Class Estate loads up

Mercedes E-classlass Estateestate Businesses to benefit from Govt EV grant

THE Government is planning to boost electric vehicle uptake by introducing a grant for business charging points this summer. Charging specialist Chargemaster told Auto Express that a formal announcement for the grant is likely in July.

There’s no confirmation on how much the subsidy will be for, but it’ll support companies wanting to set up charging points at offices and car parks. And while a spokesman for the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles did not confirm plans for the grant, he said: “Watch this space. Fitting charge points in workplace car parks is a huge opportunity. We know there is an appetite from businesses.”

The Government currently provides discounts for domestic charging points, but not for businesses. Any scheme would be a huge boost for companies operating plug-in fleets and dealers selling EVS.

Wayne Millward, fleet consultant at leasing company Arval, said: “A lot of companies are saying: ‘It doesn’t cost that much to put a charging point in’, yet when they look at the infrastructure in their building and they’ve got to run a cable for something like 200 metres to get the power where they need it, that’s where the cost is. Anything that would subsidise that action would be huge.” IN a seemingly never-ending stream of new products, Audi has entered the compact crossover class. Some will say it’s about time, too, and the Nissan Juke-sized Q2 offers the usual Audi qualities of lots of tech and great build quality.

The German brand hopes the car will attract younger buyers, with thrilling handling and customisable options. We find out how good it is.

Volvo’s V90 under the microscope

ELSEWHERE in this week’s issue, we have first drive reports on the Volvo S90 and V90. The models replace the S80 and V70 respectively, and join the XC90 in Volvo’s large car range.

The V90 estate will be the more popular of the pair; watch our video to see what we think of it.

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“Long overhangs ensure the new E-class is most practical premium estate in its class” News es