A staff member cleans the logo of a SUV VW Touareg on display ahead of the annual general meeting of German carmaker Volkswagen, in Berlin on May 3, 2018.Tobias Schwarz / Getty Images The federal government is charging Volkswagen for allegedly importing cars into Canada that company executives knew violated emissions standards.The German automaker faces 58 charges for violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act for bringing 128,000 cars into Canada with illegal emissions between 2008 and 2015.The company faces another two charges for providing misleading information.Canadas case against Volkswagen comes more than four years after the company admitted to installing software on 11 million cars worldwide to trick emissions-testing equipment into concluding the cars ran more cleanly than they actually did.Volkswagen pleaded guilty to charges in the case in the United States in March 2017 and was fined more than $4.3 billion.The companys first court appearance on the Canadian charges is to take place
Origin: Canadian gov’t will charge VW with violating environment law via emissions tests
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BMW’s all-electric i4 confirmed to get 600 kilometres on a charge
Battery has been the buzzword this week, from the unveiling of Tesla’s strangely-styled Cybertruck to GM announcing an on-sale date of its all-electric pickup to Ford’s reveal of its Mustang Mach-E.And now BMW has given us the goods on its upcoming i4, which will have a range of around 600 kilometres on a charge.Itll use the fifth generation of the companys eDrive electric technology, which will first show up in the BMW iX3 in 2020, and then in the iNEXT and i4 that are planned to go on sale in 2021.The i4 will be a four-door Gran Coup, the company said, and will be the first all-electric model in the premium mid-range segment. By 2023, BMW plans to have 25 models globally with some sort of electrification, ranging from pure battery to plug-in hybrids. In the i4, the eDrives electric motor will deliver around 530 horsepower, which BMW said is equivalent to its conventional gasoline V8; while its newly-designed, high-voltage battery is very flat and very energy-dense, weighing about 550 kilograms and with an energy content of around 80 kWh. Zero to 100 km/h is expected to take about four seconds, with a top speed of more than 200 km/h.Charging capacity will be up to 150 kW, and on an appropriate fast charger, the i4 can recharge its battery to 80 per cent in 35 minutes and get 100 kilometres of range in just six minutes.The i4 will be built in Munich and go on sale in all global markets and since Canada is one of them, were looking forward to getting behind the
Origin: BMW’s all-electric i4 confirmed to get 600 kilometres on a charge
Local authorities called on to boost public EV charge point numbers
Local authorities called on to boost public EV charge point numbers A new league table highlights those areas with good or poor coverage The Transport Secretary has written to local authorities in the UK, urging them to make use of funding available to increase electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The calls from Grant Schapps MP come after the Department for Transport has published a ‘league table’ of data, showing public EV charge point numbers across areas of the UK. Using data from Zap-Map, the information shows how many public EV charge points there are per 100,000 population, broken down by local authority. There is also a separate column indicating how many rapid chargers there are in each area. The government wants driving an electric vehicle to be convenient and viable for those anywhere in the country, and that local authorities have a key role to play in the roll out of infrastructure. London is leading the way in terms of charge point numbers, with the region having almost 4,000 devices. All but two areas to have more than 100 charge points per 100,000 people are London local authorities. The City of London is comfortably top with 414 – well ahead of Westminster in second place with 190 charge points per 100,000 residents. Considering two island local authorities in Scotland are the other areas to have more than 100 points per 100,000 people, it should come as no surprise that Scotland as a region is in second place behind London. At the other end of the scale, there are still 100 local authorities that have fewer than 10 public chargers per 100,000 population. While in itself this may not be much of an issue, considering most EV charging is carried out at home, it does indicate a tougher time of things for those either visiting the area or looking to run an EV without access to off-street parking at home. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Your postcode should play no part in how easy it is to use an electric car, and I’m determined electric vehicles become the new normal for drivers. “It’s good news there are now more charging locations than petrol stations, but the clear gaps in provision are disappointing. I urge local councils to take advantage of all the government support on offer to help ensure drivers in their area don’t miss out. “To help increase the provision of charging locations, the government is offering grants for the installation of charge points on the street, in work and at home. We are also offering grants to lower the upfront cost of these cars so everyone is able to experience the benefits.” Minister for the Future of Transport George Freeman said: “Mapping charge points and producing a league table of availability by council area is intended to raise awareness. “There are now more than 22,500 public charge points and at least one rapid charge point at over 95% of all motorway services areas. To help level up the country, we’ve recently doubled the funding available for councils to build charge points on residential streets.” To take a look at the league table and a map of how local authorities perform per population, visit the DfT website here. Alternatively, click below to find public EV charge points in your area on Zap-Map.
Origin: Local authorities called on to boost public EV charge point numbers
UEone retractable EV charge points installed
UEone retractable EV charge points installed The new unit pops up from the ground when needed Urban Electric has revealed the first photos of its UEone retractable charge point as it launches a £250,000 crowdfunding campaign. A trial scheme – due for launch soon – will see residents of an Oxford street use six of the new UEone EV charge points with Ohme’s smart charging system and the free use of an electric car, run by the Co-wheels car club. The UEone looks to provide on-street EV charging – both public and residential – while keeping street furniture to a minimum. When in use, the charge point is stands kerbside like many other units. When not required though, it can be stored below ground. Urban Electric’s £250,000 equity crowdfunding campaign is running through Crowdcube, with new funds supporting an Innovate UK-backed project to install up to 18 second generation ‘demonstrator’ pop-up sites. Urban Electric has been awarded £452,000 as part of a £3.8 million Innovate UK project. This will see the roll-out of more than 100 charge points in Dundee and Plymouth across the sites, prior to full commercial launch. Innovate UK’s Director of Clean Growth and Infrastructure, Ian Meikle, said the UEone “has the potential to be rolled out across the whole of the UK.” Urban Electric co-founder Olivier Freeling-Wilkinson said: “In recognition of its critical role, the UK government this week announced additional funding for on-street charging. Pop-up charging hubs offer a scalable solution for more than 190 million on-street parking spaces in European cities alone, enabling those without off-street residential parking to switch to an EV. “If you are one of the eight million UK drivers that park your vehicle on your street at night, the convenience of charging there as well while you sleep is unbeatable – simply plug-in when you get home in the evening for a full charge in the morning.”
Origin: UEone retractable EV charge points installed
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