers will report back on their experiences using the technology.

Key success factors will include user acceptance, the readiness of the technology and its reliability. The results will be shared with the UK Government, and if successful, will become a code of best practice and could subsequently be implemented by industry.

The first Nissan ENV200 featuring wireless charging capability has been completed and has been delivered to the University of Nottingham for commissioning before the trial begins next month for a period of between six and nine months.

The first wireless Nissan Leaf will be delivered in early August, with the additional models set to follow soon after.

The trial comes as authorities around the country continue to look at schemes aimed at improving local air quality, reducing noise pollution and cutting carbon emissions.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Transport for London (TfL) has invested in 50 new cameras to enforce banned turns, bus lanes, yellow box junctions and weight restrictions.

The cameras, which can be moved around the road network to where they are most needed, can be adapted for each new location.

A trial of the cameras carried out in 2020 saw an improvement in compliance of up to 60% in six months, says TfL.

The ability to relocate the cameras also means that they can be used to target non-compliance ‘hot-spots’. This capability ensures that TfL can target junctions with the most dangerous driver behaviour and can remove cameras from locations where enforcement activity has been successful in cutting danger and making drivers’ behaviour safer, it said.

Improving enforcement at junctions on the TfL road network will also help to cut congestion on the capital’s roads, by keeping junctions clear and ensuring traffic can move through them as intended.

A contract has been awarded to P Ducker Systems (PDS) for the new enforcement cameras.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “Most collisions on London’s roads happen at junctions and it’s absolutely vital for everybody’s safety that we can enforce effectively against the minority of drivers who break the rules.

“We’re determined to meet our Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury and our partnership with PDS to deliver these innovative new cameras will give us much-needed extra capability to tackle danger hot-spots on our road network.

“We’ll be closely monitoring the success of this new technology and will continue to work closely with the police and others to keep our road network safe, efficient and sustainable for everybody in the capital.”

The new cameras will be introduced to the TfL road network from this autumn and it will be closely monitoring how successful the cameras have been at cutting road danger, reducing congestion and improving bus journey reliability.

All money recovered by drivers being penalised is reinvested in maintaining a safe and efficient road network for everyone travelling in the capital, it said.

The cameras will be used for enforcement of civil traffic rules only and will be fully compliant with data protection legislation. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Orders for diesel and petrol cars at Zenith in June were surpassed by those for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for the first time.

The top 10 FN50 leasing and fleet management company says that pure electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for more than half (54%) of orders in June, compared to almost a third (32%) in the same month last year.

Over the past 12 months, Zenith reports that 41% of orders were for BEVs.

Demand for electric vans also increased in June to account for 69% of van orders compared to 1% in June 2020. Over the past 12 months, demand for fully electric vans has built to account for almost one in three van orders.

Ian Hughes, CEO, car and van division at Zenith, says orders had increased as the wider economy reopens. “In June, year-on-year total car orders almost doubled and, we have seen an almost nine-fold increase in total van orders as customers invest in fleet and fast-track their journey to net zero through the adoption of new technologies,” he added.

“Company car and salary sacrifice car scheme drivers continue to be attracted to the significant benefit-in-kind tax savings that can be made when choosing an EV, the ever-growing choice in vehicles and confidence in the charging infrastructure.”

Zenith says that salary sacrifice is helping company car drivers to transition to BEVs. In one scheme, 85% of orders have been for BEVs, with the remaining 15% for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

SAL SAC HELPS NEGATE GREY FLEET

Fleet Evolution reports that, with more employees buying used cars to avoid public transport on the commute, salary sacrifice could help alleviate a potential growing grey fleet issue.

Andrew Leech, managing director at Fleet Evolution which was one of the early introducers of EV salary sacrifice schemes, says that salary sacrifice car scheme offers employees a number of benefits.

Typically, all maintenance, road tax, business insurance and breakdown cover costs are included within the monthly cost, which is deducted from the employee’s gross salary. This creates savings in income tax and National Insurance Contributions which can be significant.

While benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax is payable on the car provided, if employees select EVs with zero emissions they benefit from a tax rate of just 1% in the current tax year.

Employers, as a result, see monthly savings in NIC and VAT, as well providing employees with clean, fully maintained vehicles which helps manage their grey fleet risk.

Leech continued: “We are currently seeing that 97% of our forward orders through our salary sacrifice car schemes are battery electric or plug-in electric hybrids.

“Customers are realising the benefits of offering employees, who would not normally qualify under the company car scheme, access to low cost, low emission EVs.

“Our figures show that an electric car which travels 10,000 miles a year has transport costs of under £20 per month. And to show how cost effective EVs can be, a customer at automotive components manufacturer, Unipres, was able to travel 31,000 miles at just £320 per annum in electricity charges, which is a huge saving over conventional motoring costs.”

He added: “For employees who may be feeling under financial pressure, and who also may not want to risk public transport when they return to work, a salary sacrifice electric car scheme could be the prefect answer.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Used car values continue to outstrip expectations by a significant margin, with the market expected to remain bouyant over the coming months.

Figures from Cap HPI, published earlier this month, showed that, on average, trade prices for used cars have increased by £1,700 or 13.5% in the past three months.

Now, new data from BCA shows that average used car values at the auction house rose above £9,000 for the first time on record in June.

It reports average used car values rose by £835 month-on-month, equivalent to a 10% increase and averaging around 3% ahead of guide values.

The acceleration of price rises had showed some signs of easing towards the end of June, but the July market has continued the trend of steady improvements seen over the past few months.

Stuart Pearson, chief operating officer, said: “There is no doubt that the used car sector has seen some exceptional price movements this year, in the main fuelled by extraordinary levels of demand for the right vehicles.”

He continued: “Whilst there will always be some nervousness in a market that continues to rise, based on BCA’s current intelligence, it would seem highly unlikely that any significant changes will occur over the next few months.”

Premium used cars most in demand

Aston Barclay has revealed its latest Used Car Desirability Index for July, which highlights premium SUVs and used sports cars are the most in-demand stock across both its physical and online auction channels.

Its data takes into consideration three key metrics: web views prior to sale, number of physical and online bids per sale, and the sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP average.

The BMW 7-series and BMW M4 tied for first place with the Mercedes S-Class and Range Rover Velar close behind.

This is the first month where no full electric cars have made the top 25, previously Tesla had made the June list, while the Lexus NX was the only hybrid on the list.

In July, 19 out of the top 25 places were taken up by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar, Range Rover and Lexus. Higher end SUVs and sports cars are most sought after, as the new car supply challenges caused by the semiconductor shortage have increased used car demand.

The Fiat 500C, the Suzuki Jimny and the Skoda Yeti reflects the high demand at the lower price end of the market for cars that are in short supply.

Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s managing director – customer, said: “Our latest index highlights the current demand for premium vehicles.

“At this end of the market consumers do not want to wait long periods for a new car to arrive so they have switched their attention to the used market to source their next car. This has meant many dealers are competing for the same make and model of car which continues to push up prices.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News