When electric vehicles first came to prominence, sound, or a lack thereof, was held up as both a defining and appealing feature. Soon heralded as ‘quieter cars’, EVs certainly packed less of a sonic boom, particularly at speeds lower than 20mph.

Fast forward two decades however and motoring authorities want to crank up the volume. And as stage handler’s set-up a rock concert, the National Highway Traffic Society pass laws. The end result, they hope, is the same – things are about to get pretty loud.

Handling a mobile phone – or any electronic device for that matter – whilst at the wheel, has long been outlawed in the UK. Cracking down on those that flout the clearest of rules however has proven difficult, sometimes with grave consequences.

Pioneering technology in Australia could be about to change that and make serial offenders think twice about sending a sly (and illegal) text.

It’s certainly been an eventful few weeks for Bugatti. First the high-performance automakers realised a long-held ambition, only to bow out of a quite fascinating arms race just as quickly. What do they say about going out on top?

Let’s look back on an unforgettable month…

Front wheel drive often gets a rough ride. Literally according to some.

Derided and dismissed by many a motoring ‘expert’, it is generally viewed as a cheap alternative to rear and four-wheel equivalents, hence a degree of snobbery. But are criticisms justified?

In actuality FWD vehicles possess their fair share of benefits, advantages which put paid to the myth they’re neither fun nor good.

When Opel unveiled their very first electric vehicle in March few expected it to be re-imagined as a rally car less than six months later. Yet that’s exactly what’s happened as the Corsa-e becomes the Corsa-e Rally and makes history in the process.

They say a week is a long time in politics, so three years is surely an eternity.

And it seems an eternity since the shock outcome of the EU referendum shook parliament to its very core.

A red-letter day for politics and politicians everywhere, things have never quite been the same. In all probability, they never will be.

Elon Musk splits opinion but even his harshest critics respect – albeit begrudgingly – a relentless desire to innovate.

In championing the likes of his Falcon 9, Solar City and Hyperloop concepts, this engineer turned entrepreneur has made himself box office. And the celebrity that comes with pushing limits and patience alike is something he laps up.

Compared to sending cars into space Musk’s latest project is somewhat mundane, but still represents a huge moment for the motoring industry.

Tyre selection is vitally important. Before purchasing a new set of wheels drivers are supposed to consider the likes of section width, aspect ratio, rim diameter, load rating index and a whole lot more besides. No wonder many spare themselves the headache and simply trust in their local garage.

Pretty soon however there could be something else on which to judge the quality of rubbers; whether or not they generate electricity.