4G on the underground, electric vehicle sales and BBC sports personality of the year

Reports this month revealed that, for the first time, sales of electric vehicles surpassed the volume of diesel cars sold in December 2021. Vehicles powered by batteries accounted for one fifth of new cars sold in 18 European markets, including the UK, with Volkswagen maintaining its top position as bestselling electric vehicle producer in Western Europe.

​The increased trend of electric vehicles on the road was reported to be a culmination of a push via strict regulations across Europe for manufacturers to sell more low-emission cars, including governmental provision of generous subsidies; cities banning diesel vehicles; increased taxes for diesel in key markets as well as  growing public sentiment to cut our carbon footprint and save on running costs.

Another way to avoid adding to the fumes and save money in London is to use public transport, which is set to become a more convenient solution due to plans for 4G to be rolled out across the London Underground (meaning there’s limited time to use the ‘sorry I missed your call/message I was on the tube’ excuse). To date, Three and EE have signed up to be operators of full high-speed 4G. Although the news will likely be met with enthusiasm for some as they can make use of the time on their commute, checking emails and replying to messages, it will also mean the likelihood of getting a seat will be greatly reduced (people will be far to engrossed in catching up on their favourite Netflix series) and we will have to endure listening to one side of loud phone calls at 7am.

​The constant availability of signal in London will be positive news for sports fans who will avoid missing crucial sporting updates until they resurface from a journey. Positive sporting news also came in the form of Emma Raducanu who succeeded fellow British sports star, Lewis Hamilton, as BBC Sports Personality of the Year last month. Emma, who at 18 years old became the first British woman since 1977 to win a grand-slam singles title, is the youngest female winner of the award since its inception in 1954.