Record uptake in electric car grants

Last year saw a record increase in the demand for electric car home charging grants according to recent figures published by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, with over 42,000 grants for home charging devices being made, worth nearly £17m, which works out at being over a quarter of the value of grants since the government first launched the scheme back in 2014.

Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) grants help to provide 75% of the cost of installing electric vehicle devices at domestic homes in the UK, with the south east if England leading the way with the highest percentage of devices under the EVHS, with some 735 grants per 100,000 homes.

Boris Johnson announced last November that wholly powered petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold in the UK from 2030 as part of the government’s “green industrial revolution” to tackle climate change. Johnson says the government plans to “invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points”.

Greg Wilson, Quotezone.co.uk’s Founder commented:

“Easy access to recharging points is crucial to meeting the government’s ambitious targets for electric vehicle use, but there is much work to do to meet the government’s plans. Research suggests that an investment of £16.7bn is needed on the public charging infrastructure alone – excluding local grid network updates.

“While grant funding take-up for charging devices shot up last year, it will need to increase to ensure that more than two million new vehicles sold each year can access electric charging points as the 2030 deadline draws closer.”

Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including electric car insurance.

Vehicle subscription interest increases for Wagonex

The UK’s fastest-growing vehicle subscription business Wagonex has passed two major milestones in May in its development, with industry and consumer interest in its unique vehicle subscription business continuing to grow.

The company has already seen 100,000 customer enquiries before going on to surpass 10,000 registered users on its platform wagonex.com just a few days later.

The Wagonex platform enables vehicle retailers to offer flexible subscriptions of between one and 36 months. Interest has grown dramatically for car subscriptions in the last year, with consumer searches now exceeding 11,000 a month, which is a tenfold increase on the same time last year.

Dealers are able to set-up their own ‘white label’ vehicle subscription site powered by Wagonex tech or can upload individual vehicles for subscription through the shared portal wagonex.com.

Wagonex’s software brings together instant insurance quoting, ID validation, credit checks, online contracts and e-signatures to create a simple and seamless customer experience with customers able to subscribe to any one of hundreds of new models.

Wagonex CEO and founder, Toby Kernon, said:

“We are delighted to have hit these two milestones in our development. After all the effort we’ve put into building the company and getting the tech just right, everything is clicking into place and gathering pace.

“Over the next few months, we will be launching subscription platforms for a number of very big name automotive brands and, once people see them going big on subscription, we expect subscription to become an increasingly important part of the car retail mix.”

Lamborghini announces roadmap for electrification

Last week, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, presented “Direzione Cor Tauri” (Towards Cor Tauri), which is a roadmap to decarbonization of future Lamborghini models and the company’s environmental sustainability strategy. Lamborghini will be focussing on identifying technologies and solutions that guarantee top performance and driving dynamics in keeping with the marque’s tradition.

Winkelmann commented on this new direction and strategy by saying:

“Lamborghini’s electrification plan is a newly-plotted course, necessary in the context of a radically-changing world, where we want to make our contribution by continuing to reduce environmental impact through concrete projects. Our response is a plan with a 360 degree approach, encompassing our products and our Sant’Agata Bolognese location, taking us towards a more sustainable future while always remaining faithful to our DNA. Lamborghini has always been synonymous with preeminent technological expertise in building engines boasting extraordinary performance: this commitment will continue as an absolute priority of our innovation trajectory. Today’s promise, supported by the largest investment plan in the brand’s history, reinforces our deep dedication to not only our customers, but also to our fans, our people and their families, as well as to the territory where the company was born in Emilia-Romagna and to Made in Italy excellence.”

Volvo tests electric buses in challenging climate conditions

Volvo’s electric buses will begin operating in the Norwegian town of Bodø this summer and will be the first to provide scheduled services north of the Arctic circle.

Volvo is also testing its new electric buses in warm climates as part of a challenging rigorous test programme in Spain and Mexico, as well as other countries, with Marie Carlsson, Director Citymobility Business Development at Volvo Buses, commenting:

“As one of the leading global suppliers of solutions for electric mobility, we must be able to meet our customers’ requirements and expectations regardless of where they operate. That applies not only to environmental considerations but also availability, passenger comfort and safety. We test our products together with our customers in Arctic conditions and in warm climates to ensure that we have the best solutions for a range of different requirements.”

Daimler trucks begins rigorous testing of its fuel-cell truck

Daimler Trucks has turned its focus to hydrogen-powered fuel-cells for the electrification of its vehicles for flexible and demanding long-haul transport. The company aims to achieve ranges of up to 1,000 kilometres plus without any stops for refuelling. The truck manufacturer began to conduct rigorous tests of the first new enhanced prototype of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck, which it launched last year, at the end of last month.