01 April 2021
Lockdown restrictions in the UK are slowly lifting, and we find ourselves once again with the freedom to travel.
For some, this will mean reinstating the work commute, or planning day trips to the beach. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the issue of parking.
The new inbound Code of Practice for private parking companies will hopefully see parking made cheaper and ‘cowboy’ parking operators regulated, but the fact remains that parking is hard to find and there is a public caution towards parking meters and...
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31 March 2021
The Zemo Partnership, formerly the Low CVP, has launched a new approval scheme for renewable fuels, which is set to boost fleet uptake.
The Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS), working alongside the government’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), aims to provide a “mechanism for guaranteeing that fleet operators are purchasing bulk supplies of sustainable low carbon fuels” by verifying “claims made by companies supplying renewable fuels to heavy-duty vehicle and equipment operators regarding their...
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30 March 2021
A telematics provider has found that the number of vehicles needing a new battery has increased by a third during lockdown, reports Fleet News.
Research into the effects of lockdown on the health of 5,000 vehicles shows that, whilst there was an overall decline of 4% in fault codes, the number of batteries needing a re-charge had increased by 46%. This highlights the value of telematics systems. We at Marshall Leasing are pleased to offer our own telematics service, Marshallmatics, which is a great tool for tracking driver behaviour and the impact it may have on...
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29 March 2021
HMRC have confirmed that fleets investing in new and unused heavy and light commercial vehicles can claim a 130% "super-deduction" tax relief, or a 50% first-year allowance for qualifying special rate assets from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023, as announced in the Budget.
It is important to note that company cars do not qualify for these plant and machinery tax deductions.
Formerly, super-deduction qualifying new plant and machinery expenditure would receive a main rate writing down allowance of 18%, or special rate writing down...
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26 March 2021
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has launched two electric vehicle training courses, which are online and instructor led.
One of the courses focuses on electric cars, with the other covering commercial electric vehicles.
The latest BVRLA Quarterly Leasing Survey showed that nearly one-fifth of its members have at least partly electrified their fleets. BVRLA rental and leasing members have also pledged to register 400,000 new battery electric cars and vans annually by 2025.
BVRLA Head of Learning &...
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25 March 2021
Our business partner PodPoint has supplied electric vehicle (EV) charge points for the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s (LBWF) new fleet of 12 Nissan e-NV200 electric supervisor vans.
The EV chargers have been installed at LBWF’s town hall, low Hall depot and Jubilee Sports Ground depot. Home charge points have also been installed for supervisors.
Waltham Forest Council deputy leader and cabinet member for environment Councillor Clyde Loakes said, “We are taking the climate emergency extremely seriously and are looking at ways to...
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24 March 2021
The Department for Transport (DfT) and Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has announced that as of March 18 2021, its grant scheme for electric cars, vans and trucks will “target less expensive models and reflect a greater range of affordable vehicles available”.
In order to encourage more people to make the switch to electric, the improved scheme will extend grants of up to £2,500 for electric vehicles on cars priced under £35,000 as opposed to more expensive models “typically bought by drivers who can afford to switch without a...
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22 March 2021
Waste removal company Divert have urged company car drivers not to leave the charging cables for their electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles unsecured, as they have become a target for thieves.
Divert’s founding director Mark Hall said, “Car chargers are particularly appealing to thieves because they can be sold for up to £200 and they are selling them everywhere, eBay, Facebook, and to dodgy scrap dealers and they can be pretty costly and inconvenient for you to replace, so it’s best to keep it locked away from the...
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19 March 2021
Drivers who drop litter out of their car window could now face a fine of up to £120 if they are caught by LitterCam.
The new technology, created by entrepreneur Andrew Kemp, will be put to the test from April 2021 in Maidstone, Kent over a year-long period. Fines will start at £90 can reach up to £120 if not paid within 15 days.
According the LitterCam website, “the technology uses Artificial Intelligence to remotely detect vehicle-based littering offences. Our platform then securely transmits this footage for human...
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18 March 2021
The Capgemini Research Institute has published a new report, Shifting Gears, which investigates ‘how consumers see the car as a safe space’.
Researchers believe that post-pandemic, people will continue to avoid public transportation – potentially increasing grey fleet use.
A survey of more than 11,000 consumers from 11 countries (the US, the UK, France, Germany, China, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Spain, and India), in April 2020 found that just 44% of respondents would choose their car over public transport. When asked...
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