The 12-month trial of the Rasa FCEV will launch at the end of the year around Abergavenny in Wales.

Fleets invited to apply for eco-car trials 

Welsh hydrogen car company Riversimple is recruiting 100 test drivers to take part in a trial of a two-seater fuel cell electric vehicle to shape both the vehicle and its associated services for future buyers.

The 12-month beta-trial of the Rasa FCEV will start towards the end of the year around Abergavenny in Wales and will see 100 drivers test the vehicles over a 1-3 month duration with access to a hydrogen refuelling point. Riversimple is seeking local drivers with a clean licence and who tend to use their car for local journeys, as the car is not designed for long distance motorway travel.

The trial will help Riversimple with assessing the service contract through which it plans to offer the Rasa – this would see customers pay a monthly direct debit, with a fixed cost and mileage charge, with hydrogen, insurance and all maintenance, including tyres, included.

Interested parties are asked to register here.

True fleet registrations slid by 4.5% for the second month in a row in June

June fall for true fleet registrations

True fleet registrations in the UK continued to decline last month, latest figures from Dataforce show.

The sector saw a downturn of 4.5% in June – the same as the previous month – with the private market down 7.9% and special channels down 0.3%. Overall the total market finished with 243,000 registrations, equating to a 4.8% downturn in the growth stakes.

Within the manufacturer league table, VW saw growth of 40.7% and managed to claim the True Fleet top spot for its first time ever since Dataforce UK recordings started in January 2004, marking the first time since September 2006 that neither Ford (second) or Opel/Vauxhall (fifth) held the number one spot.

The new licence checking service is provided through Licence Bureau, the first FORS Affinity Partner.

FORS launches driver licence checking service with inaugural Affinity Partner

A new FORS driver licence checking service bringing preferential rates for members has launched in partnership with Licence Bureau.

The service is provided under the new FORS Affinity Partner scheme, which sees partner firms provide FORS-branded products or services that enable operators to comply with legal or contractual requirements and/or improve on safety, emissions, security and operational efficiency, in line with the FORS ethos.

The new chargers can be accessed via RFID or smartphone and are linked to the GeniePoint network.

Coventry city centre chargers move to GeniePoint network

Charging points deployed in Coventry city centre under the Plugged in Places project are being replaced with new chargers linked to the GeniePoint network.

The project, carried out by GeniePoint network operator ChargePoint Services working alongside Coventry City Council, sees the seven former chargers replaced with new Twin Socket 7kW chargers, which can be accessed by drivers via RFID card or smartphone.

The next phase of the project will see rapid charging facilities also deployed in the city.