Author: Ryan Hayes

UK public transport operator Stagecoach Group has started construction of a new depot in Hull city centre that will support the introduction of electric buses across the region, marking a major step in the city’s public transport decarbonisation plans. The Foster Street Depot, being developed by Stagecoach East Midlands, will initially accommodate 42 battery-electric buses scheduled to enter service in spring 2026. The first tranche includes 32 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV double-deck buses, each capable of carrying 73 seated and 26 standing passengers, and 10 Yutong E10 minibuses with capacity for 31 seated and 39 standing passengers. The depot is part…

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced UK pricing and specifications for the all-electric Mazda6e, which will arrive in showrooms this summer with a starting price below £40,000. The model will be offered in two trim levels, Takumi and Takumi Plus, with the higher specification variant priced at £39,995. For the UK market, Mazda has streamlined the European powertrain line-up to a single 78 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. On the continent, the Mazda6e debuted with 68.8 kWh LFP and 80 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery options. According to Mazda, the 78 kWh LFP battery delivers a combined WLTP range…

The London Borough of Harrow said it will expand its on-street electric vehicle charging network with 500 new lamp-column charge points, as part of efforts to support residents who do not have access to off-street parking. The rollout is being delivered in partnership with char.gy and will focus on residential streets, using lamp-column-mounted charge points designed for low-powered AC charging. The council said 225 units have already been installed, with the remaining 275 scheduled to be deployed by Oct. 2, 2028. The charge points are intended for overnight and long-dwell charging while vehicles are parked near homes. Harrow said all…

McMurtry Automotive has opened a new production facility in southwest England and launched a separate technology division as the electric hypercar maker prepares to begin customer deliveries of its Spéirling PURE model in 2026. The company said the 2,700-square-metre site in Wotton-under-Edge will support manufacturing of the Spéirling PURE and provide capacity for future models, complementing its existing headquarters. McMurtry expects to deliver the £995,000 ($1.26 million) electric fan car to customers worldwide from the summer of 2026, excluding taxes, shipping and options. “Everything we are doing today follows the same principle my father set out from the start —…

Arriva UK Bus has secured a new seven-year contract to operate the 102/N102 bus route in North London from 2026, retaining the service after a competitive tender process run by Transport for London. Under the agreement, Arriva UK Bus will introduce 26 new battery-electric buses to replace the existing diesel fleet on the route. The vehicles will enter service once electrification works at the Palmers Green garage are completed, the company said. See also: Arriva to Deploy 167 Electric Buses in East Brabant From 2026 The 102/N102 route forms part of London’s outer orbital bus network and has been operated…

Renault has presented its new Twingo E-Tech electric in the UK for the first time, positioning the compact city car as a lower-priced entry into its expanding electric vehicle lineup as automakers seek to broaden EV adoption. The all-electric A-segment hatchback was shown from February 7 to 15 at Renault’s rnlt London Battersea concept store, located at Battersea Power Station. Orders are expected to open later this year. Renault has said the Twingo E-Tech electric is targeting a starting price below £20,000, placing it among the most affordable new electric cars planned for the UK market. See also: Renault Sets…

Hyundai’s Kona Electric has become the first model from the South Korean carmaker to qualify for the UK’s Electric Car Grant, unlocking a £1,500 discount and lowering its starting price to £33,500, according to industry reports. The grant applies to all variants of the Kona Electric and places the compact SUV among the more competitively priced electric vehicles in its segment. Under the revised pricing, the Kona Electric Advance starts at £33,500, while the N Line version begins at £37,000. The higher-spec N Line S and Ultimate trims are now priced from £39,400. See also: Hyundai Scales Back Kona Electric…

Chery Group is preparing to enter Europe’s commercial vehicle market, building on recent momentum from its passenger car brands Jaecoo and Omoda, as it plans to establish a European headquarters for its commercial vehicle arm in the UK city of Liverpool. The new base will be set up by Chery Commercial Vehicle (CCV) and is expected to create high-skilled jobs across engineering, software development, research and development, and operational functions, the company said. The move marks Chery’s next phase of expansion in Europe after entering Spain in March 2024 and subsequently rolling out Jaecoo and Omoda in the UK, Italy…

MG Motor UK has expanded its electric hatchback offering with the launch of the MG4 EV Urban and a refreshed 2026 MG4 EV range, broadening its line-up to six trim levels as it targets a wider spectrum of buyers in the UK market. The new MG4 EV Urban starts at £23,495, positioning it among the most affordable battery-electric hatchbacks on sale in the UK. Alongside the new entry-level variant, MG has introduced updates across the 2026 MG4 EV range, including interior technology improvements, revised pricing and an extended-range option offering up to 338 miles on the WLTP combined cycle. See…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng has outlined its product and retail strategy for the UK in 2026, confirming the launch of an updated G6 SUV early in the year and the arrival of its X9 seven-seat flagship model by mid-year. The company said the refreshed G6 will go on sale in the first quarter of 2026, incorporating more than 20,000 engineering refinements aimed at European driving conditions while retaining current UK pricing. Xpeng, which entered the UK market in February 2025, also plans to expand its retail footprint to several major cities as part of its growth strategy. See also:…

Engineering firm Actemium has completed the United Kingdom’s first publicly accessible charging hub designed specifically for battery-electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs), marking a milestone in efforts to decarbonise long-haul freight transport. The new facility is located at the Moto Exeter service area on the M5 motorway in Devon and forms part of GRIDSERVE’s Electric Freightway programme, a nationwide initiative to build charging infrastructure for electric trucks. The hub features four dedicated eHGV charging bays equipped with nine high-power ABB Terra chargers, delivering between 175 kilowatts and 350 kilowatts. The site has been designed with capacity for future expansion as demand…

Hyundai Motor UK has opened order books for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N in the UK, pricing the high-performance electric sedan at £65,800 in a single, fully loaded specification. Built on Hyundai’s E-GMP electric platform, the all-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 N produces up to 650 PS and 770 Nm of torque when N Grin Boost is engaged. With N Launch Control activated, the model accelerates from 0–62 mph in 3.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 160 mph. Powertrain and Performance The Ioniq 6 N uses a dual-motor setup, with a high-output rear motor acting as the primary drive unit…

UK bus operator Go North East has unveiled 29 new electric double-decker buses for deployment on three of the North East’s busiest routes, supported by a £17 million joint investment involving regional and national authorities. The funding package includes contributions from Go North East, the North East Combined Authority, and the Department for Transport, with more than £7 million provided by the UK government. See also: UK EV Charging Industry Warns of £100 Million Tax Burden as Business Rates Loom All 29 vehicles are UK-built electric double-deckers supplied by Wrightbus. Charging infrastructure has been installed at Go North East’s Riverside…

The Scottish government has earmarked £85 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and new EV incentives in its 2026/27 draft Budget, as part of a broader £4.3 billion investment in public and low-carbon transport. Details of the EV-related measures remain limited. Budget documents state that the funding will be directed toward “low carbon programmes including expanding public EV charging infrastructure and supporting zero-emission vehicles,” without specifying how much will be allocated to individual initiatives or whether the government will directly invest in large-scale charging hubs. One concrete measure outlined in the draft Budget is a tax incentive for charging operators.…

OMODA UK has unveiled its first full-hybrid sport utility vehicle, the OMODA 5 SHS-H, marking the brand’s entry into self-charging hybrid technology as it broadens its model range in Britain. The compact SUV combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a small battery and electric motor, delivering a combined output of 150 kilowatts and a claimed driving range of more than 650 miles. Pricing starts at £25,740 on the road, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin in March 2026, the company said. OMODA said the hybrid system is designed to balance efficiency and performance without the need for plug-in charging.…

Dacia will not restrict sales of petrol and hybrid models in the UK to comply with the country’s zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, opting instead to increase its electric vehicle offering despite mounting regulatory pressure, the brand’s sales chief said. The UK mandate requires 33% of sales by major automakers to be battery-electric in 2026, with penalties of £12,000 imposed for each internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sold above the threshold. Dacia, the most combustion-focused brand within Renault Group, faces a sharper transition than many rivals. See also: Dacia Opens UK Orders for Updated Spring EV With In-House Subsidy “It doesn’t…

Britain must move quickly to secure new battery manufacturing investment or risk losing its competitive position in the global automotive industry, a cross-party commission warned on Wednesday, setting out a series of recommendations aimed at attracting gigafactory projects, protecting jobs and strengthening the country’s electric vehicle supply chain. The report, published by the UK Gigafactory Commission with support from the Faraday Institution, said the UK faces a decisive turning point as Europe, the United States and Asia accelerate efforts to attract large-scale battery investment. Without coordinated government action, more than 200,000 jobs linked to the UK automotive sector could be…

BYD has launched the Sealion 5 DM-i plug-in hybrid SUV in the United Kingdom, pricing the mid-size family model from £29,995, as it continues to expand its presence in the European market. The Sealion 5 DM-i becomes BYD’s ninth model available in the UK and is positioned against similarly sized internal combustion engine SUVs. Orders are now open, with retail availability beginning on Feb. 7, 2025, the company said. See also: BYD UK Teams Up With QBE to Offer Extended Warranty and Service Plans The model uses BYD’s Super Hybrid DM-i technology, combining a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric…

British motorists switching to electric vehicles are reshaping long-standing car colour preferences, with sales of green-tinted cars in the UK reaching their highest level in two decades in 2025, according to industry body Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Nearly 100,000 green cars were sold during the year, up 46.3% from 2024 and accounting for close to 5% of all new car registrations, the SMMT said on Friday. The increase coincides with the rapid expansion of electrified vehicles — including battery-electric, hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid models — which together captured more than 48% of the UK market last year.…

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves is preparing measures to reduce the cost of public electric vehicle charging, amid concerns that a planned mileage-based tax could slow the adoption of electric cars, the Telegraph reported. Under current proposals, electric vehicle drivers would be charged around 3 pence per mile when using public charging stations once the new road pricing system is introduced in 2028. The policy is intended to help replace declining fuel duty revenues as petrol and diesel use falls. See also: UK Registers Nearly Half a Million Electric Cars in 2025 as BEV Share Climbs to 23.4% The government…