6:55 am, December 8, 2023
UK hits 10,000 rapid EV charger milestone
The UK has installed its 10,000th rapid electric vehicle charger, according to a leading device mapping provider.
New data from Zapmap suggests that the 10,000th charge point was installed at Sedbergh Leisure Centre in Bradford as part of the GeniePoint network of charging stations. It now means that there are over 10,000 rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices installed across 5,000 locations nationwide.
These high-output chargers are able to top-up an electric vehicle quickly, with some of the speediest devices able to take a compatible EV from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes.
‘Heart hero’ honoured for lifesaving CPR on driver who had cardiac arrest
A man who saved a grandfather’s life after he had a sudden cardiac arrest at the wheel and crashed at a car showroom has been named a “heart hero” at a charity awards ceremony.
Stuart McCreath smashed the windows of the car which was still accelerating, climbed through a back window, switched off the engine and pulled Steven Smith out during the incident in Aberdeen earlier this year. He then administered CPR for about 12 minutes until paramedics arrived and used a defibrillator to start Mr Smith’s heart again.
Mr Smith, 56, was returning a courtesy car to the Peter Vardy showroom when he suffered a suspected heart attack at the wheel of the car, which then triggered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Boris Johnson ‘rather sad’ his evidence to Covid inquiry is over
Boris Johnson said he is “rather sad” his evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry is over, adding that it is ‘very, very important’ to get the answers to how the virus originated.
Speaking at the end of giving two days of evidence, the former prime minister said valuable testimony had been given to the inquiry, and that he hoped it would help to bring the issues of health and social care together.
Baroness Heather Hallett, chairwoman of the inquiry, thanked Mr Johnson for his evidence, saying: ‘Thank you very much indeed Mr Johnson, I know how difficult it must be to have two days giving evidence.’
200,000 small businesses to get tool to complain about their energy supplier
Small businesses will be treated more like households if they have problems with their energy bill under a set of proposals from Ofgem and the Government.
Companies with fewer than 50 employees will now be able to complain about their supplier to the ombudsman.
It opens up a route for firms unhappy with the behaviour of their energy supplier and will save them money on the usual legal fees they have faced in the past if they have a complaint.
Thursday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- We got things wrong and for that I’m sorry – Stellantis boss opens up about mistakes and why it’s delaying agency sales yet again
- Car dealer Lookers set for hundreds of redundancies as staff slam ‘disgraceful’ treatment
- Former Edwin May worker told to pay car dealer £132,000 after long campaign of fraud
- Falling used car prices and new car supply outpacing demand leads Vertu to slash forecasts
- Gary Savage to retire next summer after leading Mercedes in the UK for 14 years
- Sales executive for car dealer group Perrys to stand trial on 12 fraud charges
- Comment: How new Stellantis boss handled horrible questions from car dealers
- Car dealer group Brayleys adds Hyundai to portfolio as it buys Coupers site
‘Excess profits’ made by big firms boosted inflation – report
‘Excess profits’ made by large international companies could have exacerbated inflation and passed on higher costs to consumers, according to a report.
Researchers from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Common Wealth – both British think tanks – analysed the financial statements of 1,350 firms listed on the UK, US, German, Brazilian and South African stock markets.
They found that UK-listed firms such as Shell, Glencore, Vodafone and Barclays saw their profits outpace inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while ordinary families’ real incomes plummeted.
Sunak defends Rwanda plan following Jenrick resignation
A defiant Rishi Sunak has vowed to ‘finish the job’ of getting the Rwanda scheme off the ground despite opposition from hardline Tories and the prospect of a bitter parliamentary battle.
The Prime Minister, whose immigration minister Robert Jenrick quit rather than backing a plan which he believed was destined for failure, insisted his new law would end the ‘merry-go-round of legal challenges’.
The Government hopes to rush emergency legislation through Parliament for MPs and peers to declare that Rwanda is a safe destination for asylum seekers.
Private equity giant KKR to snap up Smart Metering Systems in £1.3bn deal
US private equity giant KKR has placed a more than £1 billion bet that it can grow one of the UK’s biggest smart meter companies with new injections of money.
Smart Metering Systems (SMS) said on Thursday that it would recommend a takeover bid from the investor, which values the London-listed firm around 40 per cent higher than its value earlier this week.
The £1.3bn deal will see KKR buy a company which installs smart meters, batteries, electric car charging points and much more besides. It employs about 1,500 people and is headquartered in Glasgow.
FTSE treads water as investors look ahead to Bank meeting
The FTSE 100 treaded water on Thursday as falls among some of London’s biggest fashion retailers were offset by rises in the housebuilding sector.
The FTSE 100 fell 1.66 points, or 0.02 per cent, to end the day at 7,513.72.
At the end of the day in Europe, Frankfurt’s Dax index fell 0.16 per cent while the Cac 40 in Paris had closed down 0.10 per cent.
Weather outlook…
Today will continue to see cloudy skies and blustery, heavy showers in the north and west. Drier elsewhere with bright spells but cloud and showers may progress from the west later. The BBC reports it will be windy and mild.
Tonight will turn drier early with clear spells developing, mainly in the south. Later another band of rain moves in from the southwest. The rain will be heavy at times.
Tomorrow will become drier from the southwest early with some sunny spells likely. Rain will continue for most northern areas but north Scotland will continue mainly dry with a few brighter spells.
