News Round-Up
26 July 2024
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech
26 July 2024
by Toby Young
Porsche has scrapped its sales targets for EVs amid a slump in demand. A previous goal of 80% by 2030 has been watered down and the company now says sales will depend on uptake and how the technology develops.
EV owners got a shock when Sadiq Khan announced the end of the EV Congestion Charge exemption. But Ben Pile saw it coming, noting pricey EVs are really a bridging technology between having a car and not having a car.
Owners of electric cars are ditching battery power and returning to petrol as industry data show that a majority of those who sell an EV don't buy a new one.
Sales of electric vehicles plunged 12.5% across Europe last month, fuelled by a sharp drop-off of 30% in Germany and 12.5% in the Netherlands.
The BBC is confronting the fact that the EV market is collapsing. Naturally, this is starting to cause a panic because all those pesky climate targets enshrined in law aren’t going to be met.
Demand for electric cars has dried up and it’s time for a rethink, says billionaire founder of chemicals giant INEOS, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. "The notion of a quick transition away from petrol was always barmy."
Many EVs will lose up to 12% of their charge capacity by six years and some may lose even more, research has found, leading one expert to warn customers to be wary of buying a used electric car beyond eight years.
The Net Zero crackdown on combustion engines could force the maker of Vauxhall to scale back its presence in Britain, its boss has warned, calling the petrol car sales restrictions "terrible for the U.K."
Electric car sales plummeted by 11.3% across Europe last month, rising to 29% in Germany, as demand dried up despite the EU's push to ban petrol and diesel vehicles by the middle of the next decade.
Sales of Volkswagen electric cars have plunged by almost a quarter in Europe as demand for battery-powered vehicles stalls and buyers return to petrol.
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