BYD aims to replace Routemaster with 400-mile EV London bus, UK watchdog ‘makes enquiries’ with Microsoft
The new BYD BD11 double-decker bus is tipped to replace London’s Routemaster with a maximum range of more than 400 miles and high levels of passenger comfort. Launched today at the London Bus Museum, the Chinese firm’s latest electric bus arrives 11 years after it first launched a bus in the UK and shortly after it delivered its 1800th bus here. Its fleet has now racked up more than 18 million miles in service. The BD11 has a total battery capacity of upto 532kWh – the largest of any electric commercial vehicle currently available in the UK. Autocar
Electric cars kill pedestrians at double the rate of petrol or diesel vehicles, a study in a BMJ journal has found. Experts said that electric or hybrid cars were twice as likely to be involved in a road accident with a bystander than a petrol or diesel car over the same distance. The researchers suggested the vehicles’ quieter engines were a significant factor in higher fatality rates and called on the Government to mitigate the risks as it phases out petrol and diesel cars in pursuit of net zero. The study looked at the number of casualties from road collisions in Britain between 2013 and 2017 using Road Safety Data. Telegraph
The UK data watchdog says it is “making enquiries with Microsoft” over a new feature that can take screenshots of your laptop every few seconds. Microsoft says Recall, which will store encrypted snapshots locally on your computer, is exclusive to its forthcoming Copilot+ PCs. But the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says it is contacting Microsoft for more information on the safety of the product, which privacy campaigners have called a potential “privacy nightmare”. Microsoft says Recall is an “optional experience” and it is committed to privacy and security. According to its website, external, users “can limit which snapshots Recall collects”. BBC
Communications regulator Ofcom has fined BT millions after it failed to provide “clear and simple” contract information to over 1m customers. Britain’s biggest telecoms company, which owns network operator EE and internet service provider Plusnet, has violated consumer protection rules, Ofcom said on Wednesday. Since June 2022, EE and Plusnet have made over 1.3m sales without giving customers the required contract summaries, affecting at least 1.1m customers. BT was made aware of the non-compliance issues but failed to meet the deadline to amend them. CityAM
Apple has been making big strides in the camera specs of its phones lately – and with the iPhone 16 Pro Max it looks like might see another major step up, with two of the phone’s sensors reportedly getting an upgrade. According to the leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO on Weibo (via MacRumors), who has a relatively limited track record so far, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a new Sony IMX903 sensor in place of the IMX803 used by the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This new sensor would still be 48MP but should lead to photographic improvements. The phone could be taking an even bigger leap with its ultra-wide camera though, which will reportedly be 48MP this year, up from 12MP on the current model. Tech Radar
The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra looks like most of the flagships nowadays – slightly curved panels, a large and immersive screen with a small cutout, and an interestingly designed back panel with one giant and peculiarly looking camera housing. It is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.
Let’s start with the front. Atop the screen sits the Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass with a 2.5D edge, exclusive to this Ultra protection, advertised for being 300% stronger than the Kunlun Glass on top of the Pura 70 Pro and Pura 70 displays. The Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass is made of a highly transparent amorphous diamond carbon material and should have it all – incredible scratch resistance and impressive drop resistance, which we didn’t test. GSM Arena
