Author: PA Media

Stellantis says it has hydrogen-powered vans ‘ready to go’ and is preparing to roll out the first UK models in the opening three months of the year.

The carmaker’s UK boss, Paul Willcox, says that the firm remains committed to electrification but is continuing to develop other green alternatives.

Stellantis, which owns Fiat, Citroen, Jeep and Alfa Romeo among others, has already launched its first hydrogen light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Europe and plans are afoot to bring them to the UK.

It is hoped that the first trial vehicles will enter the country with selected fleets by the end of March.

Willcox says that, while there remain huge barriers around infrastructure, the company is well-placed to utilise the latest eco-technology.

He said: “’An absolute differentiator for Stellantis is hydrogen, because we are now currently the first to market in Europe with hydrogen produced LCV.

“It’s in-market today in mainland Europe and we are starting to trial that in the UK this quarter.

“We’re starting to bring across hydrogen trial vehicles with selected fleets this quarter and when the market is ready, we are ready to go.

“Obviously there are a few hurdles to overcome mainly around refuelling stations but in terms of the preparation of the market, I think we’re in great shape.’

Hydrogen fuel cell technology in cars has been something manufacturers have been exploring for several decades, though due to such little amount of refilling infrastructure, models powered in this way have yet to really get off the ground.

Across the UK, there are currently fewer than 15 public places you can fill up your hydrogen car, with the majority of these in and around the south east.

Toyota remains one of just two car firms in the UK that will sell you an off-the-shelf hydrogen car, with its second-generation Mirai boasting an impressive 400-mile range. The other is Hyundai, with its Nexo SUV.

Last year the Japanese brand unveiled plans to develop a hydrogen fuel-cell pick-up at its Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.

The sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK is set to be banned in 2030.

Ministers have said they hope to clear the driving test backlog “within the next few months” following pleas for urgent action from MPs representing rural areas.

Transport minister Richard Holden said waiting lists for driving tests are reducing “rapidly” and he pointed to 300,000 new practical test slots.

But Conservative MP Greg Smith said several of his Buckingham constituents have been unable to secure tests, with one struggling to book a spot at five centres despite logging on daily.

Liberal Democrat former minister Alistair Carmichael said the earliest date for booking a test is 18 weeks away in Shetland, and for Orkney there are “no test dates available”.

He added: “That is quite apart from the continued lack of availability of off-road motorcycle testing.”

Mr Holden earlier told the Commons: “The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) is recovering after the pandemic. The theory test service is performing well, there are 620,000 practical test appointments in the booking system.

“Since April 2021 it has created an extra 695,000 car practical driving test appointments and the average waiting time to take a car test is at 15.1 weeks, with over 80,000 slots currently available.

“The average waiting time for an HGV or other vocational driving test is currently just over two weeks. The heavy vehicle testing service is operating normally and enforcement operations continued throughout the pandemic.”

Tory colleague Mr Smith said: “Multiple constituents have written to me this week about the inability to get a driving test – one saying that despite logging on daily they can’t get a test at all in nearby test centres at Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard, Aylesbury, Banbury, Northampton.

“For rural communities like those that I represent the car is absolutely essential to get anywhere, young or old, so can (Mr Holden) prioritise when he talks to the DVSA test centres for rural communities to get back on track?”

Mr Holden, MP for North West Durham, replied: “I also represent a rural constituency, although in a different part of the country.

“We have made big progress in recent years with over 300,000 new slots available due to the extra 300 driving instructors we have hired since the pandemic.

“Waiting lists are coming down for driving tests – and rapidly – and we hope to achieve back to pre-pandemic levels within the next few months.”

For Labour, shadow transport minister Simon Lightwood said: “Nationwide almost one in 10 bus driver positions are vacant, hitting vital services across the country hard.

“But ministers are asleep at the wheel, with no action plan to tackle it.

“Currently, DVSA requires a provisional bus licence to start training. But with huge paperwork delays, 20% of applicants give up before their training begins.

“So will the minister listen to calls to speed up this glacial process to allow applicants to begin their theory tests while they wait for their provisional licences?”

Mr Holden replied: “The Opposition spokesman raises a very important point and one I’ve been raising myself and have spoken to both unions and the management recently on visits to both Stevenage and to Gateshead bus depots.

“There’s currently an under three-week wait for driving tests for bus drivers, under three-week wait for practical tests, and we are looking at everything we can to speed it up.”

AA president Edmund King, speaking outside the chamber, said: “As well as rural areas, the driving test backlog is also a big issue in urban areas where many young people are dependent on passing their test to help find employment.

“The AA Charitable Trust supports teenagers in care and care leavers learn to drive in Barnet, north London, in association with the charity Live Unlimited.

“Our research shows that learning to drive not only helps mobility and job prospects of teenage care leavers but also boosts self-esteem.”

Rishi Sunak has apologised after removing his seatbelt to film a social media video in the back of a moving car.

The Prime Minister made a “brief error of judgment” by removing the safety device as he promoted his levelling-up funding in the clip filmed for Instagram on Thursday as he visited Lancashire.

A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and apologises”.

“The Prime Minister believes everyone should wear a seatbelt,” the spokesman said.

“It was an error of judgment, he removed it for a short period of time to film a clip, which you’ve seen, but he accepts that was a mistake.”

Fines of up to £500 can be issued for failing to wear a seatbelt when one is available.

There are a few exemptions, including when a car is being used for police, fire and rescue services and for certified medical issues.

Police motorbikes can be seen escorting the car as Mr Sunak addresses the camera.

Lancashire Constabulary referred a request for comment to the Metropolitan Police.

The Government has considered toughening seatbelt rules to ensure drivers not wearing them could receive penalty points.

Recent Department for Transport figures suggested around 30% of people killed in cars on Britain’s roads in 2021 were unrestrained.

Mr Sunak had already been criticised for flying to Blackpool in a taxpayer-funded RAF jet rather than taking a train.

Labour said Mr Sunak’s video was adding to “endless painful viewing” after he was previously seen struggling to make a contactless payment with his card.

“Rishi Sunak doesn’t know how to manage a seatbelt, his debit card, a train service, the economy, this country,” a spokeswoman said.

“This list is growing every day, and it’s making for endless painful viewing.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “It seems like the PM is getting too used to flying around in private jets that he’s forgotten to wear a seatbelt in a car.

“The fact he’s breaking a basic law is just embarrassing and frankly dangerous.”

The AA warned of the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt.

“No matter who you are it is important to wear your seatbelt when in the car,” an AA spokesman said.

A council is setting its sights on pop superstar Harry Styles as a potential customer for a rare number plate which could be sold to generate funds.

East Renfrewshire Council plans to sell the “HS 0” registration plate given to the former Eastwood District Council many years ago.

Local authority bosses say the number plate serves “no real purpose” and would be viewed by many as “an unnecessary extravagance”.

Councillors will consider the proposal to proceed with the sale at a meeting on January 26, and if approved it will be auctioned off with a suitable reserve.

The council says the sale has been identified as a potential way to generate income amid an “extremely tough” financial landscape.

It is hoping to attract a six-figure sum for the registration plate, with potential interest from celebrities with the initials “HS”, such as Styles or Strictly Come Dancing finalist Helen Skelton.

According to valuation website Regtransfers.co.uk, plates with “HS” can fetch high prices.

Its valuers told the PA news agency that the registration could fetch up to £150,000, but given how unusual it is it could potentially fetch more at auction.

HS 91 was listed on the website at £23,495 and 9 HS was listed for £136,495.

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “The council is facing extremely difficult financial circumstances. To address these, and to mitigate their impact, every avenue is being explored in relation to generating efficiencies, charging for services and other ways of generating income.

“In light of the council’s difficult financial situation, all opportunities to generate income need to be considered.

“The sale of the council registration ‘HS 0’ presents the opportunity to generate a sizeable sum. In current circumstances it would be imprudent not to consider the sale of something which serves no real purpose and which, arguably, would be viewed by many as an unnecessary extravagance.”

Registrations with fewer characters attract a higher value, particularly those with an individual’s initials.

The council say the registration plate is particularly unusual due to the fact that most registrations start from the number one.

In the middle of January 2022, then-prime minister Boris Johnson trumpeted the thousands of skilled jobs the Britishvolt gigafactory was expected to create.

Almost exactly a year on, the site on the outskirts of Blyth, Northumberland, is deserted, save for two security guards who confirmed no workers were there.

Announcing the Government was backing the ambitious project with cash from the Automotive Transformation Fund 12 months ago, Mr Johnson said Britishvolt would employ 3,000 people directly – with another 5,000 in the pipeline.

It was thought the Government put in around £100 million towards the £3.8 billion project and, last January, Mr Johnson talked of the plant being part of the UK’s “global green industrial revolution”.

Britishvolt expected to make 300,000 battery units a year, fulfilling the demand for around one in four vehicles sold on the British market.

The plan was to develop the 95-hectare site, where a coal-burning power station once stood, and use Norwegian hydro-electric power transmitted 447 miles under the North Sea via the world’s longest inter-connector.

When it was first announced in late 2020, it was hoped the investment would be comparable in the North East to that of Nissan in Sunderland in the 1980s.

But the firm could not secure funding to take the project on and has gone into administration with the loss of 300 jobs.

Opposing political figures in the North East hope it could still happen.

Labour’s North of Tyne elected mayor, Jamie Driscoll, said: “This is still the best site in the country for a gigafactory and I’m sure we’ll see interest in it.”

And Ian Levy, Tory MP for red wall seat Blyth Valley, said he will ask the Government to continue its automotive fund commitment with a future developer.

He said: “The UK automotive industry’s need for a battery gigafactory remains and the site on the Blyth Estuary is still the best in the country with a large area, excellent power connectivity, a deep-water port, strong workforce supply and easy access to the national road network.”

Motorists could be stuck in congestion nearly twice as bad as current levels if self-driving cars become commonplace, a Government report warns.

Department for Transport (DfT) traffic projections for England and Wales show delays may rise by up to 85% from 2025 to 2060 in that scenario.

The analysis is based on connected and autonomous vehicles making up half of the car fleet by 2047, and a “fast uptake” of electric vehicles.

This would lead to more traffic by “increasing the mobility of the elderly and those who do not currently hold a driving licence”, according to the report.

But the document, published last month, claims “the ability to work or relax while travelling in a self-driving car” means occupants will be “more amenable to sitting in traffic”.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding told the PA news agency: “There are currently 5.9 million licence holders aged 70 or over in Britain, so we know the demand for mobility is there among those of a senior age.

“In the foreseeable future, automated vehicles offer the tantalising prospect of independence for the many millions more people who fall into the older age group but for whatever reason – cost, medical impairment – don’t currently drive.”

Mr Gooding predicted that the way in which autonomous technology is deployed will be significant.

He said: “If everyone insists on having their own driverless car then traffic volume and parking pressures will rise.

“However, if we are prepared to access these vehicles on-demand and forego personal ownership then we could have a win-win situation: quieter roads, fewer cars shared by the many, and cheaper transport.”

Recent analysis by traffic information supplier Inrix found that UK drivers lost an average of 80 hours last year due to congestion, a seven-hour increase from 2021.

London was found to be the world’s most congested city in 2022, with drivers in the capital spending an average of 156 hours sitting in traffic.

Writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar, the author of Driverless Cars: On a Road To Nowhere, insisted that the Government should “not be trying to accommodate” the levels of traffic which it is feared self-driving cars will generate.

He said: “We should be doing everything in our power to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“The idea that you have a technological fix to congestion is nonsensical.”

Mr Wolmar described the suggestion there will be a “critical mass” of self-driving cars by 2047 as “fanciful”.

He added: “I think there is zero chance of there being driverless cars that operate in mixed areas with other traffic in any large amount or in any difficult situation.

“There has been very little real progress in terms of creating cars that could go anywhere in any conditions.

“It doesn’t look feasible.”

Fully driverless cars are not legally permitted in the UK but autonomous features are being developed by car makers.

Oxford-based technology company Oxbotica completed its first fully autonomous, driverless vehicle test on public roads in May 2022.

In August last year the DfT said it expected self-driving vehicles to be available for use by 2025.

The research was not welcomed by self-driving firm Wayve which was critical of the modelling used.

Kaity Fischer, its vice president of commercial, said: “Self-driving vehicles will be an integral part of a safer, more efficient and more sustainable transport system.

“The Government’s modelling was based on the private ownership of self-driving cars, but here at Wayve we are optimising our technology on electric vehicles for fleet customers in sectors like last-mile delivery and shared mobility services.

“Self-driving vehicles, when used in electric fleets, will ultimately lead to faster journey times and reduce the number of vehicles on the road, cutting congestion and emissions.”

Motorists who bought a Tesla in recent weeks expressed their anger after the car maker slashed prices by thousands of pounds on Friday.

The starting price for a Model Y has been cut by £7,000 to £44,990 while the price for an entry level Model 3 has been reduced by £8,100 to £42,990.

They were the top two best-selling cars in the UK last month, with a total of 16,368 registered at the previous, higher prices.

Consumer website Electrifying.com calculated that drivers who bought a Tesla last month could have saved a total of £130 million if they had waited for the discounts, which are being implemented around the world.

Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, slashed its prices after its deliveries for the last three months of 2022 were below market expectations.

Several members of a Facebook group for UK Tesla owners expressed their frustration at the policy.

One wrote: “I just picked up the car yesterday. What should I do? Go to Tesla and give back the car? I can’t believe after a few hours from picking up the car I lost £5k.”

The reductions were described as “shocking” by one person, who wrote that they “paid £5,000 more last week”.

Another described a period in late November and early December as the “worst three weeks to get a new Tesla in history” due to the subsequent price cut combined with other issues.

He added: “(It) would be nice if they made a gesture to us.”

Electrifying.com chief executive Ginny Buckley said: “Carmakers will usually carefully manage prices and incentives to avoid crashing used values and upsetting customers.

“This controversial move from Tesla is bound to send shockwaves through the industry, with the premium brand now sending signals that it’s becoming much more mainstream.”

James Baggott, editor in chief of Car Dealer Magazine, said: “While these price cuts are great news for new Tesla buyers, there will be 16,000 owners who took delivery in December who will be furious they paid the higher price.

“This will also have a big impact on used Tesla prices. Our research has found Tesla prices fell by more than a fifth last year and these new price cuts will have a severe negative impact on the used car market.

“Tesla buyers who have not yet taken delivery of their cars and ordered via the old price will be able to cancel their orders under distance selling regulations and order at the new price – but for those who have already take delivery there’s little they can do.”

Tesla said in a statement: “Our focus on continuous product improvement through original engineering and manufacturing processes have further optimised our ability to make the best product for an industry-leading cost.

“As we exit what has been a turbulent year of supply chain disruptions, we have observed a normalisation of some of the cost inflation, giving us the confidence to pass these through to our customers.

“As local vehicle production continues to increase and we gain further economies of scale globally, we are making Model 3 and Model Y even more accessible across EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa).”

Price cuts in China introduced last week led to protests by owners demanding compensation.

A Conservative MP has encouraged the Government to consider withholding funding from Transport for London (TfL) unless plans to expand the city’s ultra-low emission zone are dropped.

Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, hit out at Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, calling the plan “appalling” and a “cash grab” during a question in the House of Commons.

He asked if ministers could be encouraged to withhold funds from TfL until the Labour mayor “decides to withdraw this insane plan”.

Speaking during a session of questions related to the business of the House, Mr Bacon said: “It’s something that would do nothing to improve air quality and will be economically disastrous for poorer people, both in outer London constituencies like my own of Orpington, but also in terms of people living outside Greater London.

“It’s simply a cash grab. The mayor has no mandate to do it and it’s overwhelmingly opposed by people in outer London.

“So could my right honourable friend encourage colleagues across Government to consider withholding funds from Transport for London until he decides to withdraw this insane plan?”

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt replied: “Whatever the merits or otherwise of setting up such a scheme, to do it at a time when businesses are recovering from a pandemic, and it’s not obviously just businesses in London, it’s also in surrounding areas, tradesmen and others that would be coming in for materials or to do jobs.

“I know it… has had a hugely detrimental impact on many firms and I will certainly… raise this with the Secretary of State.”

Mr Khan announced plans last year to extend London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 2023 in an effort to boost air quality.

TfL estimates that on an average day about 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans that use London’s roads would be liable for the £12.50 Ulez fee.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Toxic air is a matter of life and death. Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to the toxic air in our city and the mayor makes no apology for making the tough decision to expand the ultra-low emission zone, which will bring cleaner air to five million more Londoners.

“85% of vehicles in outer London are already Ulez compliant and, for those that aren’t, the mayor has announced the biggest scrappage scheme yet – £110 million – to help the Londoners who need it most amid the cost-of-living crisis, including low-income and disabled Londoners.

“The aim of the Ulez is, and has always been, to reduce emissions from road transport in order to reduce the health impacts of air pollution and the related cost to the NHS and businesses.

“All of the net revenue is spent on improving public transport and active travel options in London. The Ulez is proven to be effective – reducing toxic air pollution by nearly half in central London.”

UK councils issued an average of nearly 20,000 parking fines each day last year, according to new analysis.

Figures obtained by Churchill Motor Insurance suggest fines were handed out by local authorities at a daily rate of 19,631 in 2022.

That is a 12% rise from the previous year.

This increased revenues for councils to an estimated £777,287 per day last year, up £35,113 from 2021.

The analysis is based on data provided by the 230 UK councils that responded to Freedom of Information requests.

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), also known as parking fines, are issued when motorists break parking regulations, such as by parking on double yellow lines or on a single yellow line at a prohibited time.

Fines can be up to £130 in London or up to £70 outside the capital.

The penalty is usually halved if a driver pays within 14 days.

Islington Council in north London issued more fines than any other local authority, with a daily average of 1,012.

Birmingham City Council (373), Southampton City Council (313) and Cardiff Council (279) issued the most parking fines outside London.

Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Motorists across Britain are regularly being caught out by increased and sometimes complicated parking restrictions.

“We would encourage drivers to always check parking signs carefully to ensure they avoid any expensive fines.

“If motorists do receive a parking fine, they have 28 days to pay it or appeal to an independent tribunal.”

Recent analysis by the PA news agency found that the number of parking tickets issued by private companies in Britain reached an average of nearly 30,000 per day between April and June last year, up 50% from the same period in 2021.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Whichever way they turn and wherever they decide to stop, on-street and off-street, drivers are faced with the threat of parking sanctions.

“Between the 20,000 tickets issued by councils daily and the 30,000 dished out by private parking companies, motorists are seemingly facing a positive flurry of fines and charges – around one every two seconds.

“Parking rules are there for a reason and should be respected but at a time when household budgets are under such pressure these numbers beg the obvious question of whether millions of drivers are really risking a big bill for poor parking, or whether over-enthusiastic parking enforcement is putting other objectives, like revitalising our post-pandemic high streets, at risk.”

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, who represent councils in England and Wales, said: “Income raised through on-street parking charges and parking fines is spent on running parking services. Any surplus is spent on essential transport projects, including fixing the £11 billion road repairs backlog, reducing congestion, tackling poor air quality and supporting local bus services.”

The average price of petrol has fallen below 150p per litre for the first time in more than 10 months.

Figures from data company Experian show the average price of a litre of the fuel at UK forecourts on Monday was 149.7p.

The reduction of nearly 42p from the record high of 191.5p in July last year, is “a huge relief for drivers”, according to the AA.

The last time the average price of petrol was below 150p per litre was on February 24, last year, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Diesel’s average price on Monday was 172.2p per litre, down nearly 27p compared with the record 199.1p last July.

A 12-month cut in fuel duty of 5p per litre – worth a saving of 6p when VAT is taken into account – was introduced on March 23, 2022.

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “A 41.8p a litre crash in the average pump price of petrol is a huge relief for drivers, cutting £22.99 from the cost of filling the typical car tank.

“Fuel at 150p a litre is still historically way above the April 2012 record of 142.48p, the previous yardstick of dire pump prices.

“Worse still, road fuel is set for a 6p jump in March when the fuel duty cut comes to an end.

“Indicative of the chaos of UK pump pricing and the rampant exploitation of drivers by many fuel retailers, the AA spotted supermarket and non-supermarket retailers yesterday charging less than 140p a litre in South Wales and Northern Ireland.

“How fuel stations in areas of big populations and high volume sales can charge well over 10p more for fuel than in largely rural parts of the UK is a question that the Competition and Markets Authority will have to address.

“The AA hopes that 2023 will be a year of transformation for fuel prices, where greater pump price transparency, mirroring Northern Ireland’s fuel price checker, will direct motorists to retailers charging fair prices and re-invigorate the level of competition seen before the Covid pandemic.”