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While worldwide EV adoption grows month-over-month, many of the previous practices surrounding new and used vehicles will need to adapt to stay relevant. EVs are exceedingly different from ICE cars and require a keen focus on the vehicle’s battery as a crucial indicator of its overall health and longevity. Recurrent looks to bridge that gap for both current and prospective EV owners by using individual EV battery data and comparing that data to that of similar vehicles on the road. This technology has the potential to become the standard for understanding and benchmarking an EV’s battery.

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EVs are different and should be treated as such

While EVs still only account for a small percentage of total vehicles on roads globally, their impact on the market is growing at an impressive rate.

Seemingly destined to become the new standard in transportation, electric vehicles come with their own unique components, key terms, and maintenance standards. For instance, traditional combustion engines consist of thousands of separate parts, while electric vehicle components exist in dozens.

Minimal components are ideal for less maintenance and fewer opportunities for malfunction, but the most invaluable piece of any electric vehicle is its battery pack. Ensuring it’s performing at its most efficient level is vital.

Any current EV owner will tell you that their car’s dashboard gives an estimated range that can be flawed by a number of factors. As EV adoption treks forward, we require more transparency toward our EV batteries.

Enter Recurrent – a new data tool that not only helps you monitor your own EV battery, but can also give you a full report on a previously used battery before you decide to purchase the EV housing it.

Introducing Recurrent

Recurrent is an EV battery monitoring tool that utilizes advanced machine learning to share performance data of a given vehicle compared to similar EVs in the system.

By using data from its ever-growing user base, Recurrent is able to generate multiple types of EV battery reports to suit different needs of current or prospective owners.

Recurrent’s mission is to expedite the public’s transition to electric vehicles by providing confidence through data for people who buy and sell used EVs.

Battery health itself is quite subjective based on a number of outside factors, and cannot be monitored with a one-size-fits-all approach.

That being said, Recurrent’s goal is to simply open people’s minds to the idea of buying a used EV, by giving them the tools to answer their own battery questions before they make their purchase.

The company looks to answer three of the most common questions from people venturing into EVs:

  • What is the actual, real-world battery range?
  • How will that change in different conditions, like summer or winter?
  • And what will that range be three years from now?

Questions like these can all be answered using one of several reports currently at your disposal as a Recurrent member. Here’s how they break down.

Monthly EV battery health reports

Monthly reports from Recurrent exist as a free tool with multiple utilities for current EV owners. By registering your vehicle using its VIN or license plate number, you can see your individual EV data through Recurrent in a few easy steps.

This monthly report is generated using daily data from your vehicle as you use it, and compares it to thousands of other vehicles in the Recurrent system. The result is a side-by-side comparison of how your EV’s battery is performing against similar EVs in the same category.

This report could prove beneficial in monitoring your EV range each month, becoming more conscious of fluctuations or sudden decreases in range. From there, you can be better equipped to make adjustments to your EV’s charging hygiene and driving practices to preserve your battery.

Additionally, the monthly report allows you to track your EV battery throughout ownership to help determine when it might be the best time to sell in order to get the most value for your EV.

As an additional tool, you can provide evidence of the value of your EV and the state of its battery to any prospective buyer by comparing it to similar vehicles through Recurrent.

Are you leasing your EV? Recurrent is still available to you and your EV for free to track your battery performance during your lease terms. From there, you can decide whether it may be worth it to purchase our EV at the end of your lease or move onto a different model. Check out a sample report below.

EV battery health
EV battery health

One-time EV battery health reports

Looking to purchase a used EV? As the market continues to grow, more and more people are selling their previous EVs and upgrading to the latest model. This leaves a new segment of used vehicles that shoppers (especially those looking to get a deal on their first ever EV) can take advantage of.

That being said, many consumers remain curious (as they should) about an EV’s battery, and how long it will actually last them after they purchase a used car.

Luckily, Recurrent’s free one-time report is perfect for EV shoppers looking to ensure they get the most range for their dollar.

By setting up a report through Recurrent using a prospective EV’s VIN or license plate number, shoppers can get a one-time report on the EV, then compare it against similar vehicles.

The one-time shopper report gives the EV a range rating, then projects what sort of range the vehicle will offer over the next three years.

Although the range data in the reports is displayed on a map, don’t worry. Recurrent does not collect any GPS data to ensure member privacy. The map is instead generated using the zip code you provide to start. Recurrent then uses that zip to evaluate the climate impacts facing your EV’s battery and range. 

Lastly, the report lets you know if the EV battery you’re considering is still under warranty, and how it compares to similar EVs in the Recurrent community (see below).

EV battery health
A sample one-time report / Source: Recurrent
Notice how the range is compared to similar vehicles

Dealership reports

The last report option currently available from Recurrent was designed specifically for vehicle dealerships rather than consumers.

Dealership reports are the only paid product from Recurrent and can be used as a viable tool for business owners to track their inventory. The dealership report platform allows EV dealers to run bulk reports of all the cars on their lot, thus consistently monitoring EV batteries and value.

That data is also absorbed into the overall Recurrent pool for individual owners and shoppers to utilize through future and more precise comparisons.

Dealership reports are a simplified, public-facing version of Recurrent’s one-time reports that can be showcased by dealership customers on their own EV sales sites. Notice the green Recurrent icon on the used EV page below.

The Recurrent icon is always clickable and will provide the battery report to potential buyers to ensure both parties are aware of a given EV’s battery report. This can aid both the seller and buyer to agree on a fair price.

Try out Recurrent for yourself for free

Whether you own an EV or have a specific one in mind for a used purchase, Recurrent is a helpful free tool you should be sure to check out.

If you’re an owner, you can register your EV for monthly reports, and gain insight into how to get the most out of your EV battery. Furthermore, you may find yourself more savvy as to when might be an ideal time to sell your EV.

If you’re looking to purchase a used EV, it wouldn’t hurt to run its VIN through Recurrent’s free one-time report, to see what sort of battery really lies within that vehicle. Remember, the estimated mileage on the dashboard isn’t always accurate.


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Man arrested after death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey is released under investigation

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Man arrested after death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey is released under investigation

A man arrested in connection with the death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey has been released under investigation.

The man, who is in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Gilbey’s death on Thursday.

The 40-year-old star reportedly died following an accident at work on Wednesday.

Essex Police said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the death of a man in Campfield Road, Shoebury, on Wednesday 27 March, a man aged in his 40s from the Witham area was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

“He has now been released under investigation.

“This is a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and our enquiries are ongoing.”

Police previously said they were called to an incident in Shoebury at around 10am on Wednesday after “a man who was working at height had fallen and sustained an injury”.

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Gilbey was best known for appearing on the Channel 4 show alongside his mother Linda McGarry and stepfather Pete McGarry, who died in 2021 aged 71.

George Gilbey. Pic: Shutterstock
Image:
Reality star Gilbey. Pic: Shutterstock

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The family first appeared on the second series of Gogglebox in 2013 but were dropped the following year when the reality star signed up for the 14th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, reaching the final.

Gilbey appeared on the Channel 5 version of the show alongside other famous faces including The Hills star Stephanie Pratt and American actor Gary Busey, who won the series.

The family later returned to Gogglebox and a spokesperson for the award-winning programme said: “George was part of the Gogglebox family for eight series alongside his mum Linda and stepdad Pete.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Linda and George’s family and friends at this very sad time. The family has asked for privacy.”

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Bill Nighy on style, social media and holy socks: ‘I can’t operate in the wrong kind of trousers’

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Bill Nighy on style, social media and holy socks: 'I can't operate in the wrong kind of trousers'

Bill Nighy is a man of many talents – but he knows his limitations – most specifically in the trouser department.

The 74-year-old actor tells Sky News he has very clear sartorial demands when it comes to his acting rider.

“It’s odd, people used to say: ‘There’s a significant lack of classical work on your CV’. And I would say something like: ‘The reason is, I can’t operate in those kind of trousers,’ which is a joke, but it’s also kind of true.

“If you want me at my best, put me in a decent lounge suit. It’s a stupid thing for an actor to say, but art does reflect life.”

And he’s not afraid to bring his own life quite literally into his films, adding: “If it’s a contemporary film and it’s an independent film and they haven’t got a lot of money, I just say, ‘Come to my flat,’ and I open the wardrobe and they can take out whatever they want for that movie. So, the two things do blend.”

He’s currently starring in underdog sports drama The Beautiful Game, playing a retired football talent scout coaching England’s team in the Homeless World Cup.

Founded in 2001, the real-life international tournament that inspired the movie now involves over 70 countries and has transformed the lives of more than one million homeless people.

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Former Homeless World Cup players – who are no longer homeless – feature in the film, playing team members from other countries, which Nighy calls “a wonderful piece of symmetry”.

He of course wore a suit and tie for the majority of the film, despite it being shot in Rome during a heatwave. Scorching weather aside, he says: “It was quite fun to stand on the touchline and scream.”

Pic: Netflix
Image:
Nighy as football talent scout Mal in The Beautiful Game. Pic: Netflix

While Nighy may not necessarily look the part of a stereotypical football coach, he does work on his fitness, training three times a week. It’s something he insists he won’t be “winning any prizes for”, and he certainly won’t be sharing snaps of his workouts on Instagram.

‘My iPhone doesn’t see a lot of action’

He explains: “I’ve never been on social media. I’m lucky in that regard because I’m of an age where I can just about get away with it.

“I nearly went on it. I got very close to, I think it was Instagram, but I didn’t in the end make that jump.

“I don’t have a laptop. I mean, I’m carrying a computer in my pocket, obviously, like everybody else, but I’ve never had a computer. I’ve never owned one, again because I’m fortunate. I don’t need one for anything. I’ve got an iPhone, but there’s not a lot of action on it apart from, you know, the obvious.”

I can only guess ‘the obvious’ is phoning his nearest and dearest, including his daughter and friends. Nighy keeps his romantic dealings close to his chest, and since splitting with his partner of 26 years, he hasn’t been publicly linked to anyone new – either in the public eye or out.

Nighy and Anna Wintour at the Met Gala last year. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Nighy with friend Anna Wintour at the Met Gala last year. Pic: Reuters

As one of Britain’s most recognisable actors, he’s humble in his appraisal of his five decade career spanning theatre, TV and film – reaching to Hollywood and back.

‘I didn’t expect acting to last’

“I don’t know what I’m cut out to be, but it probably isn’t an actor, although I don’t know if anybody is. I think we all have to bend ourselves out of shape to do whatever it is we do.

“I didn’t expect to be an actor. I didn’t expect when I became an actor that it would last very long. I didn’t have a Plan B, it was all basically out of necessity.

“I flunked school, so I didn’t have any qualifications for anything, and I didn’t have a Plan B, so I had no safety net. But, you know, it gradually worked out.”

With two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe and Teen Choice Award (yes really) to name but a few of his accolades, he’s being modest.

And his acting career is about to take a step into the unknown, with his first big horror role in First Omen coming to the screen next month.

Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence in The First Omen. Pic: 20th Century Studios
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Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence in The First Omen. Pic: Disney/20th Century Studios

A prequel to the 1976 original, it returns to the very beginning of the story, with Nighy warning it’s not a film for the feint hearted: “The early signs suggest that it is truly horrible.”

Red satin and holy socks

He does have a wide experience of otherworldly roles, if not out and out horror. Nighy lists a few. “In Shaun Of The Dead I was a werewolf. Yeah, I was a werewolf.”

(Nighy was actually a zombie, but the movie was filmed 20 years ago, and who’s splitting hairs?)

He goes on: “And I’ve been a vampire several times. And I’ve been a squid. If you count animations, I’ve been a rattle snake with a machine gun in its tail. But they’re not straight horror. [First Omen] is really my first horror movie, like what you’d call straight horror. So, it is a departure.”

It goes without saying he was well suited and booted for the role.

“I was dressed by the Vatican tailor. So, you can see I look my best if you’re going to be a priest. And I’m drenched in red satin”.

Rumour has it he was given holy socks from the Vatican shop as part of his costume. Blessed beyond doubt.

Nighy ‘can’t stand’ his own films

He says it “will frighten the life” out of its viewers, adding “a few people I’ve met who’ve seen it and who are horror freaks were stunned. One journalist actually said [they were] traumatised.”

But he doesn’t have to worry about nightmares himself. “I’ve never seen it and I’m never going to see it because I don’t watch films I’m in because I can’t stand it.”

Pic: Netflix
Image:
Pic: Netflix

Meanwhile, his latest offering, The Beautiful Game, is a very different prospect, crafted to leave the viewer uplifted rather than in pieces.

Nighy says it’s a feelgood nostalgia that takes him right back to his childhood. “The deal was when I was a kid, you went, you paid some money, you went to the cinema, and you came out feeling a bit better than you did when you went in. This is what [The Beautiful Game] is.”

The Beautiful Game is streaming now on Netflix, and The First Omen will be in cinemas from 5 April.

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Song lyrics have become angrier and more repetitive since the 80s, study finds

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Song lyrics have become angrier and more repetitive since the 80s, study finds

Song lyrics have become angrier and more repetitive over the past four decades, a study has found.

Lyrics in rock, rap, country, pop, and R&B songs have also become simpler and more personal, according to research published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Rap songs showed the strongest increase in anger and negative emotions, while country songs had the lowest, the researchers said.

Eva Zangerle, an assistant professor at the University of Innsbruck’s department of computer science in Austria, said anger-related words may have become more common because music “reflects more general changes in society and culture”.

Prof Zangerle and her colleagues analysed the lyrics of 12,000 English-language songs released between 1980 and 2020, as well as the page views of the lyrics on online platform Genius.

They found lyrics have become simpler and easier to understand over time, while also becoming more emotional and personal.

Analysis also showed the number of different words used within songs has decreased, particularly among rap and rock songs.

The team speculated this may be because of changes in how music is enjoyed, such as increases in songs being used as background music.

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Prof Zangerle said: “In the last 40 years, we have witnessed a change from buying records in the store to being able to choose from hundreds of millions of songs on streaming platforms on the phone.

“This has also changed the way music is consumed.”

By analysing the page views on Genius, the team found older rock songs were viewed more than newer ones, but the reverse was true for country songs. They said it could indicate rock listeners prefer lyrics from older songs, while country listeners may prefer those from newer songs.

Prof Zangerle gave Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 song Spirit In The Night as a good example of complex songwriting, while she said Miley Cyrus’s 2019 hit Slide Away has simpler and repetitive lyrics.

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