Following months and months of calling on the UK Government to help private registrations with financial aid, the motor industry has got what it wants. Sort of. The Electric Car Grant has been announced that will be up to £3,750 off the price of a new car that is listed at under £37,000 plus other criteria, including how clean the grid is where the car was built. That last point effectively cuts out Chinese EVs due to their CO2 intensive energy supplies.
The grant is active now, with OEMs and dealerships claiming the money back following registration. Added to which, it applies to all buyers and not just private, as was called for. Many within the industry have expressed their disappointment in the scheme, especially how it has ignored the second hand market plus the knock on effect this will have to depreciation. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here.
To read about the expected impact on Asian built cars, click this EVfleetworld article link here.
Duncan Minto has taken over the interim CEO position at Renault Group, following Luca de Meo’s exit. Minto was appointed chief financial officer in March. The search for a new CEO continues. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more.
China is once again reminding the world who controls almost all of the supply chain when it comes to electric cars. This time they have, due to being now classed as security relevant, implemented an immediate export restriction on battery material preparation technology, ie. stuff that goes into making battery cathodes used in electric cars and energy storage. No reason has been really given for the sudden move. You can find out more by clicking this electrive article link here.
JLR has announced it is seeking voluntary redundancies from management positions, following the last quarter’s drop in sales. The company said it expects no more than 500 roles to go. The reason for reduced sales is being mainly put at the feet of the US tariff mess. Click this Autocar article link here to read more.
Geely has acquired the final 37.2% of Zeeker shares, that were listed on the New York Stock Exchange only last year. This will cost the Chinese company around $2.4 billion. Suggestions are this has happened due to the geopolitical outlook and adding them to the group enables greater cost savings thanks to increasing the economy of scale benefits when purchasing parts. You can read more by clicking this electrive article link here.
The UK Government is asking for our feedback on rolling out autonomous taxi and bus services. They are going to do it, be under no illusion, but we might be able to influence just how that looks, in terms of the information these companies must supply. To read more,
