lol-lol

Typical sadly. When I had an A4 and then an A3 I did like going to the Audi dealership. Meet and Greet Audi staff would look you up and down seemingly to check if you were the right calibre to deal with. Mechanics for Audi, SEAT, SKODA and VW all trained in the same place up at Tamworth butcAudi garages seem to be charging about half as much again hourly rate than Skoda. Can understand that if they were working on a R8 or R10 but on doggo cars what gives. Feel same way about BMW and Merc but have usually found Mini staff good oddly. People I have known who have the several million quid actually mainly I have found don't make a huge effort in dress code going in to the dealers. Premium German brand snobbery I cannot stand but they are getting their just desserts now for their complacency.

My company continues to push the boundaries of what EVs are thought they can do, in comparison to diesel, and our roll our continues at a pace., we did the test with Windrose Tech for our cargo, driver etc and are due to get bunch of their trucks (Algeciras is down by Gibraltar and where we pick up containers etc from North Africa to come up thru Europe). 1400 hp ! Capable of actually hauling two trailers and up to 64 tonnes ! Chinese truck maker Windrose Technology has successfully completed a long-haul test in Spain, covering 1,383 kilometres between Algeciras and Madrid with its fully electric R700 heavy-duty truck........... Windrose’s first EU-homologated trucks are expected to arrive in December 2025, with European deliveries and UK operations starting in the first quarter of 2026. The Chinese manufacturer has incorporated a Belgian subsidiary and is currently building factories in Belgium and France to support regional production and service. The Spanish trial saw the vehicle complete the round trip in 19 hours using only two rapid charges. Fully loaded at 31 tonnes, it achieved an average energy consumption of 1.26 kWh/km and a range of around 670 kilometres per charge, according to data.... Windrose Technology chief executive Wen Han told Freight Carbon Zero that the Windrose R700 is the company’s sole heavy-duty model, which is already deployed in 20 countries across five continents. The vehicle is equipped with a 700+ kWh battery pack and delivers 1,400 horsepower peak output. It supports both LFP and NMC battery chemistries, though Windrose recommends LFP “for its double lifespan, lower cost and higher safety”...... truck charged twice en route using 300 kW+ chargers supplied by Zunder (in partnership with Kia) and Ionity, located near El Pueblo and Pinto in central Spain. The R700 supports dual-gun charging up to 870 kW, enabling a 20–80% charge in roughly 35 minutes. According to Han, each charging during the test took under an hour, and according to the company’s data, the truck completed the route faster than a comparable diesel vehicle.

No did not mean to infer that EVs number are any more reliable or unreliable than pure ICE, or hybrid etc, just that Autotrader is numbers are not a bible to cars availability or stock levels. Car dealers are not exactly known for their candour car sales, like other sales areas are known for dirty tricks. That said my local Renault dealer seems one of the best I have found and if the product is also good and good value one cannot ask for much more.

Autotrader is not a reliable source of data on cars available and people in the automotive trader know that. The same car gets quoted as being at a dealer so they hope they get the sale and acquire it from the dealer that actual has it. The number of enquiries and then orders that end up that the car was not theirs but one they hoped they could get hold of. I think probably the reverse also happens. Over stock might gets described as las one or few left when there are lots of them. Both cases are common occurrences. VIN records are probably the only reliable source of quantification and that would be DVLA database with access for the police and officers like myself when a customs officer and we had access to the places below as well. Massive sites like Bristol docks with up to 90k cars ready to be called off, Southampton is another big site with up to 60k cars, not actually in the UK system but on UK land ready to be called off. When I was one of the Officers for Bristol docks there was up to 35k cars I recall, it is nearly 3 times that size now. Not in UK free circulation but physically in the UK. Some cars, I seem to remember, could have been stored for up to 2 years on some huge UK inland sites such as old airfields. Americans, oddly, are much more aware of the Model year they are getting which UK Brits seem not to be so switched on to. Bristol LiveAerial images show thousands of electric cars arriving in...In a significant development last week, the Port of Bristol welcomed its largest ever single shipment of cars, predominantly consisting of Chinese-manufactured MG EVs.

But particularly in certain manufacturers. We know many Stellantis and VW factories are having shutdown periods. Judging by Renault sales and how difficult it has been to get some models and versions and their sales figures it is not so much for this particular marque.

The SMMT is just a trade body, no political axe to help government. I think we miss the point with much of their data and some of it is interesting. Sadly much of it one has to pay for over and above the those big headline data ie 10 ten selling models and PowerPoint like slides of break down of registrations by fuel type. Some of the motoring press clearly but the data and make some good points. Here was a Auto-express article of a few days ago..... Important points are ICE cars still populate the top ten and The Chinese are coming https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/368223/renault-5-outsells-tesla-model-y-both-are-beaten-jaecoo-7 Renault’s retro hatchback topped the EV sales charts in October, but even it couldn’t come close to internal-combustion alternatives from China By:Tom Jervis 5 Nov 2025 Retro charm has beaten futuristic minimalism, after the Renault 5 outsold the Tesla Model Y in October. However, both EV titans were overtaken by a petrol-powered and punchily priced newcomer from China, suggesting value for money remains more of a priority for British buyers than lower carbon emissions. In October, the UK’s best-selling electric car was the quirky Renault 5 hatchback, with the French firm’s managing director, Adam Wood, describing it as “a game-changer, desirable for being as fun to look at as it is to drive, and as appealing to the head as much as to the heart. It is not just a best-selling electric car: it is a car that buyers are flocking to irrespective of its powertrain.” Best-selling cars 2025: the year's 10 most popular models Such bumper sales mean that almost half (49 per cent) of Renault’s UK sales last month were fully electric, with one in four of all new cars registered in October – regardless of brand – being zero emissions. Even so, this still wasn’t enough to bump the Renault, or any other EVs for that matter, into the top 10 sellers list; the best-selling car overall in October was (surprise, surprise) the Ford Puma. Perhaps most interesting, however, was that China's Jaecoo 7 was the nation’s sixth-best seller, with just over 2,600 examples registered last month alone. In fact, so far in 2025 Jaecoo has outsold the likes of Citroen and Lexus, while compatriot BYD has registered more new vehicles than Dacia, Cupra or MINI.

Don't know what the Worcester wally, not me but Geoff Buys Cars, is alluding at but here is the SMMT Oct 25 data but he cannot seem to understand the simple numbers..... Petrol down, Diesel fizzling out, BEV well up, PHEV up, mild hybrids up a bit. Personally been really hard to get hold of an R5 as they are in such high demand, almost no discount. The numbers don't lie still bit to go to run at the 28% BEV but we are waiting a bunch of new EVs in 2026.

Why, for what purpose?

Don't thing so. It is just like fitting an air con unit. Screw it to the wall, plug it in, use some hosing to access external airspace. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Heat Geeks reckon latest tech is vastly reducing water tank size needs according to the Just Have a Think guy. Not had a chance to thermodynamically assess and get third opinions on this. Your home setup sound well optimal for high and low ambient temperatures, storing cheap lecky and generating your own for home and EV. Model set up. Like me I expect you wish 3 phase was more readily available. If I could charge the cars at 11 or 22 kw that would be great.

In better news it is looking like the Somerset EV battery factory is less than a year away. Due to make half a million batteries a tear, employ thousands of people and help EV production in the UK. Great for SW England which does not have the highest of average wages compared to much of the UK.

In recent years he has been a big EV advocate. Working with Robert Llewelyn quite bit. Lung cancer horrible way to go. Sorrow for him and family.

Not planning to stay in this house, too many bedrooms fir my current needs so want to move in the next year or so for a place with less bedroom but more garage and workshop area. Therefore just want a heat pump device, like with my solar tracking arrays that I can take with me. Both EV chargers will stay. Looking more at portable EV chargers anyways abd I did not pay anything like full price for them, one government subsidised so I only paid £449 and the other one came with the Renault Scenic ad part of 2024 Car of the Year celebration. The 24,000 BTU unit for £750 i should be able to quickly detach abd take with me. Being HEAT PUMP magic it should be able to cool as well as heat. Something gas boilers cannot do, just alway pollute when running adding to the climate crisis whereas heat pumps can take heat out of air, ir ground, and help us keep the Earth warming and CO2 growth to a minimum.

I am looking at a single unit, 24,000 but, 7 kw just for part of downstairs where I work from.cost is £750 and I will fit myself. At the other end of the scale is my brothers house that has heat pump heating. It wax a new biuld so all part of the complete house. Underfloor heating as well as radiator.i got him on Octopus Cosy Tariff so we shared the intro bonus. Big house with a very large lounge combined with kitchen.not perfect as the far part of the room with the patio doors not az warm as it could be but economically. Under flooring heating downstairs. The tech is moving rapidly.

2028 implementation? Starting low and ramping up. I will get my tax avoidance head on to circumvent or at least reduce exposure to it. Wonder if motorcycles would be included in any pay per mile scheme. Or trikes. Be interested to see any actual government details rather than right wing media speculation.

Gas is a dirty fuel, at least compared to renewable electricity which is thankfully increasingly a larger if not biggest part of our energy consumption. Their is excise duty of gas, think it is about 23p per kg, but gas used for heating is currently exempt from this excise tax. Also, even despite the Russian military action against Ukraine, is still very cheap compared to electricity. I pay 5.71p per jwh for my gas and even my quite cheap night time electricity GO rate is 8.5p per kwh gas is still significantly cheaper and perhaps both the excise duty exception for gas for heating needs phasing out as well as incremental increase on vat for gas should be introduced. To have carrot as well as stick even more incentives for heat pumps. Heat Pumps are magical and can even reverse climate change compared to gas use which is pushing us ever closing to all those bad climate change out comings. Hope the Chancellor does these measures both to affect public choices, help energy transition and raise more revenue for the services we need.

Not 20%, start eith raising just by just 1% and then 1% more each year to nudge people in to moving to heat pumps. Winter fuel allowance should increase accordingly.

Please provide specifics or withdraw the statement

It's creation in 1948 by Labour government was a phenomenal event. What the nurses and doctors did during covid was also immense, it must be that hundreds lost their lives performing their duties caught covid and died. NHS needs to be rebiult after 14 years of conservative bad management abd solving the pay issue after the staff gave been so devalued. There are big structural issues but compared to so many countries that require private health care the UK is better off them some but we should be aiming to be where tge vest of other European countries are but that is going to cost and take some years to get there. Roads have similar issues ie big under investment but tjere have been some notable big improvements. The A14 Huntington upgrade improved my journey time to Cambridge and Felixstowe by over quarter of an hour. Too much population in the SE of England abd not enough biulding of towns etc in the Midlands. As with NHS it is going to takes years if not decades to go from good in places to good all over.

I hope that is not true for most Labour MPs. It is very difficult to keep grounded if one is a high flying lawyer with a charge out rate in the thousands per day and then dealing with affairs of state national and international dealing with billions of pounds and vagaries of dealing with Trump etc makes the whole thing surreal. Hard to stay grounded in such rarified circumstances. Hope new Deputy leader and recent bielections like Caerphilly do keep their feet on the ground.

I have always worked and paid taxes due. Con party introduced salary sacrifice and encouraged companies and individuals to do so. It massively gives governments a massive market for the Gilts the need to sell to provide benefits like your state pension and disability benefits etc. My company only adopted salary sacrifice about ten years ago or so. Before than I raised millions in tax assessments from those who were not paying their taxes and in other jobs, pwc and tax software, tje aim is always to be legally tax compliant eleven when using bonded warehouses, inward processing relief etc, all EU and now UK tax suspension schemes which promote uk jobs. My conscious is clear and I have never sponged off the system but happy to help those less fortunate physically or less blessed with smarts. Life deals one a hand and one can be lucky or unlucky and one plays ones hand the best one can for oneself, ones loved ones and the society one lives in.

To pay tax is a privilege knowing one is still paying in and helping maintain the fabric of society.

Putting the vat off electricity supply and putting it on gas might give heag pumps a bit of a boost. The technology is changing by the month and the need for large water tanks and legionnaire cycles seems to be sorted now. Surprised a immersion element is not standard as to whack that on during the very cheap nighttime period sounds obvious to me. Lots of so called heating engineers just get it very wrong it seems ie radiator sizes, pipe bore sizes. Brother has a heat pump house, no gas in his little cambirdeshire village. Not perfect and install an the setup not perfect. Has a seperate room for all the gubbins which it sounds like today would not be all needed.

Were hoping for 0% on home electricity, maybe 5% for public charger VAT and perhaps VAT on gas to go to 20% or perhaps an intermediate figure like 8% or 10% or 12.5 % or 15% or 17.5%, all figures that have been used for VAT in the past in the UK.

Happy to pay a fair share and am proud to be British with a Free at point of need NHS, a not too bad road network and numerous other niceties living in the UK. The two NI cuts the Conservatives made last year were so wrong giving most money to the already well off. Not even sure that the new EV grants are even really needed. £1500 off would not have been make or break getting the Renault 5 to me or most others I suspect. Wonder how the Heat Pump grant is being taken up as that is much bigger by comparison at £7500. We have reached the stage where EVs sell themselves on a running cost basis. The future taxation of UK vehicles is uncertain but me and other EV users, I suspect and have heard in a few cases, have no issue as paying the standard chunk of road tax like everyone else. Our reason for having EVs is the very cheap cost per mile, home charging advantage accepted, low servicing costs as well our own wish to be green in not consuming fuel to drive or in servicing procedures. We will always consider all the options available and one T Rex in the room is that less and less people will actually buy, own cars but we will, I believe, increasingly use taxis, hire cars etc. My acquisition of a car for myself next week ie the R5, and the Scenic last year, may well be the last cars I actually obtain for myself to sit on the drive 99% of the time and only be used very occasionally now and then. Not very far away, I think, from a car that self drives itself from the hire company. Love "I robot", a worry this could be the future.......