UK

The UK government is considering relaxing its landmark electric vehicle rules, even in the face of inflated oil prices, a recordbreaking year for temperatures and wildfires, and EV sales that are already rising fast enough to meet the government’s current target.

Update 8/14: The government officially launched its consultation on EV rules today, even as PM Burnham was in West Midlands surveying wildfire damage exacerbated by climate change caused by gas-powered vehicles.

Octopus Energy and CATL are bringing a battery-swapping model already used at scale in China to Europe’s growing electric truck market.

London-listed Invinity Energy Systems has delivered 20.7 megawatt-hours of vanadium flow batteries to the Copwood VFB Energy Hub in East Sussex. Once the project enters service later in 2026, Invinity says it will be Europe’s largest vanadium flow battery installation.

Duracell is getting into EV charging in the UK, and it’s partnering with EV charging software company Driivz to help run the network.

It’s long been cheaper to own an electric car, due to lower fueling costs. But the upfront cost is now lower, according to UK’s largest auto-buying website Autotrader, and reported by The Guardian. And a large part of it is because of the availability of low-cost Chinese EVs, which are unavailable or subject to tariffs in many other countries.

The UK just approved what will become its largest solar farm yet – and it’s a clear signal of where its energy strategy is headed.

UK households are racing to ditch fossil fuels amid energy price spikes driven by the US and Israel’s war with Iran, with new data showing a sharp surge in demand for solar, heat pumps, and EV chargers.

Octopus Energy Generation is investing almost $1 billion in California clean tech projects, the latest move by the UK‑based renewable investor as it scales up its presence in the US market.

The London Borough of Harrow is installing 500 new curbside EV chargers across the borough, targeting residents who don’t have access to off-street parking. The chargers are being deployed in partnership with UK charging provider char.gy and will primarily be mounted on existing lamp posts along residential streets.

Nine countries, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands, will pledge to jointly develop 100 GW of offshore wind in the North Sea and step up protection for critical infrastructure, Bloomberg reports.

The UK just pulled off one of its most consequential offshore wind auctions yet – delivering massive volumes of new capacity at prices that undercut gas.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for a third of new car sales in December in the UK, right on target to meet or exceed the government’s 33% target for EV adoption in 2026, showing how policy can lead to goals getting met even when industry complains they are impossible.

Britain’s wind turbines set a new wind generation record, generating an impressive 22.7 gigawatts (GW) at 7:30 pm on November 11. That was enough electricity to power 22 million homes, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said.

Global energy giant RWE just hit another milestone at its Sofia Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea – it’s finished installing all of its recyclable wind turbine blades, the first time that’s ever been done at scale in the UK.

Duracell, the iconic US battery brand that started in the 1920s, is crossing the Atlantic to launch its first-ever EV fast charging network, Duracell E-Charge, in the UK.

A surge in EV charging cable thefts is putting the reliability of the UK’s charging network at risk and undermining trust among drivers. InstaVolt is the UK’s largest network of fast chargers, and over the past two years, nearly 1,000 of its charging stations (it has over 2,100, so nearly 50%) have been targeted by cable thieves. But now InstaVolt is fighting back with GPS tracking.

American EV automaker Rivian is expanding across the pond into the UK, hoping to tap into the region’s talent pool in artificial intelligence engineering.

A major new EV battery factory is being built in Sunderland, bringing 1,000 new jobs with it. AESC, Nissan’s battery partner, is behind the £1 billion ($1.33 billion) plant, which will boost the UK’s EV battery production by six times, enough to power 100,000 electric cars annually.

Danish energy giant Ørsted has canceled plans for the Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm, dealing a major blow to the UK’s renewable energy ambitions.

A relatively young, handcrafted British EV automaker, RBW EV Cars, is celebrating an $8 million milestone as it expands its vehicle production to North America to deliver its two flagship models to US consumers. These bespoke BEVs with British design heritage in mind look like they are extremely fun to zip around in. See more below.

Global EV sales surged to 1.7 million units in March, hitting 4.1 million for Q1 2025 as the EV market continues its robust growth, according to new data from EV research house Rho Motion. Year-over-year sales jumped 29% and marked an impressive 40% month-over-month leap from February.