Zemo Partnership - past newsletters

LowCVP News, 28 February 2019 (Issue 174)

Honda announces closure of Swindon plant; "driven by EV transition"

Honda has announced that its Swindon car plant will close in 2021 with the direct loss of about 3,500 jobs. The company said the transition to electric vehicles, which is causing "unprecedented changes" in the industry, is a key factor in the decision. Honda says it intends to accelerate its electrification strategy and will restructure its global operations to deliver that objective.

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Policy Developments

New rules to help motorists identify the right fuel and its biofuel content The Government has announced that new rules on the labelling of petrol and diesel at service stations are to be rolled out from September 2019. The labels will help motorists to make sure they have the right fuel for their vehicle, preventing mis-fuelling and enhancing understanding of the fuel's biofuel content. Read more

Government announces £14m hydrogen vehicle winners and £6m funding for electric taxi recharging The Government has announced the winning bids for a £14m hydrogen vehicle competition, involving 6 different projects from across the UK. Also announced was the award of over £6m to support the installation of around 300 rapid chargepoints and 46 fast chargepoints for electric taxis operating in 17 local authority areas including in Greater Manchester, Brighton and Hove, Leicester and the north east. Read more

Germany, France announce plans to strengthen EV incentives The Franch Government plans to invest €700 million over the next five years in an attempt to ensure the country becomes a leader in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology and fend off the challenge from Asian rivals. The German Government announced a similar move in November last year when it said it would set aside €1 billion to support battery cell production in the country to reduce reliance on overseas components in its domestic market. Germany will also extend company car tax incentives for EVs. Read more

Government announces £1m funding to support clean air retrofit solutions

The Government has committed almost £1m funding support to three vehicle retrofit technology suppliers to accredit technologies for cutting polluting emissions from a wider range of vehicle types. The technologies - from Eminox, Proventia and Baumot – will help provide retrofit solutions for many more vehicles in the commercial sector. The funding is being awarded under the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) which was developed by the LowCVP and Energy Saving Trust.

EU sets targets for cutting emissions from trucks, buses The European Union has agreed targets to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide emissions from new trucks by 30 percent by a 2030 deadline as part of its commitment to tackle climate change. The proposals also set a 2025 target for truck emissions to be 15% below 2019 levels and the 2030 target is subject to a review in 2022. Earlier this month, the EU also set targets for the procurement of 'clean' buses, trucks and other vehicles procured by public authorities. Read more

Transport for London boosts funding for cleaner taxis by £24m

Transport for London has announced that it will invest an extra £24m to help more black cab drivers switch to zero and low emission vehicles to help tackle the capital's air quality problems and limit climate change. The funding will support drivers in switching to the latest electric vehicles or repowering existing models to LPG.

Buses lead the way on the ‘Road to Zero’

(Media release:) The LowCVP welcomes the announcement of the winners of the latest round of Ultra-Low Emission Bus funding which will provide £48m support for 263 ultra-low emission vehicles.

Climate Change News

UK greenhouse gas emissions down 42% since 1990 but world heading for warmest decade A report, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in February, has found that UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 42 per cent since 1990. However, the UK Met Office has recently warned that the world is heading for the warmest decade since records began. Read more

Reports & Studies

ICCT review says tax incentives for EVs can drive uptake A new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation says that together with legislated emissions limits, appropriate taxes and related policies can help accelerate emissions reductions by giving incentives for buying low emission vehicles, creating a market-pull effect. The report provides an overview of vehicle taxation policy across Europe. Read more

Electric Nation project completes largest EV smart charging trial

The Electric Nation project has completed its smart charging trials and has concluded that smart charging can be a key solution to easing the impact of increasing numbers of EVs on the electricity network. The initial findings suggest that there is sufficient flexibility in EV home charging behaviours to manage changing away from peak demand periods.

Industry News

UKPN in project to create UK's first smart charging market for electric vehicle drivers UK Power Networks (UKPN) has announced plans for trials to assess what is needed to implement a smart charging network for electric vehicles. UKPN says the new market will put EV drivers in control, enabling them to charge when and where they wish, rewarding drivers who choose to recharge at off-peak times. Read more

LowCVP News

LowCVP MD gives evidence to Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee The LowCVP's Managing Director, Andy Eastlake, has given evidence to the Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into 'Technologies for meeting Clean Growth emissions reduction targets'. The Parliamentary committee is comprised of a cross-party group of back-bench MPs whose role is to scrutinise the effectiveness of Government policy in specific areas. Read more

Events

Achieving Road to Zero for Local Authorities; Best Practice Workshops during March 2019 The Energy Saving Trust, with support from the Department for Transport, JAQU and the LowCVP, is organising a series of free workshops during March 2019 to give advice to local authorities on how to implement and accelerate the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs). Read more

The challenge to develop low emission commercial vehicles - 03/04/2019

The LowCVP's Managing Director, Andy Eastlake, will be chairing this free, afternoon conference on Wednesday 3 April, focusing on cutting emissions from commercial vehicles. The event is the latest in the APC's Future of Technology series.

Oxford EV Summit - 26/06/2019

The two-day summit brings together business leaders and key players working on electric vehicles, energy, information technology and charging infrastructure, to explore how we advance full e-mobility. There's a 10% discount on delegate fees for LowCVP members.

edie Live 2019 - 21/05/2019

Join the UK’s leading energy, sustainability and resource professionals at edie live 2019 - the place for empowering sustainable businesses.