Month: August 2023

A Coventry-based electric motorcycle manufacturer has become a much-loved brand for a certain Hollywood actor – Ryan Reynolds.

Arc – headed up by founder and CEO Mark Truman – boasts ‘the world’s most advanced motorcycles’, with its Vector model using a 16.8kWh battery to deliver up to 271 miles of range from a charge. It can also hit a top speed of 120mph and do 0-60mph in around three seconds.

And it’s the Vector that caught the eye of actor Reynolds – who has starred in films such as Deadpool and the hit Netflix series Welcome to Wrexham, which tracked his and fellow actor Rob McElhenney’s early ownership days of the north Wales football club – and saw him get in contact with Arc directly via social media.

As a result, Reynolds ended up taking delivery of a personalised Vector – which cost between £100,000 and £150,000 – in November 2022, with unique touches such as unlacquered copper across the motorcycle. Eco-conscious Reynolds also requested the use of flax – a hemp-like material – to be used throughout the battery-powered Vector’s design.

Truman told the PA news agency that Reynolds was a ‘very down-to-earth guy’.

“He didn’t want to jump the queue,” said Truman.

“And he wanted to pay full price. Ryan told us that ‘the bike blew his mind’.

“When he was a little kid, he’d imagined what it would be like to be Superman flying just above the ground and this was the closest he’d ever get.”

Reynolds has stayed in touch with Arc after taking delivery of his Vector and recently took to Instagram to report to his 50 million followers just how much he was enjoying the motorcycle. As a result, Arc has seen an increase in engagement of ‘around 1,200 per cent’ via its social media feeds.

In response, Arc created its own Instagram post to thank the 46-year-old for his support.

“At midnight [after Reynolds’ post] we thought ‘Right, we’ve got to do something’, so we dreamt up a bit of a plan and did a midnight run to a 24-hour Tesco and found the last bottle of Aviation gin and put something together,” said Truman.

“I think people have been enjoying the banter between us.”

Chinese car maker BYD has announced it will remove the controversial ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering from the majority of its cars in Europe.

Build Your Dreams (BYD) is a Chinese car maker that was introduced to the UK earlier this year. Launching with the Atto 3 crossover, and it will be imminently introducing its Dolphin hatchback, set to become the UK’s most affordable new electric car thanks to a starting price of £25,500.

While its cars have so far been fairly well praised, the rear of BYD’s cars have been emblazoned in large ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering, which executives at the firm have said has proven divisive among both those buying and selling its cars.

Speaking at the launch of BYD’s new Seal saloon, which will be its flagship in the UK when it arrives later in the year, the firm confirmed that the European examples of this EV would not feature this ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering.

Tim Bryant, European customer and experience manager at BYD, said: “European Seals will not feature ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering at the rear. BYD has listened carefully to dealer, journalist and dealer partner feedback during this past year, some in favour of the lettering and others less so.

“We’ve taken the majority viewpoint and utilised the speed and agility of our vertically-integrated supply chain to ensure that all Seals built for Europe will feature a cleaner rear tailgate design featuring discreet BYD lettering.”

The PA news agency understands that China strongly supports the tagline as part of its culture, but the messaging has not been well-received in Europe, with some buyers even being put off buying the cars because of it.

The Atto 3 is expected to follow the Seal in switching to the more subtle branding, though the Dolphin will keep the ‘Build Your Dreams’ lettering because it’s integrated into the design of the lights of the model.

Motorists were stung with 674,732 fines for driving in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods last year, representing an increase of 30 per cent year-on-year.

It’s a significant rise on the 519,780 fines issued to motorists during 2021. Since the start of 2021, councils issuing fines for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) have generated more than £91 million for the schemes, with £40.8 million amassed during 2022. Some £10.9 million has been brought in during the first five months of 2023 alone, too.

In 2022, each council that fined drivers for entering LTNs generated an average of £3.1 million from the schemes.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are designed to make urban areas easier to walk or cycle through by preventing cars, vans and other vehicles from using otherwise quiet roads as shortcuts. They also look to reduce inner-city pollution by promoting ‘greener’ forms of transport such as walking or cycling.

The data, which was compiled by Churchill Motor Insurance, found that ‘at least’ 21 councils operated LTNs in 2022 and 2023, which was 12 more than in 2021. It means that there are now 103 permanent LTNs now in operation, compared with 87 in 2021. They run in a variety of locations, including London, Derby, Newcastle, Birmingham and Rochdale.

Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Low traffic neighbourhoods are a controversial issue, and our research shows the number of motorists impacted is increasing. More Councils are rolling out the schemes in their areas and the number of individual LTNs is also rising. When driving in major towns and cities, motorists should try to keep their satnavs up to date and look out for any new road signs to avoid being caught out for driving new LTNs.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan has dropped plans for a zero-emission vehicle zone in the centre of the capital.

The Labour’s mayor’s Transport Strategy published in March 2018 stated that he would “aim to deliver a zero-emission zone in central London from 2025”.

This would be expanded to inner London by 2040 and cover the whole city “by 2050 at the latest”.

The document also set out an ambition for “zero-emission zones in town centres from 2020”.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said: “We have no plans at present to progress the introduction of new zero-emission zones.

“We remain focused on delivering plans to support the mayor’s target of a carbon neutral London by 2030, most recently celebrating the milestone of over 1,100 zero-emission buses operating in the capital, as well as the landmark Ulez (ultra-low emission zone) expansion to all London boroughs.

“We continue to support boroughs who wish to implement local zero-emission zones in their local areas too.”

A zero-emission zone operated in Beech Street in the City of London from March 2020 to September 2021.

The expansion of the Ulez on Tuesday means vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards are liable for a £12.50 daily charge if they are used anywhere in London.

To comply with Ulez standards, petrol cars must generally have been first registered after 2005, while most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.

The policy has been met with fierce criticism from some people.

Many enforcement cameras have been vandalised, while ministers have urged the mayor to reverse the decision.

Asked about whether the level of charges or minimum emissions standards will be altered, Mr Khan said: “No, this is the emissions stance that we have and we are not going to change the emissions standards. We want to give people that certainty.

“What I do not want to do is to be moving the goalposts. The policies we have now are the policies in place.”

Residents of a road which forms a charge-free corridor through London’s expanded ultra low emission zone (Ulez) say they have been offered “£100 a month” to let people park on their driveways and avoid paying the fee.

Motorists travelling along Moor Lane which becomes Bridge Road in Chessington, south-west London, do not have to pay the Ulez charge, but should they turn off at any stage they will immediately enter the zone.

People leaving the road to access a train station, pub car park and numerous businesses along the road will have to pay the £12.50 charge if their vehicle does not meet emissions standards.

It means motorists travelling along the route must stay on the road, drive all the way round a roundabout and go back the same way to avoid being charged.

The town of Chessington, part of the London borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, will be included in the Ulez expansion when it come into force from August 29.

Many surrounding areas will not be included in the charge, meaning Chessington will form something of a Ulez peninsula.

Vispi Irani, 68, who lives on Bridge Road, told the PA news agency a man offered him and his neighbours £100 a month to park on his driveway and make the most of the charge-free corridor.

Mr Irani said: “I think it’s ridiculous.

“We don’t have to pay it on the road where we live, but I’m planning on changing my car, so I won’t have to pay it for the others.

“A chap came round and put notes through my and my neighbours’ doors.

“He was offering £100 a month to let him park on our drive so he could get around paying the charge.

“I don’t know how he was planning to get here. I guess he would use public transport.

“We have a big drive so I gave him a call, but he didn’t answer.”

A Chessington business owner said being located on the border of the expanded zone had left his staff in a “no-win situation.”

Tony Oak, 46, has run a waste clearance firm in the area for nearly three years.

His business is based around 100m outside the new Ulez zone, but says all four of his employees will have to travel through it to get to work, and cannot afford to update their cars.

Mr Oak told PA: “My staff will have to pay £12.50 every day they come to work. That’s about £4,000 a year.

“They feel they are effectively working an extra hour for nothing.

“One of my employees is considering working elsewhere because of the added cost.

“We’re completely surrounded by the zone, it’s a no-win situation.

“There’s no bus you can get to here. The nearest bus stop is half a mile away.

“We travel inside and outside of the zone during work hours. That’s a cost we pass on to the customer.

“We can’t afford to get new company vehicles, it just all adds up.

“We’ve looked into electric vehicles in the past but they don’t have the range – we do too many miles every day.

“Then there’s the cost of having chargers fitted.

“I know a lot of the other businesses around here are having the same problem.”

A window fitter, who owns a salesroom just off Bridge Road and did not wish to be named, said he is unsure whether his premises is inside the zone or not.

He told PA: “Officially, we’re not in the zone but there’s a camera just across the road so it might catch you. I’m really not sure.

“Luckily, my van is exempt because of its age – just.

“Even though this road is not in the zone, you just can’t avoid it round here.

“It seems to only affect the poorest people.

“If you turn off to go to the shops or something like that you’ll be in the zone.

“Deliveries to my shop will be more expensive when we’re in the zone. The cost will go on our bill.”

David, 83, a retired health worker who did not wish to give his surname, lives in the new zone area.

He said: “What’s the benefit? It’s a money-making gadget.

“I know electricians who aren’t going to work in this area anymore because of the new zone.

“It’s all people talk about round here, they’re angry about it and moaning.

“If you turn anywhere off Bridge Road left or right you have to pay.

“People should have a choice.”

Owners of modern classic cars have said they may have to take out a loan, move house or rely on family for transport as London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) expansion comes into force next week.

The expansion of the Ulez scheme on August 29, which will see it extended from the North and South Circular roads to cover the whole of Greater London, has been labelled “the death of the modern classic car”.

One owner said he will refuse to pay the charge – which for vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards within the zone is £12.50 daily, and failure to pay can lead to a fine of £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

Trevor Manlow, from Hillingdon, West London, is locked into a finance deal on his 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide with more than three-and-a-half years left.

Mr Manlow, 53, said classic vehicles are going to become “museum artefacts or tin cans” due to the boundary change.

He added: “It makes me angry, kids see these cars and bikes on the street and at shows and smile, they love it. However, the Ulez expansion is going to kill this as fewer people will be taking them out.

“I’ll still ride my bike, I’ll just refuse to pay the charge and I’ll take it to a garage to make it Ulez compliant at the first opportunity.”

Paul Robins, a 60-year-old plumber, owns three vehicles which were initially said to not be Ulez compliant but he got the decisions overturned by TfL.

Mr Robins, from Biggin Hill, Kent, has a mid-2000 Alpina B10 3.3 litre, a mid-2000 BMW 530i Touring and a mid-2002 Honda CBR600 motorbike.

He uses the BMW 530i for work after his van was stolen earlier this year and was considering giving up work and signing on for unemployment benefits unless he could get TfL to agree it was compliant.

Mr Robins said he had to provide TfL with a certificate of conformity to prove his vehicles met the emissions standards – a process he called a “ridiculous fight”.

He said he has been sharing the news with local mechanics that not all pre-2006 cars will be non compliant.

Mr Robins said: “The thing that really annoys me is it was so much of a fight, they reject (the compliancy application) for nonsensical reasons.”

He added that the Ulez expansion “could be the death of the modern classic car”.

Paul Tucker, a 52-year-old vehicle bodyfitter, said he will have to take out a loan to buy a new car and will be in debt because of Ulez.

Mr Tucker, from Northolt, West London, uses his 1998 Peugeot 106 Rally to commute to work in High Wycombe and has owned it for more than 15 years.

He said: “I feel targeted, it’s just another money-making scheme and if the mayor was serious he’d issue a complete ban.

“I need a car to get to work and I can’t afford one outright so I’m going to have to take out a loan to buy one. I’m going to be in debt because of Ulez.

“A lot of people are going to suffer because of this scheme.”

Retired aircraft engineer Peter McGeough plans to scrap his 1999 Volvo V70 which he has owned for 20 years and said he cannot afford to buy a Ulez compliant car so will have to rely on his family for transport.

Mr McGeough, 80, from Greenford, West London, said: “The support scheme just isn’t enough and as this is my only vehicle I’m going to have to depend on my family to help with my day-to-day jobs like my food shopping, going to the doctors – as I just have no other way of getting there. I am so wound up at the whole situation.”

Jay McDonald, a 45-year-old haulier, has spent nearly £25,000 renovating his 1986 Mark 3 Ford Capri which does not meet Ulez emission standards.

Mr McDonald, from Hayes, West London, said: “These modern classics are the same as those from my childhood that my parents and my relatives drove and it’s nostalgic and we’ll see cars like this on the roads less and less.”

Richard Moore, a motorway communication engineer from Hainault, Greater London, said he will not drive his limited edition 1996 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4×4 when the new boundary is introduced and he is looking to move houses to outside the new boundary.

The 53-year-old added: “This car is a big part of my life, this scheme is going to destroy the classic car scene.”

Meanwhile, a student from Epsom, Surrey, said his family plans to sell their car which is older than he is, as a lot of their daily amenities are inside the new boundary.

Nicholas Stone, a 24-year-old student at Arts University Bournemouth, said his parents bought the 1998 Mazda Demio when it was new and have put more than 90,000 miles on the clock.

He said: “It really is a shame we’re having to sell it, the car is older than me after my family bought it for over £10,000 and now we’re selling it for less than £500.”

Sunbed salon owner James Stoddart has invested more than £20,000 into his 1985 Austin Mini and as he lives in Epsom, Surrey, he does not get a vote in the London mayoral elections.

The 62-year-old said: “I’m going to have to restrict how often I take this car out now, which I know will kill off modern classic cars not just for me but for thousands of car enthusiasts.”

Laurence McGeough, 52, a vehicle technician from Greenford, West London, takes his 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo 1991 to classic car shows every weekend but said he will have to “heavily clamp down and consider when he takes it out” after the expansion.

Karl Amos, 53, is considering selling his 1985 Classic Mini which he has put “blood, sweat and tears into”.

The plumber’s merchant, from Hillingdon, West London, said: “When I first built this car from the ground up, I said I’d be buried in it and I’d never thought I’d ever have to consider parting with it, it’s left me heartbroken.”

Transport for London has been asked to comment.

Cities should look at other options for tackling air pollution instead of schemes like London’s Ulez (ultra low emission zone), Sir Keir Starmer has suggested.

The Labour leader said no-one in the UK should be “breathing dirty air” but added that proposals for reducing air pollution should not have a disproportionate impact on people’s pockets during the cost-of-living crisis.

London’s Ulez will be expanded to cover the entirety of Greater London from August 29, a move overseen by the city’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.

Sir Keir has asked Mr Khan to reflect on the policy’s impact following last month’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election result.

Labour had hoped to win ex-prime minister Boris Johnson’s seat from the Conservatives, but said Ulez was a dividing issue that saw the Tories retain the seat.

Conservative Steve Tuckwell won the seat with a narrow majority of 495, far slimmer than Mr Johnson’s 2019 general election victory of 7,210.

Asked by broadcasters whether Labour’s policy on clean air zones had changed since his party lost the by-election, Sir Keir said: “Let me tell you what I want to change: I want clean air.

“I don’t think anybody in this country should be breathing dirty air, any more than I think they should be drinking dirty water.

“What I don’t want is schemes that disproportionately impact on people in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis, so we need to look at options for achieving what we all need to achieve, which is clean air.

“There are other ways of achieving this, so my driving principle is clean air, absolutely yes, but a proportionate way of getting there and looking at what the options are for other cities, other places doing it in different ways.”

Rishi Sunak has sought to portray himself as on the side of “motorists” and create a dividing line between the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the next general election.

The Prime Minister has ordered a review into low traffic neighbourhoods and other plans aimed at curbing traffic and pollution in city and town centres.

The cost of an average insurance premium has risen by more than £200 to an average of £743 in June, according to new research.

It’s a 39 per cent increase on June 2022, while the average premium for young drivers aged under 24 has soared by £510 to £1,640 in the last 12 months. In contrast, car insurance remains the lowest for drivers aged 65 to 79 at £343. The average premium for this age group has still risen by up to £89 for this age group, however.

Those in London have experienced the biggest rise in insurance costs out of all the regions in the UK. It has increased to £1,165 following a rise of £368 or 46 per cent in the last 12 months. Motorists in the south-west of England, however, have the lowest average premium at £527, though this has still risen by more than £120 in the last 12 months.

Compare the Market, who compiled the results, says that the cost of car insurance has soared due to repair cost inflation, with insurers paying out £2.4 billion in claims during the first quarter of 2023. This represents an increase of 14 per cent on the same period during 2022.

The cost of providing courtesy cars has also risen by 29 per cent in the last year, due to longer average repair times.

Anna McEntee, director at Compare the Market, said: “Drivers will be concerned that the cost of car insurance is rapidly increasing. Some young drivers are facing particularly steep hikes of more than £500. It’s now more important than ever for people to shop around and compare prices to check you’re getting a great deal.”

Nearly three out of five drivers (58%) want to see cameras that detect illegally loud vehicles rolled out across the UK, a new survey suggests.

Some 22% of respondents to the poll of 1,424 motorists commissioned by the RAC were against the idea, with a similar proportion (20%) unsure.

The Department for Transport (DfT) began a £300,000 trial of noise cameras in a handful of areas in England in October last year.

The technology involves using a camera and several microphones to detect noisy vehicles.

The camera records an image of the vehicle and its noise level, creating evidence which can be used by police to issue fines, according to the DfT.

More than a third (34%) of drivers surveyed for the RAC said they regularly heard revving engines or excessively loud exhausts.

Road noise has been found to contribute to health problems including heart attacks, strokes and dementia.

Vehicle exhausts and silencers are required to be properly maintained, and not altered to increase noise.

Non-compliance can lead to a £50 on-the-spot fine.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Our research with drivers shows there is a very strong desire to put an end to the scourge of excessively noisy vehicles that disturb the peace all around the country.

“It’s plain wrong that those who have fitted their cars with modified exhausts, some motorbike riders and supercar owners can currently just get away with making an unacceptable amount of noise.

“Fortunately, the Department for Transport’s recent noise camera trials may provide the solution.

“We hope the findings are positive and that the technology can be quickly and cost-efficiently rolled out to the worst affected areas.

“There is no good reason why cars and motorbikes should make so much noise, so the sooner effective camera enforcement can be put in place the better.”

Roads minister Richard Holden said: “Boy racers are an anti-social menace and we have extensively trialled noise camera technology in various parts of the country over the past year.

“We are currently analysing data from the trials and will update in due course on any future measures which will help bring peace and tranquillity back to our towns, cities and villages.”

– The RAC commissioned research agency Online95 to carry out the survey in December 2022.

The average price paid for motor insurance has surged by just over a fifth (21%), or nearly £90 in cash terms, over the past year, to reach the highest levels since records started in 2012, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The average premium paid for private comprehensive motor insurance in the second quarter of 2023 was £511, which was also up by 7% on the previous quarter.

Back in the second quarter of 2022, the average price paid for motor insurance was £88 less, at £423.

The ABI said “sustained cost pressures” faced by insurers, such as vehicle repairs, energy costs and labour rates, have pushed up the price of motor insurance.

It said that, in total, insurers paid out £2.4 billion in all motor insurance claims – including theft, vehicle repairs, and personal injury – in the first quarter of this year.

This was a 14% increase compared with the first quarter of 2022.

Within this, the cost to insurers of vehicle repairs leapt by a third (33%) over the year to reach £1.5 billion, marking the highest figure since the ABI started collecting this data back in 2013.

This reflects rising costs, including energy inflation, and more expensive repairs, the ABI said.

It added that one insurer had observed a 40% rise in labour rates between June 2022 and January this year.

The costs of replacement parts for many popular cars have increased by as much as a fifth over the past year, the association added.

The ABI’s analysis is taken from 28 million motor insurance policies sold over the past year, including around seven million in the second quarter, to indicate the amounts that UK motorists are actually typically paying for their cover.

Its latest tracker shows that in the second quarter of this year, the average price paid by motorists renewing their cover rose by £36 on the previous quarter to £471, while the average premium for a new policy was up by £21 to £566.

These figures reflect the different risk profile of new and renewing customers.

For example, a new customer may be more likely to be a younger, less experienced driver, the ABI said.

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on the pricing of motor and home insurance introduced on January 1 2022 ensure that the price paid by renewing customers for motor and home insurance is no greater than the price charged to an equivalent new customer for the equivalent policy bought through the same distribution channel, such as through an insurer, broker, or price comparison website.

The rules do not set or cap the level of premium paid by new or existing customers.

Mervyn Skeet, the ABI’s director of general insurance policy, said: “These continue to be tough times for many motorists and motor insurers alike.

“With many families facing higher cost-of-living bills, no-one wants to see the cost of their motor insurance rise.

“Insurers remain determined to ensure that motor insurance remains as competitively priced as possible, but this has become increasingly challenging, given the continued rising costs that they are facing.

“We would urge anyone concerned about being able to afford their insurance to speak to their motor insurer to see what options might be available. And despite cost pressures, it can still pay to shop around to get the policy that best meets your needs at the most competitive price.”

Jenny Ross, editor of Which? Money, said: “Car insurance premiums reaching record highs comes at the worst possible time for consumers already battling cost pressures in a number of other areas, and motorists may be wondering whether insurers passing on increased costs is justified at this time.

“The Financial Conduct Authority’s new consumer duty will mean that insurers need to be able to demonstrate the products they are selling offer fair value. If they can’t justify them, they should face action from the regulator.”