WeeklySA_AdminEVs LEAVE DISABLED DRIVERS BEHIND
BBC TV presenter and paralympic gold-medalist Ade Adepitan has backed UK magazine Auto Express’s call for action on accessibility to electric cars for disabled drivers, after the publication put the spotlight on a woeful lack of accessible public charge points in the UK’s near-30,000-strong network. “It’s a great campaign, and Auto Express is to be congratulated for taking it on board,” Adepitan says, “Am I surprised by your findings? Absolutely not. As someone with a disability, and like most people in the disability world, I’m just used to it.”
Auto Express’s report revealed a shocking lack of consideration of accessibility needs in the UK’s public charging network, with providers seemingly in a wholesale breach of Equality Act 2010 obligations, and Government lagging on legislation with consultations only just beginning. “It’s really frustrating,” says Adepitan. “What it’s going to take for things to change is when this matters to people who do not directly benefit from it. Disabled people can shout until they’re blue in the face, but unfortunately we’re not the majority and people tend to forget about us when they’re planning. It’s such an obvious oversight.”
MORE SAFETY CHECKS FOR EVs
Electric cars and other new-energy vehicles will be subject to increased safety checks in China, amid driver concern over issues ranging from battery fires to brake failures. Under the proposed changes, automakers will have to set up a 24-hour emergency response system for major accidents. Companies whose cars are involved in accidents or defy regular checks may face penalties including being removed from government subsidies or production suspensions.
Issues such as battery fires, brake failure, sudden loss of power or mechanical defects have become a major concern in customers’ purchasing decisions. In an incident that went viral in April, a protester climbed atop a Tesla Inc. car at the Shanghai auto show and yelled that she had almost died because her brakes failed.-China AutoNews
SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD McLAREN CEO FOR THE DAY
A 17-year-old has become CEO for the day of one of the UK’s leading automotive firms as part of a drive to encourage more young women to join the industry. Maisy (surname not given), a teenager from Wales, was handed the reins to McLaren Automotive – Britain’s largest supercar firm. Based in Woking, McLaren produces models from the hybrid Artura through to the £1.4m Elva speedster.
Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer at McLaren Automotive, said: “Having Maisy take over as CEO of McLaren for the day to celebrate International Day of the Girl has been both an enjoyable and valuable experience for me and the whole McLaren team.
The day also saw Maisie understanding key aspects of the business – from engineering to manufacturing supercars to marketing them – while also meeting brand ambassador Amanda McLaren, the daughter of the company’s founder McLaren is hoping to hold workshops with 100 girls over the next 12 months, and take this up to 1,000 people globally by 2025.
NO VIDEO FOR CRASHED PORSCHE
The owner of the Porsche962C which crashed into a tyre barrier along the start-finish straight on the notorious Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium is threatening legal action against Auto Addiction a channel which has over 482,000 subscribers and films motorsport events across Europe, with the person behind the camera in the right place at the right time to capture this smash, if they don’t take the video offline.
While the car’s driver was cleared and fortunately walked away unharmed from the accident, the impact tore off the nose of the 1980s Group C prototype, scattering parts across the track and triggered what can only be imagined as a hefty repair bill – with the car’s estimated value sitting around $1.61 million.
With over 315,000 views on the video, one of the top comments come from those who posted it, explaining the threat they had been sent by the owner.
