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Leading the charge

Volkswagen and Tesco are delivering the UK’s largest retail EV charging network, with free top ups available to all electric vehicles, powered by Pod Point.

What are we doing?

Volkswagen and Tesco want to make it easier for you to charge your electric car while you’re out, no matter what brand of Electric Vehicle you drive. That’s why by the end of July 2021 there will be free 7kW EV charging bays at 400 Tesco stores.

At selected stores there are free 22kW chargers and (chargeable) 50kW rapid chargers.  All of the chargers are installed by Pod Point, the UK’s largest independent public charging network operator, and all use renewable/green energy.

Where will I be able to charge?

Finding a charge point is easy. You’ll quickly spot them in both Tesco Extra and Superstore car parks. And with 400 stores with charging bays (by the end of July 2021), you shouldn’t need to travel too far to find a Tesco where you can top up your battery.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest charge points?

View the latest Tesco stores with EV charging here.

How do I use the chargepoints?

To use the charge points you’ll need to download the Pod Point app or use their web app.

How much will it cost?

To make charging more accessible, the 7kW chargers are free of charge.  Where available, 22kW chargers are also  available free of charge. But even if you decide to use the rapid 50kW charger (where available) you’ll only pay a small fee in line with the going market rate.

Some stores may have a parking charge and as you’d expect, you need to be a Tesco customer to use them.  By Graham Hill thanks to Volkswagen.co.uk

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers could face an increase in household energy bills of more than £1,000 a year if they don’t use a suitable electricity tariff for vehicle charging.

Energy prices in the UK increased on April 01, 2021, so many households – including those with drivers who charge company vehicles at home – will now have larger electricity utility bills to pay, according to vehicle home charger and energy comparison site Rightcharge.co.uk.

But fleet drivers can avoid price hikes by seeking a more generously priced EV-friendly energy tariff to cover charging electric vehicles.

For example, a fleet driver covering 20,000 miles annually will expect to pay £2,599 a year on a Standard Variable Tariff from one of the big six energy suppliers from April 2021. This includes £1,454 for charging their car.

But users who switch to a lower-cost alternative EV energy tariff could pay only £1,349 a year – with just £459 of that amount on vehicle charging. That’s a huge saving of £995 on charging a vehicle at home, with another £255 saved on household energy bills. So that’s a total saving of £1,250 a year.

Charlie Cook, founder of Rightcharge.co.uk, said: “Compared to a standard tariff, having an EV-friendly energy tariff is incredibly cheap – to the point where a homeowner can charge their car at home and reduce their total energy bills at the same time.

A fleet driver who does 20,000 miles a year can save up to £1,250 a year, so drivers really can’t afford to miss out on the savings available if they change to the right deal.

“If all the current 1.04 million business contract hire drivers switched to electric cars and an EV-friendly energy tariff on the same mileage parameters, the potential saving is more than £1 billion on vehicle charging alone, plus a further £265 million on home energy costs.”

Rightcharge.co.uk compares EV-friendly energy tariffs for users by including their car charging needs as well as their home requirements, so customers can reduce the cost of running an EV.

Cook added: “We believe many EV drivers just don’t realise that while costs have gone up they can still save. Our price comparison website offers them the choices to make the best decisions.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Vehicles parked during lockdown are being targeted by criminals stealing catalytic converters for their precious metals, according to the RAC and Ageas.

There has been a “marked rise” in the theft of catalytic converters since the start of the first lockdown just over a year ago, says Ageas Insurance.

Three-in-10 of all theft claims reported are now related to catalytic converters. Before the lockdown catalytic converter theft only accounted for around one-in-five.

Ageas reports that most thefts have happened while cars have been parked at home, either on the driveway or the road. However, the insurer says that in a very small number of cases thieves had targeted vehicles in supermarket car parks while the driver was shopping.

“Drivers are often oblivious of their vehicle’s catalytic converter being stolen,” said RAC spokesman Simon Williams. “Our patrols are often called to attend cars that have suddenly become excessively noisy. On investigation it’s very often the case that the car’s catalytic converter has been stolen.”

Part of a car’s exhaust system, catalytic converters contain a honeycomb coated with precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium which help to filter harmful gases from the vehicles’ exhaust systems.

The RAC says that when the global value of these metals increase it usually leads to a spike in thefts. Prices of rhodium hit a record highs earlier this year, up more than 200% since March 2020.

The RAC is recommending drivers and fleets get in the habit of taking extra precautions to guard against this type of crime.

With, most offences taking place at night, the RAC says it makes sense to park a vehicle in a well-lit and residential location or a garage if available.

“When away from home, look for car parks that have security patrols and are covered by CCTV,” added Williams. “It’s also a good idea to look for the ParkMark logo at car parks as this shows they have met certain security standards.”

However, as Ageas’ data shows, Williams says that even taking sensible precautions may not necessarily make you immune to this type of crime.

Robin Challand, claims director at Ageas, said: “While catalytic converters are just one component of a car, their theft can often result in a driver’s car being written off.

“We hope that by shining a spotlight on this type of crime, we can arm motorists with the information they need to protect their vehicles.”

The warning for fleets from Ageas and the RAC comes after CompareTheMarket reported that catalytic converter thefts had increased across England, last year.

It analysed police data which revealed London has the highest instances of catalytic converter thefts over the three-year period, and each individual year, with a total of 15,237 from 2017 to 2020. Birmingham saw the second-highest amount of thefts.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

An American magazine has highlighted how Tesla’s Autopilot system can be “tricked” into operating while there is no one in the driver’s seat.

Consumer Reports highlighted the issue using a Model Y vehicle on a private test track.

The experiment follows the death of two men in a Model S last week, which crashed while no one was in the driver’s seat. Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims the Autopilot system wasn’t activated at the time of the collision.

Consumer Reports demonstrated that the Model Y was able to make several trips up and down a test track, with no driver, automatically steering along painted lane lines. The system did not send out a warning or indicate in any way that the driver’s seat was empty during the experiment.

“In our evaluation, the system not only failed to make sure the driver was paying attention, but it also couldn’t tell if there was a driver there at all,” said Jake Fisher, CR’s senior director of auto testing, who conducted the experiment.

Tesla vehicles, like those from a number of manufacturers, determine whether a driver is present by examining steering wheel inputs. If there is weight on the wheel, even if the driver’s hands are elsewhere, the vehicle assumes a driver is driving and paying attention.

Devices that add weight to the steering wheel and “trick” the system have been openly available to purchase since 2018.

Consumer Reports questioned why Tesla doesn’t include monitoring of the seat occupancy sensor, that is already used for seat belt warnings and airbags, as part of the Autopilot system

The magazine also highlighted that companies like BMW and Ford use a camera to ensure the driver is looking at the road ahead.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Two men have died after the Tesla they were travelling in hit a tree in Texas at the weekend. Police believe no one was driving the vehicle at the time of the impact.

The car, a 2019 Model S, then burst into flames. The emergency services took four hours to extinguish the blaze and used more than 100,000 litres of water, according to reports.

Both occupants, said to be in their 50s, were found in passenger seats of the vehicle. One in the rear and one in the front. The incident happened less than half a mile from the owner’s property.

Investigators believe the driver may have activated the car’s Autopilot mode – Tesla’s driver assistance function which can control steering, acceleration and brakes within lanes on motorways – before switching seats.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk claims the car was not using Autopilot at the time and was not equipped with the brand’s Full Self Driving (FSD) package.

Tesla has repeatedly faced criticism for the way it markets its assistance systems as ‘self-driving’. Last year, German courts banned the manufacturer from making such claims.

It’s common for Tesla owners and fans of the brand to share videos clips or images of Tesla models supposedly driving themselves, with one American woman filming her child asleep in the driver’s seat of a Model 3 while it travelled on the motorway.

Speaking to Autocar Magazine, Matthew Avery, research director at Thatcham Research, described the Texas crash as “an incredibly sobering illustration as to why education and correct naming are so important to the safe use of driver assistance systems”.

He said: “A lack of understanding of system capability is causing confusion around driver responsibility, and accidents like this sadly back that up. System names should not be misleading.”

In February 2020, an investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model X being driven on Autopilot in Mountain View, California, found that the driver was distracted using his mobile phone. 

It was determined that the Tesla Autopilot system’s limitations, the driver’s overreliance on the Autopilot and the driver’s distraction – likely from a mobile phone game app – caused the crash.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Hyundai Ioniq models have been found to pass their MOT test for the first time more frequently than any other car.

In a study compiled by What Car?, the electrified model came out on top with a 96.18% average first time pass rate.

The Ioniq sits above the BMW i8, which is also powered by an electrified powertrain, achieving a 95.97% pass rate.

What Car? analysed more than 745,000 anonymised MOT records published by the Department for Transport to find out the models that had the best rate for passing the MOT test at the first attempt*. Models aged from three to eight years old and with a sample size of at least 100 cars were included in the study. 

Korean, Japanese and German models dominate the top 10, while the Jaguar F-Type (2013-present) is the highest-placed British model in the study sitting in 14th place with an average MOT pass rate of 90.83%.

The Tesla Model S (2014-present) is the highest ranking pure electric vehicle, in 26th place, with an average pass rate of 89.94%. Although there are many premium models in the top 50, there are also several affordable small cars, including the Peugeot 108 (2014-present) and Toyota Aygo (2014-present).

What Car? has also ranked the top and bottom brands for MOT pass rates. As well as achieving the highest average pass rate, Porsche is the only brand to gain a pass rate of more than 90%. Although Ssangyong has the lowest MOT pass record, its result of 76.98% means that more than three quarters of its models passed their MOT the first time.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “One of the first things used buyers do is check a vehicle’s MOT record to see how well it’s been maintained and if it’s suffered lots of faults. Our extensive study reveals the models with the best MOT pass rates, ranging from large SUVs to city cars. Buyers can use it to help them choose the most dependable models.

“Although the top 50 list contains several prestige cars, that tend to have lower mileage and immaculate service records, it’s reassuring to find some budget and family cars in the mix.”

The full list can be viewed at: www.whatcar.com/news/top-50-used-car-buys-based-on-mot-pass-rate/n22897

What Car? Top 10 list for MOT first time pass rate:

Ranking	Make and Model	Average MOT test pass rate	Average mileage at MOT test
1	Hyundai Ioniq (2017-present)	96.18%	22,710
2	BMW i8 (2014 – 2020)	95.97%	21,738
3	Porsche Boxster (2012 – 2016)	94.10%	22,243
4	Lexus NX (2014 – present)	93.82%	32,413
5	Porsche 911 (2012 – 2019)	93.72%	20,484
6	Porsche Cayman (2013 – 2016)	92.94%	23,224
7	Porsche Macan (2014 – present)	92.91%	32,289
8	Mazda MX-5 (2016 – present)	92.62%	16,399
9	Lexus RX (2016 – present)	91.95%	27,721
10	Mazda CX-3 (2015 – present)	91.91%	25,652

Top 10 manufacturer MOT pass rates 

Rank	Brand	Average MOT test pass rate	Average mileage at MOT test
1	Porsche	91.15%	32,041
2	Tesla	89.94%	44,613
3	Lexus	88.72%	44,081
4	Subaru	88.46%	39,427
5	Honda	88.41%	35,809
6	MINI	87.45%	33,641
7	Audi	87.25%	46,791
8	Skoda	86.58%	45,932
9	Jeep	86.52%	35,224
10	Mazda	86.32%	40,941

Bottom 10 manufacturer MOT pass rates

Rank	Brand	Average MOT test pass rate	Average mileage at MOT test
1	Ssangyong	76.98%	37,911
2	Dacia	78.17%	39,401
3	Citroen	79.72%	38,207
4	Renault	80.20%	37,194
5	Alfa Romeo	80.73%	42,443
6	Vauxhall	81.20%	42,565
7	Fiat	81.22%	33,404

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have figured out how to extract lithium, an essential part of electric vehicle batteries, from seawater in a more cost-effective way.

The study, just published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science and titled “Continuous Electrical Pumping Membrane Process for Seawater Lithium Mining,” states:

Our method may serve as a feasible approach to secure the lithium supply for future energy usage.

The ocean contains about 5,000 times more lithium than on land, but it’s at extremely low concentrations – about 0.2 parts per million. So how do we capture it?

Here’s how the KAUST team tackled the challenge using Red Sea water (and an ion is a particle, atom, or molecule with a net electrical charge):

The KAUST team solved this problem with an electrochemical cell containing a ceramic membrane made from lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (LLTO). Its crystal structure contains holes just wide enough to let lithium ions pass through while blocking larger metal ions.

The cell contains three compartments. Seawater flows into a central feed chamber, where positive lithium ions pass through the LLTO membrane into a side compartment that contains a buffer solution and a copper cathode coated with platinum and ruthenium.

Meanwhile, negative ions exit the feed chamber through a standard anion exchange membrane, passing into a third compartment containing a sodium chloride solution and a platinum-ruthenium anode.

At a voltage of 3.25V, the cell generates hydrogen gas at the cathode and chlorine gas at the anode. This drives the transport of lithium through the LLTO membrane, where it accumulates in the side chamber.

This lithium-enriched water then becomes the feedstock for four more cycles of processing, eventually reaching a concentration of more than 9,000 ppm. Adjusting the pH of this solution delivers solid lithium phosphate that contains mere traces of other metal ions — pure enough to meet battery manufacturers’ requirements.

The researchers estimate that the cell would need only $5 of electricity to extract 1 kilogram of lithium from seawater, and the value of hydrogen and chlorine produced by the cell would more than offset the cost. Further, residual seawater could be used in desalination plants to provide freshwater.

Group leader Zhiping Lai says:

We will continue optimizing the membrane structure and cell design to improve the process efficiency.  By Graham Hill thanks to Electrek.co

Recommendations for who will be legally liable if an autonomous vehicle is involved in a collision or commits an offence are set to be published by the Law Commission before the end of the year.

The organisation has completed a consultation into the legal ramifications of the technology and is now assessing responses before making its final recommendations.

Jessica Uguccioni, lead lawyer of the Law Commission’s autonomous vehicles review, says: “One of the big things we’ve determined is that you can’t just keep the current system for enforcing road traffic rules when it comes to automated vehicles.

“At the moment you can basically lock people up if they do something really, really bad on the road, like dangerous driving, but that is just not going to work with the automated driving regime.

“We need to have a system which is much more based on ensuring safety to begin with, but then understanding why things have gone wrong and preventing them happening again because a single incident can have ramifications for many other vehicles.”

In the Law Commission’s consultation document, the organisation says different levels of automation should affect where liability lies.

If the vehicle is fully autonomous and can travel without a driver in them then any people in the vehicle are merely passengers so have no legal responsibility for the way the vehicle drives and are under no obligation to take over the driving.

Determining liability for autonomous vehicles which require a human driver to be in control of the vehicle at times is more complicated.

While there will be periods when the vehicle is fully autonomous or when it is being fully controlled by a human, there will also be times when the vehicle is transferring control to the driver.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A new type of electric vehicle (EV) charger that can deliver enough charge for 60 miles of driving in one minute is being developed in Poland.

Ekoenergetyka – Polska is working on a series of charging stations with the capacity to deliver charging speeds from 750 to 1500kW.

They will be known as the Network of Ultrachargers (NeU) and will launch in Germany and Poland by the end of 2023.

Initially, the chargers will have a capacity of 750kW – enough to provide 60 miles of range in one minute in the average passenger car or four minutes for 250 miles of range.

The company also claims that it would take around seven minutes to provide 60 miles worth of power to an electric truck.

Dagmara Duda, president of Ekoenergetyka-Polska, said: “In our R&D centres, we create and improve technologies and products that allow us to dynamically develop electromobility at its best, in all market segments, regardless of the location.”

The new solution will be implemented in Germany and Poland first. By the end of 2023, Ekoenergetyka and its partners will launch a network comprising 22 charging stations. The hubs will be located in the vicinity of motorways and in several urban centres, with the aim to serve, among others, utility vehicles and municipal services.

Ekoenergetyka-Polska has been designing and producing fast charging stations for EVs for 12 years. So far, the company has launched more than 1200 charging stations in 130 cities in 18 countries.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A new tariff from Good Energy, in partnership with Zap-Map, will allow electric vehicle (EV) drivers to charge their plug-in car for free.

Launching in April, the tariff will offer the free electricity when Britain is generating an abundance of solar and wind power.

When this happens, customers will be alerted to a four-hour ‘flash’ window when charging their vehicle will come at no extra cost.

Good Energy’s CEO and founder, Juliet Davenport, said: “Britain generates so much renewable electricity it only makes sense for us all to take advantage of this free resource.

“The new ‘flash’ tariff will offer people the chance to benefit from free, green power when the wind and sun are strongest.

“Electric vehicle drivers are already doing their bit for the climate – here’s a chance for them to go one step further and support a truly clean energy grid.”

The so-called ‘Zap Flash’ tariff aims to provide people with a cheaper and greener way to use electricity. Shifting energy consumption will also help National Grid balance supply and demand during high levels of renewables on the system, it says.

The product was designed with EV mapping service Zap-Map, while the tariff will be enabled by smart metering.

Zap-Map’s co-founder and chief operating officer, Melanie Shufflebotham, said: “The electric vehicle market is changing rapidly, and we need to keep up.

“There will be over 70 pure electric models available to buy in 2021 and the UK now has close to 500,000 plug-in vehicles on the road.

“This innovative tariff is supporting these seismic shifts by offering drivers a cheaper and greener way of charging their vehicle.

“Zap Flash goes above and beyond what’s currently on the market by listening to what people want and helping them go electric.”

Good Energy will be rolling out smart EV chargers and an updated app to work alongside the new product.

It will be initially launched in beta phase, allowing for more sophisticated versions as the company learns from customers.

The ‘flash period’ will vary in day each week, but the times will remain the same in the summer and winter months.

The Summer Flash Period will run from April to September between 11am and 3pm. The Winter Flash Period will run from October to March between 11pm and 3am.

Customers will be given at least 24 hours’ notice in advance of the flash period.

Good Energy recently invested a further £1 million into Zap-Map to support the company’s continued growth in the electric vehicle market.

The flash tariff is an example of the progress Zap-Map has made since Good Energy took an initial stake in the business two years ago, it says.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News