Electric cars and vans will be cheaper to produce than conventional, fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2027, and tighter emissions regulations could put them in pole position to dominate all new car sales by the middle of the next decade, research has found. By 2026, larger vehicles such as electric sedans and SUVs will be as cheap to produce as petrol and diesel models, according to forecasts from BloombergNEF, with small cars reaching the threshold the following year. – Guardian
Royal Mail is to trial using a drone to send PPE, Covid-19 test kits and other items of mail from the UK mainland to the Scilly Isles. The company said it would be the first parcel carrier in the country to deliver mail to a UK island using an autonomous flight, which would fly out of sight of any operator during the 70-mile journey. – Guardian
Still reeling from the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, bankers and investors in Scotland are now facing the prospect of ‘Scexit’ – a split from the UK – following the Scottish National Party’s fourth victory in the Holyrood elections. In a dramatic weekend for UK politics, Nicola Sturgeon said there is “no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future”, leaving financiers asking themselves if they are ready for a break-up that could make Brexit feel like an appetiser. – Telegraph
Elon Musk’s enthusiastic public claims about Tesla’s self-driving technology have been privately contradicted by the car company’s own employees, who told authorities that the billionaire’s comments do not “match engineering reality”. Documents from California’s Department of Motor Vehicles appear to show that a Tesla director told the regulator that the company was some way away from being fully autonomous. – Telegraph
One of the most influential investor groups in the City has intervened in the dispute over plans by AstraZeneca to raise the bonuses on offer to its boss, Pascal Soriot. The Investment Association has issued an amber-top warning, its second highest level of alert, about pay at the pharmaceutical giant that could lead to Soriot earning almost £18 million. – The Times
