Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is well known as a firm that uses lots of high-tech aluminium to build its cars: now, it is planning how it will recycle that material to give the cars of today a ‘second life’ as the motors of tomorrow. 

A new pilot project called Reality is currently being trialled, using early pre-production Jaguar I-Pace aluminium electric cars. These are being deconstructed in a controlled process, and the scrap sorted into various material grades using a set of advanced sensors.

This aluminium scrap is then melted and reformed… to potentially make brand new Jaguars and Land Rovers. 

Boffins from Brunel University have already conducted tests on the recycled material, to grade its strength and purity. The target is to use it for body panels across the Jaguar and Land Rover range.

JLR bosses hope it will reduce the amount of virgin aluminium needed to make the cars of tomorrow. They also point to the Jaguar XE as an example of the high grade of aluminium that can be made from recycled material.

Indeed, the XE was the first car in the world to use a new grade of aluminium alloy called RC5754: it’s 75 percent recycled and is used to make body parts on the XE. Half the body panels on every Jaguar XE contain recycled aluminium.

“More than a million cars are crushed every year in the UK and this pioneering project affords us a real opportunity to give some of them a second life,” said the Reality project’s lead manager Gaelle Guillaume. 

“Aluminium is a valuable material and a key component in our manufacturing process, and we’re committed to ensuring our use of it is as responsible as possible.”

Ambitiously, JLR is even planning how the project could be used to recycle large fleets of shared mobility cars in the future. Carefully-controlled ‘closed loop’ recycling could be integrated into tight production schedules, for a guaranteed supply of high=-quality material. 

“Vehicles can be recovered, de-polluted and shredded en masse – making a viable business case for the company’s recycled aluminium within its own facilities.”

Innovate UK is co-funding the project, which should help grow the amount of closed-loop aluminium JLR recycles. Between September 2013 and January 2019, it has already recycled around 300,000 tonnes of scrap aluminium, reusing it in its cars. 

As many as one in 14 cars in the UK have been clocked, costing motorists around £800 million every year, according to data experts HPI.

This is up from one in 16 cars in 2017 and one in 20 in 2014 – an increase of 30 percent in just five years.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the act of ‘clocking’ – or winding back the odometer – died along with the death of the analogue odometer, but digital dashboards have made it even easier to go all ‘Johnny Hates Jazz’ by turning back the clock.

While it’s illegal to sell a clocked car without declaring its genuine mileage, the act of altering an odometer is not an offence.

Commenting on the worrying increase in the practice, Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at HPI, said: “Clocking and mileage fraud is a problem that refuses to go away and continues to get worse.

“Used car buyers now have a one in 14 chance of purchasing a vehicle with a mileage discrepancy which is extremely concerning. Criminals are increasingly using more advanced technology to make it easier for them to clock vehicles and cover their tracks.

“The continued development of technologies to alter digital odometers, easy access to this technology via the internet and similarly, the ease of access to mileage adjustment services online, some of whom will behave legitimately, others less so, are all exacerbating the trend.

“The increase in mileage-related finance arrangements such as PCP and PCH may also be a contributing factor as motorists look to avoid costly penalties for exceeding mileage allowances.”

‘Impossible to tell a clocked vehicle’

It can be difficult to spot a clocked car, but checking the service and MOT history will reduce your chances of ending up with a dodgy motor.

You can also ask HPI to check the car against the national mileage register. Barry Shorto said: “It can be almost impossible to tell a clocked vehicle just by looking at it, which makes a vehicle history check an even more vital form of protection for buyers.

“A clocked vehicle could be hiding serious levels of wear and tear, especially if it has been previously used as a high mileage private hire vehicle for a couple of years, meaning the additional cost of unexpected repairs or even a potentially serious safety threat to driver, passengers and other road users. An HPI Check can help protect consumers from buying a vehicle with something to hide, saving them cash and keeping them safe.”

A replica of the car which starred in the 1983 cult comedy film National Lampoon’s Vacation is set to go across the Barrett-Jackson auction block next month.

It means this could be the chance to live out your dreams of playing Clark Griswold, and getting behind the wheel of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

Although it is not the original car from the film – with several other recreations having been built before – it still marks a rare opportunity for movie motoring fun.

“Dad, this is not the car you ordered!”

Based upon a Ford LTD Station Wagon, the original Wagon Queen was intended to mock the outdated malaise-era woodie wagons.

With the birth of the minivan on the horizon, cars like the ‘79 LTD used to make the original Family Truckster were rapidly falling out of favour with American car buyers.

Whilst this replica uses a later Ford LTD body from 1981, it still packs all the details of the movie original.

Even the awkward hood-mounted gas cap, Lou Glutz Motors plates, and Wagon Queen dashboard badge are all present and correct.

“You think you hate it now, wait ‘til you drive it”

All 1981 Ford LTD wagons came with a standard 5.0-liter Windsor V-8 engine, but forget any ideas of big performance. Output was rated at only 130 horsepower and, when combined with a weight of 3,669lb (1,664kg) means leisurely cruising is more appropriate.

This particular car up for grabs retains the 5.0 engine, along with a four-speed automatic gearbox.

So just enjoy the ride, and relax in the sizeable beige velour seats combined with acres of woodgrain vinyl interior trim. Just in case there wasn’t enough of it on the outside already.

“It’s a long way down the holiday road”

The fact that this particular car is a replica of the film version potentially makes it more usable.

You can take it to your local car meet, or even set off on a trip across America to visit a theme park, safe in the knowledge you are not putting a famous movie prop at risk.

Although with any car of this age, there is obviously no satellite navigation fitted. It means you’ll have to rely on your own sense of direction to avoid taking the wrong exit in St Louis, Missouri, for instance.

“I’m from out of town. What’s the bill?”

Buying this replica will certainly mark you out as a serious Chevy Chase fan, but there could be other options to tempt you at the 2019 Palm Beach sale.

The docket is packed with a wealth of exotic and intriguing vehicles. There is even an officially licensed tribute to the Eleanor Mustang, which starred in the Gone in 60 Seconds movie.

However, if your film nostalgia is firmly set on the Family Truckster, lot 375 will be crossing the auction block on Friday April 12 2019.

Energy company Gridserve has announced plans to build a network of more than 100 ‘Electric Forecourts’ across the UK.

The £1 billion project will “make electric vehicle charging as easy as using petrol stations“, says the firm, with construction expected to start in 2019. 

Each ‘Electric Forecourt’ will offer rapid charging at speeds of up to 500kW for cars and light commercial vehicles, with the majority of vehicles charged within 30 minutes. Multi-MW charging points for buses and HGV will also be installed, says the firm.

The sites, designed and engineered in partnership with Arup, will also include a coffee shop, supermarket and an airport-style lounge with high-speed internet, along with what Gridserve is calling an “education centre and hub to explore a broad range of electric vehicle solutions”.

An opportunity to do a little research into electric cars capable of utilising the 500kw rapid-charger, perhaps. The 350kW Porsche Taycan might be the first EV on your shopping list… 

‘Electric vehicles are awesome’

Toddington Harper, CEO and founder of Gridserve, said: “We plan to make charging electric vehicles as easy as using petrol stations. The latest generation of electric vehicles are awesome and ready for mainstream adoption, but drivers still worry about if or where they can charge, how long it will take, and what it will cost.

“We plan to eliminate any range or charging anxiety by building a UK-wide network of customer-focused, brand new Electric Forecourts that will make it easier and cheaper to use an electric vehicle than a petrol or diesel alternative.

“Within five years we plan to have more than 100 Electric Forecourts in use, with each supported by solar energy and battery storage. This infrastructure will accelerate the electric vehicle revolution, serve the grid, and help the UK meet climate and clean air targets.”

Gridserve says it has secured 80 sites on busy routes across the UK and, location permitting, will build new solar farms adjacent to the Electric Forecourts to supply their electricity directly.

The company hasn’t said how much it will cost to charge at one of its forecourts, only that the pricing will be “competitive”. It’s planning to introduce a queuing system to minimise waiting times, with customers able to reserve charging slots via a smartphone app.

Construction of the first two sites in York and Hull will begin later this year.