Author page: Nick Sharpe

Alphabet advises on fleet drivers going back on the road

Hyundai fleet drivers back on the road

AS drivers start to go back to work, a fifth have found that they are making mistakes as drivers readjust to driving again. While the average driver generally covers 583 miles a month, during lockdown that has dropped to just 90 miles. The survey of 2000 motorists, which was conducted by Hyundai, found that they were struggling to readjust to life behind…

Jardine Motors goes online with JLR

Jardine goes online with Jaguar Land Rover

THE Jaguar Land Rover division of Jardine Motors Group is going online. The new facility – developed in partnership with omni-channel e-commerce solutions provider Rockar – will offer customers the opportunity to select and configure vehicles. It promises transparent pricing and delivers the customer journey from enquiry to delivery. Support comes from the company’s digital sales team. Jardine Motors says the new…

BMW readies new electric iX3

BMW ix3 undergoing pre production

BMW’s electric iX3 SUV is on course to hit the market at the end of 2020. The car is being built at BMW’s China factory at its BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture facility. The homologation process has been completed both for the Chinese market and for the European market. The new iX3 adds a further fully-electric vehicle to the BMW Group portfolio…

Electric Nation trials V2G

Nissan Leaf owners will take part in the Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid project

THE ability for electric vehicles to contribute positively to the grid is to be trialled by Electric Nation, which previously ran a similar smart charging project. The trial is recruiting Nissan Leaf owners in the Midlands, South West and South Wales – the area covered by Western Power Distribution (WPD). While smart charging can help lessen the demand on the grid, vehicle-to-grid…

Seven month photocard licence extension

licence

THE DVLA has granted an extension to drivers with a photocard driving licence that expires between 01 February and 31 August 2020. The extension is for seven months from the date of expiry. During the coronavirus lockdown this will allow drivers to make necessary journeys without having to obtain a new photograph to renew their licence. Normally drivers are required to renew…

Keep it COVID clean – but who pays for the SMR fleet sanitisation service?

Sanitising a car post service 1000px

DISCUSSION is currently ongoing as to who pays the additional costs of SMR fleet sanitisation post workshop. While fleets and workshops agree that vehicles will need sanitising thoroughly before they are handed back after undergoing work, there is still some discussion as to who will pay for cleaning products, PPE equipment and the time taken, according to e-commerce provider epyx. Tim Meadows,…

Groupe PSA ups roadside assistance on EVs and PHEVs to 100,000 miles

Citroen C5 Aircross phev QUALIFIES FOR 8 year/100,000 mile roadside assistance

N a significant boost to consumer confidence in electrified vehicles, Groupe PSA is stretching its roadside assistance plan to eight years/100,000 miles on all fully electric EVs and plug-in electric hybrids. Richard Dyson, Groupe PSA parts & service director UK, said: “We are pleased to extend the roadside cover on our new generation of electrified models to eight years or 100,000 miles.…

Broker favourite Vauxhall Mokka undergoes final testing

New Vauxhall Mokka testing in disguise

THE replacement for that leasing broker favourite – the Vauxhall Mokka – is undergoing a variety of final testing trials. From the Arctic Circle to a German handling course designed to replicate every road type in Europe, a disguised Mokka is being made retail ready. The car is based on Vauxhall’s’s CMP multi-energy platform (Common Modular Platform), which allows the use of…