Transport

All new buildings in the UK to have electric car chargers from 2022

Electric car being charged

What’s Going On Here? The UK is about to be electrified! In between high praises of Peppa Pig and some on-point car impressions, Boris Johnson announced in a speech on Monday that all new buildings across the UK will be required to have electric car charging points from 2022. The announcement was made at this year’s Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference…

Autumn Budget 2021: The price of flying

Arivals board. Airport

What’s Going On Here? Wednesday 27th October was budget day – the day when the Chancellor of the Exchequer sets out his plans for taxation for the next year. Updates made to the rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD) paid by plane operators could have a big impact on the UK’s commitment to reach net zero. What Does This Mean? APD is…

Government gives you the power to banish cars from your street, plus £50 to fix your bike!

What’s Going On Here? Downing Street has unlocked a full rack of measures that are promising to make cycling safer, more affordable, and more accessible to everyone (in England)! From a free £50 ‘fix your bike’ voucher to giving residents the power to banish through-traffic from the streets. This week the government has gone cycling bonkers! What Does This Mean? Monday 27th July saw Boris…

E-scooters – A wheely good idea?

What’s Going On Here? It wasn’t just the reopening of bars, restaurants and hairdressers that happened on Saturday. Yes, that’s right….last week the government also announced the legalisation of rental e-scooters on UK roads! What Does This Mean? Last Tuesday (30th June), the government published guidance for e-scooter firms, enabling the form of transport to be legal from the 4th July. Rental e-scooters are now…

Governments face big decisions over airline bailouts with opposition from activists

What’s Going On Here? The Covid-19 crisis has cost the aviation industry $880 billion worldwide. But as governments scramble to bailout airlines, environmental campaigners are asking for strict conditions on the industry’s future climate impact before taxpayer’s money is handed out. What Does This Mean? Aviation has all but ceased in many countries (follow this dramatic decline in air traffic is being…

Electric vehicles are now up to 70% less polluting than petrol cars

What’s Going On Here? A new study published in Nature: Sustainability shows that electric vehicles (EVs) produce up to 70% less CO2 than their petrol counterparts, across their entire life-cycle. What Does This Mean? Whilst this may seem obvious to us curious.readers, in recent years there have been many detractors claiming that ‘the production of electricity and their manufacture outweighs the environmental benefits.’ Scientists from…