The UK’s Committee on Climate Change has released its anticipated report, and it’s recommending a new goal — net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Less than two years ago, the UK announced its intentions to make its transportation fully electric by 2040, banning the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by that time. But government advisers will reportedly recommend moving that deadline up, possibly as much as a decade.
The UK has made recent progress in reducing emissions, but a new government report reveals it’s set to miss future carbon budget goals by a widening margin.
Climate change could cause the U.K. to face a water shortage in 20 to 25 years, according to an environmental official who referred to water demand surpassing supply as the “jaws of death.”
The UK government announced several changes today to its Plug-In Car Grant program. They are essentially ending incentives for plug-in hybrid vehicles and they are reducing the incentive for all-electric vehicles.
Expand
Expanding
Close
The UK has some good momentum for electric vehicle adoption and they are trying to keep it.
This week, the government unveiled their Autumn budget and it includes an important investment to support the adoption of electric vehicles.
Expand
Expanding
Close
You remember the Hyundai IONIQ? The South Korean automaker’s one-car platform to release three models with different electric powertrains, IONIQ Hybrid (HEV), IONIQ Plug-in (PHEV) and IONIQ Electric (BEV). It created a lot of buzz earlier this year with hopes that the all-electric version could compete with the Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3 and other long-range electric cars coming to market in the next year.
We were disappointed when it was actually revealed that the IONIQ Electric will actually have a 28 kWh battery pack allowing for an EPA-rated of about 110 miles. Now Hyundai reveals the first pricing for the vehicle in Europe, starting with the UK, further confirming that the vehicle will actually be competing with the Nissan LEAF.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Earlier this year, Tesla launched a new in-house Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) program in the UK. The significantly more flexible program reduced the monthly entry cost of the Model S to £404 with a 30% down payment. At the time, Tesla said that after fuel and road tax savings, the monthly cost would be only £296 in the UK.
The new program seems to have contributed to Tesla’s recent success in the country, which became the automaker’s top market for the Model S in Europe in the first quarter 2016 after having delivered around 750 cars based on registration data. The country was normally trailing between the fourth and fifth positions in Europe for Tesla – behind Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
With the recent reintroduction of the Model S 60, Tesla is now lowering the entry even further, across all markets of course, but in the case of the UK, the automaker is now claiming that you can get the monthly cost down to £0.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Just a week after the first Tesla Powerwall for residential use in Australia has reportedly been installed in a Sydney suburb, it’s now the UK’s turn to get its first Tesla home battery pack. Homeowner Mark Kerr has become the first British Tesla Powerwall owner after a SolarPlant engineer installed the system at his home in Wales.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave an interview to Channel 4’s Jon Snow last night during the Prince’s Trust Leadership Dinner in London. Musk said that Tesla plans to sell the upcoming Model 3 in the UK for “£30,000 or less“.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Tesla announced the launch of a new in-house Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) program in the UK. The new program is significantly more flexible than Tesla’s prior options and now allows new buyers to choose the amount for the deposit, mileage and duration of ownership.
Expand
Expanding
Close
After Mexico yesterday, now it’s Scotland’s turn to get a new Tesla retail location, the first in the country. The automaker opened the showroom today in Edinburgh at the upmarket Multrees Walk shopping center in St Andrews Square, home to other luxury product makers including Louis Vuitton and Harvey Nichols.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Tesla announced today via Instagram that the company now offers test drives out of Harrods, a popular upmarket department store in London. The company claims to be the first automotive manufacturer to offer test drives out of the store.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Earlier this week, the UK government approved off road testing of wireless charging for electric vehicles on highways, what they are calling “electric highways”. The trials, which are expected to begin later this year, will last for approximately 18 months, and if successful, could lead to road trials.
According to Highways England officials, the initiative is not an alternative to charging stations, the agency is still committed to installing stations every 20 miles on the motorway network.
Expand
Expanding
Close