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
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Ford’s new 7.3-litre gas V8 makes some outrageous power numbers
Ford F-Series, America’s best-selling truck for 42 years, is once again raising the bar for capability with its all-new 7.3-liter V8 gasoline engine. The 7.3-liter engine in Super Duty pickup cranks out best-in-class gas V8 output of 430 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and best-in-class torque of 475 ft.-lb. at 4,000 rpm. When your author initially heard the Blue Oval was in the throes of developing a new truck engine displacing a prodigious 7.3 litres, it was assumed someone had frying pans for fingers and simply mistyped the displacement. Surely they mean six-point-three litres, I thought while eating a bowl of breakfast nails and shaving with a rusty razor (thats the meal of choice for Super Duty owners, right?).Nope, 7.3 litres it is, or 445 cubic inches. Ford claims this engine produces a best-in-class gas V8 output of 435 horsepower at 5,500 rpm; and 475 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm.In a day and age where most manufacturers are bent on downsizing and turbocharging their gasoline engines (including Ford themselves with its EcoBoost), this 7.3-litre brute is a remarkable departure.The aim is to provide durability in the harsh environments into which Super Duty trucks are often pressed. Ford says to this end the engine uses overhead valve architecture yep, this is a pushrod mill. Engine builders know having an in-block cam reduces engine height and width; look at an old Ford 5.0-litre and 4.6-litre side-by-each for that stark illustration.This engine also features a variable-displacement oil pump that provides more oil when drivers are working the thing like a rented mule, but reduces parasitic loss under light loads. It is hooked to Fords ten-speed automatic. Engine start/stop and cylinder deactivation tech goes unmentioned.Such a design choice is interesting because, for nearly twenty-five years, Fords gasoline V8 engines have been small(er) displacement units and of an overhead-cam design. If your authors memory serves correctly, the last Blue Oval pushrod V8 was a 351 Windsor found in the 1995 Cobra R. Im certain youll tell me Im wrong in the comments.A differently tuned version of the same engine will also pop up in F-Series chassis-cabs and E-Series cutaways. The other two engines, a 6.2-litre gas and 6.7-litre PowerStroke turbodiesel, arent going anywhere. This new 7.3-litre should appear on dealer lots this
Origin: Ford’s new 7.3-litre gas V8 makes some outrageous power numbers
Porsche Taycan EV power numbers appear
Porsche TaycanPorsche The segment of luxurious and rapid all-electric sedans is set to grow later this year when Porsche launches the Taycan. Set to be presented in September, it will go on sale at the end of this year and compete against the likes of Tesla Model S. Now, thanks to some sleuthing across the pond, we have a clearer idea just how much power this executive express might produce.First reported by UK outlet Car, who hitched a ride out of Porsches Weissach test centre in a preproduction Taycan, the so-called Turbo model will potentially shovel out 215 bhp from the motor on its front axle and 402 bhp from the powerplant astern. Simply adding those numbers together will not necessarily provide peak output, thanks to a myriad of EV math that makes your authors head spin. Suffice it to say the total will be more than adequate. As for torque, the UK mag reports the top-dog Taycan will reliably make 649 lb.-ft. of twist, with a full 738 lb.-ft. on tap courtesy of something referred to as an overboost window. It is fervently hoped that this overboost will be accessed by a big red button labelled Go Baby Go but that doesnt seem in keeping with Porsches design ethos. A control like that is more likely to be found in some Hellcat variant (thats a free idea for Dodge if they want it).For comparison, the psychotic Tesla Model S P100D has been dynoed by private individuals to the tune of 588 horsepower and 920 lb-ft of torque at the wheels when its systems are set squarely in Ludicrous+ mode. Official specs are hard to come by given the companys notorious rep for secrecy and a constant barrage of updates (over-the-air and otherwise) that are constantly hurled at the machine.At the final Formula E race of this season, Porsche deployed one of their works drivers to fling a Taycan around the New York circuit. In promo material for that event, the company boasts 600PS worth of power, equivalent to roughly 591 horsepower.Across the globe, Porsche says there are already more than 20,000 serious prospective buyers who have made a down payment. Pricing, trims, and all those other details should appear closer to its
Origin: Porsche Taycan EV power numbers appear
VW adds electric-car plants in China to overtake Tesla numbers
VWs power bank for electric cars—the companys solution for a mobile quick-charging station.Handout / Volkswagen In about a year, Volkswagen Group may catch up to Tesla’s capacity to make electric cars. VW said Tuesday it is building two plants in China to produce a total of 600,000 vehicles on its dedicated battery-car platform, MEB. The new factories in Anting and Foshan will open a few months after Germany’s Zwickau, which will assemble as many as 330,000 cars annually and is slated to get started by year-end. Following through with plans to reach this level of scale will likely leave Tesla trailing behind. Its lone vehicle assembly plant operating in Fremont, California, can make about 500,000 cars. The electric-car leader expects to start output on the outskirts of Shanghai at the end of this year and produce 250,000 vehicles a year initially. VW has little time to lose after Tesla resolved manufacturing problems in Fremont and its battery factory near Reno, Nevada, which may start also building Model Y crossovers. While Model 3 sedan deliveries tailed off in the first quarter following a strong second half of 2018, CEO Elon Musk has dismissed concerns about demand and stuck to a forecast for as many as 400,000 vehicle deliveries this year. VW plans to produce some 70 battery-powered models across its 12 auto brands by 2028 and make 22 million electric cars over the next decade. CEO Herbert Diess, who says alternative technologies like fuel-cell cars will struggle to compete, is helming the auto industry’s biggest effort in the transition from combustion engines costing some 30 billion euros (US$34 billion). Volkswagen leads the competition on e-mobility, Diess said in speech notes at the company’s annual meeting in Berlin. As a company, we’ll make a success of the electric car—with the right products, superior underpinnings and global economies of scale. The German automaker, which is also considering sites for more electric-car plants, this month opened reservations for its electric ID3 hatchback. It’s garnered more than 15,000 orders from buyers putting down 1,000-euro deposits. Tesla, meanwhile, is mulling a factory in Germany, Musk said in a tweet last month. Last year, he stated that Europe’s No. 1 market was the leading choice for a car and battery site in
Origin: VW adds electric-car plants in China to overtake Tesla numbers
GM questions FCA sales practices as Ram numbers edge out Chevy
2019 Ram 1500 RebelFCA The North American truck sales wars are heating up, as the Ram 1500 settles into the second place position for the first quarter of 2019 and GM moans about it. The Ford F-150 remains king of the hill this year with 214,611 F-Series truck sales in Q1—no real surprise there. But there has been a shift in power below it, with FCA’s full-size pickup truck edging out the competition, thanks partly to aggressive sales and promotion tactics put in place by the brand. The Ram 1500 displaced the Chevy Silverado as the second most-purchased full-size pickup truck in the market, with FCA moving 120,026 Ram 1500s compared to Chevy’s 114,313 Silverados. But GM claims the turning point is due to FCA’s dirty tricks. GM spokesman Jim Cain told the Detroit Free Press “the Ram pickup’s first-quarter sales victory over Silverado amounted to a hollow chocolate Easter bunny because FCA has been pulling out all stops to win sales.” It’s a clever metaphor, but not clever enough to mask some obvious soreness. Of course FCA pulled out all the stops to win! In a competition as close as this, that’s what the runner-up should be expected to do. “All the stops” in this context refers to FCA’s offering US$8,500 bonuses to dealers that put Ram Classics into their courtesy fleets; providing up to US$18,000 discounts on Ram Classic in certain key markets like Texas; and pursuing short-term leases to Detroit employees and their families. And while those incentives may be aggressive, there’s nothing technically unethical about them. And they’re obviously working. Fiat Chrysler calls its strategy competitive, plain and simple. FCA is committed to providing competitive products at competitive prices in the marketplace,” the company said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press. “Our incentives constantly change, and vehicle prices can vary by dealership.” Your move,
Origin: GM questions FCA sales practices as Ram numbers edge out Chevy
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