Freedom episode - 19 March 2024

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT AND VOLVO TO SHUT EV VAN PROJECTRenault and Volvo will announce that their joint venture for electric vans will shut in early April. There is no detail on why this is. Click here for more information, via the Reuters article link. UK GOVERNMENT PREPARES TRADE SANCTIONS ON CHINESE EVSAt a SMMT conference, the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said that the UK Government could impose sanctions to prevent the market being unfairly in favour of subsidised Chinese electric vehicles. If you wish to learn more, click this AMOnline article link here. HONDA AND NISSAN SIGN MOU FOR EV DEVELOPMENTNissan and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding, to investigate working together to speed up the development and production of competitive electric vehicles. They acknowledge that they are behind others, especially newer brands that have come to the market, purely focused on EVs. There are no details on what this partnership will entail. You can learn more by clicking this Reuters link here. EU TO ALLOW 60 TONNE LORRIES ON THE ROADSThe EU, has voted to allow ‘mega-trucks’, which are a lorry and trailer combination of just over 25m long and a weight up to 60 tonnes, on the roads of the continent. On top of this, the European Commission wants all countries to ensure it is legal for 17 year olds to be able to drive a lorry. Click this European Transport Safety Council article to read more on these insane ideas. POSSIBLE WIRELESS EV CHARGING BREAKTHROUGH Researchers in the US have built a wireless charging system that is 96% efficient and eight to ten times more power dense than existing wireless chargers. The charger had a five inch gap to the vehicle. This is still early days but could mean we are a step closer to the roll out of wireless charging for all. If you wish to learn more, click this InsideEVs article link here. JAGUAR CUTS OFF ACCESS TO SOME SMART CHARGINGJaguar has informed owners of the I-Pace that some chargers will no longer have access to smart charging, thus the charging times cannot be controlled. This does not effect all home chargers though. JLR stated that this was due to security and privacy issues. Click this Autocar article link here to learn more. FISKER AT RISKFisker, the US based EV maker, announced that it is in financial trouble, serious enough to make it public that it may have to go into receivership. The company had previously stated it was in trouble, but this announcement still came as a shock to many. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. Late yesterday, news came out that the company has paused production, for six weeks, as it gains $150 million extra investment from an exisiting investor. However, there talks are, apparently, underway with a major car company about a bailout, still rumoured to be Nissan. Click this Autocar article for more. 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 NEWS - Skoda EpiqSkoda revealed images of their sub £25,000 small electric SUV, the Epig. Marketed as an urban SUV, it is to share the ID.2 platform. Boot space is a respectable 490 litres, considering the overall size. Range is expected to be a maximum of about an impressive 249 miles, with charging time, via an optimal 125kW charger, for the 10-80% charged as low as 20 minutes - conditions allowing. You can learn more, via this Autocar article link here. Porsche Taycan Turbo GTPorsche, in a flex to other EV brands with ideas to speed and sportiness, have opened the order books for the Taycan Turbo GT. Starting at £186,300 you could opt for the no cost option of the Weissach Package, which removes stuff from your car to make it a bit quicker. WLTP range for the GT is a maximum of 345 miles, so this is not just all about the speed. If you wish to read more, click this article link from Motoring Research. Maserati Grecale Folgore Maserati reveal their competitor to the Porsche Macan EV and Audi Q6 E-tron. Prices start at £109,905, with a maximum range of 311 miles, charging from 20-80% in a bit less than thirty minutes. This is the first of six new EVs to come from the brand by the end of 2025. Click here to read more, via an Autocar article link. UK Car of the Year Winner - Kia EV9The Kia EV9 was the overall winner of the UK Car of the Year 2024 competition. 30 independent judges’s votes were tallied with the large Korean SUV coming out on top, ahead of the Hyundai IONIQ 6 in second and the Volvo EX30 in third. You can read more from the official UK Car of the Year article, linked here. DESIGNERS MOOD BOARD: MARCELLO GANDINI HAS PASSED AWAYOne of the most prolific and influential car designers of all time, Marcello Gandini, has passed away at the age of 85. He has been responsible for some of the most famous cars and concepts that the car industry has produced. Click here to read the wonderful tribute from Car Design News. Click here to view his Wikipedia page, including a list of the cars he has been involved in.Click this link to read a great piece from Michael Banovsky, about the Volvo Tundra. LUNCHTIME READ: US REPORT ON AMBER TURN SIGNALSIn the United States cars do not have to be fitted with amber indicators, at the rear of cars, even in the face of many studies proving their safety improvements over red. The Autopian has read through the first report into who is using red and amber on their cars, in America. Click here to read more and see which European OEMs do not, bizarrely, fit amber. LIST OF THE WEEK: MARCELLO GANDINI’S BEST DESIGNSAutocar give us 51 slides, showcasing the work of Gandini. Do you agree with Alan and Andrew’s choices or what would you go for? Don’t forget to tell us. Click this link here to check out all the amazing cars. AND FINALLY: HUBNUT’S RUSTIVAL 2024 VIDEOThe superbly attended Rustival 2024 car gathering took place recently. Formed by a group of YouTubers who pulled resources and efforts to make it happen, including HubNut. Click here to watch the lovely video and get a feel for what it was like. We will be trying our hardest to attend the next one.