Discovery’s Fifth Gear to Return in EV Format
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Posted On: 10/22/2021 4:50:57 PM
Discovery’s Fifth Gear to Return in EV Format
It looks like electric vehicles (“EVs”) will soon permeate every facet of society. As the world grapples with the increasingly apparent effects of human-caused climate change, several countries have begun efforts to replace the internal combustion engine vehicles on their roads with zero-emission electric vehicles.
By 2020, there were 6.8 million electric vehicles around the world with EV sales projected to increase exponentially over the next decade. Therefore, it’s only natural that “Fifth Gear,” a long-running Discovery motoring television series that examines and reviews the latest vehicles and motorcycles, would turn its eye to electric vehicles. The TV show is set to re-launch on Discovery+ as an EV show dubbed “Fifth Gear: Recharged,” with Rory Reid, a former host of Top Gear, as presenter.
Episodes will start streaming weekly on Discovery+ in the United Kingdom as more and more drivers in the country ditch their gas- and diesel-powered vehicles for electric vehicles. At the end of August 2021, there were an estimated 300,000 battery electric vehicles (“BEVs”) and more than 600,000 plug-in hybrids (“PHEVs”) in the UK, with experts projecting that there will be approximately 8-11 million electric vehicles by 2030 if EV uptake is aligned with emission targets. Neil Duncanson, a Fifth Gear executive and founder of North One, the production company that produced Fifth Gear, says the move to electric vehicles is strategic as nearly every major car manufacturer in the country has set their sights on EVs.
It is a move that reflects changing audience behavior and attitudes, says Duncanson. Originally, Fifth Gear ran for 28 seasons, starting its run on Channel 5 before moving to Discovery channel’s History and Quest and ending two years ago. Rory Reid, a presenter and motoring journalist who hosted “Top Gear” on BBC between 2016 and 2019, will “broaden” the show to a widespread audience, says Simon Downing, the senior VP in charge of marketing as well as the head of Factual & Documentaries at Discovery. He will be joined by V. Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato and Karun Chandhok (a retired Formula 1 driver) with additional assistance from engineer Jimmy de Ville and EV consumer writer Grace Webb.
A diverse group of presenters who represents the potential audience’s diversity is a shortcut to being broad, Downing says, adding that “Fifth Gear: Recharged” is scheduled to air every week on both Quest as well as Discovery+. Duncanson says the EV show has already received international attention, and he posits that that popularity may be due to its educational nature or, as he says, educating audiences by stealth. People are hungry for information on electric vehicles, he says, and “Fifth Gear: Recharged” will be a knowledgeable and trusted source.
As such motor shows shift to electric vehicles, the public will have an additional, accurate source of information and companies such as Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX), which are involved in facilitating the uptake of commercial electric vehicles in North America, will have a less uphill task to perform.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/IDEX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Green Car Stocks website applicable to all content provided by GCS, wherever published or re-published: https://www.GreenCarStocks.com/Disclaimer
It looks like electric vehicles (“EVs”) will soon permeate every facet of society. As the world grapples with the increasingly apparent effects of human-caused climate change, several countries have begun efforts to replace the internal combustion engine vehicles on their roads with zero-emission electric vehicles.
By 2020, there were 6.8 million electric vehicles around the world with EV sales projected to increase exponentially over the next decade. Therefore, it’s only natural that “Fifth Gear,” a long-running Discovery motoring television series that examines and reviews the latest vehicles and motorcycles, would turn its eye to electric vehicles. The TV show is set to re-launch on Discovery+ as an EV show dubbed “Fifth Gear: Recharged,” with Rory Reid, a former host of Top Gear, as presenter.
Episodes will start streaming weekly on Discovery+ in the United Kingdom as more and more drivers in the country ditch their gas- and diesel-powered vehicles for electric vehicles. At the end of August 2021, there were an estimated 300,000 battery electric vehicles (“BEVs”) and more than 600,000 plug-in hybrids (“PHEVs”) in the UK, with experts projecting that there will be approximately 8-11 million electric vehicles by 2030 if EV uptake is aligned with emission targets. Neil Duncanson, a Fifth Gear executive and founder of North One, the production company that produced Fifth Gear, says the move to electric vehicles is strategic as nearly every major car manufacturer in the country has set their sights on EVs.
It is a move that reflects changing audience behavior and attitudes, says Duncanson. Originally, Fifth Gear ran for 28 seasons, starting its run on Channel 5 before moving to Discovery channel’s History and Quest and ending two years ago. Rory Reid, a presenter and motoring journalist who hosted “Top Gear” on BBC between 2016 and 2019, will “broaden” the show to a widespread audience, says Simon Downing, the senior VP in charge of marketing as well as the head of Factual & Documentaries at Discovery. He will be joined by V. Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato and Karun Chandhok (a retired Formula 1 driver) with additional assistance from engineer Jimmy de Ville and EV consumer writer Grace Webb.
A diverse group of presenters who represents the potential audience’s diversity is a shortcut to being broad, Downing says, adding that “Fifth Gear: Recharged” is scheduled to air every week on both Quest as well as Discovery+. Duncanson says the EV show has already received international attention, and he posits that that popularity may be due to its educational nature or, as he says, educating audiences by stealth. People are hungry for information on electric vehicles, he says, and “Fifth Gear: Recharged” will be a knowledgeable and trusted source.
As such motor shows shift to electric vehicles, the public will have an additional, accurate source of information and companies such as Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX), which are involved in facilitating the uptake of commercial electric vehicles in North America, will have a less uphill task to perform.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/IDEX
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Green Car Stocks website applicable to all content provided by GCS, wherever published or re-published: https://www.GreenCarStocks.com/Disclaimer
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