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Toyota is developing new battery technology that will give future electric vehicles (EVs) a range of up to 932 miles (1,500km).

Unveiling its future EV plans, the manufacturer says that it will introduce a step-change in battery performance over the next five years. 

From 2026, it will introduce new battery technology offering a range of 1,000km (621 miles), by increasing the energy density of the battery, weight reduction and improving vehicle aerodynamics.

At the same time, it aims to cut costs by 20% compared to the current bZ4X and achieving a quick charge time of 20 minutes or less from 10-80% power.

Toyota is also developing low-cost batteries that it says will contribute to the spread and expansion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

The bipolar structure battery, which has been used in the Aqua and Crown hybrid vehicles, is now being applied to BEVs.

The battery uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and is expected to be available from 2026-2027.

The low-cost battery will offer a 20% increase on range compared to the current bZ4X (up to around 375 miles), but come with a 40% reduction in cost, and recharging in 30 minutes or less (10-80% charge).

However, it is the development of all-solid-state batteries which could deliver a step-change in how far the manufacturer’s car will trave on a single charge in the future.

Having discovered a technological breakthrough that overcomes the longstanding challenge of battery durability, the company says it is reviewing its introduction to conventional hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and accelerating development as a battery for BEVs.

It is currently developing a method for mass production, striving for commercialisation in 2027-2028.

The technology, it says, will deliver a 20% improvement in range compared to the 1,000km range promised from 2026, with an even quicker charge time of 10 minutes or less (10-80% charge). That would give Toyota a BEV range of up to 1,200km (745 miles).

A higher-level specification battery being developed at the same time, however, is aiming for a 50% uplift, delivering a range of up to 1,500km (932 miles).

“What we want to achieve is to change the future with BEVs,” Takero Kato, president of new Toyota EV unit BEV Factory, said in a video posted on the manufacturer’s YouTube channel today (Tuesday, June 13).

“We will launch the next-generation battery EVs globally and as a full line-up on the market from 2026,” Kato said.

Today’s announcement comes after Toyota revealed in April that it was continuing its investment in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology, with the aim to launch models that cover more than 120 miles on a single charge.

At the time, the carmaker said it planned to position its future PHEV models as the “practical BEV”, sitting alongside a strengthened line-up of electric and hybrid cars.

In April, the automaker sold 8,584 EVs worldwide, including under its Lexus brand, accounting for more than 1% of its global sales in a single month for the first time. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A UK-based battery company has developed an electric vehicle (EV) capable of being charged in under 6 mins with existing charging infrastructure.

Nyobolt has taken a systems level approach to develop batteries capable of charging in minutes by pioneering new materials, cell designs, efficient software control and power electronics.

Its vision is to match today’s convenience of refuelling at the pumps, but it says that has been impossible to achieve in today’s EVs, because batteries are big, heavy and costly, with vehicles often weighing over two tonnes.

The requirement for heavy EV battery packs places a huge strain on the supply of battery raw materials.

The Nyobolt EV weighs closer to one tonne than two, uses a 35kWh battery and is capable of fully charging with up to 250km range in under 6 mins with existing charging infrastructure, without sacrificing battery life.

Nyobolt has tested its batteries for more than 2,000 fast charge cycles without significant performance loss.

Sai Shivareddy, CEO at Nyobolt, said: “Unlocking the challenges faced by electric vehicle designers has been key to the development of our breakthrough fast-charging batteries.

“Previously, enabling a light weight fast-charging vehicle was not possible without compromising its lifetime and so people have been relying on costly and large battery packs in the vehicle.

“With our unique technology we have achieved a six-minute charge car and developed smaller battery packs that can deliver more power and charge in less time.

“Our partnership with Callum shows how adoption of system-level technology innovations can transform the future of electric vehicles and increase accessibility of EVs, including to the 40% of UK households who can’t charge their vehicle at home overnight.”

Nyobolt decided to work with designer Julian Thomson, who was inspired by his design of the Lotus Elise.

Thomson invited design and engineering business Callum to collaborate in the development of the vehicle.

The resulting EV, says Nyobolt, showcases how its battery technology can be readily adopted across the automotive industry.   

With Callum and Nyobolt working hand-in-hand, a system-level approach has addressed each element from materials, to cell, to pack, to drivetrain, to whole vehicle, it said.

David Fairbairn, managing director at Callum, added: “Nyobolt’s pioneering battery technology has provided us with a unique and inspiring opportunity to support in the design and execution of a vehicle set to mark the way forward for EV technology.

“The collaborative creativity, engineering capabilities and steadfast efforts of Nyobolt, Julian Thomson and Callum have resulted in an EV that is not only exciting technically for the industry, but something that is beautiful to behold, too.”

Nyobolt says its ready-to-deploy technology will go into production in early 2024. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers will have to report the product’s entire carbon footprint, from mining to production to recycling, as early as July 2024.

The data will then be used to set a maximum CO2 limit for batteries to apply from the end of 2027.

The new law, passed by the European Parliament, will only apply to EV battery makers selling to member states, not in the UK. It is unclear whether the UK Government will take a similar approach.

Alex Keynes, clean vehicles manager at green group Transport & Environment (T&E), said: “Batteries are already far more sustainable than burning oil in our cars, but they will soon have to be even better.

“New rules on carbon footprint, recycling and due diligence checks, provided they are properly implemented, will mean batteries sold in Europe will set the standard for the rest of the world.

“The next step is to put in place measures to bring to market smaller and affordable electric vehicles that use even less materials.”

Companies selling batteries in the EU will also have to comply with rules designed to prevent environmental, human rights and labour abuses in their supply chains.

The law will require battery-makers to identify, prevent and address a wide range of issues, spanning water pollution to community rights.

New EU recycling targets mean that from 2027, battery-makers will need to recover 90% of nickel and cobalt used, rising to 95% in 2031.

They would also need to recover 50% of lithium used in 2027, rising to 80% in 2031.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Transport for London (TfL) collected £73.3 million in fines from drivers using London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), last year.

Drivers who fail to pay the £12.50 charge receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) of £180, although this figure is reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight.

The figures, obtained through a freedom of information request, show that the ULEZ generated more than £224m in 2022 – an average of £18.7m per month – with £151.3m coming through daily charges. 

The ULEZ was introduced in April 2019 to cover central London before being expanded to the North/South Circular boundaries in October 2021.

It will be expanded across the whole of the capital from August 29.

Earlier this year, TfL estimated that the expansion of London’s ULEZ would be worth up to £300m in its first year. However, it said that income from the pollution-cutting scheme is expected to be “negligible” by 2027.

TfL’s group finance director, Patrick Doig, told the London Assembly, its “central estimate” is for the ULEZ to generate an additional £200m in the 12 months after it is expanded to the Greater London boundary, from August 29 this year, with a “50% plus or minus” range from £100m to £300m.

TfL says that 95% of vehicles in the zone are expected to be compliant when the expanded ULEZ goes live, avoiding the £12.50-a-day charge, and compliance rates will increase incrementally each year thereafter.

To help fleets comply, a £110 million scrappage scheme has been opened up to more firms ahead of the ULEZ expansion.

From the end of July, businesses registered in London with fewer than 50 employees will be able to apply.

Currently, charities, sole traders and businesses with 10 or fewer employees registered in London can apply to scrap a van (£5,000 grant) or a minibus (£7,000 grant), retrofit certain vans or minibuses (£5,000 grant) or scrap and replace a van or minibus with a fully electric vehicle (EV) (£7,500 or £9,500 grant respectively).

As well as allowing bigger operators to apply, charities operating in London will also be able to scrap or retrofit up to three vans or minibuses instead of just one.

Furthermore, there will be a new grace period for sole traders, microbusinesses, small businesses, and registered charities who have ordered brand-new compliant vehicles, or if they have booked an approved retrofit appointment for a non-compliant light van or minibus.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The price of diesel has fallen after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressed concern of weakening competition in the retail fuel market, new RAC analysis shows.

It suggests that over the two weeks since May 15, when the CMA issued its road fuel market study update saying average supermarket margins in 2022 had increased compared to 2019, the average price of a litre of diesel at supermarkets fell by 7.44p, from 151.02p to 143.58p.

The gap between the average prices of a litre of petrol and diesel at supermarkets was 9p on May 15, but by Monday (May 29) this had shrunk to 2.5p.

The RAC believes, however, that supermarket diesel prices should still be around 6p a litre lower than they are today (137p) if a fair price was being charged.

By comparison, the UK-wide average price of diesel is currently 147.44p per litre with unleaded at 143.14p – a gap of more than 4p.

Throughout April, however, the gap at the pumps averaged 14p a litre despite wholesale diesel being 4p cheaper than petrol.

The average price of a litre of unleaded at a supermarket is currently 140.64p while diesel is 2.5p more expensive at 143.14p.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Since the Competition and Markets Authority’s made its announcement about supermarkets increasing their margins compared to three years ago and said they will be formally interviewing bosses, it appears the rate at which the price of diesel has fallen has sped up.

“Significant cuts to the price of supermarket diesel were long overdue as its wholesale price has been below petrol’s since the end of March. As a result average retailer margin on diesel had reached 22p a litre – more than three times the long-term average of 7p.

“Even today, with 27p having come off the average price of supermarket diesel since the start of the year, diesel drivers are continuing to get a poor deal.

“For two straight months it has cost retailers less to buy diesel on the wholesale market than it has petrol, yet they continue to charge more for diesel at the pumps.”

While wholesale price changes take some time to filter through to smaller forecourts which only buy new stock every few weeks, Williams says he cannot see any reason why the supermarkets still have not cut their prices to fairer levels as they buy much more frequently.

“We look forward to the results of the CMA’s review within the next four weeks and hope it heralds an end to poor value at the pumps,” he added.

“We also hope it means the biggest retailers start charging fair prices at all of their sites across the country, and not just at those where they’re competing directly with other forecourts locally.

“It can’t be right that the same brand can sell fuel for so much more in one part of the country than another – this sort of postcode lottery is wholly unfair to drivers and completely unjustifiable.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Fetch, a new on-demand car-hailing service using remote-controlled driverless vehicles, has been launched by Imperium Drive.

The service, which has undergone 18 months of testing, is first launching in Milton Keynes before being rolled out across the country.

It will be able to connect with other urban areas and key transport interchanges, such as airports.

Customers can hire a car through the Fetch app, stating when they need it and for how long.

An electric vehicle (EV), which is remotely controlled by an operator, is then delivered to them. The customer then drives the car themselves to their destination and when the rental period is up, the remote vehicle operator takes over and pilots the car back to base or to the next user.

Koosha Kaveh, the chief executive of Imperium Drive, said: “It’s driverless but not autonomous – yet.

“There’s still a human involved, but they’re sitting in a control centre piloting the vehicle in the same way you would a drone.

“When fully autonomous, we think this system has the potential to replace private car ownership in the UK. Why pay all the costs of having a car on your drive when you can just pay for one to arrive when you need it.

“For short trips, the service offers the same convenience as a ride-hailing or taxi service, but with the ability to cover greater distances at less than half the cost of services like Uber or Bolt.”

There are currently four cars in the Imperium Drive fleet, operating within a four-mile radius of the Milton Keynes city centre hub.

Further regional hubs are planned to enable intercity travel and airport transfers.

To ensure the safety of occupants and other road users, the cars have multiple cameras attached to them, giving the operator a 360-degree view, and the operating system uses computer image algorithms to detect anything near the car.

RAC road safety spokesperson Simon Williams said: “While this scheme has been tested very successfully over an 18-month period, we worry that the experience of remotely driving a vehicle distances the driver from the potential road safety consequences in a video game-like manner.

“Although the remote driver has a reasonable view in front and around them by not being present in the vehicle they are – like it or not – somewhat disconnected from the reality of actually being behind the wheel.

“There’s also a risk they could be distracted by something in the room where they are located. We also fear there could be serious consequences when this scheme is rolled out more widely and if the delivery distances were to be lengthened to take in faster roads.”

Imperium Drive’s leadership team has a combined 45 years of experience in telecoms, robotics, autonomous vehicles and advanced mobility, with more than 60 patents and over 500 scientific citations.

To watch the demonstration on YouTube click HERE

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Smart off-peak energy tariffs have the potential to save electric vehicle (EV) drivers hundreds of pounds, new analysis of more than 100,000 drivers suggests.

The research, conducted by EV charging app Bonnet, concludes that EV drivers can save up to £260 each year by using public chargers overnight.

Looking at where and how EV drivers refuel their electric cars, it found those taking advantage of smart off-peak energy tariffs have already saved hundreds of pounds this year.

Off-peak tariffs are currently offered in the UK by several major charging networks, such as GeniePoint and Chargy, and are especially helpful for the estimated third of drivers who are unable to install a charger at home.

The smart tariffs allow drivers to take advantage of cheaper rates overnight – though the exact hours and days vary by network.

Patrick Reich, CEO and co-founder of Bonnet, said: “This data will be welcome news for those looking to go electric but worried about not having access to a home charger.

“With the rollout of these innovative smart tariffs at public chargers, drivers are able to save hundreds of pounds annually – even with historically high electricity costs.”

Bonnet analysed recharging sessions undertaken through its app to create an average cost of those using peak tariffs, off-peak tariffs, and those combining off-peak with Bonnet’s Boost subscription – which further discounts driver costs by up to 15%.

EV drivers who used both off-peak tariffs and Bonnet’s Boost spent an average of £11.13 for a full charge – meanwhile those who did not take advantage of off-peak rates, and weren’t boost subscribers, spent a £16.19 on average for a full charge – an increase of almost 50% (46.5%).

Assuming normal use, over the course of a year, Bonnet’s data shows that EV drivers who take advantage of Bonnet’s Boost packages and off-peak tariffs can save £260 annually.

Reich said: “To make it easier for people to understand which chargers offer these tariffs, at Bonnet we’ve recently updated our app so drivers can easily find chargers with cheaper overnight rates.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to switch to electric vehicles and help protect our planet, and so will continue to ensure EV drivers have all the information they need to reduce their costs.”

Total off-peak savings analysis based on analysis of driver charging habits

Source: Bonnett – data analysed by Bonnet during May 2023 of more than 100,000 drivers.

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Contract Hire or leasing as it’s generally known relies on two things for the really cheap rates. Firstly the fleet discounts that can be passed on to consumers through the rates and secondly a buoyant used vehicle market, The higher the resale value the lower the rate. So drops in the used car market are not good news.

An imbalance between supply and demand in the used electric vehicle (EV) market could push prices down by up to a further 10%.

That’s according to Dean Bowkett of Bowkett Consulting, who says that consumer interest in EVs remains minimal against a backdrop of rising supply.

Used EVs have now fallen by 21.2% over the first four months of 2023 (from January 1 to May 1), according to analysis by Indicata.

In fact, according to recent analysis by the AA, some used EVs, with less than 10,000 miles on the clock, can now be bought for half the price of a new electric car.

Bowkett told the latest Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) member meeting: “We could soon be in a situation where for mainstream cars that are available with both petrol and electric drivetrains, the latter is marginally cheaper.”

Rupert Pontin, vice chair at the VRA, says that the future of EVs in the used car market is very much a live debate within its organisation.

“Indeed, there are those who believe that supply and demand are now balanced and can point to rising values for some models that appear to be underpriced,” he said.

“However, others believe that further falls in value will happen, and given the swingeing reductions seen over the last year, there is an extreme degree of caution in the market.”

He added: “Fighting the forces of supply and demand is tremendously difficult, and vehicle values are very much a dynamic outcome of those factors.”

The meeting also heard from Alastair Cassels of MHA on the three key issues facing motor manufacturers during the immediate future – the forthcoming zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, distribution costs and competition from new entrants.

He says that the ZEV mandate could have huge implications for manufacturers selling cars in the UK, including some of the biggest mainstream names.

“It is possible that for those who don’t meet the mandate’s targets, fines of £15,000 per vehicle could be imposed, which is a dramatic figure,” explained Cassels.

“Carmakers who don’t have sufficient EV representation in their ranges will be in very difficult positions and may have to do everything from buy credits from other manufacturers to strangling supply of petrol and diesel vehicles to balance their sales.”

The VRA meeting was held at the premises of VRA members City Auction Group in Peterborough, and also featured Rob Severs of iVendi looking at the impact of the new Consumer Duty regulations on motor finance, while there was a panel discussion looking at data issues currently affecting the remarketing sector featuring Jonathan Hartley, sales and marketing director, Jepson; Jeremy Raggett, account director, Autotek21 and Mark Rose, managing director, Tracker.

Pontin concluded: “Our members are living through a time when our sector is perhaps seeing more change than at any point during their working lives and the VRA is playing a crucial role in helping businesses keep abreast of the latest developments, something that can be seen in our growing membership base.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A potentially massive data leak is being looked into by the authorities after it was alleged Tesla failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees and business partners.

The data protection watchdog for the Netherlands said on Friday (May 26) it was aware of possible Tesla data protection breaches, but it was too early for further comment.

Germany newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday (May 25) that Tesla had allegedly failed to protect data, citing 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked by a whistleblower.

“We are aware of the Handelsblatt story and we are looking into it,” a spokesperson for the AP data watchdog in the Netherlands, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located, told Reuters.

They declined all comment on whether the agency might launch or have launched an investigation, citing policy. The Dutch agency was informed by its counterpart in the German state of Brandenberg.

Handelsblatt said Tesla notified the Dutch authorities about the breach, but the AP spokesperson said they were not aware if the company had made any representations to the agency.

Tesla was not immediately available for comment on Friday on the Handelsblatt report, which said customer data could be found “in abundance” in a data set labelled “Tesla Files”.

The data protection office in Brandenburg, which is home to Tesla’s European gigafactory, described the data leak as “massive”.

“I can’t remember such a scale,” Brandenburg data protection officer Dagmar Hartge said, adding that the case had been handed to the Dutch authorities who would be responsible if the allegations led to an enforcement action.

The Dutch authorities has several weeks to decide whether to deal with the case as part of a European procedure, she added.

The files include tables containing more than 100,000 names of former and current employees, including the social security number of Tesla CEO Musk, along with private email addresses, phone numbers, salaries of employees, bank details of customers and secret details from production, Handelsblatt reported.

Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said: “Autonomous intelligence technology is the most advanced type of AI, as it removes the need for human intervention.

“While we may still be a long way off a driver being able to take their eyes off the road, we are still putting faith in something which we don’t yet fully understand.

“This new technology is being designed with the driver in mind, but it is crucial that cybersecurity is not forgotten, as there may be dangers hiding beyond the control panel.

“It would take hackers a lot of work to bypass the built-in security features of these cars, but they could still find a way.

“Ransomware, wireless carjacking, key fob cloning and cyber-attacks on connected devices in the hardware and software of the car are all potential security concerns that could arise.

“This is an exciting time for car makers and the potential positives of self-driving cars outweigh the negatives. However, without a strong cybersecurity focus to future-proof these desirable vehicles, there is a risk criminals could already be preparing to manipulate this technology — so they can make a quick getaway without a hand on the steering wheel.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The cost of charging an electric vehicle (EV) at home has levelled out, but public charging continues to increase, according to new research published by Mina.

Analysis of data, based on more than 50,000 real-life charging events, reveals that the price of home-charging stayed level last month (April), at 32p per kWh, on average.

The cost of charging an EV on the public network, meanwhile, rose to 76p/kWh.

Mina CEO Ashley Tate said: “Our data is unique in that it records an actual electric vehicle user’s cost and consumption, at home and in public, and so every month we can build a far more accurate picture of what’s really going on than just extrapolating from energy and charge point providers’ headline figures as others may have to.”

He explained that its analysis showed that the “shocking leaps” in energy prices of last year are not happening anymore.

However, he said: “We’re still seeing public charging costs have been rising bit-by-bit every month, even into spring.

“At home it’s a different story. Costs have levelled out and the question now, especially with the announcement of the new price cap from July, is whether there will be a fall in home charging tariffs as energy prices drop this summer, or whether it may take a while for the wholesale prices to feed through to EV users.”

Ofgem announced recently that the standard variable tariff for domestic electricity rates will be lowered to 30p/kWh from July 1.

The reduction is down from the current 34p/kWh which has been in place since October 1, 2022.

Mina’s monthly report comes after analysis by the AA showed that the price of slow charging an electric vehicle (EV) on the public network increased by 5p/kWh in April, compared to March, while the fast-charging rate rose by 1p/kWh.

The figures, from the April 2023 AA EV Recharge Report, show an increase in slow charging costs by one supplier of EV charging at supermarkets pushed up the average price by 5p/kWh. However, it remains half the average cost of ultra-rapid charging when priced at a flat rate (as opposed to peak/off-peak pricing schemes).  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News