This month I’ve been…

…thinking about what’s in store for 2019

I think most people have the view that 2019 is going to be tough for just about everyone and the motor industry will not escape a pretty rough ride. This industry has gone through many tricky patches, but always come out fighting. No doubt it will again.

This year will be the year of new electric vehicles, plug-ins and hybrids. EVs from a variety of manufacturers who are new to this market will be very evident, with all trying to offer the best range, as range and price will be key and the most important selling points, see who shines in this department and outshines the competitors.

…getting annoyed about WLTP 

We all keep asking ourselves, and other people ‘who are these people?’ – whether they are town planners putting up new houses, road planners who re-design roads (often badly) or who suddenly changes motorway speed limits from 70mph to 60mph or 40mph. These can usually be found easily, but the question a lot of people are asking is ‘who are the people who came up with WLTP?’ I know a new and better and more accurate system is needed, but who are the people who decided to make it so complicated, and in many cases, almost unworkable? I really would love to meet some of these people, who are no doubt currently working on some other forthcoming legislation that makes a lot of people’s lives very difficult

…asked about speed limits

I was asked recently about the reduction in speed limits on some roads and motorways, where air pollution is particularly bad, such as the M1 near Sheffield, where the speed is regularly down to 60mph. The question is: does this apply to electric vehicles as they do not emit any pollution? A truck giving out plenty of nasty stuff can still carry on at 56mph, but an EV has to cut its speed. An interesting question, but I guess it’s ‘one speed fits all’, regardless of what fuel is powering it.