Auto Express – August 07, 2019

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk 7August2019 19

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Contacts

‘Budget’taxi is partofLEVC’s

post-Brexit commitment to UK

THELondonElectricVehicleCompany

(LEVC)isplanningtobuildamore

affordableversionofitsTXelectrictaxi,

calledtheIcon.Itwillenterproduction

inSeptemberasa“low-specification”

versionoftheexistingTX.

TheIconwillhavealowerpurchase

pricethantheTX,whichstartsat

£55,599,butithasn’tbeenrevealed

whatkititwilllose.TheIconwillbebuilt

alongsidetheTXandtheupcoming

LEVCvanatitsfactoryinCoventry,

withCEOJoergHofmannsayingthe

firmis“100percentcommitted”

tostayingintheUKafterBrexit.

“Wedon’thaveanydiscussions

thatwewillshutdowntheplantin

Coventry,”saidHofmann.“It’sthebase

ofthecompany–wewanttoincrease

andexpandtheproductportfolio,we

haveaplantogetmoreoutofCoventry.

“WeareaUKbrandwhichwill

expandintoEurope,soIcan’tsee

anyshort-termdevelopmentsthere

–theinvestmentistoobigandour

plansareinadifferentdirection.”

Whilethiswillbeseenasavoteof

confidenceinBrexit,Hofmannwarned

that‘NoDeal’issomethingtoavoid,

claimingitwouldhavea“significant

impact”onthecompanyandcausea

“productionshortage”.Inspiteofthis,

headded:“Wearenottalkingabout

shuttingdownCoventry–Ifirmly

believeIcansayasCEOthatweare

percentcommittedtomakingitwork.”

Join thedebateatwww.autoexpress.co.uk

ContactTr istan Shale-Hester

Write to:Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis

Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP

HOTTOPIC Dodgynumber plates

Makers should stop

fitting keyless entry

Current EV incentives

arewrong approach

How can Polestar

justifyhigh prices?

Same old same old

design from Audi

FROM:John CromptonIREADyour

reviewofthenewSkodaScala(Issue

1,584)withinterest,butitstruckme

thatifyouupgradetotheSEL,you

getKeylessEntry–awellpublicised

securityflaw.It’stimemanufacturers

stoppedfittingthisoratleastoffered

itsdeletionasano-costoption.

FROM:Derek Day WHYissueafine

todriversdisplayingillegalnumber

plates?Theygotogreatlengthsto

buythemandarewellawareofthe

law.Thepoliceshouldsimplyissue

themwitha£1,000on-the-spotfine

andthenseizethenumberplates.

FROM:RobertSandelWHILEItotally

agreethatallnumberplatesshould

beboughtlegallyandfollowthe

correctformatwhenusedonpublic

roads,thisstorygotmethinking:how

wouldonelegallybuyacustomplate

todisplayatacarshoworevent?

FROM:CliffordSherwoodNEWEVsare

tooexpensiveand,whilethenewBIK

rateswillbringusedonestomarket,

whyshouldcompanycardriversnot

paytaxonEVs?It’stheequivalentof

gettingapayrise.Electriccarsshould

earntheirplaceinthemarketon

merit;thecurrentapproach iswrong.

FROM:Faisal Rafique THEPolestar

(Issue1,580)hasallthemakingsof

afutureclassic,althoughitspriceis

veryhighagainstsomemuchmore

establishedrivals.Surelystripes

havetobeearnedbeforethefirmcan

chargesuch anastronomicalprice?

Thatsaid,it’sgoodtoseeanewbrand.

FROM:Mark AbbottTHEnewAudiA

Sportback(Issue1,585)looksgoodin

isolation,butAudiandtheVWGroup

arerunningoutofideas.MakeSUVs,

makecoupéversionsofthesame

SUVs,repeatacrossclasses.Maybe

movingtowardselectriccarswillgive

somemuch-neededdesignstimulus.

■“There’salsoalarge

numberofboyracers

whoremovefrontplates

asit‘lookscleaner’.”

enquirer

■“Nosurprisethatthe

numberofclonedcars

hasincreasedsincetax

discswereabolished.”

Robbie

■“Theformatofnumber

platesisanissuenot

justforANPR,butfor

witnessestoaccidents.”

Nicko

InboxYo ur views

ON APLATE

StoryinIssue

1,583showed

how easy it was

to buy dodgy

plates without

any proof of

ownership

ANEWtechnologyisbeingdeveloped

thatcouldseecartyresgenerate

electricitytobeusedtopowertyre

pressuremonitoringsystems(TPMS).

SumitomoRubberIndustries

(producerofFalkentyres)isworking

ontheEnergyHarvester,whichuses

staticelectricitybuilt-upinsidethe

tyretoproducepower.Itconsists

oftwolayersofelectrode-covered

rubbersandwichedtogetherthat

generateelectricityasthetyre

deformswhileitrotates.

Thesystemcouldbeusedto

powerTPMSinsteadofbatteries.

PAGE55:2019TyreTest

SPARKY

Negative and

positive films

rub together to

createuseable

static electricity

MILESTONE

LEVC boss Hofmann confirmed

new model at celebration event

Tyrespower up forsafety