England
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Norway and The Netherlands started the trend a few years ago, though they're relatively tiny car markets. Then France and the U.K. joined in. China, the world's largest new-car market by far, is doing it—though the country hasn't decided when. All of those countries plan to ban, or work the end of, sales of new vehicles with internal-combustion engines. DON'T MISS: 2017's most important story: internal-combustion engine ban in China While such an idea remains unthinkable on a national level in the U.S., a bill to that effect was introduced in California in January. Now there's pressure...
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Oxford aims to be world's first zero-emissions city
The college town of Oxford, England, is poised to become the first municipality in the United Kingdom to ban gasoline and diesel-fueled cars from its city center. A proposal headed to the Oxford City Council has four stages that would culminate in a city free of vehicular emissions by 2035...
Andrew Ganz -
Electric cars in UK cleaner than best diesels in summer, not yet in winter
Although electric cars do not emit exhaust, it's widely recognized that the electricity to charge their batteries often still comes from fossil fuels. This has led to the scrutiny of electric cars to determine whether their overall "wells-to-wheels" carbon footprints exceed those of regular...
Sean Szymkowski -
Uber to go all electric or hybrid in London by 2020, ban diesels, add clean-air fee to rides
Uber has announced it will require its 40,000 drivers in London to switch to hybrid or fully electric cars, and ban diesel vehicles from its fleet, by the end of 2019. By the end of 2021, it will extend that policy throughout the United Kingdom, where it presently operates in 40 cities. Uber said...
John Voelcker -
Electric Mini to be made in U.K., despite BMW's Brexit worries (updated)
Mini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But both employees and fans worried that its British roots might be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closed in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in...
Sean Szymkowski -
Chargie app connects electric-car drivers, UK homeowners; 'AirBnB' for charging?
The internet has transformed how many perceive property, allowing the rental of other peoples' personal vehicles, apartments, and other spaces when owners are not using them. Now, the idea is being applied to charging stations across the United Kingdom with the introduction of the Chargie...
Sean Szymkowski -
The Industrial Revolution that started around 1750 in England was powered largely by coal. With Watt's invention of the steam engine and the emergence of railways in the mid-nineteenth century, the carbon-dense fuel was central to the change from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. Last Friday, however, marked a watershed moment for Britain and its relationship to coal. DON'T MISS: Coal industry hopes to don disguise as clean-power player via carbon capture That day—April 21, 2017—was the first in 135 years in which no coal was burned in Britain to generate electricity...
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European brands adopt electric delivery trucks: Harrods, Hermes
In the U.S., electric-car advocates and green energy fans have been dealt some setbacks during recent weeks. In Europe, however, the push toward electrification remains as strong--and trendy--as ever. Delivering on zero emissions In Germany, courier service Hermes (not to be confused with French...
Richard Read -
UK moves ahead on lower-carbon power to end coal use by 2025
Low-carbon energy use in the U.K. is up, and the government hopes to phase out coal by 2025.
Stephen Edelstein -
U.K. businesses slowly moving away from diesel cars: survey
U.K. businesses are leasing fewer diesel cars, a new survey finds.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hybrids lose London privileges two weeks from today: here's why
Sooner or later, it can happen in a romance: the two parties decide they're just not that into one another. The state of California dumped hybrid-electric vehicles on July 1, 2011, when it ended the rule that allowed them to use carpool lanes on freeways even with just one occupant. Now the city of...
John Voelcker -
Eccentric British Maker Morgan To Add Hybrids To All Models
Morgan is investing $8.5 million to develop hybrid and electric powertrains.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan said yesterday it will invest £26.5 million ($37.9 million) in its battery plant in Sunderland, England, to produce "advanced" battery cells for the next-generation Leaf electric car. The announcement may end rumors that Nissan would outsource production of lithium-ion cells and perhaps even battery packs for the next Leaf to giant Korean maker LG Chem. Nissan Europe's press release, however, did not offer specifics of the cell chemistry--and it did not mention current cell supplier AESC, Nissan's lithium-ion cell joint venture with Japanese computer giant NEC. DON'T MISS: 2018...
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U.K. To Miss Out On 200-Mile Chevy Bolt EV, GM's 'Electric Car For Everyone'?
North American buyers are eagerly anticipating the debut late next year of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, a 200-mile subcompact electric car promised to sell for $37,500 before incentives. That same car will also likely be sold in Europe, under GM's German Opel nameplate--effectively replacing the...
John Voelcker -
England Proposes To Test Wireless Electric-Car Charging Built Into Roads
England plans to test wireless charging for possible future use on public roads.
Stephen Edelstein -
Detroit Electric Opens Showroom Near Car Assembly Plant In England
Detroit Electric opens the first showroom to sell its SP:01 electric sports car.
Stephen Edelstein -
36-MPG Jaguar XJ-S: Hypermiling Owner's Great Lengths For 1984 Luxury Coupe
An owner boosts the fuel economy of his 3.6-liter six-cylinder Jaguar XJ-S.
Stephen Edelstein -
U.K. Plug-In Electric Car Incentives: Why Haven't They Worked?
Sales figures for plug-in cars in the U.S. crossed the 100,000 mark four months ago, but in the U.K., the government has announced that it will end plug-in car incentives. Some point to poor sales and an apathetic buying public. One trade organization claims existing grants of £5,000 ($8,100)...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Electric car drivers have long had a little secret: The cars are generally much nicer to drive than gasoline cars. Now a new survey done at London Metropolitan University in England shows that despite initial skepticism, drivers of the plug-in vehicles came to like them better than gasoline cars in just three months. “Drivers quickly adapted to the vehicles," said Dr. Louise Bunce, lecturer in psychology, "and were extremely positive about aspects of [their] performance, including...acceleration and speed." The survey of 340 electric car drivers is part of work at the university that...
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2012 Chevrolet Volt (Vauxhall Ampera) Drives From U.K. To France, Underground
Last week, the Chevrolet Volt became the first production car to drive from the U.K. to France, using the service tunnel of the Eurotunnel underwater railway line between the two European countries. What’s more, the stunt was orchestrated by Top Gear Magazine, the more measured, printed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
At Heathrow, 'Free' Electric-Car Charging Costs $78.50 Per Day
London's Heathrow Airport provides charging stations for electric car drivers. Accessing them, however, requires parking in the airport's most expensive lot.
Kurt Ernst -
U.S. Drivers: Shut Up, Stop Whining, You Don't Pay $8/Gallon
Turmoil in Libya is making global oil markets nervous. That means higher gasoline prices. Cue the creeping unease and outright fear that Our American Way Of Life May Be In Peril. Well, it's Monday morning, and we have a brisk message for our U.S. readers: Shut up and stop whining. So gas is over $3...
John Voelcker -
Coming to Prince Charles's Garden Party? Better Drive An EV
While his subjects love him--he is, after all, their future King--HRH Prince Charles is known to be grimly insistent on promoting certain of his pet causes. One is "traditional" British architecture. Recently, another has become the greening of transportation. To that end, the Prince will bring a...
John Voelcker