Sales of electric cars are failing to keep up with the wider market, figures show, as the industry renewed calls for the government to provide incentives for private buyers.
BBC News reports that some 15.2% of new cars registered in March were battery electric vehicles, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said, down from 16.2% a year earlier.
While registrations of electric cars to company fleet buyers increased, sales to individuals fell.
Sales of all types of cars - including petrol, diesel and hybrids - rose in March, which is typically the busiest month of the year as new number plates are introduced.
The number sold increased by 10.4% to 317,786, the SMMT said. That was the best March performance for five years, although sales remain well below pre-pandemic levels.
Sales to fleet buyers - which include businesses such as car rental and taxi companies - jumped by 29.6%.
However, sales to private buyers fell 7.7%, which the SMMT said reflected a tough economic backdrop of "low growth, weak consumer confidence and high interest rates".
The industry body also said the decline in market share for electric vehicles "underscores the need for government to support consumers".
"A sluggish private market and shrinking EV market share... show the challenge ahead," said Mike Hawes, the SMMT's chief executive.
"Manufacturers are providing compelling offers, but they can’t single-handedly fund the transition indefinitely."
The SMMT is calling for measures such as halving VAT on electric vehicles and cutting VAT rates at public charging points.
Robert Forrester, the chief executive of car dealership group Vertu Motors, told the BBC's Today programme that while there are incentives for companies to buy electric vehicles for their employees as company cars, there are "no incentives at all in the retail market".
He added that the high cost of electric cars was a deterrent for private buyers, and "clearly you've got all the issues we've discussed many times about range anxiety and things like that".
A DfT spokesperson said: “The number of new electric vehicles and plug-ins sold overall is higher than last year, and this is in part thanks to government grants over the past decade, £2bn in investment and ongoing tax incentives.
“There are now over a million electric cars on our roads and we continue to help more people to make the switch to electric through schemes such as the £381m Local Electric Vehicle fund to rollout charging infrastructure.”
Car manufacturers could face fines if they fail to increase the proportion of zero-emission vehicles sold over the years ahead.
Under the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, at least 22% of vehicles sold this year must be zero-emission, with the target expected to hit 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
Manufacturers that fail to hit the quotas could be fined £15,000 per car.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnl745dg550o
Fears have been raised for the safety of taxi drivers in Dundee after a botched robbery bid at an EV charging station.
According to the Courier, a taxi driver said he was left “fearing for his life” after an incident at Balgay Street Car Park early on Sunday morning, 31 April.
Police were called to the scene just after 6am near Farmfoods in Lochee.
The driver, who did not wish to be named, claimed a man began punching his taxi after demanding cash.
He alleged the man also made a threat to “shoot him” and his colleagues, who rushed to his aid.
The 32-year-old said: “I’d just finished my shift and was about to charge the car up. The guy approached me saying he needed money to get home before I gave him £3.
“He then began asking for more money and was getting aggressive by punching the car windows.
“His hand was bleeding and I was starting to fear for my life, I thought he was going to break the glass.”
The driver said three colleagues rushed to his aid and the man began to back off before making more threats.
He added: “I’ve been a driver since 2016 but I definitely think the streets in Dundee aren’t safe anymore.
“I thank my colleagues who attended but the guy said he was going to get a gun and shoot us.
“The police did arrive but from my side, I don’t want to be dragged into a police investigation regarding this person.”
Chris Elder – who represents some Dundee taxi drivers through Unite the Union – said security around EV charging points needs to be reviewed.
He said: “This incident over the weekend is concerning. There have been concerns raised about the security at these EV charging points in recent times.
“From a driver’s perspective, they are carrying money bags and could be an easy target.
“There are also council workers and members of the public using these charging points and they are exposed.
“Whether it’s placing gating around these sites, and providing passes to get access, the security surrounding the charging points needs to be reviewed.”
A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of these concerns and are monitoring the situation.”
Source: https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/4937311/dundee-lochee-taxi-robbery-bid-fears/
A speeding taxi driver caused a pedestrian's death just minutes after police had flagged him down to warn him about his driving.
MailOnline reports that Shakoor Ahmed, 46, received the warning from police on December 17, 2021.
But only 16 minutes later he picked up two passengers in his Toyota Prius cab and was speeding when he hit 32-year-old Dan Beames as he crossed the road in Cheltenham.
Mr Beames suffered fatal skull fractures in the collision and a bleed on the brain and never recovered from those injuries, Gloucester Crown Court was told.
Until his trial at Cirencester Courthouse on 3 April, Ahmed from Gloucester, had denied the charge of causing the death of Mr Beames by dangerous driving. But at the last moment he changed his plea to guilty.
Judge Rupert Lowe told Ahmed that he will be receiving an immediate prison term and the only question to be determined is how long that will be.
Prosecutor Emily Evans told the court: "Sixteen minutes before the collision he was stopped by two police officers in Kingsholm, Gloucester, because of his speed.
"He was warned by the officers there had been a big rugby game and there were a lot of people around and his speed was inappropriate for the conditions.
"Because he was a taxi driver, they took the decision to issue him with a Section 59 warning and he was told they could have reported him to the licensing authority which could have resulted in him losing his licence."
The officers were wearing bodycams which recorded Ahmed acknowledging that he was driving too fast and accepting that he probably needed a warning to get him to slow down.
The prosecutor added: "He did not heed that warning. He went from there to collect a fare, a Mr Walker and his son in law, from the rank outside Gloucester Bus Station and they asked to be taken to Cheltenham.
"Mr Walker says that Ahmed's driving was at times excessive in speed. He was aggressively overtaking other vehicles and making comments, boasting, that he had just been stopped by the police.
"He told Mr Walker he had been warned but he then said his vehicle could reach 100mph and he had done that speed on the bypass.
"In fact, Mr Walker could see from the speedometer that the defendant did reach that speed.
"In Lansdown Road, Cheltenham, a small vehicle in front of Ahmed stopped at traffic lights, as the lights turned green, Ahmed pulled out from behind the car and into the lane on its right.
"Mr Beames was crossing that road when the collision occurred."
Ms Evans said it had been established that Mr Beames was using his mobile phone as he crossed the road.
Mr Walker, in the front passenger seat of the taxi, said he saw Mr Beames in the road 20-30 metres before the collision. At that stage, he said, Ahmed had the accelerator pedal pressed flat out to the floor but he then braked.
The road at the scene of the collision had a 40mph speed limit but the telematic system in the taxi showed he was doing 53mph.
Ms Evans said that nine months before the tragedy Ahmed had received three penalty points on his licence for a speeding offence.
"At the speed he was travelling in Cheltenham, there was no way he would have managed to avoid Mr Beames," she added.
"But if he had been doing the limit of 40mph the risk of fatality was only 30 per cent compared with 80 per cent at 53mph."
Bailing Ahmed until May 2 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, Judge Lowe said he would get 'significant' credit and a shorter sentence for pleading guilty rather than having a trial.
A Romanian taxi driver has been cleared of raping a female passenger in the back of his cab after telling a court they had consensual sex.
According to the Daily Mail, Ioan-Cristian Manole was accused of taking advantage of a lone female passenger after she dozed off in the early hours of the morning.
Prosecutors claimed that the woman had been left in 'hysterics' after allegedly waking up to find the driver raping her.
But the 45 year old denied the offence and said he asked the mother if he could have sex with her 'and she said yes'.
Following a seven day trial at Winchester Crown Court jurors delivered not guilty verdicts to rape and sex assault.
Manole appeared at court after the mother-of-three claimed she woke up in the back of his taxi to him raping her after a night out.
The alleged attack happened in the Fareham area, Hampshire, after the woman - who can't be named for legal reasons - booked a taxi home from a friend's house.
Opening the trial prosecutor Simon Foster had said: "She did not consent, she said she woke up in the taxi with this defendant already sexually penetrating her.
"We're not talking in this case about two parties who met in a bar, or something like that, we're talking about a taxi driver and his charge.
"Obviously a taxi driver is not a police officer or someone charged with the protection of the public.
"But, a taxi driver who is asked to take a lone female passenger home has a duty to see her home safely and properly."
Mr Foster previously told the court that evening the woman had been out with friends for drinks and around 3am the woman left her friend's home in the Aqua Cars taxi and she had conversation with Manole.
Manole said he was divorced, lived in Southampton, and had a teenage daughter who was studying in Romania.
Mr Foster said: "The journey home was uneventful. There was some conversation between them until the taxi driver pulled up near her home.
"She recalled taking her seatbelt off and paying and she was still chatting to the taxi driver who at one point was on the telephone in Romanian.
"She described that she was sitting in the back behind the driver of the taxi and fell asleep."
The mother did not know how long she was asleep for and came round to find Manole raping her in the back seat of the taxi.
Mr Foster added: "She reacted by sitting up immediately."
She 'grabbed her' leggings and underwear and left the vehicle.
Mr Foster said: "She described feeling shocked and numb."
Manole denied rape and sex assault by penetration and said he asked the mother if 'he could have sex with her and she said yes'.
During the opening, Mr Foster told the trial: "The taxi driver is saying in essence that she was consenting.
"[He suggests] he did have sex with [her] - his client - after the acquaintance of around half an hour but it was all with her consent."
The defendant was cleared by the jury of all charges.
A man posing as a taxi driver who lured a lone woman into his car before raping her has been jailed, over a decade after committing a near-identical crime.
ITV News reports that Fareed Issa Tariq, 43, picked up the woman as she was waiting for a taxi after a night out in Swindon in the early hours of Saturday 15 April 2023.
The victim booked a taxi to return home after a night out and received confirmation from the taxi company that one would arrive imminently.
Spotting the woman, Tariq presented himself as a taxi driver, luring the victim into his car before driving away.
During the journey, he began touching her inappropriately despite her asking him to stop. He then drove into a layby and raped her.
Tariq initially claimed that he had no sexual contact with the woman, but in a later attempt to cover up his crime when faced with incriminating forensic evidence, he blamed the victim for his DNA being present.
At trial, prosecutors outlined evidence from a forensic scientist whose findings discredited Tariq’s claims of how his DNA was present.
Having pleaded not guilty and instead trying to blame the victim for his shocking crime, prosecutors with CPS Wessex dismantled Tariq’s lies by compiling strong forensic, witness and phone evidence at trial to secure a conviction for rape.
Crucially, the prosecution also succeeded in putting forward bad character evidence which outlined to the jury how Tariq had committed a near-identical crime in 2011.
They made the case that his previous conviction was relevant to the trial and could be disclosed.
In 2012, Tariq was convicted of rape after he offered a lift to a woman following a night out in Swindon, before driving to a secluded area and raping her.
Lisa Garcia, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: "Fareed Tariq is a danger to women.
"Not only did he pose as a taxi driver to prey on a lone victim, Tariq then cruelly tried to blame her for his depraved crime.
"The fact he committed a strikingly similar crime over a decade ago shows he is devoid of remorse and remains a threat to the public."
Tariq has been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison at Swindon Crown Court.
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.
A pilot emissions reduction grant scheme providing financial support for hackney carriage drivers to upgrade to cleaner EURO 6 and fully battery powered vehicles has been launched.
The ride-hailing giant has submitted an application for an operator licence to Darlington Borough Council, with a decision expected in August.
Darlington could soon see Uber cars on its streets after the ride-hailing giant applied for a licence to operate in the town.
Stratford-upon-Avon District Council has revoked the licences of two taxi drivers following a series of speeding offences.
A Northampton taxi driver has been found guilty of trafficking cocaine between his home city and Milford Haven.
The move comes after concerns were raised by the taxi industry about the rising cost of purchasing new vehicles.