News round-up: Nissan blast Clarkson, GPS racers, false legs and fluffy handcuffs
Nissan bursts into action after Top Gear pokes more fun at EVs
After millions of Top Gear viewers tuned in to watch Jeremy Clarkson and James May’s plight in finding somewhere to charge their electric vehicles this week, Nissan has responded by funding the installation of two public charge points in Lincoln.
During its latest swipe at EVs, the two presenters drove a Nissan LEAF and a Peugeot Ion around the East Midlands city centre on the look-out for a charging point, eventually giving up and stretching power cables out of a window at the university once the LEAF’s juice has dried up.
Bosses at Nissan have been understandably upset claiming that despite being delivered with a full charge, the LEAF was tested with just 40% of its capacity.
Since the segment’s airing, Clarkson has said its purpose was to address the shortfall in Lincoln’s EV charging infrastructure.
As a result, two free charging points will be made available in the city centre before the end of the month.
Councillor Fay Smith, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services and Public Protection at the City of Lincoln Council, said: “We’re committed to reducing the city’s carbon footprint, but know that we can’t do it alone, so it’s great that private businesses like Nissan are getting behind this and putting in the infrastructure.”
Nissan’s Executive Vice President Andy Palmer said: “Research tells us that most LEAF owners will charge their car at home or at their place of work, but drivers like having the ability to ‘top up’ their charge when they are out and about, especially if they are making longer journeys.
“With its new charging points and the fame generated by Top Gear, Lincoln could find itself becoming a tourist destination for Nissan LEAF owners.”
A fifth of drivers racing against the GPS
If you’ve ever entered a destination on a sat-nav and thought ‘I can do it in a quicker time than that’, then you’re just one of a supposed 7.2 million who partake in the ‘deadly sat-nav racing craze’.
Research from Sainsbury’s motor insurance and published by the Daily Mail this week suggests that around a fifth of all British motorists are ‘GPS racers’ with 3.6 million admitting they will drive dangerously to beat the sat-nav’s estimated journey.
Ben Tyte, Head of Car Insurance at Sainsbury’s Finance, said the data shows a worrying trend.
“Used correctly GPS units are a fantastic invention that help drivers navigate effectively and concentrate on the road far more than when using maps or printed directions,” commented Ben.
“However, we are encouraging drivers using this new driving technology to have the safety of any passengers, other road users and pedestrians at the forefront of their minds and not be tempted to become GPS racers.”
Road charity Brake slammed the “game” as “irresponsible and potentially lethal”.
“It is putting lives at risk,” said a spokesperson. “Anyone who is behind the wheel of a car has a responsibility towards other road users. Beating the sat-nav should not be their first concern.
“It is irresponsible and offensive to people who have already lost their lives in accidents. It is putting even more lives at risk.”
“Pull the other one, you dummy” – Europcar reveals weirdest excuses and post-rental finds
There has probably been a moment when we’ve all left something in a rental or fleet vehicle – sunglasses, a CD or a mobile phone maybe – but probably not something as bizarre as a false leg…
That was one of the items that appeared on Europcar’s list of unusual objects left in rental cars after being returned.
Other items included:
- A mannequin
- Furry handcuffs
- 10 odd pairs of shoes
- 50 Fluorescent Light bulbs
- A Scottish Piper’s Black Ostrich Hat
- Half a pint of beer with a CD called ‘The Art of Speed Seduction’
- A printer
- Flowers
- A wheelchair
- An ammunition case and stretcher
“Our staff often go to great pains to reunite lost and forgotten property with their rightful owners,” said Europcar MD Ken McCall, who also revealed some of the oddest excuses for a vehicle’s late return.
From hitting a cow in Liverpool to a horse sitting on the bonnet in Newcastle, Ken said there’s never a dull day in the life of a hire car.
Other sob stories included:
- A lion took a dislike to the car at Longleat Safari Park (Newport Branch)
- A nasty accident with an ice cream (Derby Branch)
- Keys go missing while driver has a snooze (Derby Branch)
- Car is lost in multi-storey (Birmingham South Branch)
- Helpful neighbour gives keys to dustman (Leicester Branch)
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