Government must ‘urgently reform’ road taxes to avoid £10bn shortfall created by EV transition, says think tank June 1, 2023 The government must “urgently reform” its road taxes in order to avoid a multi-billion pound revenue shortfall created by the EV transition, says a new think tank report. According to research from the Resolution Foundation, lower taxation of EVs, particularly the absence of a fuel duty, will create a growing £10bn “fiscal hole,” within the [...]
China’s EV makers are our biggest rival, says Ford boss May 26, 2023 Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has warned that Chinese manufacturers are the companies’ biggest rival in the EV space, not competitors like Toyota or General Motors (GM). ”I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GM or Toyota,” Farley told the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Finance Summit, in comments first reported by Reuters this [...]
British American Tobacco appoints new chief executive as as analysts predict something’s ‘not right’ at BAT May 15, 2023 British American Tobacco appointed finance director Tadeu Marroco as CEO on Monday, succeeding Jack Bowles who is stepping down after about four years. Marroco started working for the tobacco firm in Brazil in 1992 and was appointed to the board in 2019. Bowles, who also joined the board in 2019, has led the maker of [...]
If ULEZ was controversial, pay as you drive road pricing will face even more hurdles April 21, 2023 As more and more people buy electric cars, we will need to introduce a road pricing scheme to pay for our highways, but a litany of controversial concerns - such as data protection - will stand in the way, writes Dom Lacey.
Decarbonising fleets ‘impossible’ due to absence of infrastructure and lack of plan, says HGV sector April 18, 2023 The heavy goods vehicle (HGV) sector is calling for an urgent government strategy to drive uptake of zero emission trucks, amid concerns over poor EV and hydrogen infrastructure. New analysis published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that HGV electric and hydrogen models account for just one in 600 trucks on [...]
New car market increased 18 per cent last month to mark release of new number plates April 5, 2023 The UK’s new car market has grown for eight consecutive months, figures show. Some 287,825 new cars were registered last month, up 18.2 per cent on March 2022, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. The increase was attributed to an easing of global supply chain shortages. Large fleets, which include vehicles owned [...]
Meet the KPMG dealmaker putting the Big 4 firm in the green energy mix April 5, 2023 Hardly a week goes by without a new survey showing the slump in M&A activity in 2022. By some estimates M&A dropped 18 per cent after the flurry in 2021. However, looking a little closer reveals a more nuanced picture. Mid-level M&A remained fairly consistent while certain sectors saw continued growth. One of the most [...]
E-bikes as a means for change March 24, 2023 With budgets being squeezed tight, the tube becoming ever more crowded and unreliable, and gym membership prices continuing to rise, there has never been a better time to join the e-bike revolution. The renewed drive to bring workers back into the city has pushed London’s previously stretched public transport facilities beyond comfortable capacity, with crowding [...]
Close Brothers profit takes a 90 per cent hit following £100m Novitas write off March 14, 2023 Close Brothers half year profit slumped as the bank set aside over £100m for bad loans relating to legal finance specialist Novitas. As a result of the provisions the London-based merchant bank’s adjusted operating profit fell 90 per cent to £12.6m during the six months ending January 2023. Close Brothers signalled to the market in [...]
A tale of two industries: Government will regret saving steel over Britishvolt January 23, 2023 The government could regret backing British Steel while leaving Britishvolt to collapse, writes energy editor Nicholas Earl.