Don't Try This At Home - 31 August 2022

FOLLOW UP: GENEVA MOTOR SHOW CANCELLED AGAINFor the fourth year on the trot, the Geneva Motor Show has been cancelled. Therefore, only the Qatar element of the new set up will be held next year. This has caused a lot of discussion about the suitability of the location, due to the country’s track record on human rights. As a note, due to the situation in Qatar, this podcast will not cover any aspect of the show. To read more about the story, click here for the Autocar link. FOLLOW UP: FORD DELAYING SPANISH INVESTMENTFord is now delaying investing in their Valencia plant, following the June announcement, due to a “revised outlook for Europe”. The plant was due to be converted to produce electric vehicles. Ford’s statement is on the back of other manufacturers stating orders are beginning to slow. You can read more about this by clicking this Reuters link here. FOLLOW UP: STELLANTIS TO PAY US DIESEL EMISSION FINEFCA, now part of Stellantis, pleaded guilty to diesel emission false representations and have been ordered to pay nearly $300 million, as a consequence. We should note that VW has paid over $30 billion for the same offence. To read more, click the Reuters article link here. FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT FACTORY ON ‘LIFE-SUPPORT’The plans for the Britishvolt car battery facility, in Northumberland, are being pared back, currently, as the company looks to minimise cash flow out. There is a new round of funding the company is looking to unlock, but that will not be until next year. This throws doubts up about the ambitious targets the company has announced. More can be found by clicking The Guardian article link here. TOYOTA TRUCK AFFILIATE FALSIFIED EMISSION DATAHino Motors Ltd, has been found to have falsified emission data, going back to 2003 for truck and buses made on behalf of Toyota. This came to light following an internal investigation after initial claims were made that information was incorrect in the past decade. Hino have been cut from Toyota, as a result. By clicking this Reuters link you can read more. STELLANTIS HALTS PRODUCTION AT PLANTS IN EUROPEDue to the ongoing issues with parts supply, Stellantis is halting production at their Peugeot, Open and van plants, across Europe. To learn more, click this link to an AMOnline article. FERRARI BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR RECALLFerrari is recalling nearly every car sold since 2005 due to a fault with the cap of the brake fluid reservoir which could lead to a brake fluid leak that ultimately would mean loss of braking function. That seems quite “ungood”. To find out more, click the Top Gear article here. OSPREY CHARGING REVEAL ACCESSIBLE CHARGING HUBOsprey, the EV charging provider, has opened their first accessible charging hub, which they state will be the minimum standard moving forwards. They have positioned the chargers so they can be plugged into the front or rear easily, cables are held up and are lighter, the screens are much lower on the chargers and there are no kerbs. This is excellent and will make charging easier for everyone. To learn more, click this Autocar link here. DEVON TO LOG CARBON EMISSIONS FROM ROAD WORKSDevon County Council, in association with the University of Exeter, have created a system that allows contractors to log the carbon emissions from the work they do to the county’s roads. The idea is so that with enough data they can prioritise cutting emissions. Click here for the BBC News article, to learn more. PROPOSED CAMBRIDGE CONGESTION PLANThe Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is putting forward a proposal to Cambridge County Council to help deal with traffic issues in and around Cambridge. The main thrust is to charge nearly all vehicles to access the Greater Cambridge area. Only licensed buses, taxis, cyclists and some small groups are exempt from the charge. To read the high level points of the story, click the BBC News article here. For a more in-depth analysis, click Mark Williamson’s Twitter thread link here. GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATING EV VAN WEIGHT LIMIT RULE CHANGEThe Government is looking at whether the rules around weight limits for large vans need to change for electric large vans. With the added weight of battery packs it is easy for such a vehicle to exceed 4250kgs which means that would be a heavy goods vehicle. You can learn more by clicking the link to an AMOnline article here. ——————————————————————————-If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST——————————————————————————-NEW NEW CAR NEWSDodge Electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept -With the demise of the Semi engine Dodge has revealed a potential future that includes muscle cars, but electric. The concept harks back to classic muscle cars of the past and still is very potent with many silly sounding attributes, as well as starter buttons inspired by a fighter jet and a pistol grip drive selector. You can lean more by clicking The Drive’s link here. Munro Vehicles 4x4 - At the other end of the EV spectrum we have a 4x4 from Scottish EV start up Munro Vehicles. They are targeting industrial use with their vehicles, such a mining operations that need a permanent 4x4 system with locking diffs and a payload capability close to a Land Cruiser. Whilst they will be priced at £75,000 they will be flat pack which means US organisations can take advantage of the new American rules on ‘home soil built’ vehicles and get the tax credits. For more on this, click this Autocar link. DESIGNERS MOOD BOARD: JOHN PAUL GREGORY JOINS LOTUS John Paul Gregory, who was recently working at Aston Martin, has joined Lotus as Head of Exterior Design. He will be based in Coventry and working under the leadership of Ben Payne. For more, click the Lotus press release here. LUNCHTIME READ: INVESTIGATING LONG-GONE CITY-CENTRE DEALERSHIPSDavid Whitton takes Autocar on a tour of Edinburgh now and 40 years ago to explore the locations of the dealerships that used to exist. Click the link here to be transported in time and enjoy the wonderful story that David has in...