Environment

A change to the London congestion charge means that previously-exempt sub-100g/km cars such as the Fiat 500 TwinAir, Smart and Toyota Prius will no longer escape the daily £10 fee. Only fully-electric cars and plug-in electric hybrid models will scrape beneath the new exemption threshold of 75g/km. Cars that will continue to escape the...

How can a decent sort of person have self-respect when their barbecue set-up doesn't include at least sixteen different grill attachments, a roster of specialised implements and wireless technology? The answer is, of course, a resounding- ‘they simply can’t’. Thankfully, a Stateside retailer have taken the al fresco charring of flesh to its...

One of the reasons the uptake of electric cars continues to be so slow is that batteries are expensive and take a long time to recharge, but electrified roads could offer a solution. Volvo is well known for ground-breaking innovation. It was the first car maker to introduce modern seat belts and more recently it has developed vehicles that...

A new type of digital street sign changes the information it displays depending on the time of day and what is happening in its locality. As ever more people turn to smart phones and sat navs, what of the traditional street sign? Earlier this month, a sell-off of London’s best-known street signs, including those from Abbey Road and Downing...

We British have a love/hate relationship with the caravan. Even those who hate them, love to hate them. It’s not altogether clear why caravans polarize opinion in this way, but their image problem isn't helped by anodyne styling and paint schemes. Might it help if they looked less like toasters and more like a log cabin? If they were built...