27mm 419808 Volvo Penta Stern Drive Oil Catcher Aq115, Bb115, Aq130,mb20 on 2040-parts.com

Japan hopes to make EV recharging technology the global standard

Japan's automakers aim to cement their lead in electric vehicles by making Japanese recharging technology the global standard and bringing it to the United States. A coalition of manufacturers, including Nissan and Toyota, is teaming with Japan's biggest electric company and the government to make it happen. They aim to corner the market on one of the technologies that will be key to the eventual acceptance of electric-powered cars: the high-speed charging points that will act like gasoline stations of the future and enable drivers to recharge and keep driving after their batteries run low.

MPs call for parking charge reports

COUNCILS should publish annual parking-charge reports to show where revenue comes from and where it is being used, MPs said today. The use of parking charges and fines specifically to raise revenue was "neither acceptable nor legal" said Louise Ellman, chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee. Launching a report by her committee into local authority parking enforcement in England, Mrs Ellman said: "There is a deep-rooted public perception that parking enforcement is used as a cash cow, so it's essential that local authorities apply stringent transparency." The committee said local authorities in England had a collective parking surplus in the hundreds of millions of pounds, but that the exact amount was subject to debate.

Happy New Year – a look back at 2009

Happy New Year from all at Cars UK It would be easy to do what every car site seems to be doing and either look back at the favourite new cars of 2009 – or the last decade as we move on to 2010 – or look forward to what 2010 will bring. But we decided to indulge ourselves a little and look back at what 2009 meant for Cars UK. Cars UK came to life on the interweb at the very end of 2008.