The battery is the heart of any electric vehicle. It is also at the heart of many of the challenges facing EVs, as the world's governments try to navigate a route to emissions-free driving. The battery accounts for an astonishing 40-60% of the cost of each vehicle. Batteries are expensive to make and, as they are very heavy, they are also expensive to transport.
Two Australian number plates loosened The UAE's grip on the top slots in the world's most expensive plate charts when NSW number 1 and Queensland number Q1 sold for £6.4 million and £3.2 million.
We recently surveyed the British public, revealing that a significant 87% of adults believe parents ought to contribute to the costs of their child's driving education. Interestingly, of this majority vote, one in three think it should be an equal, fifty-fifty split between parent and child, while 25% suggest the same approach for purchasing the first car.
Smart motorways have been controversial ever since their inception in 2006. The original intentions of improving journey times, reducing emissions and increasing effective road capacity were universally supported. Unfortunately, safety concerns soon dampened public enthusiasm and in April 2023 the government announced that no new smart motorways would be completed.
Your concise roundup of world number plate news from near and far.