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Breakthrough

AS the automotive world races towards wide-scale electrification, charging times remain an obstacle for many potential electric car buyers. But a tech company called Nyobolt is aiming to change that.

In partnership with engineering firm Callum, Nyobolt is planning to reveal a concept vehicle in June, demonstrating new technology that could slash electric car charging times to just a few minutes.

The company says its patented fast-charging battery technology could make recharging as convenient as refuelling a petrol or diesel car. | IOL Motoring

Formula 1

FERRARI is struggling with an inconsistent car that is competitive in qualifying but off the pace in the race, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz said after a difficult Miami Grand Prix. The Italian team’s next outing is a home one at Imola and fans will be apprehensive after a weekend that delivered far less than hoped for.

Sainz finished fifth and Leclerc seventh in Miami. “(It’s a) very similar picture to the beginning of the year. We are competitive in qualifying (but) once we come to race day we are struggling like crazy,” said Leclerc, who had been on pole position at the previous race in Azerbaijan.

Top seller

WHILE the Toyota Hilux dominates the South African new vehicle market, the venerable bakkie range only managed sixth place in the global sales ranking, with a total of 632 000, according to estimations released by JATO Dynamics this week.

Toyota’s RAV4 took top honours as the world’s top-selling vehicle in 2022, with estimated sales of 1 016 000, albeit a 10% drop from last year.

The Toyota Corolla Sedan came second with 992K units. The Toyota Camry also made the top five at 673K, but it was beaten by the Honda CR-V (733K) and Tesla Model Y (747K).

Fuel

IF international oil prices hold at current levels, and there are no major currency shocks, significant petrol and diesel price cuts could be on the cards for June. Data from the Central Energy Fund, released this week, showed a significant over-recovery for both fuel types.

At the time of writing, the data was pointing to a reduction of around R1.16 for 95 Unleaded petrol and R1.12 for 93 Unleaded, while diesel was showing an over-recovery of about R1.50 per litre for both grades.

It’s still early days, however, and much could change between now and the end of the month.