Farage Faces Questions Over Who Funded £885,000 Clacton Constituency Home
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces pressure to account for how his partner paid for a £885,000 home after a BBC investigation raised further questions about his previous explanation.
These two introductory paragraphs, give more details.
The Clacton MP has denied avoiding more than £44,000 in additional stamp duty on the purchase of the constituency home by putting it in his partner Laure Ferrari’s name, saying that she bought it with her own funds.
He suggested that she was able to afford to buy the four-bedroom home, which was bought without a mortgage, because she comes from a wealthy French family.
The BBC appears to have fully investigated the deal and doubt the veracity of some of the tale, that Farage told.
I notice, that the house in question is in Frinton.
My late wife was a barrister and once acted for the Co-op to get an off-licence in the town.
- Up until this action the town had been dry.
- C told me, that the Co-op had appointed a charming Asian gentleman as a manager.
- She used all her legal charm to get the action through.
- She also joked afterwards about hate mail, but I don’t think it was serious.
It appears that you can still buy alcohol in Frinton.
Railway Station Opening Date Announced
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A date has been announced for the latest station to be completed on a new railway line.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Blyth Bebside, on the Northumberland Line, will be opening on 19 October and only two stations remain before the line is fully operational.
The final stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park are due to open in early 2026.
I shall be going for the opening of the new station, if I can get a Lumo both ways.
Hydrogen Coaches? Setra Begins Testing Of A Technology Carrier With Cellcentric Fuel Cell Module
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
This paragraph introduces the article.
Daimler Buses has started test drives of its first Setra coach equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell drive, named the technology carrier “H2 Coach.” The 13.9-meter high-decker, model S 517 HD, combines two hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 46 kilograms and a fuel cell module capable of as many as 300 kW, developed.
Dailmler have also said this about the interim approval for the H2 Coach.
This approval allows test drives both on Daimler Buses’ internal testing grounds and on public roads. The vehicle is intended to offer a zero-emission alternative to diesel-powered coaches, with lower noise, higher range, and shorter refueling times compared with battery-electric vehicles, contributing to improved air quality in cities and holiday regions.
I’ll go along with that.
As Wrightbus and others are developing hydrogen coaches, I believe this could be the first big hydrogen application in road transport.
Which Companies Are Developing Hydrogen-Powered Coaches?
Google AI gave me this answer.
Companies actively developing or deploying hydrogen-powered coaches include Wrightbus (UK), partnering with Symbio, and Temsa and Caetanobus (Turkey). Toyota is converting used coaches with fuel cell modules, while Daimler Buses is road-testing its H2 Coach precursor. Other companies in the broader hydrogen transport space with relevant technology are Hyundai, Volvo, and Tata Motors.
As Symbio’s Wikipedia entry is in French, I am fairly certain, that Symbio is a French company in Grenoble.
This press release from Symbio is entitled Symbio And Wrightbus Unveil TThe Successful Outcome Of Their UK Government-Funded Partnership At CENEX EXPO 2024: A 300 kW Hydrogen-Powered Demonstrator Coach.
This is the sub-heading.
A partnership to develop a 300 kW, zero-emission demonstrator fuel cell coach and future 75 kW city bus applications.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Symbio and Wrightbus signed a partnership to develop and demonstrate a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell coach designed for on-road public transportation in the UK. The joint project started in January 2024 with the delivery by Symbio to Wrightbus of four 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems, forming a 300-kW power unit that Wrightbus integrated and tested into one of its single-deckers. The tests enabled the innovation teams on both sides to adjust and define the optimal settings for the vehicle’s powertrain. Having successfully completed this objective, the demonstrator is displayed for the first time at the Cenex Expo, starting Sept. 4, and will be operational and hit the road shortly.
This successful project sets the basis for future development of hydrogen-powered city buses equipped with Symbio 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems, specifically designed for bus applications.
Symbio’s approach is different.
- Many drivers of my generation had a Ford XR3i hatchback.
- This sporty car had an 80 kW engine, a top speed of 115 mph and an acceleration time of 0-60 mph, of under 9 seconds.
- It was also great fun!
I do wonder if one of Symbio’s 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems could be developed and fitted into a small hatchback, to create an afffordable zero-carbon runabout.
Already the press release says that Wrightbus and Symbio are co-operating with each other on 75 kW city bus applications.
Lord Bamford’s company ; JCB found Hyperdrive Innovation to develop batteries for their diggers. These batteries are now used in Hitachi’s Battery Intercity Express Trains.
Now, it looks like his son’s company have found Symbio to develop the fuel-cells needed for their innovative buses and coaches. Would one or two 75kW fuel cells be idea for smaller tractors and diggers?
E-Bike Injuries Are A Massive Burden, Say Surgeons
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
We’re in the morning meeting on the orthopaedics trauma ward on the 10th floor at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
These three introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Like every morning, the team are here to talk through the cases that will face them in the day ahead, and a familiar theme pops up.
From one side of the room a surgeon talks about his patient: “A 32-year-old, fit and well student… a couple of days ago he fell off an e-bike sustaining a closed left tibial plateau fracture.”
And a few moments later a voice next to us describes another case: “Six-year-old girl, she was hit by an electric bike, she has a closed tib/fib fracture.”
There is a lot more like this in the article.
The introduction of e-Bikes into London has been like the Wild West, with no suitable regulation and a powerless and afraid to act Police force.
Cycling and e-bikes in particular are going to be a big issue in the next London elections in May 2026.
The Anonymous Widower 