Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) is endorsed by the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). NFDA launched the scheme in May 2019 to recognise expertise in the electric vehicle sector and promote industry standards for the benefit of the consumer.
A new study shows striking differences in the depreciation of ten popular electric cars from their purchase price three years ago to their current value. Research by InsuretheGap.com, a leading supplier of GAP (Guaranteed Asset Protection) insurance for new and second-hand cars, found that the Renault Zoe (Electric) lost the most value, depreciating by 61 per cent in three years from its purchase price of £19,988 to only £7,830 value in 2019.
Fastned, a charging company which is building a European network of fast charging stations, won a second tender in the UK led by the North East Joined Transport Committee. Fastned will build and operate five fast charging stations (hubs) for electric vehicles across the region. Each station will initially house two 50 kW fast chargers (known as “rapid” chargers in the UK) that will deliver 100 per cent renewable electricity.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has responded to The National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) letter which outlined concerns that the promised plug-in motorcycle grant scheme had still not been delivered.
Cenex – the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies – successfully helped Nottingham place a winning bid securing £6.1m for the first ‘Go Ultra Low Cities’ scheme, set up by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV). Other winning cities including London, Bristol and Milton Keynes, will also receive funding through the programme which was launched nationally by Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, at the University of Nottingham.
Cenex, the Loughborough-based Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies, has chosen Chargemaster, the largest UK supplier and operator of chargepoints, to run the Plugged-in Midlands Network (PiM) following a competitive selection process.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), has clarified the status of the Plug-In Car Grant (PICG), which is available for vehicles emitting less than 75g/km CO2. It has confirmed that the current version of the grant, worth up to £5,000, will end this year, at a date yet to be confirmed. Until that date, OLEV has said that it will honour any deal placed on its system for a qualifying car, provided that the vehicle has been allocated to a customer and is delivered and registered within nine months.
Cenex – the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies – has announced the publication of the ‘Low Carbon Vehicle Public Procurement Programme (LCVPPP) Reports’.
Consumers will be able to receive a Government grant of up to £1,500 off the sale price of electric motorcycles and scooters, in a bid to encourage the purchase of zero emission two wheeler vehicles, the Government has announced.
As the May issue of Tyres & Accessories went to press, the government shared details of how its Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is going to spend its £500 million funding allowance. For its part, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) duly welcomed the half a billion pound funding boost for low emission vehicles, characterising the move as part of a wider campaign to make the UK “a leader in the development and take-up of low emission vehicles”. Clearly this is on the political and commercial agendas (at least as far as the automotive manufacturers are concerned), but what does this all mean for the tyre business in general? And, with this year’s Tyre Retail feature published from page 26 of this issue, what does this mean for garages and tyre retail in particular?
