Currently reading: Autocar confidential: Renault's battery decisions, still no Audi RS8 and more

Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up a week in gossip from across the automotive industry

This week, we asked Audi if there's any plans for an RS version of the A8 saloon, talked to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös about EV chargers and found out why the new Range Rover is the perfect vehicle for a global pandemic. But first, we caught up with Renault's engineering boss to find out what their battery plans are.

Renault looking at different battery options

Not too long ago, we reported that Renault won’t rush to introduce solid-state batteries, but it isn’t putting all its eggs in the lithium ion basket. Engineering boss Gilles Le Borgne told Autocar that FCEVs will also play a role, but mainly in the commercial vehicle sector: “When you’re talking about large CVs, you have to use hydrogen, otherwise you have too many batteries. It’s not an easy balance.”

Audi RS8 still not on the cards

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The Audi A8 has just been refreshed, but there’s still no RS8. A product spokesman told us “there are no plans in the pipeline” as “an RS is very expressive and thus appeals to customers who would love that, while the A8 customers prefer a bit more understatement”. What’s not subtle about the RS Q8’s 592bhp V8 and 23in alloys?

EV chargers need to be for everyone, including Rolls-Royce owners

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You can’t accuse Rolls-Royce of ignoring the concerns of us mere mortals. As it gears up to go all-electric, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös acknowledged that even the flushest EV owners will need public chargers. “It would be a great sadness if the public charging doesn’t match the investments made by car companies,” he said. “Ethically, it’s not right” if the network isn’t up to scratch, he added, as “you need to ensure the public network is for everyone”.

Why the new Range Rover is the perfect car to survive a pandemic 

86 Land rover range rover 2021 official reveal images on road front 1

Forget anti-bac wipes and hand gel: buy a new Mk5 Range Rover to fight Covid-19. Seriously. Apparently, its cabin-purifying system, which uses ‘dual nanoe’ technology to fight odours, viruses and bacteria, is 99% effective against the virus.

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scotty5 23 November 2021

The corporate JLR magazine otherwise known as Autocar does it again. I'm willing to bet your claim has never been proven?

In any case, perhaps someone can explain to me how the virus would enter the cabin in the first place? Are we really claiming it enters via the air intakes?

Not only is this claim embarassing, to make lighthearted comment on a virus that has and continues to kill people is ridiculous to say the least. Shame on whoever dreamt up such a scenario.

jonboy4969 23 November 2021

99% effective against the virus, yeah right, so you cant catch it with 1%, or when you open the doors, windows and let it in that way, how these companies can get away with claiming such rubbish is now getting to the point of rediculousness... In fact the woke brigade has turned the world into a shadow of its former self, yes flawed, but at least you did not have to apologise for every word that comes out of your mouth, or when someone else does something to another person, you have to apologise, DUH !!!!, just grow some balls, and get a life, if you can not live in the here and now, then just ask the new Dr Who to take you well into the future, or North Korea, I am sure they will let these Woke tools spout their nonsense there.

Paul Dalgarno 23 November 2021
jonboy4969 wrote:

99% effective against the virus, yeah right, so you cant catch it with 1%, or when you open the doors, windows and let it in that way, how these companies can get away with claiming such rubbish is now getting to the point of rediculousness... In fact the woke brigade has turned the world into a shadow of its former self, yes flawed, but at least you did not have to apologise for every word that comes out of your mouth, or when someone else does something to another person, you have to apologise, DUH !!!!, just grow some balls, and get a life, if you can not live in the here and now, then just ask the new Dr Who to take you well into the future, or North Korea, I am sure they will let these Woke tools spout their nonsense there.

 

Wow, what a load of guff 

Andrew1 23 November 2021
Oh, dear. Not having a good day, lad?