FOLLOW UP: RENAULT FINALLY CREATES AMPERE

Renault has finally announced the creation of Ampere, the new division responsible for developing their EVs, circular economy and software for the Group. At the time of recording there was no mention of the IPO that was discussed when first announcing the entity. Click this electrive article to read more.

FOLLOW UP: RIVIAN ENDS EXCLUSIVITY DEAL WITH AMAZON

Rivian and Amazon have announced that the exclusive deal to supply the retail giant with electric vans is no more. Amazon were pulling down far fewer vehicles than expected, therefore Rivian needs to open its books up to more companies to ensure the business is viable. To read more, click this link here to an electrive article.

AUTOMATED VEHICLE BILL ANNOUNCED IN KING’S SPEECH

During the opening of Parliament, King Charles III’s speech announced the plan to introduce the automated vehicle bill. This has taken several years and multiple public consultations. Key elements will be who is held responsible and in which situations, along with companies being held responsible for exaggerating their system’s capabilities. The devil will be in the detail, however. If you would like to learn more or possibly just read some utter tripe quoted, click firstly this link to an Autocar article and then try this link from Top Gear.

BMW TO LAUNCH UK ‘HANDS FREE EYES ON’ SYSTEM IN 2024

BMW is bringing a system that humans cannot handle, with their Level 2+ ‘Motorway Assist’. This is, similar to Ford’s BlueCruise, that requires the driver to continue to watch the road even though they are not holding the steering wheel. To repeat ourselves, there are many studies that show humans cannot manage this task, but that is not stopping the deployment and that the driver will still be help responsible for something they are being set up to fail. To read more on this, click on this Autocar link here.

UK TESLA OWNER REIMBURSED FOR FAILED FSD PROMISES

Using the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Ed Butler claimed that Tesla had breached their contract with him in not producing the promised Full Self Driving enhancements after he paid extra for the package. Tesla settled out of court, paying the original sum plus interest and legal costs. Click here to read more, from InsideEVs.

ASTON MARTIN INVESTOR INCREASES STAKE IN COMPANY

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has returned to being the number two investor in Aston Martin, just ahead of Shufu Li, Geely Chairman. This continues the incremental increases from the three major shareholders, who all appear locked in some sort of bizarre game. You can learn more by clicking this link to an Automotive News Europe article.

EDINBURGH BANS PAVEMENT PARKING

Edinburgh Council are bringing in a new rule to ban pavement parking, even though there is a law that makes it illegal to obstruct a pavement already. We are unsure how adding a new rule to something that isn’t being dealt with will help alleviate the issue, but there you go. If you wish to know more, click this BBC News article link here.

MAINE VOTES FOR RIGHT-TO-REPAIR LAW

The citizens of the US state of Maine have voted for a right-to-repair law to be made part of the legislature. This is the fifth state to bring such a law into place. Click this link to read more from The Verge.

US COURT RULES CAR MAKERS CAN INTERCEPT TEXT MESSAGES

A court in the US state of Washington, has ruled that four car makers did not break the state’s privacy laws by intercepting and keeping owner’s text messages. This reiterates how messed up the US is, when it comes to privacy. Put this alongside the recent report from Mozilla about car data and it paints quite a bleak picture. You can learn more by clicking this link from The Record.

US INFRASTRUCTURE BILL REQUIRES CAR ‘KILL SWITCH’

More of the press are picking up on what some spotted last year, when the Infrastructure Bill was announced, that from 2026 cars must be fitted with a ‘kill switch’. This is supposed to spot if the driver is impaired or incapable of driving safely and stopping the vehicle automatically. This is going to be quite the feat as the technology does not exist that can a) safely pull a car over in all conditions and b) spot if someone is impaired. If you would like to learn more, click this link to The Gentleman Racer who was discussing this in January 2022.

BLOODHOUND PROJECT SEEKS NEW DRIVER

As the Bloodhound project brushes the dust of itself and seeks new funding for a sustainably fuelled attempt at the land speed record, they are also looking for a new driver. To find out more, click this link from Autocar.

ULTRA RAPID CHARGING POINTS FOR STARBUCKS

Some Scottish Starbuck locations will be getting ultra rapid charging points, thanks to a partnership between the coffee shop and FOR:EV. Click here to learn more, from electrive.

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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -

Volvo EM90

Volvo has revealed the EM90, a luxury MPV along the lines of the Lexus LM we discussed a few weeks ago. This will be an all electric vehicle based closely on the Zeeker 009, with a potential for up to 458 miles of range. To learn more about the details, click this link to an Autocar article.

Volkswagen ID.7

VW has revealed more details and the price of the ID.7, which will start at £55, 570. Lower specification versions, as well as an estate, are expected to follow the launch model. For all the details, click this link from Autocar.

Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe

Mercedes are replacing the C and E coupes with one model, the CLE. This will come in a host of configurations, trim levels and engine options. Prices start at £46, 605. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar link here.

Rivian Electric Van

Following the end of the exclusivity deal with Amazon, Rivian are now open to new fleets. But what are the vans all about? Click here to find out the details thanks to The Autopian.

Nissan Electric Car Subscription Service

We missed it at the time but Nissan started a subscription service for their electric vehicles. Click this link from Fleet News to find out more.

LUNCHTIME READ: THE ALFA ROMEO 33 STRADALE STORY

Matteo Licata brings us yet another history lesson, this time all about the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale’s difficult birth. To read this fascinating story, click the link here from Hagerty.

LIST OF THE WEEK: 10 HOT WHEELS LEGENDS TOUR FINALISTS

The finalists have been found for the 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour, where the overall winner will be selected. They are all pretty amazing. Click this link from Top Gear to see more. Do you agree with Alan’s choice?

AND FINALLY: THE RIMAC NEVERA HAS A WORLD RECORD BACKWARDS

The Rimac Nevera now holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest car in reverse, with a speed of 171mph. That is utterly nuts. Click this link, from EVO, to find out more about all this.

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