As Starmer heads to China, Brits rush to buy Chinese EVs Motoring A couple of years ago, I was invited to the launch of a new Chinese EV brand called Omoda. Myself and a handful of journalists showed up to an inauspicious press event in the basement of a Covent Garden hotel. In the room was parked (I’m still not sure how they got it down there) [...]
Autumn Budget: Pay-per-mile tax ‘completely wrong move’ Transport and infrastructure Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hit electric vehicles with a pay-per-mile tax which will cost the average driver £255 per year and raise £1.1bn for the Treasury. Reeves delivered the expected 3p pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles (EVs) at today’s Budget, which she framed as a fairness measure to balance the costs facing drivers. The OBR, the independent fiscal [...]
BMW i7 review: Flagship luxury saloon suits being electric Life&Style Let’s just gloss over how it looks. Style is subjective, after all. And without wanting to inflame international tensions, I suspect this BMW wasn’t designed with European tastes in mind. Besides, you can’t see that gigantic fake grille when you recline in one of the i7’s heated rear armchairs. Instead, your field of vision is [...]
Amazon rolls out UK’s biggest electric truck fleet amid government push November 4, 2025 Amazon has begun rolling out the first of its largest-ever UK electric heavy-goods vehicles (eHGVs), with 160 trucks set to join its British fleet over the coming months. The first of the new 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz eActros 600s is set to hit the road this week, delivering parcels between Amazon’s logistics hubs nationwide. The fleet is [...]
Labour to spend £10m on tackling EV charging blackspots November 3, 2025 The government has unveiled a £10m fund to help expand England’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network, targeting grid-constrained sites on motorways and major A-roads where power access has slowed progress. The funding will support projects that allow chargers to run off-grid or with minimal grid connection, using renewable energy and battery storage to deliver ultra-rapid [...]
LEVC: London electric taxi company loses £180m October 7, 2025 LEVC, the London electric taxi company, lost almost £180m during its latest financial year as its sales were slashed. The Coventry-headquartered electric taxi maker, which is also known as London EV Company, has reported a pre-tax loss of £179.4m, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The business, which is owned by Chinese automotive [...]
Tesla: UK sales slump by £500m as profit slashed September 26, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of Elon Musk’s Tesla slumped by more than £500m as its profit was also slashed during its latest financial year. The division, which is headquartered in Manchester, has reported a revenue of £1.94bn for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The new figure comes after Tesla posted a [...]
Auto Trader: Brits turn to older cars amid ‘economic uncertainty’ July 29, 2025 Brits are turning their backs on new cars choosing to buy more older models amid “ongoing economic uncertainty”, according to FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader. The Manchester-headquartered company said a “standout trend” of 2025 so far is the “growing appetite for affordable used cars”, particularly those aged between five and 10 years old. Auto Trader has [...]
Sir Richard Branson-backed Gridserve cuts jobs as it loses over £80m July 21, 2025 Gridserve, the electric vehicle (EV) charging network whose investors include a fund backed by Sir Richard Branson, cut jobs as it lost more than £80m in 2024, it has been revealed. The Swindon-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £82.7m for its latest financial year, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. Gridserve [...]
‘Code red’ for Tesla as Musk’s firm stalls ahead of key earnings April 22, 2025 Tesla shares sank nearly six per cent on Easter Monday, leaving investors braced for what analysts have called a “code red” moment for Elon Musk’s firm ahead of its first quarter earnings announcement. The electric vehicle (EV) giant is facing mounting concerns over failing sales, geopolitical headwinds and evolving criticism of Musk’s political involvement, which [...]