Audi, Electric Car, Electric Vehicles

Audi Shows commitment to electric future

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In recent years, the electric car industry has boomed. From small family cars to larger SUVs, many car manufacturers have pledged to develop their electric car ranges in a bid to save the environment.

Why are EVs good?

According to research, electric cars are better for the environment as they emit fewer greenhouse gasses based on both production and electricity to keep them going. In fact, just one electric car can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2.

Electric cars are so beneficial to the planet that the UK government has laid out a scheme to get more drivers to switch to electric. And they aren’t the only ones showing big commitments to the planet.

Which manufacturers make EVS?

One manufacturer leading the way in terms of moving towards a fully electric fleet is Audi.

Audi are showing big commitments to having an all-electric fleet in the future. Continuing to expand and innovate when it comes to their fleet, Audi are well on their way towards electrification and plan to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle production by 2033.

As part of this, towards the end of 2019 Audi announced $12 billion of investment to accelerate the electrification of its vehicles and have recently announced a “Vorsprung 2030” electrification strategy.

In fact, this becomes abundantly clear in as the brand new A3 Sportback is, for the first time ever, available in petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. This shows that even the traditional Audi models are undergoing significant change during this ‘transition period’ into more sustainable forms of transportation.

More about Audi

Audi are a German car manufacturer and subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. Known as paving the way when it comes to technology, Audi are pioneers of their time.

Over the past 50 years, Audi’s slogan has been “Vorsprung durch Technik,” which translates to “Progress through Technology.” And with the commitment to an all-electric fleet underway, it’s clear that Audi are true to their word.

Currently, the most popular Audi EVs are the Audi e-tron, e-tron S and e-tron sportback, but following their recent release of the Audi A3 models, it’s predicted that Audi will soon be offering all its models as both fully electric and hybrid models.

What this means for the car industry

Despite a difficult year for the automotive industry, it’s encouraging to see major leaders in the field looking to the future and innovating.

With EVs predicted to become ever more popular, it’s an important step forward for both car manufacturers and the planet. Backed up by government initiatives and generous grants to help companies and individuals afford to make the switch, big things are in store for the EV industry.

Electric Car, Press Release

Meet Easee One – the small, smart, powerful home EV charger with an eye on the future

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Easee, the company behind ‘the world’s smartest EV Charging Robot’, has launched the Easee One. The new domestic smart charger has been designed specifically for the needs of homeowners, with an eye on both the present and the future.

The Easee One is optimised for the UK domestic power supply and enables up to three chargers to be used on a single connection. Homeowners can install their first charger knowing that adding more charge points in the future is quick and easy. If two or more Easee One chargers are in use, they communicate to ensure vehicles are charged evenly and safely.

Effie Vraka, Country Director UK at Easee, said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for UK homeowners to choose and install a future proof EV charger. Over 25 million households in the UK own two or more cars, and in the future these will all be electric. We’ve designed a smart home charger that can be easily expanded to allow simultaneous charging of up to three cars. With the Easee One, you don’t need to worry about technical features, compatibility, or regularly updating your software. It’s all taken care of for you. You can simply plug, charge and go, or if you want more control, you can use the Easee App.”

The Easee One is 69% smaller than other comparable solutions and weighs just 1.4kg. Easee estimates that every Easee One charger produced saves around 4kg of plastic and copper, helping to conserve the planet’s resources.

Easee’s EV charging solution has already won a prestigious red Dot design award for its combination of ‘intelligent technology with a high degree of functional quality in a pared-back, premium product.’

“The Easee One is all about reliability, simplicity and style,” says Effie Vraka. “It’s built to withstand harsh weather conditions, looks great on your driveway, and is really easy to use. The only decision home-owners have to make is what colour they like.”

The Easee One charger is compatible with all EV models, has built in mobile, WiFi connectivity and Global System for Mobile Communication, and it also automatically updates itself with the latest features. Early adopters will receive free mobile internet connectivity for the life of the product. Easee One comes with a 3-year warranty and is widely available through competent installers.

To find out more about Easee One or book an install, visit Easee.co.uk

Cars, formula one, lewis hamilton, motorsport

Is Lewis Hamilton Now Back on Top in F1 Drivers’ Championship?

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When Red Bull’s Max Verstappen romped to his fourth victory in five races at the Austrian Grand Prix on July 4th, the Belgian-Dutch racer opened up an ominous 32-point lead over this title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Barely four weeks later, however, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had opened up a 12-point lead of his own, after Verstappen and Red Bull endured two disastrous races at Silverstone and Hungary in August.

But is Hamilton now the favourite to win a record-breaking eighth world title, or can Verstappen realise the promise of Red Bull’s superior Honda engines to deliver his first championship?

What Happened at Silverstone and in Hungary? 

Despite his lead entering the Silverstone Grand Prix, Verstappen ended the race with a DNF after a direct collision with Hamilton.

This occurred at the rapid Copse corner, as Hamilton attempted to overtake his rival and the Red Bull driver moved to squeeze him tight to the inside. He then shifted back to the left, causing Hamilton to approach quickly at a shallow angle and touch the right rear of Verstappen’s car.

The result ignited the simmering feud between Verstappen and Hamilton, particularly as the latter went on to win the race.

For his part, Verstappen and Red Bull felt that Hamilton had run wide into the car with too much speed, with the overtaking manoeuvre never really on. Mercedes boss Toto Wolfe (along with some other drivers) disagreed, claiming that Hamilton was entitled to make the move and that the collision was little more than a blameless racing incident.

Things got even worse at Hungary, however, when Valtteri Botas’ misjudgement at the first corner caused a huge crash and significant damage to Verstappen’s car. This left the Red Bull driver to limp home in 10th place, while Hamilton earned more crucial points with a second-place finish.

Can Hamilton Sustain his Momentum? 

There’s no doubt that the momentum now lies with Hamilton, despite the advances made by Red Bull’s Honda engines and the incremental improvement in Verstappen’s driving.

However, the two recent failures had little to do with either driver or constructor error, so there’s every opportunity for Verstappen to return fresh from the summer break and ready to realise Red Bull’s natural advantage over their rivals.

While anyone who has ever invested in Mercedes gap insurance will realise the value and performance of these vehicles, there’s no doubt that the biggest challenge facing Red Bull is the omnipotent Hamilton.

After all, the man is a relentless winner and one of the greatest F1 drivers to have ever lived, and he can be difficult to stop once he commences his title charge.

The fact that he’s chasing a record-breaking eighth world title will only strengthen his incredible resolve, enabling him to potentially overcome any deficiencies that Mercedes may have in relation to their Red Bull rivals.

Sustainable, Technology, trains, Travel

Are tourists still travelling to London?

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Throughout the world, tourism is one of the many sectors that has been hit hard by the pandemic. Every nation will have been severely affected by the travel restrictions that have had to be imposed. London is no different: with internationally-renowned attractions such as Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben, it’s one of the most popular cities in the world for people to come and spend their tourist dollar (or pound), and key to the success of the UK economy. But just how badly has it been hit by Covid, and are there signs of recovery?

Before the pandemic

In 2019 – the year before the pandemic hit Britain – a staggering 21 million people visited the UK’s capital. There were 1,800 businesses involved with the tourism sector (covering everything from arts and entertainment to accommodation, food outlets and retail), and these employed almost 20,000 people.

To say the nation’s tourism was thriving pre-pandemic is an understatement. Visits nationwide exceeded 40 million that year, up by nearly a third compared to 10 years previously, and by almost 70 percent compared to 2002.

During 2020

As expected, there was a huge drop in visitor numbers in 2020, as the pandemic took hold of the nation early in the year and refused to let go. According to Visit Britain (whose figures are based on estimates because they were unable to conduct passenger surveys during lockdown), overseas visitor numbers to the UK dropped by almost 75 percent that year to just 11.1 million. As you’d presume, most of these visits were in the first three months of the year before lockdowns and travel restrictions were put in place. The total spend was down by just over three quarters on the previous year, with an estimated loss of £24 billion. Domestic tourism was also down 63 percent with spending down £57.6 billion.

How things are looking this year

According to Visit Britain’s forecast for 2021, the number of overseas visitors is set to rise slightly to 11.3 million – still considerably lower than numbers prior to the pandemic. Spending isn’t expected to rise, but although figures will pale in comparison to 2019, we should start to see more people arriving towards the end of the year if restrictions continue to ease worldwide.

When it comes to domestic tourism, things are more positive, as numbers are up more than 50 percent compared to 2020, with spending up 59 percent on day trips and 38 percent on overnighters.

If you’re considering travelling to the likes of London, now might be a good time to do so before the world opens up once more. To get the best deals possible, remember to look up trains to London and book in advance.

As you’d expect, the pandemic has had a terrible impact on visitor numbers to London and the UK as a whole. So now might be the best time to explore our own backyard before the rest of the world returns to see our most popular attractions.

currency trading, forex

The Impact of Tech on the Forex Industry

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There’s no doubt that the forex market has enjoyed exponential growth in the digital age, with the total daily trading volumes having increased from $5.1 trillion to $6.6 trillion in the three years between 2016 and 2019.

This growth has a great deal to do with technological advancement, as new innovations have begun to impact on forex trading and make the market more accessible to part-time and novice investors.

In this post, we’ll look back at how forex used to be traded, while appraising the impact of technology on the wider FX industry. 

How Was Forex Traded in the Past?

Interestingly, trading forex is as old as the history of civilization, with people in ancient times known to exchange goods and services for an agreed price (which would often be represented by raw materials or food).

The issue here was assigning and establishing value fairly, so future generations of civilians resolved to develop commodity money and, over time, metal coins and paper currencies with predetermined stores of value.

This paved the way for the international forex market that we know and love today while making it far easier to exchange goods between nations. It was in the 17th century that the first ever forex market was established in Amsterdam, with this further facilitating global market exchanges and creating opportunities for investors.

Prior to 1944, the value of international currencies was pegged to gold, but this changed with the advent of the ‘Bretton Wood System’ immediately after the Second World War.

This was forged to create a stable environment and allow for increased international trade after the war, while it underpinned an adjustable pegged foreign exchange market.

With this system, major currencies chose to peg their value to the US Dollar, but this failed in the early 1970s when there was no longer enough gold to back the amount of greenback in circulation.

How has Technology Changed Forex Trading?

Since the 70s, the market has evolved to be governed by a free-floating exchange rate, where the price of specific currency pairs is influenced by an array of factors including geopolitical conflicts and the wider macroeconomic climate.

From a technological perspective, one of the biggest changes occurred with the advent of online brokerage sites.

Such entities replaced the traditional middleman and corporeal trading floors across the globe, creating an online portal and making a host of markets more accessible to aspiring traders.

As a result, investors can now engage in forex and indices trading through a single online interface, enabling real-time market analysis and the execution of live orders.

More recently, we’ve seen the emergence of automated and AI-influenced trading online. Ideal for scalpers and day traders, automation has helped individuals to optimise the number of orders that they execute in real-time, while AI is improving the analysis of even unstructured datasets and driving more informed trades in the process.

AI has also improved the quality and functionality of so-called “forex robots”, helping to eliminate human error and increase profits over an extended period of time.

 

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles

UK’s largest electric vehicle and clean energy event set for new transport era

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  • Every electric car on sale in the UK on show – more than 100 vehicles
  • 150+ exhibitors covering the EV, clean energy and related sectors
  • Electric car test drive area – enabling thousands to experience the latest EVs
  • 50+ live theatre sessions with hundreds of expert panellists

This week (3-5 September) will see the UK’s largest event for electric vehicles and clean technologies usher in a new era of transport. As the UK looks ahead to the government’s 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars, Fully Charged OUTSIDE will host thousands of visitors looking to make the shift to clean mobility and more sustainable lifestyles.

Held at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre, the three-day outdoor show will exhibit every electric car on sale in the UK (more than 100 vehicles) with thousands of test drives offered to showgoers. More than 150 exhibitors covering the EV, clean energy and related sectors will be on hand to help visitors to navigate the switch to electric vehicles and greener living.

Dan Caesar, Fully Charged joint CEO: “The world as we know it is changing fast. We’re proud to be playing a part in the transition to cleaner cars, more efficient homes and ultimately to a future where we significantly reduce our carbon emissions. After the challenges of the past year, we can’t wait to see real people, test drive real cars and learn about real solutions to our climate change emergency.”

The show will see the UK debut of the all-new Nissan Ariya electric crossover, the first public viewing of a new electric commercial vehicle, and the launch of a new government strategy; plus, electric motorcycles, e-bikes, e-scooters and classic electric car conversions.

Since the last time the Fully Charged LIVE event was held in June 2019, electric vehicle uptake has rocketed alongside the UK charging infrastructure’s rapid growth. Pure electric cars have seen their market share double since this point last year and for the past two months, more new electric cars were sold than diesel cars.

The show will also tackle every conceivable electric vehicle and clean energy topic with more than 50 live theatre sessions that range from choosing an electric vehicle and how to charge it, to climate change, air quality and eco-living. Sessions will be hosted by the Fully Charged team, including Robert Llewellyn, Jack Scarlett, Maddie Moate, Helen Czerski and Dan Caesar, each bringing their knowledge and fun-loving exploration to each topic alongside hundreds of expert panellists.

Fully Charged OUTSIDE runs from 3-5 September 2021 at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. Further information about the show is available here, and tickets to the event can be purchased here.

I’ll be there on the 5 September, so I look forward to seeing you on the day!

Cars, Electric Car, Electric Vehicles

Surges in Electric Vehicle sales and what this means for combustion engine vehicles

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Recently, the sales of EVs have surged. Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular.

Electric cars have important advantages

Plug-in cars are generally cheaper to run, and drivers don’t need to pay as much road tax. Of course, there are also many important environmental benefits, which makes driving an EV a great choice.

Environment

Zero tailpipe emissions and similar factors support the environment and help upgrade the living conditions for future generations.

Charging

Cars that are powered by electric motors are becoming more appealing to buyers and there are many charging points available throughout the UK. They can be found at supermarkets, service stations, hotels, shopping centres and other public places and often offer free charges.

Driving

The driving experience is also improved. “Electric cars accelerate faster than vehicles with traditional fuel engines – so they feel lighter to drive”, EDF says.

Sales of electric and hybrid cars boom in March

March was an especially productive month for car dealers selling hybrid and electric cars. Traditionally, car sales are especially high in March – more than during any other month of the year. But in March 2021 car dealers experienced record-breaking sales of EVs. Lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19 didn’t slow down the sales and it was a huge win for the electric car industry. According to The Guardian, “plug-in vehicle sales account for almost 14% of all new car sales in March”.

Among the top 10 cars that were sold in March 2021, the Toyota Yaris which is a hybrid car was the most popular amongst the eco-friendly vehicles. Volkswagen Golf and Mercedes-Benz A-Class which can be bought as a hybrid car were also on the list as was the fully electric Hyundai Kona (also available as a hybrid car), Driving Electric explains.

What does this mean for combustion engine vehicles?

The high demand for fully electric cars as well as hybrid cars may have an impact on the typical combustion engine vehicles. The forces of supply and demand are expected to impact the prices of combustion engine vehicles.

The increase in demand for EVs will undoubtedly reduce the demand for standard cars, especially used ones – which will ultimately result in their value falling much quicker than in the past. This means that you could be owing a lot more on your car than what it’s worth and could leave you in a tough financial situation should anything happen to it. Especially for preloved cars, a Gap Insurance can cover expenses in the case of an unexpected breakdown and can save you hundreds of pounds.

With EV sales surging, it is only a matter of time until electric cars become more popular than combustion engine vehicles.

Data, Internet Security, Security

Ways To Protect Your Businesses Data

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Whatever sized business you have, whether it’s a one-man-band or a multinational, you have to invest in protecting your data. The web is filled with malware and cyber criminals all looking for a way into your precious data gold mine. If they are successful, then this could cause you a lot of problems. You are also vulnerable to powercuts or other such breaks in the normal running of things. Data is precious, yet at the same time quite vulnerable. Threats can come in many forms, and the consequences of this may be enough to put a business, especially a small one, out of business. However, with the right procedures and security, you can protect your business from this ever-growing threat.

Ways To Protect Your Businesses Data
Ways To Protect Your Businesses Data

Security Audit

It may be in your best interests to work with a professional and audit all your IT infrastructure. You need to know exactly what needs to be protected, so you are able to secure it appropriately. Think about the computers, backup system, any mobiles devices you may use, and the network. All this needs to be assessed in order to protect it fully.

Encryption

In the event that you have something stolen, encryption is a valuable asset. That is because no one will be able to access the data on a hard disk or thumb drive. You may lose the physical hardware but the data will be safe a secure. 

Outsource Security

If you do not have the capabilities to have a fully comprehensive security solution in-house, it is wise to outsource. Firstly you will know that your data is being properly protected by professionals who do this day in and day out. You will not have to worry that something was set up incorrectly. If there are any problems, you know they will be able to come and fix them straight away. Also, in the long run, it will save you time, money, and a lot of potential stress.

Use multiple-security solutions.

To protect against cybercrime, aka hackers, and their ever more sophisticated techniques, you need multi-layered protection on all the devices you have. A multi-security solution will be able to block attacks targeting your network, and it will notify you of this issue, so you are able to take immediate action. If you implement the right solutions, a hacker will see that your security is more trouble than it is worth. 

Server Protection

If you don’t have a server room with the associated backup, your data requires you may experience a whole range of issues. A server room keeps things at an ambient temperature to avoid the problem of over-heating, for example. They can also provide additional power should you suffer from a blackout which could result in the loss of a lot of data. You should consider data centre ups solutions. In an age where energy reduction is paramount, you should be thinking about ways to reduce your carbon foot front too. With this sort of solution, there is scope for you to balance your power output and make it more cost-effective.  

Crypto Currency

Why is the Crypto Market so Volatile?

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In many ways, the cryptocurrency market is a bundle of contradictions, with this borne out by the space’s current and historical capitalisation values.

More specifically, while the current crypto market capitalisation value of $1.39 trillion may appear impressive at first glance, we should remember that this number peaked above $2 trillion as recently as Bitcoin’s (BTC’s) price broke through the $60,000 barrier in mid-April.

This highlights the innate volatility that underpins the crypto space, but what causes this and how will this impact on the asset class going forward?

What are Cryptocurrency Assets so Volatile?

A further examination of Bitcoin’s recent price trajectory further highlights the volatility of the crypto space, particularly with BTC having achieved a record high valuation of $63,246.79 on April 16th, 2021.

To provide further context, a single BTC token was priced at just $29,333.61 on New Years’ Day, while it has subsequently fallen back to $33,117.75 as of July 24th.

So, having seen its price increase by more than 100% during Q1 of this year, BTC has shelved nearly 50% of its value in the three months since April 16th.

But what exactly is behind this volatility? Well, the main factor here is market sentiment and the varying perceptions of cryptocurrency (and especially BTC) as a viable store of value, while price points are also impacted by Bitcoin’s reputation as a method of value transfer.

In terms of the former, this refers to the ease with which an underlying asset can be useful in the future, either as a sellable item or a method of exchange.

These factors have played a key role in BTC’s rise and fall recently, as demand soared and cryptocurrencies emerged as potential safe-haven assets (which were largely immune from macroeconomic pressures) against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Similarly, its decline has come as regulators have begun to crack down in China and Europe, while the often unfavourable opinions of influencers like Bill Gates and Elon Musk have undermined the perception of BTC as a store of value.

Is the Future Bright for the Crypto Market?

Of course, it can be argued that the recent crypto bear run simply represents a market correction, while the viability of BTC as an asset class can also be supported by its overall rise in value during the last 12 months.

For example, a BTC token was worth just $9,708.95 on July 26th, 2020, while it’s now priced at $34,014.62. So, despite its wild fluctuation in the intervening period, Bitcoin is now nearly four times more valuable than it was just one year ago.

What’s more, the wider demand remains high for crypto and BTC, especially with forex brokers like Tickmill now introducing digital assets for trading. Given this and the fact that Bitcoin retains a finite supply of 18.77 million, it’s clearly capable of maintaining an inflated price well in excess of $30,000 going forward.

This also increases liquidity and the ease with which BTC can be bought and sold, establishing it as an increasingly mainstream method of value transfer.

On a final note, we should consider the emergence of third-generation blockchains and how they continue to change the crypto marketplace.

More specifically, such networks are tackling long-standing issues like scalability and inflated transaction fees, increasing the likelihood of mainstream adoption rates and potentially minimising volatility in the longer term.

Car Restoration, Dos and Don'ts Guides

The Dos & Don’ts of Classic Car Restoration

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Classic car restoration has become a popular hobby in recent times and it is easy to see why. It can be incredibly rewarding restoring and improving a beautiful classic car as well as a fun and interesting process to go through along with the obvious benefit of having a classic to drive upon completion. Classic car restoration can certainly be an expensive hobby, but there are ways to make it more affordable too. There are also some important dos and don’t of classic car restoration – read on to find out more.

DO Choose the Right Restoration Type

Perhaps most important is choosing the right type of restoration. If this is your first project, you should always start off with driver restoration where you simply make it operational and make cosmetic upgrades. This is followed by street show restoration, show car restoration and finally concourse restoration.

DON’T Skip Making a Budget

Another common mistake that people make when it comes to car restoration is not setting themselves a budget. You need to work out how much you can afford to spend right at the start otherwise the costs can very quickly spiral out of control. If you know roughly how much you can afford, you can then find a vehicle, restoration level, tools and equipment and materials to fit within this budget.

DO Read the Owner’s Manual

Once you have found the right car to restore, you should then spend time reading through the owner’s manual. Skipping this step would be like working on the car with your eyes closed, so you need to get to know the vehicle first and re-read this if you are ever confused about anything.

DON’T Underestimate Time Required

Another common mistake that people make when it comes to classic car restoration is underestimating the time required to complete the work. Even a basic restoration will require a lot of time and effort, so you need to make sure that this is something that you can fit into your life and around your responsibilities. Without this, it is likely that this becomes a project that never gets completed.

DO Take Out Classic Car Insurance

There is no feeling like completing a classic car restoration, but before you get behind the wheel, you need to make sure that you have classic car insurance in place. Classic car insurance will provide you with financial protection if you encounter any issues as well as peace of mind knowing that your investment is protected.

Hopefully, this post will help anyone considering classic car restoration and stop you from making a few of the more common mistakes that people make. This can be a fun, rewarding and interesting hobby to start, but it is also a big commitment to make.

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