The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

For years I’ve suggested that supermarket car parks are the best place for EV chargers to be installed. Unlike street parking and normal car parks visitors to supermarket car parks are very short term ranginf from just 15 minutes to an hour and a half.

 

From the supermarket’s point of view it generates extra income, keeps shoppers in the shop for longer and at times when the shops would be fairly empty, in the evenings, those wanting to charge their cars would be encouraged to shop outside of peak times, so I’m pleased to see the increase.

 

Here’s the report:

 

The number of electric vehicle (EV) charge points at supermarkets has doubled in the last two years, according to data analysed by Zap-Map and the RAC.

 

Research shows 542 EV charger units were installed by supermarkets from the end of October 2017 to the end of 2019, taking the total on their sites to 1,115 – a growth of 95%.

 

This means 6.5% of all the UK’s public charge points are located at supermarkets, with growth in-line with the overall growth of public charge points.

 

The number of stores offering charging facilities has also doubled with 608 supermarket sites now catering for battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles which equates to 5% of all supermarkets.

 

When looking at each supermarket’s store portfolios, Asda has the greatest proportion of locations where an EV can be charged – 122 of its 633 sites (19%).

 

Morrisons is in second spot with EV charging available at 89 of its 494 stores (18%), while Waitrose comes in third place with 14% – 49 of 349 stores.

 

Tesco currently only has 4% of stores with charging capability but it has highest total number of stores with charging facilities (142 of 3,961 stores).

 

An initiative by Volkswagen, Tesco and Pod Point has seen its free to use EV charging points installed in 100 stores.

 

Launched last year, the partnership aims to install around 2,400 complimentary charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) installed in Tesco store carparks.

 

Currently, 15% of supermarket charge points are capable of rapid charging. Morrisons leads the way with 84 rapid chargers, making for 59% of its total number of chargers. Lidl is second with 63% of its 76 units (48) equipped with rapid charging. Co-op is in third with 18% of 88 chargers (16) capable of delivering its EV-owning customers with a rapid charge.

 

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, said: “It is very encouraging to see supermarkets increasingly embracing electric vehicle charging at their stores with a dramatic shift in the number of chargers being installed over the course of the last two years.

 

“Our research shows that while the majority of charging is done at home, most EV drivers use the public network more than once a month. While a robust rapid infrastructure across the country is essential for longer journeys, having charge points in supermarkets provides EV drivers an excellent way to ‘graze‘ energy while doing an everyday task.

 

“With 89% of EV drivers taking the availability of charge points into account when selecting their parking, providing charging can be a real differentiator locally in the competitive supermarket sector. This seems to be recognised by some supermarkets, notably Tesco and Sainsbury’s, providing EV charging for free.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Whilst the report was aimed at business users it also applies to consumers so worth reading what Brake, the safety body has to say.

 

Failure to comply with basic vehicle standards can result in tragic consequences, according to the latest report released by Brake’s Global Fleet Champions.

 

‘Vehicle maintenance and mechanics’ outlines the consequences of not complying with vehicle standards and explains how to improve maintenance and checking procedures to ensure vehicles remain a valuable resource.

 

The report outlines that regular checking and servicing of safety-critical components such as brakes and tyres can fix small problems early on, removing the need for costly repairs and expensive insurance claims.

 

John Eastman from the Institute of Road Transport Engineers believes that fleet managers should take a systematic approach towards the maintenance of vehicles. He said that preventative maintenance has several benefits, not least the improved safety, reliability and wellbeing of people who drive for work and other road users.

 

The report also features advice from Autoglass, who advises fleet managers on how to effectively maintain advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to ensure the technology works effectively.

 

Jeremy Rochfort, national sales manager for Autoglass said: “The adoption rate of ADAS in fleet vehicles is much higher as fleet cars tend to be newer and come with up-to-date safety features. However, our research shows that keeping up to date with technology ranks low down on fleet decision-maker’s priorities.

 

“That’s why we’re committed to educating the fleet industry on the importance of ADAS calibration and investing in our technical expertise and capabilities to ensure we can match the rising demand for these services.”

 

The report follows the recent release of the road safety report launched by Brake.

 

Global Fleet Champions is a not-for-profit global campaign to prevent crashes and reduce pollution caused by vehicles used for work purposes. ByGraham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Just as I noticed that a lot of our local pot holes had been filled I read, not before time, that the Government has finally taken some action, albeit nothing like enough.

 

The Government has awarded 32 local authorities a share of £93.4 million to repair roads and bridges.

 

A further £900,000 will fund scientists, innovators, academics and tech-focused start-ups to research new ways to future proof the UK’s roads.

 

One of the projects to receive funding for tech projects will see the development of a new AI-powered app to detect potholes in real-time, using mobile phone sensors to measure when cyclists ride over or swerve to avoid them.

 

It is hoped the app will help local authorities to quickly identify when potholes are forming and take quicker action to fill them.

 

Another project known as Shape-Pot will create 3D pothole models to create a fully autonomous repair platform capable of automatic, uniform repairs – accelerating the transport network of the future.

 

Senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool Paolo Paoletti said: “The Shape-Pot project has the potential to change the way roads and their defects are managed, promoting a data-driven approach to management and improving efficiency – making roads safer and more accessible.

 

“Thanks to the T-TRIG funding, the team will create a proof-of-principle autonomous robotic platform to characterise road surface, a first step toward autonomous maintenance of roads.”

 

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) welcomed the investment. Christopher Snelling, head of UK policy at FTA, said: “Businesses within the logistics sector rely on efficient, effective road networks to keep goods moving across the UK, but too often, these operators are forced to travel along damaged, congested roads which increase journey times and can cause costly damage to vehicles.

 

“These businesses are paying the price for an ongoing lack of investment in the road network; the performance of the UK economy has also suffered as a result.”

 

However, he said it was “disappointing” that the funding package fell short of being able to tackle the poor state of roads across the nation.

 

“Taxes on UK road transport are the highest in Europe,” continued Snelling. “HGVs alone pay enough tax to fund more than 90% of the current amount spent on road maintenance in the UK.

 

“More investment is needed urgently and we hope that this is the first step in the creation and completion of a more comprehensive road improvement strategy.” By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News.

An investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model X being driven on autopilot in Mountain View, Calfornia, has found that the driver was distracted using his mobile phone.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting on Tuesday ( February 25) during which it determined the probable cause for the fatal March 23, 2018, crash.

 

Based on the findings of its investigation the NTSB issued a total of nine safety recommendations whose recipients include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, SAE International, Apple and other manufacturers of portable electronic devices.

 

The NTSB also reiterated seven previously issued safety recommendations.

 

The NTSB determined 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.

 

It found that the Tesla vehicle’s ineffective monitoring of driver engagement was determined to have contributed to the crash.

 

Systemic problems with the California Department of Transportation’s repair of traffic safety hardware and the California Highway Patrol’s failure to report damage to a crash attenuator led to the Tesla striking a damaged and non-operational crash attenuator, which the NTSB said contributed to the severity of the driver’s injuries.

 

“This tragic crash clearly demonstrates the limitations of advanced driver assistance systems available to consumers today,” said NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt.

 

“There is not a vehicle currently available to US consumers that is self-driving. Period. Every vehicle sold to US consumers still requires the driver to be actively engaged in the driving task, even when advanced driver assistance systems are activated.

 

“If you are selling a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you’re not selling a self-driving car. If you are driving a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you don’t own a self-driving car.”

 

He continued: “In this crash we saw an overreliance on technology, we saw distraction, we saw a lack of policy prohibiting cell phone use while driving, and we saw infrastructure failures that, when combined, led to this tragic loss.

 

“The lessons learned from this investigation are as much about people as they are about the limitations of emerging technologies.

 

“Crashes like this one, and thousands more that happen every year due to distraction, are why ‘Eliminate Distractions’ remains on the NTSB’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.”

 

The 38-year-old driver of the 2017 Tesla Model X P100D electric vehicle (EV) died from multiple blunt-force injuries after his SUV entered the gore area of the US-101 and State Route 85 exit ramp and struck a damaged and non-operational crash attenuator at a speed of 70.8 mph.

 

The Tesla was then struck by two other vehicles, resulting in the injury of one other person.

 

The Tesla’s high-voltage battery was breached in the collision and a post-crash fire ensued. Witnesses removed the Tesla driver from the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames.

 

The NTSB learned from Tesla’s ‘Carlog’ data (data stored on the non-volatile memory SD card in the media control unit) that during the last 10 seconds prior to impact the Tesla’s autopilot system was activated with the traffic-aware cruise control set at 75 mph.

 

Between six and 10 seconds prior to impact, the SUV was traveling between 64 and 66 mph following another vehicle at a distance of about 83 feet.

 

The Tesla’s lane-keeping assist system (autosteer) initiated a left steering input toward the gore area while the SUV was about 5.9 seconds and about 560 feet from the crash attenuator.

 

No driver-applied steering wheel torque was detected by autosteer at the time of the steering movement and this hands-off steering indication continued up to the point of impact.

 

The Tesla’s cruise control no longer detected a lead vehicle ahead when the SUV was about 3.9 seconds and 375 feet from the attenuator, and the SUV began accelerating from 61.9 mph to the preset cruise speed of 75 mph.

 

The Tesla’s forward collision warning system did not provide an alert and automatic emergency braking did not activate. The SUV driver did not apply the brakes and did not initiate any steering movement to avoid the crash.

 

The driver was an avid gamer and game developer. A review of mobile phone records and data retrieved from his Apple iPhone 8 Plus showed a game application was active and was the frontmost open application on his phone during his trip to work.

 

The driver’s lack of evasive action combined with data indicating his hands were not detected on the steering wheel, is consistent with a person distracted by a portable electronic device.

 

Seven safety issues were identified in the crash investigation:

 

Seven safety issues were identified in the crash investigation:

• Driver Distraction
• Risk Mitigation Pertaining to Monitoring Driver Engagement
• Risk Assessment Pertaining to Operational Design Domain (the operating conditions under which a driving automation system is designed to function)
• Limitations of Collision Avoidance Systems
• Insufficient Federal Oversight of Partial Driving Automation Systems
• Need for Event Data Recording Requirements for Driving Automation Systems
• Highway Infrastructure Issues

To address these safety issues the NTSB made nine safety recommendations that seek:

• Expansion of NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program testing of forward collision avoidance system performance.
• Evaluation of Tesla autopilot- equipped vehicles to determine if the system’s operating limitations, foreseeability of misuse, and ability to operate vehicles outside the intended operational design domain pose an unreasonable risk to safety.
• Collaborative development of standards for driver monitoring systems to minimize driver disengagement, prevent automation complacency and account for foreseeable misuse of the automation.
• Review and revision of distracted driving initiatives to increase employers’ awareness of the need for strong cell phone policies prohibiting portable electronic device use while driving.
• Modification of enforcement strategies for employers who fail to address the hazards of distracted driving.
• Development of a distracted driving lock-out mechanism or application for portable electronic devices that will automatically disable any driver-distracting functions when a vehicle is in motion.
• Development of policy that bans nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving by all employees and contractors driving company vehicles, operating company issued portable electronic devices or when using a portable electronic device to engage in work-related communications.

Lessons learned from the emergency response to the post-crash fire will be incorporated into a separate NTSB report on electric vehicle battery fires. That report is expected to be released in the third quarter of calendar year 2020.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The cost of using a public charge point can vary by as much as nine times depending when and where the vehicle is recharged, research from the RAC Foundation suggests.

 

The analysis, available here, shows overnight charging at home can typically be done for as little as 8p per kWh but can be as high as 69p per kWh at a public rapid charge point.

 

This means that the fuel costs for a 100-mile journey in a 2018 Nissan Leaf could be anywhere between £2.67 and £23.

 

By comparison – based on official fuel consumption figures – the same journey in a 1.5 litre petrol-engine Ford Focus would cost around £12 in fuel, while a similar Ford Focus with a diesel engine might do it using around £10 of fuel.

 

The RAC Foundation research comes as What Car? reveals its own analysis. It found that a driver would pay £45.89 to charge an Audi E-tron from 10% to 80% at an Ionity ultra-rapid charger.

 

However, do the same charge on a domestic charger at an average night-time energy tariff of 7p per kWh and it would cost £4.66.

 

Using the Ionity charging network makes the E-tron even pricier to run than an equivalent diesel Audi Q7, says What Car?

 

The E-tron costs 34p per mile, while a Q7 50 TDI, which averages 27.2mpg, costs 22p per mile.

 

Ionity is one of a small number of extremely fast 350kW charging networks, capable of replenishing an EVs batteries in 30-40 minutes.

 

However, some slower public charging networks are also far pricier than charging at home, says What Car?

 

Getting the same battery boost for an E-tron at both a 50kW Shell Recharge point and a 50kW Ecotricity socket costs £25.94, although Ecotricity rates are cheaper for its home energy customers.

 

What Car? found that car owners who regularly need to use public charging networks could save money by signing up for a scheme with a one-off or a monthly fee because these often have a lower energy usage rate.

 

Sign up for a Source London Full plan and it will cost £4 a month, but just £6.32 every time you charge your car up.

 

Consumers also need to watch out for the hidden costs of using public chargers. Some EV-charger equipped car parks in London charge £9 per hour for parking with no discount for those using the chargers, and What Car?’s research found overstay fees levied by charging networks to discourage that ranged from £10 to £21 per hour.

 

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Consumers are so sensitive to the cost of filling-up that petrol and diesel prices are routinely displayed to the tenth of a penny.

 

“Even at the extremes there is unlikely to be more than a 30-40% price differential between the keenest supermarket and the most expensive motorway service area. Not so with electricity. The cost of recharging your battery-powered car can differ dramatically with prices highly dependent on where and when you plug-in, what speed you recharge at and who is operating the facility and providing the power.

 

“The good news is that overnight charging at domestic rates at home can cost as little as a few pence per kilowatt hour.

 

“However, contrast that with the dizzying news that you could pay as much as ten times that if you decide to ‘fill up’ at certain ultra-rapid chargepoints on the motorway network.

 

“The canny consumer is going to have a good deal more homework to make sure their electric car delivers the scale of savings they’re expecting.”

 

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford added: “Although there are still a lot of slow (3kW) public charging points that are free to use, you’ll have to pay if you want a quick energy fix. And this is where the costs can rack up if you don’t research the various networks in advance.”

 

What Car? examples of public charging costs for an Audi E-tron

 

Network	Cost per kWh	10-80% charge
Ionity (350kW)	£0.69	£45.89
Polar Contactless (150kW)	£0.40	£26.60
Ecotricity (22kW, 43kW, 50kW)	£0.39	£25.94
Shell Recharge (50kW, 150kW)	£0.39	£25.94
Instavolt (50kW to 125kW)	£0.35	£23.28
Polar Instant (150kW)	£0.35	£23.28
Genie Point (43kW, 50kW)	£0.30	£20.95^
Polar Contactless (43kW, 50kW)	£0.30	£19.95
ESV EV Solutions (43kW, 50kW)	£0.29	£19.29
ESV EV Solutions (43kW, 50kW)	£0.25	£16.63<
Polar Instant (43kW, 50kW)	£0.25	£16.63
Pod Point (43kW, 50kW)	£0.23	£15.30
Charge Your Car*** (43kW, 50kW)	25p per min	£13.85*
Ubitricity (5.5kW)	£0.20	£13.45>
Polar Plus (150kW)	£0.20	£13.30**
Ecotricity domestic customers	£0.19	£12.64
Polar Plus (43kW, 50kW)	£0.15	£9.98**
Source London Flexi (22kW)	£0.12	£7.91***
Source London Full (22kW)	£0.10	£6.32

 

^ includes £1.00 fee per charge; < £4.00 monthly fee; *kWh rates vary depending on location; > £9.99 monthly fee, plus £0.15 per charge; ** £7.85 monthly fee; ***£10.00 sign-up fee.

 

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Transport for London (TfL) will be introducing a new 20mph speed limit across 8.9km of the capital’s roads within the Congestion Charging Zone from Monday (March 2).

 

TfL will recalibrate all the speed cameras and a dedicated Metropolitan Police speed enforcement team will target speeding drivers across London from April.

 

Speed is a factor in around 37% of collisions in London where a person dies or is seriously injured, which is why reducing the speed limit is key to the Mayor’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate death and serious injury from London’s transport network, says TfL.

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am absolutely determined to do everything I can to eradicate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads and these new measures are a vital step along the way to helping us to achieve this.

 

“By cutting speed limits on TfL’s roads within the Congestion Zone we are saving lives, while at the same time making our streets more appealing for Londoners to walk and cycle around the capital.”

 

Andy Cox, Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent, added: “Excessive speed unfortunately remains a common cause of serious and fatal collisions across London and the consequences can be devastating for those involved and their families.

 

“Safe speeds are key to achieving the Vision Zero ambition and it’s vital that those driving or riding on our roads respect the law on speed limits. We will actively target speeding and dangerous drivers and ensure they are dealt with robustly.”

 

Figures from 2016, 2017 and 2018 show 131 people were killed in speed-related collisions on London’s streets.

 

A further 2,256 people were reported as seriously injured in collisions where speed was recorded as a contributory factor.

 

Cutting speeds from 30mph to 20mph significantly reduces the likelihood and severity of these collisions, saving lives, says TfL.

 

People walking and cycling are particularly vulnerable to speeding vehicles and nine pedestrians have already tragically died on London’s roads this year.

 

Jeremy Leach, London Campaign coordinator for 20’s Plenty, said: “Getting maximum speeds down to 20mph has a huge impact on making roads feel and be safe for all Londoners and 20’s Plenty is really pleased that reducing speeds is right at the heart of TfL’s plans for safe streets across London. This though is only the first part of a wider programme to tackle the dangers that speeding causes to us all.

 

“We look forward to news of more 20mph limits on TfL’s Red Route roads and more encouragement for the last few London boroughs to go 20, all supported by the huge commitment that the Metropolitan Police are putting into tackling speeding drivers.”

 

The changes mirror the lower speed limits already in place across many borough roads in central London.

 

A new TfL marketing campaign will focus on the changes coming into force on 2 March, highlighting the importance of lower speeds and encouraging road users to comply with the new 20mph speed limits. The campaign is live across radio, print and digital advertising.

 

Over the next five years, TfL will work with boroughs and the public to introduce lower speed limits more widely across the capital.

 

TfL aims to introduce safer speed limits across a further 140km of its road network, focusing on high-risk sections of road, town centres where people walk and cycle, and streets neighbouring ambitious local speed reduction programmes led by London boroughs.

 

Achieving lower speeds in London is vital for achieving TfL’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from the transport network by 2041.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Range Rover Sport was the number one choice for thieves in 2019, jumping from eighth place in the Tracker Most Stolen and Recovered League Table in 2018.

 

It replaces the BMW X5 which topped the chart in 2018 and now sits at number two. This in turn, has pushed the 2018 number two, the Mercedes-Benz C Class, to third place in 2019.

 

Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominate the Tracker league table in 2019.

 

Furthermore, analysis of theft data recorded by Tracker reveals that 92% of the cars it recovered last year were taken without using the keys. This is an increase from 2018’s figure which stood at 88% and a worrying increase of 26% compared with four years ago. The figure in 2016 stood at 66%.

 

“Our data has revealed that keyless car theft continues to rise, with nine out of 10 of the stolen cars we recovered in 2019 taken this way,” explained Clive Wain, head of police liaison for Tracker.

 

“Thieves exploit keyless technology by using sophisticated equipment, which can hijack the car key’s signal from inside an owner’s home and remotely fool the system into unlocking the doors and start the engine. This is commonly known as a relay attack.”

 

To help prevent car owners falling victim to keyless car theft, traditional visual deterrents, such as crook locks and wheel clamps can help deter thieves and are a good investment to make, according to Wain.

 

However, he said: “In the event of a car being stolen, vehicle tracking technology will not only help police close the net on thieves but see a stolen vehicle returned to its rightful owner.”

 

Premium vehicles are frequently stolen to order by organised criminal groups. The cars are often shipped abroad, predominantly to Eastern Europe and North Africa.

 

The most expensive vehicle recovered by Tracker in 2019 was a Range Rover SV Autobiography, valued at £150,000. However, cars at the lower end of the market are still a target, with a VW Polo valued at £575 being the least expensive car recovered.

 

“Thanks to our long-standing working relationship with all UK police forces, 54 suspected thieves were arrested in connection with the vehicles we recovered last year,” continued Wain. “In addition to the vehicles recovered by Tracker, 67 other non-Tracker fitted stolen vehicles were also found as a result.”

 

 

Top Models Stolen & Recovered in 2019

 

1. Range Rover Sport

 

2. BMW X5

 

3. Mercedes-Benz C Class

 

4. Range Rover Vogue

 

5. Land Rover Discovery

 

6. BMW X6

 

7. Range Rover Evoque

 

8. BMW 3 Series

 

9. Range Rover Autobiography

 

10. Mercedes E Class

 

 

Top Models Stolen & Recovered in 2019

 

1. BMW X5

 

2. Mercedes-Benz C Class

 

3. BMW 3 Series

 

4. Mercedes E Class

 

5. BMW 5 Series

 

6. Range Rover Vogue

 

7. Land Rover Discovery

 

8. Range Rover Sport

 

9. Mercedes S Class

 

10. Mercedes GLE

 

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

I mentioned last week that as of the 1^st April 2020 the new WLTP emissions ratings come into force. This will affect drivers’ benefit in kind tax if you drive a company car but it could also affect the 1^st year road fund licence costs which could also increase the rental costs as this is part of the ‘on the road’ cost of the car. So if you’ve been quoted on a car that will be delivered after 1^st April you could be paying a little more per month.

 

Some company cars could disappear from choice lists as new emissions test results put them beyond CO2 thresholds used by fleets.

 

Data published by manufacturers show some vehicles that were below 130g/km or 110g/km, using the NEDC-correlated CO2 figure, now fall outside those key benchmarks, thanks to the tougher testing regime.

 

The new CO2 values, derived from the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), will be used for tax purposes for all new cars registered from April.

 

However, as manufacturers begin to publish the data, fleets are finding that the new test has seen CO2 values for some cars increase.

 

For example, the BMW 520d M Sport originally had a NEDC-correlated CO2 figure of 108g/km, but under WLTP it has risen to 131g/km.

 

It’s a similar story for the Volvo XC40 D3 R Design, which will increase from 127g/km to 144g/km, and the Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI SE L, which will rise from 122g/km to 156g/km.

 

“We’re seeing a lot of vehicles breaching the 110g/km and even the 130g/km cap,” said David Bushnell, principal consultant at Alphabet GB.

 

It means some familiar models on today’s choice lists will have to be replaced by more tax-efficient, hybrid or fully electric versions.

 

Bushnell says the impact of WLTP on fleets will be comparable to the “re-set” of company car policies in 2002, when taxation moved from mileage to CO2.

 

Emissions caps for vehicles used by some fleets have followed the downward trajectory of the threshold for capital allowances and lease rental restrictions.

 

The main threshold for capital allowances and lease rental restrictions was reduced from 130g/km to 110g/km in 2018, after originally being cut from 160g/km in 2013.

 

Under capital allowance rules, cars bought by companies that emit up to 50g/km are eligible for 100% write-down in the first year; for those emitting 51-110g/km, it’s 18% a year; and for more than 110g/km it is 6% a year.

 

Under the lease rental restriction, new cars with emissions of 110g/km or less are eligible for 100% of their lease payments to be offset against corporation tax. For those with emissions of 111g/km or more, only 85% is claimable.

 

The Government refused to consider the impact of WLTP on capital allowances and the lease rental restriction when last year it launched a consultation on what it should do to mitigate its effect on company car tax and vehicle excise duty (VED).

 

Bushnell called for their inclusion at the time but says Treasury “weren’t prepared to talk about the (110g/km) derogation and now we’re seeing a lot of vehicles impacted”.

 

Fleets have used the CO2 thresholds to benchmark their emissions cap to ensure they are as tax efficient as possible.

 

Nick Hardy, sales and marketing director at Ogilvie Fleet, says 130g/km became the norm for many companies, with an increasing number choosing the lower 110g/km cap.

 

Faced with some cars potentially falling outside company car policies, because of an increase in CO2, he urged fleets not to be tempted to increase their cap to simply maintain vehicle choice.

 

He explained: “It’s not the right thing to do; it completely defeats what we’re all trying to achieve.”

 

However, in the short term, while WLTP CO2 data is still missing on many models (see page 4), Bushnell thinks fleets could consider a temporary removal of CO2 caps.

 

He said: “It’s not exactly palatable, but the issue is we could be delivering a car that we perceive is below the cap, but then by the time it’s configured and registered, it’s actually over the cap.”

 

Not only are large swathes of CO2 data missing for base models, but the impact of vehicle options on the final figure is also an issue for fleets.

 

Bushnell urged fleet operators to allow wholelife costs to guide vehicle choice.

 

Wholelife costs take account of several factors, including fuel, employer Class 1A National Insurance Contributions, service, maintenance and repair, and insurance, as well as any cash allowances paid to employees.

 

Bushnell said: “You’ve got to be looking at your choice list on a wholelife cost basis, but there are still a lot of businesses that don’t.”

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has previously reported that just 32% of employers offering company cars use wholelife costs to determine the vehicles available.

Efforts to clean up the air in London appear to be paying off according to the latest figures revealed by the Mayor of London.

 

Data from air quality monitoring sensors around the Capital show a 97% reduction in the number of hours that air quality exceeded legal limits.

 

In 2019, London’s air quality exceeded the hourly legal limit for around 100 hours. This compares favourably to the 4000 hours recorded in 2016.

 

However, there are still many locations where pollution levels remain high – including for particulate matter – for example at the monitoring site in Vauxhall, which preliminary research indicates may be being impacted by a nearby ventilation shaft from the Tube.

 

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Toxic air is a national health crisis contributing to thousands of premature deaths ever year. I have taken bold action in London with measures such as the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone and Low Emission Bus Zones, and it’s undeniable that these are making a difference to the air we breathe.

 

“We’re doing all we can in the capital, with proven results, so there are no excuses left for the Government’s failure to match our levels of ambition.”

 

Between 2004 to 2017, London breached the permitted number of exceedances for NO2 within the first week of the year. In 2019, only one site breached and it did not occur until July.

 

There have also been significant reductions in Londoner’s long-term exposure to air pollution, with every monitoring site in the capital recording a reduction in annual average NO2 levels. Londonwide, there has been an average reduction of 21% between 2016 and 2019.

 

Significant NO2 reductions have occurred where the Mayor has introduced Low Emission Bus Zones – areas where only buses that meet the cleanest emission standards can operate.

 

At Putney High Street in Wandsworth, NO2 levels have stayed within legal limits so far this year, compared to 1,279 hours of illegal levels in 2016.

 

At Brixton Road in Lambeth NO2 levels remained within legal limits for the entirety of 2019 and so far this year, compared to 530 hours above the legal limit in 2016. In 2017, this site saw London’s first breach of annual pollution limits just five days into the new year, and in 2018 it occurred within a month.

 

On Oxford Street in Westminster, NO2 exceeded legal limits for 168 hours in 2016. In 2019 monitors did not record a single hour above legal limits. However, there is also an annual average legal limit which Oxford Street did not meet, which is why further action is needed. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News.

I’ve said it many times that it is my belief that the panic over electric vehicle charging infrastructure is unfounded. We can already super fast charge an electric car up to 80% capacity in about the same time that it takes to fill up a petrol or diesel car and pay for it.

 

At the same time the new purpose built electric cars are increasing their ranges dramatically so within a short period of time we will no longer need charging ponts attached to lamp posts and trees.

 

On to the report.

 

A European battery research project aims to develop the next generation of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

 

The Coventry University’s Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) is involved in the Sense project, which includes five research institutes and six industrial companies from seven European countries working together over the next four years.

 

Swedish company Northvolt, which intends to set up two large-scale production facilities (gigafactories) for vehicle batteries in Europe in the next few years, is also a partner on the project.

 

The research project is coordinated by Empa researcher Corsin Battaglia and his team. Coventry University’s work on the project is led by Tazdin Amietszajew, assistant professor in battery diagnostics at C-ALPS. The EU is funding Sense with 10 million euros (£8.3m).

 

The demand for batteries for electric cars will increase dramatically in the next few years. At present, more than 90% of these batteries come from Asia.

 

In response, the EU Commission set up the European Battery Alliance in 2017 to build up competences and production capacities for this key technology in Europe.

 

Experts estimate that the European demand for lithium-ion batteries alone will require 10 to 20 so-called ‘gigafactories’ – large-scale production facilities for batteries.

 

The research in the Sense project is part of this European Battery Alliance initiative and is supported by the EU research funding programme Horizon 2020.

 

The 11 research partners of Sense – five research institutes and six industrial companies – are conducting research on next-generation lithium-ion batteries – the so-called ‘Generation 3b’.

 

In contrast to current traction batteries, this next generation will have higher energy density and improved cell chemistry and battery management system: instead of pure graphite anodes, the aim is to use silicon-graphite composites.

 

The content of critical cobalt in the cathode will be further reduced. New additives in the electrolyte and interphase design approaches will slow down battery aging and extend cycle life.

 

New sensors will also contribute to a longer service life and improve fast charging capability by supplying data from inside the battery cells to the battery management system. This data should allow a much more refined temperature management compared to today’s lithium-ion cells.

 

The sustainability of Generation 3b cells is also expected to exceed that of the current generation.

 

The cathode will be manufactured without the use of flammable and toxic solvents, which will greatly simplify the series production of the cells and reduce their cost, it says.

 

All aspects of Sense re-search are geared towards producing the next generation of cells in European gigafactories.

 

To be competitive in the future, cost-effective and raw material-saving production methods are therefore crucial.

 

The Sense project also considers the second life use of decommissioned vehicle batteries as stationary storage units and, finally, the recycling of the batteries.

 

The research partners of Empa, which is leading the project, are the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Coventry University, the Austrian Institute of Technology, and the companies Solvionic, FPT Motorenforschung, Lithops, Northvolt, Enwires and Huntsman Advanced Materials.

 

The Swedish company Northvolt plays a decisive role in the research project. The company was co-founded in 2016 by two former Tesla employees, who were involved in the construction of the Tesla gigafactory in Nevada (USA).

 

Northvolt is currently planning the first European gigafactory with a production capacity of 32 GWh per year to be built in Sweden.

 

A further gigafactory with an annual production of 16 GWh is to be built as a joint venture with Volkswagen in Salzgitter (Germany). For comparison, the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada currently produces around 30 GWh of batteries per year, according to management.

 

Experts from Northvolt will advise the Sense researchers through regular briefings.

 

By the end of the project, a series of battery cell prototypes will have been developed.

 

A demonstrator with 1 kWh storage capacity will demonstrate the capabilities of the battery cell Generation 3b.

 

At the end of the project, the production technology developed will find its way into industry in the form of patents.

 

The four-year Sense research project ends in spring 2024.

 

Corsin Battaglia’s team at Empa is involved in another European research project called Solidify. It looks even further into the future and is developing future-generation batteries – so-called solid-state lithium-metal batteries.

 

In contrast to today’s lithium-ion batteries and those of Generation 3b, these solid-state batteries will no longer contain any liquid, flammable components.

 

They are therefore safer and more tolerant to elevated temperatures, can deliver higher power, and can be charged and discharged faster, it says.

 

According to experts, these batteries – called Generation 4b – could be ready for the market in about 10 years.

 

At half the weight and half the size, they should deliver the same storage capacity as today’s lithium-ion batteries. Production costs are also expected to be cut in half.

 

New electrode architectures are necessary, as are cost-effective innovative production methods for the cathode of these batteries, it says. The anode will consist of metallic lithium.

 

The Solidify research project started on January 1 and will also run for four years. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News