The private sector can be the engine of the low-carbon revolution March 3, 2020 When Al Gore made An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, he pointed to the fact that the Chinese characters for “crisis” signify both “danger” and “opportunity”. In the years since, the conversations around tackling climate change have often been framed by what industries and governments stand to lose in the immediate future by acting. Advocates have [...]
Alphabet’s Waymo nabs $2.25bn in first external funding round March 2, 2020 Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, said tonight it has raised $2.25bn (£1.76bn) in its first external investment round. In addition to Alphabet, investors included car parts supplier Magna International, US dealership chain Autonation, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and three large investment firms: Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz and sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. Alphabet [...]
Only five car battery tech patents filed from the UK in 2019, says BDO February 24, 2020 A record number of patents were filed in 2018/2019 as countries race to develop electric car batteries – but data suggests the UK is falling behind when it comes to the automotive technology. Advisory firm BDO has found 3,400 battery patents were filed in this period, a 57 per cent increase on the year before [...]
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is a supercar turned up to 11 February 24, 2020 What is your lottery-win dream car? In my line of work, it’s a common question at social gatherings, usually somewhere between “Should I buy a Volkswagen Golf?” (yes, probably) and before “Have you met Jeremy Clarkson?” (yes, briefly). Anyway, I’ll spare you the suspense, it’s the McLaren F1. Sadly, I need a Euromillions rollover to [...]
The Electrogenic Volkswagen Beetle converts the classic car to electric Tesla power February 17, 2020 On Thursday, the London Classic Car Show opens at Olympia in Kensington. Visitors can see more than 500 rare and exotic classics, plus special displays to mark 40 years of the Audi quattro and 50 years of the Range Rover. But while nostalgic car fans celebrate the past, the future is less certain. We recently [...]
Tesla’s short-selling critics do not have to be rewarded to be right February 17, 2020 Short-selling, or shorting, is the act of betting against a company’s stock. If the share price goes down, the short-seller makes money. If the share price goes up, they lose it. It is the most rhetorical of investments. A short position is a statement of a belief: a minority opinion held against the will of [...]
Tesla shares rise as it unveils plan for $2bn stock issue February 13, 2020 Shares in Tesla rose this afternoon after the electric car maker said it would raise roughly $2bn (£1.5bn) by issuing new stock. Idiosyncratic chief executive Elon Musk will personally purchase up to $10m of shares in the new offering, while Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who sits on Tesla’s board of directors, will also buy up [...]
How can Elon Musk keep Tesla on the straight and narrow? February 11, 2020 After a rough start to the year, Tesla ended 2019 by delivering on a promise to Wall Street. The pledge made in the summer of 2019 by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk was to return to profit after months of losses, a string of negative headlines — including his forced resignation as chairman in 2018 [...]
Coronavirus hits production at Nissan’s Japanese plants February 10, 2020 Nissan has announced that it will temporarily halt production at one of its factories in Japan due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The decision will affect the Kyushu facility in southwest Japan and has been taken due to difficulties sourcing parts from China. This comes as the global automotive industry is facing a slowdown [...]
How e-scooters, self-driving cars, and flying taxis will shape the future of your commute February 10, 2020 An air of tranquility hangs about Stratford’s electric scooter riders. Their bodies are still, poised, as they glide by on this crisp February morning. I try to copy them and end up skidding along, struggling to figure out how to position my feet — but after a couple of wobbles I’m gliding too. As I [...]