Electric cars will lead to a design transformation on the scale of iPhones & Apple laptops March 6, 2021 There was a golden age of car design that ran from the mid 1950’s to early 1970’s. Cars like the Jaguar e-type, Ferrari Dino, or Pontiac Firebird emerged; they were not only engineering miracles, but objets d’art. During this time, the imagination of the auto industry was running wild, setting out ambitious visions of the [...]
Volvo joins race to quit petrol and diesel cars March 2, 2021 Volvo has this morning announced that it will switch to an all-electric range by the end of the decade. The Swedish automaker joins a host of other car makers in announcing a sweeping transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles in recent months. It said that 50 per cent of its global sales should be [...]
Joe Biden’s new Energy Secretary gives us a taste for his plans for a Green New World March 1, 2021 Most people don’t spend their weekdays glued to C-SPAN and coverage of the United States Senate and its committees. Last week, however, the energy and natural resources committee conducted a confirmation hearing for President Biden’s nominee for secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm. The committee approved Granholm’s nomination, which was then confirmed 65-34 by the whole [...]
US governors urge Biden to pressure semiconductor firms on global shortage of automotive chips February 26, 2021 A bipartisan group of eight governors from U.S. automotive states urged President Joe Biden today to do more to press semiconductor firms to address a global shortage of automotive chips that has cut some vehicle production. Governors of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, South Carolina, Alabama and Missouri co-wrote a letter to Biden asking him [...]
Tesla temporarily freezes production at California assembly plant February 25, 2021 Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company, has told workers it will temporarily freeze parts of production at its assembly plant in California. Workers on a Model 3 production line in the California-based Fremont factory were told their line would be down from Monday until 7 March, according to Bloomberg. Impacted staff expected to take holiday [...]
Mercedes-AMG A45 S review: the hottest hatchback February 23, 2021 The 421hp Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a five-door hatchback that outpaces some supercars. Tim Pitt spends a week driving it.
Ford begins drive to electrify all European cars by 2030 February 17, 2021 Auto giant Ford has today announced that its European car lineup will be fully electrified by 2030. With a number of European countries set to ban diesel and petrol cars at the end of the decade, the US firm is the latest carmaker to commit to an all-electric future. By 2026, the firm said that [...]
Maersk fast-tracks carbon-neutral shipping plans to 2023 February 17, 2021 Shipping group Maersk is speeding up plans to decarbonise seaborne shipping by putting the world’s first carbon-neutral powered ship into operation. A.P. Moller-Maersk aims to achieve the move by 2023, seven years ahead of its original plan. The shipping industry carries around 80 per cent of worldwide trade and accounts for three per cent of [...]
Ollie Phillips’ Six Nations predictions: England to bully poor Italy; impressive Ireland won’t be pushovers for France; Scotland too good for Wales February 12, 2021 It’s not as if we didn’t see the problems coming with England before their defeat to Scotland in last week’s Six Nations opener. Physicality is the minimum requirement at international rugby but you need more than that. England had lacked ingenuity. And, sure enough, Scotland totally outfoxed the holders at in every area of the [...]
Equinor posts record loss as oil firm sells US shale assets February 10, 2021 Equinor has today become the latest oil giant to post a huge annual loss after a dire year for the oil and gas industry. The Norwegian firm posted a loss of $5.5bn (£4bn), a record hit, as the pandemic sent oil and gas prices plunging. As a result, the company said that it had reduced [...]