Latest news with #TransportSecretary
Times
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Tesla poised to switch on full self-driving system in the UK
Tesla is putting its troubles behind it by pushing ahead with the first full UK trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which allows the electric car to operate independently of its driver. A three-minute video of the test shows the Tesla Model 3 threading its way through traffic, avoiding other cars, cyclists and roadworks. A driver is seen present in the car but did not intervene during the 20-minute test as the Tesla navigated through central London at afternoon rush hour, starting south of the Thames and crossing Westminster Bridge, passing Parliament Square and Downing Street and landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Nelson's Column. • Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Tesla has faced criticism for the fact that it has been selling the £6,800 FSD package in Britain as an option on its Model 3, and more recently Model Y, for at least six years, even though drivers cannot use it. The company blames 'regulatory issues' and says the technology is ready. One of the first to buy the package was Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, who paid £5,800 for Full Self-Driving in 2019 but can't switch it on. Tesla says it hopes it to get approval for drivers to turn on the system within the coming months and certainly by 2026, when its £39,990 Model 3 and £44,990 Model Y fitted with Full Self-Drive will be able to self-steer and park and autonomously slow down, speed up and switch lanes. European Union countries will permit FSD to be used by the end of this year, the company predicts. • I tried the new self-driving Tesla — it was utterly terrifying The system uses eight cameras, including two forward-facing, two on each side, one at the rear and one inside the car to make sure the driver is paying attention. In the United States, where the FSD package can legally be used, accidents have been blamed on Tesla drivers allowing the car to go beyond its capabilities while they are distracted by another task. Some have filmed themselves sitting in the back seat and reading. Tesla's Full Self Driving is a level 2 on the car industry's six-point scale for autonomous vehicles, three points below full autonomy. Waymo, the operator of robot taxis in the US, uses a level 4 system that can operate without a driver on standby. Elon Musk told investors earlier this year that his company's autonomous systems would revolutionise transport. 'Once it does start to move… it will really go exponentially from there,' he said, predicting that Tesla would have 'a 99 per cent market share'.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Minister urges MMR vaccination after measles death
Following the reported death of a child from measles in Liverpool, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander calls for parents to ensure their children receive the MMR vaccine.
Bloomberg
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
UK Plans New Measure to Boost EV Sales, Transport Secretary Says
The UK plans to introduce new incentives to make it cheaper for people to buy new electric vehicles as the Labour government attempts to phase out the sale of polluting cars. Speaking on Sunday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed she will be announcing new measures to boost sales of EVs this week but declined to directly address reports in the Telegraph and the Times that the incentives will include up to £700 million ($948 million) in new subsidies and grants to buyers to help offset costs.
Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Labour to spend millions on electric car handouts
Labour will unveil £700m of taxpayer-funded subsidies to encourage the public to buy more electric cars. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, will this week announce grants for drivers to help cover the upfront cost of a new vehicle as well as more cash for charging points. Her intervention comes amid growing concern within the Government that flagging sales of battery-powered cars are putting net zero targets at risk. Labour has kept Conservative plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, which will force motorists to switch to electric-powered vehicles. But many drivers have been put off by high upfront costs, with battery-powered models typically costing thousands more than their petrol counterparts. The average price of a new electric vehicle in Britain is just under £50,000, more than double the cost of a typical petrol car at £22,000. Electric vehicles have also been plagued by high depreciation, losing their value faster than petrol and diesel cars because their batteries degrade. The Transport Secretary told The Telegraph: 'We do know that the high upfront purchase cost of EVs is something that people are wary about. 'I think we've got to be honest and say there are a lot of people out there who think that EVs are just for the very wealthiest. 'We also want to really move away from people having range anxiety, to people having range awareness and knowing that they're going to be able to make the journeys that they want to make. 'It's right that the Government thinks in the round about what we can do to tackle both of the issues, on charging and on the upfront cost of purchase.' This week, ministers will announce two new taxpayer-funded schemes to make it cheaper to buy an electric car in an attempt to stimulate sluggish demand. Ms Alexander is expected to unveil a new £640m grant scheme which will give people money off the down payment on a new battery-powered vehicle. The Telegraph understands that the plan, to be published on Tuesday, will see the highest levels of grants available for UK-manufactured vehicles. It will favour Nissan in particular, which is planning to make the next generation of Leaf electric vehicle at its plant in Sunderland from next year. There will be a cut-off point at which the grant can no longer be claimed, with buyers of more expensive models, like Teslas, not expected to be eligible. Ministers revive Tory subsidy programme Any subsidy scheme may take the form of the Government underwriting loans, which drivers could take out to help them cover the upfront payment. The programme will effectively revive a system of cash handouts which were previously available to EV buyers before being axed by the Tories in 2022. Under that scheme, drivers got £1,500 off the price of a new electric car. Since then, grants have only been available for vans, taxis, trucks and motorbikes. At the time, ministers said the subsidies were no longer needed because they had 'successfully kickstarted the UK's electric car revolution'. Since then, EV sales have continued to grow strongly, but they have been increasingly fuelled by fleet purchases rather than private demand. Recent figures showed that the number of enquiries about new electric cars from ordinary consumers has fallen 65 per cent year-on-year. There are just over 1.5m EVs on the UK's roads at present, records show, compared with 19.2m petrol and 11m diesel vehicles. Motability's expanding role in EV market One of the major fleet buyers of electric cars is the taxpayer-funded Motability Scheme, which leases cars to people who receive disability benefits. The controversial programme, which has been branded Britain's biggest 'benefits scandal', has recently doubled its fleet of EVs to around 70,000 vehicles. On Sunday, Ms Alexander will also unveil £63m in funding to bankroll the installation of tens of thousands of new charging points across the country. Under the plans, councils will be given cash to install cables under roads where the houses do not have driveways to allow for on-street charging. It will mean that, for the first time, many EV owners who live in terraced houses will be able to use cheaper domestic electricity rates to charge their cars. There will also be extra cash to increase the number of electric ambulances, and road signs will be put up on motorways and A-roads to advertise charging stations. Put together, the two schemes will represent an investment by the taxpayer of around £700m over the next four years in boosting EV sales.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- BBC News
Assume the 100ml liquid rule at airports remains, says Transport Secretary
The Transport Secretary has told air passengers to assume the 100ml limit on liquids in hand luggage remains in place despite two airports changing their policies. Edinburgh and Birmingham airports have installed new scanners which allow bottles of up to two litres to be taken on board planes. But other airports around the UK are at different stages of putting technology in place that would mean the near 20-year-old rule on liquids could be relaxed. Heidi Alexander said: "You should work on the basis that it is 100ml at the moment unless you have heard from your airport otherwise." The new scanning machines use CT X-ray technology, meaning that passengers at airports in Birmingham and Edinburgh can do away with clear plastic bags filled with tiny toiletries that must be removed from luggage for inspection. Terminals have undergone complex and costly processes to install the new are heavy and some airports have had to reinforce floors to install them. Meanwhile, there are only a handful of manufacturers that make the scanners resulting in restricted supplies and delays to installation. Alexander told Times Radio: "The rollout of this new technology, the new scanning technology, has been overseen by the individual airports themselves. They have different contracts in place, different providers."While she said she was hopeful the technology could be rolled out sooner rather than later so flyers "have that extra added flexibility", she said: "I always advise people to check in with their airlines and their airports before travelling."Sources in the industry said described the approach to installing the scanners as "haphazard", with the issue of not having a consistent policy approach from government.A spokesperson for AirportsUK, said: "Aviation security procedures around liquids are evolving and this change will take place at different times at different airports."AirportsUK advised passengers to check security arrangements at every airport. "We would stress this involves return airports abroad as well as those in the UK, as rules will be evolving there too," it said. The rollout of the scanners across Europe has also been summer, the European Union had to revert back to 100ml rules because of a technical issue with new 100ml onboard liquid rule was introduced in 2006 as part of enhanced security measures following a series of terror-related incidents after two planes flew into the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers in New York on 11 September, 2001.
