Author: PA Media

Ads for Hyundai and Toyota electric cars have been banned for exaggerating the speed of recharging and failing to mention the limited availability of the fastest chargers across the road network.

Three ads for Hyundai’s IONIQ 5, seen in January last year, all stated that the car could be charged from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes using a 350kw “ultra-fast” charger.

Three complainants, who believed there were significant limitations to achieving the advertised charging rate including low temperature, said the claim was misleading.

Hyundai told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that its internal factory testing established a time of 17 minutes and 16 seconds to charge the battery from 10% to 80% when using a 350 kW ultra-fast charger, and with the battery at temperatures of 22 and 25 degrees centigrade.

However the carmaker said it was wrong to infer that this meant that the ambient temperature must also be 22 or 25 degrees centigrade.

Hyundai accepted that there were “a large number of variables” which could influence the charge time for an electric vehicle battery, including battery temperature, ambient temperature and the age and condition of the battery, and that actual results for individual drivers could therefore vary.

It said the Charge myHyundai website showed 37 ultra-fast 350 kW charging locations in the UK and six ultra-fast 350 kW charging locations in the Republic of Ireland at the time of the ad, while a fully charged IONIQ5 would provide between 238 and 298 miles of range depending on the battery size.

The ASA said any “less than optimal” factors such as battery temperature, ambient temperature and age and condition of the battery might affect the time it would take for a battery to charge to 80%.

It said: “We would therefore expect Hyundai to qualify the charging claim with an explanation of the conditions under which the figures were achieved and that they may not reflect actual consumer experience.”

It added: “We concluded that because the ads omitted material information about the factors that could significantly affect the advertised charging time and the limitations in relation to the availability of 350 kW chargers, the claims that the Hyundai IONIQ 5 could charge from 10% to 80% charge “in 18 minutes” or “less than 18 minutes” using a 350 kW charger had not been substantiated and were misleading.”

The watchdog also banned claims made by Toyota on its website in March last year that its bZ4X model could reach 80% charge in around 30 minutes using a 150 kW fast-charging system.

A complainant said there were “significant limitations” to the “misleading” claim.

Toyota said the claim was caveated with a prominent footnote informing consumers that the charging times were subject to local circumstances and that rapid charging power ratings could vary by location.

It believed consumers would know that not all charging units were rated 150 kW and that they would need to travel to access the relevant units.

The firm said it understood that 150 kW+ chargers were available in “multiple” locations across the UK, including in major population centres and major travel points on motorways or major arterial roads, and it believed it was those areas where drivers were most likely to need them.

The ASA said it would have expected Toyota to qualify the charging claim with an explanation of the conditions under which the figures were achieved, and that they may not reflect actual consumer experience.

It said: “We concluded that because the ad omitted material information about the factors that could significantly affect the advertised charging time and the limitations in relation to the availability of 150 kW chargers in Northern Ireland and across the UK, the claim ‘use rapid public charging to reach 80% charge in around 30 minutes with a 150 kW fast-charging system’ had not been substantiated and was misleading.”

The ASA ruled that neither of the ads should appear again.

Nearly a fifth (19%) of drivers say their local authority has either scrapped parking payment machines or is consulting on doing so, a survey suggests.

The RAC said its poll of 1,900 UK motorists indicates that millions of people are or will soon be forced to use their phones to pay for parking.

There are concerns that requiring drivers to use a mobile app or call a phone number is particularly difficult for some elderly or vulnerable people, putting them at risk of being fined for non-payment.

Almost three out of five (59%) respondents to the survey said they felt angry about the idea of parking machines being removed, believing they should be able to pay however they want.

The figure rose to 73% for those aged 65 and older.

A fifth (20%) of drivers said they felt discriminated against as they cannot use mobile apps to pay for parking.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, said there are “advantages in going digital” and work is being done to “make the process as simple as possible”.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove wrote to councils in April expressing concern about drivers being “digitally excluded” through a lack of alternative payment methods.

There are complaints among drivers about the number of different parking apps used by councils, such as RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark, ParkMobile and ParkMe.

To use each one, drivers must download them and enter their details. Some charge an additional fee.

Some 11% of people surveyed reported that a proportion or all parking payment machines have been removed near where they live, with an additional 8% saying their local authority is consulting on doing so.

Drivers in London were most likely to say either of the scenarios applied to them (44%) followed by those in the east of England (23%) and the East Midlands (22%).

Many councils and private parking operators are getting rid of older machines that process card payments by 3G mobile signals, which telecoms operators are switching off.

This has left them with the choice of buying more modern machines or switching to a phone-based payment system, which does not require physical infrastructure in car parks beyond signs.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “While for many people a switch to purely mobile phone-based parking payment poses no problems, our research clearly shows that for others it spells bad news.

“In fact, a majority of drivers across all age groups think getting rid of parking payment machines is a bad idea.

“Of course, cash-strapped councils will find it difficult to justify spending large sums of public money on upgrading parking machines, which explains why some are bringing in third-party parking app providers instead.

“But it’s vital councils, and indeed private parking operators, carefully assess the impact of going down this route before taking machines away.

“Our research shows that – by removing some methods of paying for parking – they are undoubtedly making life harder for some drivers and possibly contributing to social isolation.

“The move could also lead to lower parking revenue as a result of drivers being put off from parking in the first place, something that’s surely not in any local authority’s interests.”

The RAC surveyed 1,900 UK drivers who are part of its driver opinion panel. They figures were weighted to be nationally representative.

LGA transport spokesman Darren Rodwell said: “The removal of the 3G network is posing considerable challenges to some councils who operate physical parking meters.

“This change, along with other customer trends, has led to councils digitising parts of their parking services.

“This includes moving to cashless payments and in certain cases removing parking meters when other more beneficial, efficient and secure ways can be taken to make payments.

“In line with other public and private services, there are advantages in going digital, such as drivers getting a text warning that time will expire, or being able to extend their stay without returning to the car park, as well as reducing the risks of theft from payment machines.

“Councils are working with Government and parking operators to streamline the number of apps needed to make payments, to make the process as simple as possible for residents.”

The number of UK vehicles with illegal or near-illegal tyre tread depth has soared in 12 months, new figures indicate.

Motoring services company Halfords said 6.5% of the vehicles it checked in April had at least one tyre with tread depth below the permitted minimum, up from 3.8% in the same month a year earlier.

For tyres on the borderline of legal levels, the proportion rose from 7.0% to 7.8% over the same period.

Halfords believes the increase is due to a rise in the number of potholes and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

The company, which inspects around 10 million vehicles a year for MoTs and servicing, said if its figures are representative of all vehicles on UK roads then more than 4.2 million have tyres with illegal or near-illegal tread depth.

Tread is the grooved section of tyres which comes into contact with the road.

In the UK, the legal minimum depth is 1.6mm.

Low tread tyres are more susceptible to punctures and blowouts, and have a detrimental effect on fuel economy, braking and steering.

Halfords chief executive Graham Stapleton said: “There’s a perfect storm of increasingly poorly maintained roads, caused by the squeeze on public finances, and increasingly worn tyres, caused by the squeeze on people’s pockets.

“Now more than ever we need to make it affordable for people to stay safe.

Halfords is offering customers the option of having tyres replaced now and deferring almost all of the cost until next year, interest-free.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “For all the hi-tech features modern cars now contain, our safety is still dependent on the four small patches of rubber that connect them to the road.

“The condition of our tyres is safety-critical and well worth the matter of minutes it would take drivers to quickly check that they have enough tread and are correctly inflated.

“Hard-pressed households looking to save money might want to take a chance on when to get their car tyres replaced, but running on bald rubber is surely a risk too far.”

The AA said it received more than 52,000 call-outs to vehicles stranded due to faults likely to have been caused by potholes in April, up 29% on the same month in 2022.

The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £14 billion.

Speed limits of 20mph should be imposed on all roads near schools to reduce the number of child crash deaths, according to a charity.

Brake, which campaigns to boost road safety, said cutting speed limits “saves lives”.

Department for Transport figures show 2,456 children aged under 16 were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads last year.

Many councils have introduced 20mph zones around schools.

But Brake said nearly two-thirds of parents reported that some roads near their children’s schools have higher limits.

The charity cited the example of Dropmore Infant School in Buckinghamshire where the limit on nearby roads is up to 60mph, and there are areas with no pavements.

Headteacher Gitta Streete, who has called for the speed limit on surrounding roads to be reduced to 20mph for several years, said: “What we often hear back is that because no-one has been seriously hurt or killed on that road, there is no need to make any changes.

“One parent had their car door taken off by a passing car. That could easily have been a child, parent or carer being hit.

“What we need is a proper, phased speed reduction system: a reduction to 20mph outside the school and safe areas for everyone to walk along and cross the road.”

Steven Broadbent, Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for transport, insisted the local authority takes road safety “incredibly seriously” and is “very much aware of the concerns that have been raised” in relation to Dropmore.

He went on: “We want to continue working as closely as possible with them and all schools to ensure all students have safe passage to and from school.”

Brake campaigns manager Lucy Straker said: “Dropmore’s situation is being replicated across the country.

“We speak to lots of schools where teachers are doing everything they can to make the roads near their school safe, but ultimately they need support from their local council and decision-makers.

“Why do we have to wait until a child is killed before we act?”

“We know that excess speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes, and the physics is pretty straightforward: the faster a vehicle is travelling, the harder it hits and the greater the impact.

“A crash at 30mph has twice the amount of kinetic energy as a crash at 20mph. Reducing speed saves lives.

“We’re calling for roads around every school to have 20mph speed limits – and other measures to effectively reduce traffic speed – so children and their families can travel safely to and from school every day.”

Children from more than 700 schools and nurseries are expected to participate in Brake’s Kids Walk on Wednesday, which involves walking in groups and calling for safe and healthy journeys without fear from traffic.

From September 17, the Welsh Government is introducing a default 20mph limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets.

It said Wales will be “one of the first countries in the world, and the first nation in the UK” to introduce such legislation.

Linda Taylor, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “It is up to each individual council to introduce measures based on their own local needs, taking into account the views of the school, police and local residents.

“Speed limits exist for a reason and road users must observe them to keep children and parents safe.”

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “Local authorities in England decide speed limits on their roads but we always encourage road designs that prioritise safety.

“There are no plans to introduce default or national 20mph speed limits in urban environments.”

Electric bikes must have number plates and insurance in order for pedestrians to be safe, Conservative MPs and the industry have said.

They want them to be regulated in the same way as other vehicles given the damage they can do if they hit someone.

E-bikes can weigh twice as much as a conventional bicycle and, while most cannot travel faster than 15.5mph by law, some have been modified to go much faster.

Children are allowed to ride them from the age of 14.

Ian Stewart, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee, told the Mail on Sunday: “There is a case for looking at insurance arrangements.

“I don’t think the regulations are a good fit for new technologies.

“It’s not just e-bikes, there are issues with e-scooters and driver-assist/self-driving technology increasingly embedded in cars.”

Fellow committee member Greg Smith told the newspaper: “With more types of vehicle competing for road space, it is only fair that all users are treated equally.

“E-bikes and e-scooters can achieve considerable speeds and cause damage to other vehicles and injure people, so should have to carry the same insurance requirements and tax liabilities as users of motor cars.”

Tony Campbell, chief executive of the Motor Cycle Industry Association, which represents the sector, called for new laws to include anti-tampering measures to outlaw e-bikes being modified for faster speeds, telling the paper: “We are in favour of reviewing regulation as it is clear it is outdated.”

The calls come after Saul Cookson, 15, died when his e-bike crashed into an ambulance shortly after being followed by police in Salford, Greater Manchester, on Thursday.

Last month, Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, were killed in Cardiff when riding a Sur-Ron electric bicycle through the Ely area of the city.

Claims they were being pursued by police sparked a riot in the area.

The potential danger of e-bikes were raised in a court case in 2020 following the death of 56-year-old pedestrian Sakine Cihan in August 2018, after she was knocked down and killed by a rider in Dalston, east London.

Thomas Hanlon was bought before the Old Bailey accused of causing her death by careless driving in what was believed to be the first case of its kind, but was cleared by a jury.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “There are strict laws in place around dangerous cycling and police have the power to prosecute if these are broken.

“While it is heavier vehicles that lead to increased maintenance costs by damaging roads, local highways are funded through general taxation which falls on all taxpayers, including those who cycle.”

A record £2.4 billion was paid out in motor claims in the first quarter of this year as firms find surging costs increasingly challenging to absorb, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

More expensive vehicle repairs, rising second-hand car costs and longer repair times are among the challenges faced by insurers, although there are some signs that cost pressures from whiplash-related claims are easing.

The new quarterly total marked a 14% increase compared with the same quarter in 2022 as well as being the highest quarterly payout since the ABI started collecting data in 2013.

The latest figure, covering January 1 to March 31 2023, includes motor insurance claims for theft, vehicle repairs, replacement vehicles and personal injury.

The overall number of claims settled, at 599,000, was also up by 14% compared with the same quarter in 2022.

The cost of vehicle repairs jumped by a third (33%) annually to reach £1.5 billion in the first quarter of this year, which was also the highest figure since the ABI started collecting the data in 2013.

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

Costs associated with providing replacement cars have also increased, reflecting longer repair times, the ABI said.

Payouts for vehicle theft, at £152 million, have increased by 29% since the first quarter of 2022, partly reflecting increases in second-hand car prices, it added.

Insurers paid out £642 million on personal injury claims in the first quarter of 2023, which was 11% down compared with the same quarter in 2022.

Early indications are that the whiplash reforms introduced in 2021 to create a simplified, fairer, more efficient and cost-effective compensation system are having an impact, the ABI said.

Laura Hughes, the ABI’s manager, general insurance, said: “Motor insurers continue to deliver when motorists and personal injury claimants need them the most.

“Like most other business sectors, motor insurers face sustained cost pressures which they are finding increasingly challenging to absorb.

“Despite this they are doing all they can to ensure competitively priced motor insurance, as well as offering the best possible claims service.”

Earlier this week, insurance industry representatives appearing before the Treasury Committee pushed back at perceptions that firms are “profiteering” during the cost-of-living crisis.

During the hearing, Charlotte Clark, director of regulation at the ABI highlighted “significant cost pressures” including costs related to cars.

Cristina Nestares, chief executive of Admiral UK, told the hearing on Wednesday: “The average of when you pay the claim could be two years.

“First, because the accident can happen in the next 12 months, secondly because when the claim is paid depends on the complexity, if it’s a damage claim, windscreen or maybe if it’s a large bodily injury claim. So on average, it could take two years.”

She said two years of inflation “is what you actually need to apply to every policy. Actually you see that we’re not profiteering.”

Recent figures from the ABI showed that motorists typically paid £478 for private comprehensive cover in the first three months of 2023, which was a 16% increase compared with the first quarter of 2022 and the highest figure recorded since premiums cost £483 on average in the final quarter of 2019.

Breakdowns caused by pothole damage fell by just four per cent during May, according to new figures released by the RAC.

The breakdown company attended 49,801 incidents – more than 1,600 per day – caused by potholes. This figure was second only to the 53,984 pothole-related incidents recorded in May 2018. During April 2023, the RAC went out to 52,070 pothole-related breakdowns.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Such has been extent of damage to UK roads, caused by winter’s ravages and poor road maintenance over many years, that the May bank holiday road travellers ran the risk of major damage and repair bills – particularly if they ventured off the main roads into the country.

“The big concern is the extra risk posed for the increased number of cyclists and bikers on to the road. Yes, the drier weather might have made the potholes easier to spot, but the sheer number of potholes means the odds are stacked against road users.”

Though the RAC says that local authorities have ‘started to get a grip’ on the ‘plague’ of potholes caused by winter and ‘patchy maintenance’, it adds that the state of the roads means that motorists on two wheels are more at risk. The RAC adds that drier conditions do tend to mean that there are more motorcyclists and cyclists on the road, too, meaning that more people are in danger of pothole-related accidents.

All Uber Eats couriers will use zero emission vehicles by 2040, the company has announced.

Deliveries are currently made by people using cars, motorbikes and bicycles.

Uber Eats also plans for all restaurants providing food for the service to use sustainable packaging by 2030.

At an event in central London, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said: “Driving emissions to zero, I believe, is the defining challenge of our generation.”

He added that London is “the leader in electrification” but “the world is absolutely not making the transition to green fast enough”.

Uber previously announced it wants all its minicab drivers in London to use electric cars by the end of 2025.

The company said on Thursday that Heathrow will be among several global airports which will provide drop-off points in preferential locations for Uber electric vehicles (EVs).

Mr Khosrowshahi said: “Our London riders experience the greenest ways to use Uber in the world, by electric car, by bike, by scooter, hybrid boat, coach and now even the Eurostar.

“That’s no accident. World-leading policies in London and the UK to lower emissions and clean up transportation have had a significant impact, and are having a significant impact as we speak today.”

Uber’s UK users can book train and coach tickets through the app.

Mr Khosrowshahi said Uber has taken a series of steps to reach the “awesome” figure of 10,000 drivers using EVs in London.

He went on: “Our experience in London has set the stage for us now to begin to scale electrification on a global basis.”

Uber has made a series of modifications to its app to make it easier for drivers to use EVs.

These include showing options for switching from conventionally-fuelled cars, and offering journeys based on when an EV will need to recharge.

Uber has also started showing passengers the carbon emissions savings from riding in EVs, and gives them the ability to choose those vehicles at no extra cost.

The gulf between the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road and public charge points could continue for “a number of months or more”, according to a transport minister.

Jesse Norman acknowledged there has been a “disconnect” between vehicles and required infrastructure, citing “rapidly growing” EV purchases as the reason.

But he insisted the Government has plans in place to support expansion, with the potential to make use of billions of pounds of private investment.

The fear of running out of charge – often referred to as range anxiety or charging anxiety – has been cited as a key barrier to people switching to electric motoring.

Mr Norman told MPs: “There are currently over 42,000 public electric vehicle charge points in the UK alongside hundreds of thousands more in homes and workplaces.

“The Government allocated a share of £381 million to every local area in England under the LEVI, Local EV Infrastructure fund, and is also supporting rapid charges along the strategic road network.”

Mr Norman said the Government also provides grants to support the development of charge points in flats, rental properties, residential car parks and workplaces.

But Labour MP Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) said: “According to The Times it seems the gulf between the number of electric vehicles out on our roads and the number of public charge points has actually doubled in the last year.

“And Logistics UK is reporting that many of their operators with commercial vehicles cannot access these points.

“So it seems the Government needs to do more in terms of planning and to encourage investment. Could the minister update us?”

Mr Norman, in his reply, said: “I take the general point he raises.

“Of course when you have rapidly growing EV purchases, as we do in this country, you are going to see moments where the amount of infrastructure and the amount of vehicles disconnect a little bit and we’ve certainly seen a bit of that recently – and we will do perhaps for a number of months or more yet.

“But what is so interesting is the new zero emissions vehicle mandate allows us to trigger, as I’ve already mentioned, billions of pounds of potential private investment.

“That’s a world-leading intervention by Government and I think it will pay long-term dividends in supporting the expansion of the electric car fleet.”

The Times said industry figures showed that across the UK there were 36 electric cars on the road for every standard public charger last year. It said this compared with 31 at the end of 2021.

The AA this week reported the proportion of EV breakdowns caused by running out of charge has fallen by nearly three-quarters since 2019.

Just 2.1% of callouts received by the AA from stranded EV drivers in the UK during the first five months of this year were for depleted batteries.

That was down from 8.0% across the whole of 2019.

The AA partly attributed this to a spike in the number of public charging devices, with Zapmap figures showing the total has risen from 24,909 at the end of April 2022 to 43,626 at the end of May this year.