The Highland Council in Scotland has relaxed licencing regulations to allow landowners to create motorhome stopover sites this summer.

The organisation is hopeful a network of sites – called Àirighs, the Gaelic word for ‘shieling’, which is a rough shelter traditionally used by shepherds while tending flocks on summer pastures – could be set up to offer basic services, such as waste disposal, and boost the number of resting areas in the region.

The demand for travelling in motorhomes has ‘intensified’ during the pandemic and created significant pressures for safe overnight parking in rural communities.  

The idea is based on continental Europe’s long-established Aires network. Many of the motorhome sites are provided free of charge, while others can be used for a small fee.

“Aires are used all over Europe and Àirighs could offer an opportunity to assist the economic recovery in Highlands,” said councillor Gordon Adam, the chair of the council’s tourism committee.

Alan Henderson, chair of the council’s communities committee, added: “Dedicated motorhome parking areas are provided in many European countries and these bring welcome tourists into well-known and undiscovered areas alike. Aires make suitable night stops all year round. The Highland ‘Àirigh’ symbolises the freedom of motorhoming and reflects the way people are choosing to holiday. 

“This approach is necessary in the Highlands to allow us to adapt to the increased popularity of this type of travel and to mitigate the problems experienced in many communities from overnight parking in unsuitable places and congestion caused in beauty spots.”

According to the council, the temporary relaxation in planning laws will remain in place until 31 December, or until the need to socially distance has been removed.

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May marked the seventh consecutive month of petrol price rises, new data reveals.

According to the RAC, the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol went up by 2.24p during the month to 129.27p. The price of diesel fuel also increased by 1.95p to 131.59p. In the seven months since November 2020 – the last time fuel costs fell – the price of petrol has increased by 15.5p.

The RAC says petrol is also 22p a litre more expensive than in May 2020 – the largest 12-monthly increase in 11 years.

Filling a full 55-litre tank for a family car will cost £71.10 for petrol and £72.37 for diesel – around £8 more than before the rises began in November – the RAC added.

“After a weekend which saw millions of cars take to the roads to enjoy a sunny Bank Holiday and a half-term away from home, the price of filling up with petrol has unfortunately reached its highest point in just shy of two years,” said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams. 

“After seven consecutive months of rising prices, drivers will be wondering if the increases are ever going to end. We’ve now witnessed the biggest petrol price rise in any 12-month period since May 2010, when unleaded rocketed from 99p a year earlier to 121p.”

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Williams added: “Looking at the wholesale price of both fuels, in normal circumstances unleaded definitely shouldn’t be continuing to rise with the numbers actually pointing to the potential for a 2p reduction. And diesel is currently 4p too expensive, which suggests retailers are using the saving in the wholesale price to help make up for lower fuel sales over the last year. 

“We urge retailers not to take advantage of drivers and fairly reflect what’s happening with wholesale prices on the country’s forecourts.”

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A tool has been developed in order to compare the lifetime costs of electric vehicles with petrol and diesel equivalents.

According to Halfords, which has developed the tool, EVs are on average almost 50 percent more expensive to buy than a comparable ICE model.

However, after three years and 30,000 miles, the average EV driver will actually end up saving £100 overall.

The Halfords calculator currently compares data for more than 100 electric, petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.

Cost comparisons vary depending on length of ownership and annual mileage; in some cases, electric vehicles are more expensive on a total cost basis, though fuel costs and other savings will ‘at worst, substantially narrow the gap’, the company said.

As an example, Halfords showed that a Mini Cooper Electric Level 3 costs £25,500 to buy, which is a hefty £9,855 more than its petrol equivalent – the Mini Cooper Classic.

However, after three years of ownership, the electric Mini Cooper will have saved the owner so much money in fuel and other costs, they’re actually almost £800 better off.

“Intuitively we know that electric vehicles can be better value than their nearest petrol and diesel equivalents, but we wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to see it for themselves,” said Andy Turbefield, head of quality of Halfords.

“We’re not suggesting that people should buy electric because of the long-term savings, but if people are delaying purchase because of the up-front cost, this should give them pause for thought.”

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BMW has issued more details about its Tesla Model 3-rivalling i4 pure electric saloon ahead of its arrival in the UK in November.

Priced from £51,905, it has a range of up to 367 miles under the WLTP testing regime – an impressive figure that ranks it ahead of the Tesla Model 3.

The i4 will initially be available in two guises; the entry-level i4 eDrive 40 is powered by a 340hp electric motor, while the range-topping i4 M50 version consists of a 544hp all-wheel drive model.

The M50 has a slightly lower range of 316 miles and is priced from £63,995.

This version – pictured here – also carries BMW M Performance styling features outside and in.

BMW says the inclusion of its Combined Charging Unit allows use of DC high-power charging stations with an output of up to 200kW.

It estimates 102 miles (entry-level) and 87 miles (range-topping) of range can be delivered within a 10-minute charging stop at stations of this kind.

The battery, meanwhile, comprises a floor-mounted 80.7kwh lithium-ion pack, which is said to be 30 percent denser than the battery in today’s i3 EV.

Standard kit includes 18-inch alloy wheels, a digital cockpit display, a reversing camera, a parking assistant feature, automatic air conditioning, ambient lighting, LED lights front and back and acoustic protection for pedestrians.

The i4 EV is similar size to the firm’s 3-series saloon and shares underpinnings with the popular model. BMW added that customers in the UK will also receive a 12 subscription to the BP Pulse and Ionity networks when they take on the car.

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Boy George teams up with Waze for Pride

To celebrate Pride month, sat nav app Waze has teamed up with Boy George to create a bespoke theme.

The new Boy George theme includes voice directions from the Culture Club star – with “words of wisdom” thrown in – plus a curated Boy George playlist.

Users can even choose bespoke Boy George ‘Car-ma Chameleon’ or ‘Goldsmobile’ car icons.

The sat nav directions are not any old voice guidance alerts. Rather, they take the form of Boy George “sitting down to a nice cup of tea and a chat”.

Not only will users be told where to turn and receive alerts of hazards ahead, they’ll also enjoy words of wisdom, such as a reminder that “life is about learning to be yourself”.

Wazers can even choose their mood when they set the sat nav directions.

Utilising the Waze integration with Spotify, the Boy George Pride playlist features tracks selected to “celebrate acceptance, freedom of expression, and love”.

As they listen, users are advised to follow Boy George’s golden rule: “Listen to the music you live; passion always eclipses what’s fashionable.”

Want to try out the new Boy George Waze theme? Head to the ‘settings’ cog and click ‘drive with Boy George’.

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Bentley has opened ordering for the revised Bentayga Hybrid – and revealed usage data that shows owners of the existing model are already driving most of their journeys in pure electric mode.

The plug-in hybrid SUV, which has an EV range of 25 miles, is generally used by owners daily, with half of them regularly undertaking journeys of less than 30 miles.

Nearly every customer makes use of EV mode, charging their Bentayga at home and only occasionally using the petrol engine on a day-to-day basis.

For when they need to go further afield, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine combines with the 17.3kWh battery to deliver a combined range of 430 miles.

It also has a suitably Bentley-like total power of 443hp and 516lb ft of pulling power. 0-62mph takes 5.2 seconds.

The revised Bentayga Hybrid carries over the styling enhancements of the core range, and gains the same significant tech boost inside. Bentley continues to offer it in five-seat or more indulgent four-seat configuration.

Part of Bentley’s drive to have an electrified version of every model in its range by 2025, the firm has priced the Bentayga Hybrid at £155,500 – exactly the same as the Bentayga V8.

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This “focuses the customer choice on powertrain preference rather than cost”.

Ordering is open now with first deliveries due later in June.

It’s not the only Bentley hybrid that’s set to launch in 2021, either: the next is “due to break cover this summer” and more details will be following soon.

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