FOLLOW UP: EU INDUSTRIAL ACCELERATOR ACT REVEALED
The EU Commission has unveiled the draft Industrial Accelerator Act, which is aimed at making Europe a powerhouse and self contained when it comes to green energy related industries, including automotive. To read more about the proposals, click this electrive article link here.
By the fact that so much of the act is pointed inwards to EU countries, this has caused fear in the UK automotive industry that they will be penalised thanks to the idiocy of Brexit. Nissan has declared if there is not agreement on UK built cars then it will close Sunderland. Click this Autocar article for more.
FEBRUARY 2026 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES
SMMT released the new car registration figures for February 2026 and there was a surprising number of vehicles registered, with this being the best February since 2004. BEV market share is no where near where it needs to be as it sits at 22%, lower than last year, with the mandate requirement of 33%. SMMT called on the Government to urgently look at the mandate in the face of market reality. You can learn more, by clicking this SMMT article link here.
TRIBUNAL SHOWS PUBLIC CHARGING VAT SHOULD BE 5%
In a tax tribunal, Deloitte proved how the public charging VAT rate should only be 5%, using HMRC’s own rules. The use, by an individual, of no more than 1000kWh over a month is classified as “personal use”. To go over this, using public charging, would be very difficult in a EV. To find out more, click this EV Powered article link here.
TESLA EU CO2 POOL USERS DECLINE
The EU allows car companies to buy and sell CO2 credits so that companies can avoid hefty fines for not meeting average fleet levels. Tesla has benefited hugely from this, however that is now changing as Toyota and Stellantis leave their pool. If you wish to read more, click this electrive article link here.
SUZUKI BUYS SOLID-STATE BATTERY FIRM
Suzuki has bought Kanadevia, a company that has been developing solid-state batteries for 20 years. This is a great move by one of the smaller Japanese brands and if batteries can be made affordable at scale, this will help them be competitive or even steal a march on others. Click this electrive article link here, to read more.
WRIGHTBUS SELLS 31 EBUSES TO THE ISLE OF WHITE
Wrightbus is providing 31 double decker electric buses for use on the Isle of White. Using funding from a combination of local and central government schemes, they will help move the islands public transport to being a cleaner service. You can read more by clicking this electrive article link here.
ELECQ HIT BY CYBER ATTACK
ELECQ, a Chinese home and business smart charger company, has been hacked with customer details being accessed. They operate in the UK and Europe and have informed data protection organisations. The company state that their chargers and systems are working and are protected. For more on this story, click the link here from The Register.
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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Genesis GV60 Magma
Genesis has revealed their first performance car that we can buy, with the very orange GV60 Magma. Sharing a lot of the underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq 5N expect similar levels of go and stop. Click this EV Powered article link to read more.
GM Specialty Vehicles UK launched
GM Specialty Vehicles UK will be importing the large and “luxury” models from the General Motors stables. Think along the lines of the Suburban, Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Silverado. The cars will be left hand drive but all requirements to be UK legal will be undertaken by dealership Clive Sutton. Click this Motoring Research article link for more.
Lamborghini Lanzador killed off
Before the Lanzandor even made it to market, it has been killed off. The official statement is that it is due to a lack of customer demand for such a vehicle. But it was to share the underpinnings from Porsche but they canned their development meaning Lamborghini would not have anything to make the car from. Click this Motoring Research article to learn more.
LUNCHTIME READ: THE GREAT DISGRACE
Hagerty supply the article we are recommending that you read this week, thanks to Jim Magill for suggesting it! The piece discusses the shocking state of our roads and how that has impacted people’s desire to drive. Click the link here to read it for yourself.
LIST OF THE WEEK: 25 OF THE COOLEST MID-ENGINED CONCEPT CARS THAT NEVER MADE PRODUCTION
Top Gear is where we are pointing you to for the List of the Week. And boy, is it a CRACKER! Check out 25 concept cars and try to pick on from this wonderful list. Click here to get overwhelmed by the options!
AND FINALLY: CAR SONG
Saturday Night Live has produced a song that shows the wider population have had enough with silly and dangerous door handles. Click this YouTube link to see for yourself.
