Record EV growth as private demand slumps, Wind power overtakes gas in the UK
The UK’s new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with 1,952,778 new cars reaching the road in 2024 – a rise of 2.6% on the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The first year of mandated targets for new zero-emission vehicles finished with another strong December performance, with 43,656 new battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations accounting for 31.0% of the market – the highest since December 2022’s record 32.9%. As a result, BEVs made up 19.6% of the market (381,970 units) in 2024, up by more than a fifth (67,283 units) from last year, but short of the 22% demanded by the mandate. Tech Digest
Amazon is hoping to offer a satellite broadband service in the UK within the next two years as it prepares to launch a constellation of spacecraft that could ultimately deliver a mobile signal even to the most remote areas. The tech company, founded by Jeff Bezos, said it would seek access to British radio frequencies “over the next one to two years” as it prepares to offer satellite internet, according to a regulatory filing first reported by the Sunday Telegraph. Companies are racing to build and launch their own clusters of satellites into low-Earth orbit. The Guardian
LG and Samsung have both announced their 2025 smart TVs at CES this weekend, and some of them will include access to Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant. Both TV manufacturers are chasing the artificial intelligence hype train with dedicated AI sections on their smart TVs that include a shortcut to a Copilot web app. LG is adding an entire AI section to its TVs and rebranding its remote to “AI Remote,” in an effort to sell consumers on the promise of large language models. The Verge
Wind turbines have overtaken gas as Britain’s biggest source of electricity as the Government pushes ahead with plans to make the nation more reliant on renewable energy. Wind accounted for 29pc of the UK’s electricity last year, while gas tumbled to around a quarter. In the previous year, 2023, gas represented 32pc of the UK’s generation mix. According to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), this marked the lowest level for gas since 2013, when more energy came from coal. The Neso figures include storage and electricity imports. Telegraph
The NHS app is getting a major upgrade as part of the government’s plans to overhaul the NHS and reduce waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks. Health secretary Wes Streeting said on Sunday that changes to the app would help move the NHS “into the digital age”. Mr Streeting said the app updates would “put patients in the driving seat and treat them on time”, putting patients in control of their healthcare. Independent
Outside it is the bleak midwinter. We are smack bang in the middle of some of the country’s best agricultural land. But inside the cavernous warehouse where we’ve come, you wouldn’t have a clue about any of that: there is no daylight; it feels like it could be any time of the day, any season of the year. We are at Fischer Farms – Europe’s biggest vertical farm. The whole point of a vertical farm is to create an environment where you can grow plants, stacked on top of each other (hence: vertical) in high density. Sky News
