APRIL 2026 / ARCHIVE.

Tesla FSD 13.2.9 and Xpeng's NextGen Pilot VLA 2.0 ran the same loop through one of China's most chaotic urban environments. Both systems are camera-only. Xpeng's co-pilot mode and local training gave it an edge: 8 out of 10 versus Tesla's 7. Xpeng includes the software in the purchase price; Tesla charges $99 per month.

Lynk & Co's GT concept from Beijing carries 2+2 proportions in Apex Blue paint. A Plus button on the center console drops it 15mm, extends the total body length by 100mm via active front and rear aero, and raises a rear wing. The brand claims 0-100 km/h in 2 seconds. No powertrain figures were disclosed at the reveal.

CATL halved cell resistance in the Shenxing Version 3 battery through shorter cells, a modified SEI layer additive, and expanded graphite anode layers. A second cooling plate doubles the heat removal rate. The result: 100 km of range in 30 seconds, a full charge in 6 minutes, and 90 percent capacity retained after 1,000 fast-charge cycles.

Dreamy, a Chinese company known for AI cleaning robots, unveiled the Nebula Next 01 jet edition concept at its San Francisco conference using aerospace-derived rocket propulsion in a twin-engine layout. A production Nebula Next 01 hyper sedan is planned for the second half of 2027. No battery specs or pricing were disclosed.

RJ Scaringe earned $403 million in 2025 while Rivian lost $3.6 billion. That contradiction deserves to be looked at honestly. So does the case for why the board wrote the check anyway.

Jacob and Yuri from TheStraightPipes got the Lotus Eletre Carbon before it reaches the US, driving it at 30 percent battery in Canada and finding it faster than expected. The car runs 800-volt architecture, a two-speed transmission, carbon ceramic brakes, active anti-roll bars, and active four-wheel steering. Range is rated at 385 km. Canadian pricing starts at $179,000 CAD. Both reviewers went in with moderate expectations and came out impressed by the powertrain and handling composure.

The Standard is the new entry point for the 2026 Model Y update, starting around $41,500 with roughly 300 horsepower and about 320 miles of range. It skips the light bars, ventilated seats, and rear screen that appear on higher trims. Doug covers fit and finish concerns on his 4,000-mile test car, the all-screen interior, a genuinely spacious back seat, and updated features for 2026 including an optional third-row seat. DougScore: 55 out of 100.

Out of Spec gets a tour of Hyundai’s 3,000-acre EV factory in Savannah, Georgia, currently building the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 at a capacity of around 300,000 vehicles per year with a path to 500,000. Boston Dynamics Spot robots inspect vehicle bodies. An LG battery cell plant is under construction on site. Hydrogen fuel cell semi-trucks move goods across the campus. Also visible: a Waymo Ioniq 5 built for the robo-taxi program, targeting up to 50,000 units by 2028.

Cala Systems builds a $2,999 heat pump water heater that schedules heating around electricity pricing, solar forecasts, and occupancy rather than reacting when the tank cools. A California Energy Commission study found 15 to 19 percent additional savings from intelligent scheduling on time-of-use plans. Matt Ferrell tours the factory and works through the economics: the heat pump itself saves roughly $550 a year versus electric resistance; the smart features add another $100 to $310 annually, depending on your rate plan and solar setup.

A metal parts manufacturer in southwest Germany heats and cools its entire facility for 1.6 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity and 2.5 cents for thermal energy, with no gas connection. Solar collectors on the roof and south facade charge 5,000-plus cubic meters of soil beneath the building each summer. Heat pumps extract that stored warmth through 45 kilometers of pipes in the concrete foundation each winter. The system paid for itself in three and a half years compared to conventional gas heating, and the AI-assisted control logic continues to adapt to seasonal conditions.

Electrifying walks through the revised Q4 e-tron, Audi’s best-selling EV in the UK. Range tops out at 370 miles on the large-battery rear-wheel drive model, an 11-mile improvement. The new interior is a genuine step forward with an 11.9-inch driver display, a nearly 13-inch central touchscreen, and better materials throughout. Vehicle-to-load is now standard. DC charging peaks at 185 kilowatts on the quattro Performance, up 10 kilowatts but still trailing a number of rivals. UK pricing is expected to start around £41,000.

iHeat follows up on a Juracell battery installation at a UK household using 15,000 to 20,000 kilowatt hours a year. Four Jura 5 modules provide 20 kilowatt hours of storage, charging overnight on Octopus off-peak rates. Daily electricity costs dropped from £10 to 15 before the install to around £5.50 on EV-charging days. Total system cost was £8,000, with payback projected at two and a half to three years based on roughly £8 of savings per day. The hybrid inverter supports solar panels as a future add-on with no equipment replacement needed.

Kim Java and PJ flew to Tesla’s Beijing delivery center to walk through the Model Y L, a seven-inch longer version of the Juniper Model Y with a six-seat captain-style interior and 89 cubic feet of total cargo capacity. Third-row headroom surprised both reviewers. A US prototype has been spotted. If it arrives at the projected $55,000 to $59,000, it undercuts the Model X by a significant margin while delivering a similar interior feel. Battery is 88 kilowatt hours; estimated EPA range around 350 to 360 miles.

UK electricity costs four times more than gas. In Norway, it is 1.15 times. That gap, as Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson explains in this live Oxford Street panel, is almost entirely policy and market design. Jackson’s three specific fixes: zonal pricing to stop paying wind farms to turn off, more onshore wind where grid infrastructure already exists, and long-distance interconnectors. Rory Sutherland covers the behavioral side of EV adoption, the sigmoid curve, and why the friction of going electric may build long-term loyalty. Robert Llewellyn closes with a figure worth remembering: 100 million-plus EVs have already displaced the equivalent of 70 percent of Iran’s total fossil fuel output annually.

While western coverage of electric trucks has largely focused on the Tesla Semi and a handful of European pilots, China quietly built a functioning market. According to the IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2025, electric heavy trucks reached around 22 percent of new truck sales in China in the first half of 2025 and reportedly crossed 50 percent of monthly sales in December 2025. More than 80 percent of all global electric truck sales happen in China. This video covers the economics, CATL’s nationwide battery swapping network, Daimler and Volvo’s long-haul entries, and where the US and Europe stand by comparison.

A tornado tore a hole in Rivian’s Normal, Illinois factory. Production of sellable R2 units started anyway, with the configurator opening for earliest reservation holders in June. Volvo confirmed the EX60 entered production in Sweden, with European deliveries this summer and an extended production run due to stronger than expected demand. The Kia EV3 entered pre-production in Mexico at an expected starting price around $35,000. The Tesla Cybercab entered production as well. The week also brought the Hyundai Ioniq 3 reveal, Porsche Cayenne Coupe EV, Tesla Model Y L US testing, and the electric-only Mercedes C-Class.

Three motors, 400 horsepower, 661 Nm, 89 kWh battery, and a WLTP range of 557 km. AutoTopNL takes the Alpine A390 GT to the Autobahn and records a 4.73-second 0-100 km/h run, just inside the claimed 4.8. The car weighs over 2,100 kg and addresses that with hydraulic bump stops and a compliant suspension. The torque vectoring works well in corners. The steering is notably direct at speed. A GTS variant with 470 horsepower and 0-100 in 3.9 seconds arrives later this year. Full walkaround, interior, and on-board telemetry challenge runs included.

GM has announced it is pausing, and possibly cancelling, its next generation of full-size electric trucks. Suppliers to the Hummer EV and Silverado EV program received a stop notice. The Ford Lightning was already cancelled. Against that backdrop, Mercedes revealed the new C-Class as an electric-only model, going on sale in early 2027 with 800-volt charging and roughly 350 miles of range. The hosts also picture themselves in a nursing home years from now, incredulous that soccer moms once drove children to practice in cars powered by controlled combustion. Their punchline: that moment hasn’t arrived in America yet. In Europe, EV sales in March rose 50%.

Formula E’s Gen 4 car produces 600 kW, roughly 805 horsepower, and reaches 0-60 mph in 1.88 seconds on grooved road-spec tires. That puts it within about 200 horsepower of a current F1 car. On permanent racetracks, lap times are around 10 seconds faster than the previous Gen 3 EVO. The series is moving toward more permanent circuits to match what Gen 4 is now capable of. Some established street venues, including ExCeL London, will no longer be suitable. Development driver James Rossa, a former F1 test driver at BAR and Force India, says Gen 4 is now compelling enough to attract serious talent from Formula 2 and Formula 3 as a genuine world championship alternative.

American car influencers have spent the last year reviewing Chinese EVs their audiences cannot legally import. A 100% tariff introduced under President Biden, plus a 2025 rule banning vehicles with Chinese-linked technology, have kept Chinese brands out of US showrooms. The average new US car price sits around $50,000. Multiple capable Chinese EVs are priced well under $40,000 at home. Marques Brownlee’s review of the Xiaomi SU7 passed 10 million views. Bloomberg looks at what is driving the appetite, who is watching, and why the technology gap matters more than the tariff wall over the long term.

Out of Spec Roaming drives the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer GTX over a Norwegian mountain pass in winter and returns with a clear list of three things VW still needs to fix: software, interior quality, and charging speed. The car averaged 19.2 kWh per 100 km over 478 km of cold, snowy driving and charged from 17% to 53% in 11 minutes at close to 200 kW. The Rivian/VW joint venture is working on the software and electrical architecture for future models. The urgency: Chinese EVs are already offering better interiors and more technology at comparable prices, and the gap is narrowing each model cycle.

Kyle from Out of Spec Reviews inspects the Tesla Model Y L in China, one year after first filming the refreshed Model Y at launch. The L stretches the standard platform to fit a real third row: at 6’1", Kyle sat in all three rows simultaneously with knee clearance in the back. The top-spec long-range variant carries approximately 84-to-88 kWh of LG cells, dual-motor all-wheel drive, and 250 kW peak DC charging. Second-row seating is captain’s chairs only. Adaptive damping and double glazing are standard. The wireless phone charger has been upgraded to 50 watts with active cooling. A US prototype has been spotted, and Kyle filed his petition on camera.

Gjeebs runs the Subaru BRZ TS and Tesla Model 3 Performance back to back. The BRZ TS: 228 horsepower, 187 lb-ft, around 2,900 pounds, six-speed manual only, Brembo brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, roughly $35,000. The Model 3 Performance: 510 horsepower, 553 lb-ft, 2.9 seconds to 60, about 300 miles of range, around $55,000, and roughly 1,100 pounds heavier. The BRZ TS is naturally aspirated, holds its residual value well because it has no direct competition, and teaches you to drive. The Model 3 makes commuting effortless. Both are valid. The video makes the case for which one you actually want at each point in your life.

BMW revealed the iX3 Long Wheelbase, i3 Long Wheelbase, and a refreshed 7 Series at Auto China 2026 in Beijing, all built on the Neue Klasse platform. The i3 Long Wheelbase, the second-generation electric 3 Series for China, is rated at over 1,000 km on CLTC. The i7 electric 7 Series carries close to 800 km of CLTC range. A fourth show car, the iX3 Flow Edition, uses E-Ink panels on major exterior body components including the bonnet. All vehicles share BMW’s new panoramic iDrive and Level 2 navigation-guided assistance developed with Chinese AI partner Momenta. BMW has committed to 40 new or updated models by 2027, with Neue Klasse technology eventually covering the full global portfolio.

Kyle and Nick from The Drive take the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Dodge Charger Daytona EV to Chuck Walla Raceway and a canyon road. Both cars have over 640 horsepower, all-wheel drive, drift modes, and artificial sound systems. The Charger weighs approximately 5,800 pounds; the Ioniq 5 N is roughly 1,000 pounds lighter. On track, the Ioniq 5 N was communicative and controllable, with paddle-operated simulated shifts and torque vectoring that biases to the rear on demand. The Charger showed throttle lag in track mode and understeer as the limiting factor. Porsche has since begun adding virtual gear shifts to its own EVs after testing the Ioniq 5 N. Setting up the Hyundai’s modes took about 20 minutes of menu navigation.

Tesla has released a final Signature Edition to mark the end of the Model S. Jason Cammisa's retrospective for Hagerty puts the 14-year run in perspective: only 3% of parts are shared between the 2012 original and the 2026 car. A conventional automaker would still carry over around 50% of parts even after a full generation change. The original also did something no EV had done before: drove 125 miles over a nearly 3,000-foot mountain range when the only other option was a Nissan Leaf rated for 73 miles of range on flat ground.

The IEA and UK think tank Ember both published reports this week with the same headline: solar outpaced every other fuel source from 2024 to 2025, driven by China and India. Global solar output now matches total EU electricity consumption across all 27 member states. More significant: renewables as a group are now keeping pace with rising global electricity demand, meaning no new fossil fuel capacity is needed to close the gap. Reporting also covers Pakistan's estimated $12 billion in avoided costs from solar adoption during the current Iranian oil disruption.

China controls every critical step in lithium-ion battery production, from raw material refining to cell output. Bloomberg Originals traces how that position was built: a state-backed strategy from 2001, accelerated by the 2015 Made in China 2025 plan. The film profiles GM's new LMR chemistry targeting 2028 commercial launch, Gotion's first US factory in Manteno, Illinois, and Norwegian recycler Hydrovolt, which breaks down used EV batteries into a powder called black mass for reprocessing into new cells.

Sheepdrove Organic Farm in Berkshire had over a thousand solar panels, wind turbines, and ground-source heat pumps for decades but kept selling cheap daytime power and buying it back at night. The fix was nine Victron 15 kVA Quattro inverter chargers, totaling 135 kVA, paired with 160 kWh of battery storage. In winter the farm draws around one megawatt hour per day; heat pumps alone account for 300 to 400 kWh. Grid protection was a design challenge: the system can push up to 300 amps back to the grid, so Modbus communication with Fronius solar inverters throttles output to protect local infrastructure.

Autogefühl does a full walkaround of the refreshed BMW 7 Series. The i7 gains 10 kWh for a 112.5 kWh pack, still on 400-volt architecture at 250 kW DC max and 29 minutes from 10 to 80 percent. The 740 xDrive runs a 3-liter inline-6 with 400 horsepower and 5.1 seconds to 100 km/h. The M760e plug-in hybrid tops out at 571 horsepower and 4.3 seconds. The interior borrows from the Neue Klasse with a Panoramic Vision strip; the updated rear theater screen now streams YouTube directly. Pricing starts at 120,000 euros.

Quebec hosts roughly half of all EV charging stations in Canada, powered by hydroelectricity priced around 10 cents Canadian per kWh at home. Out of Spec Roaming drives an F-150 Lightning along Autoroute 20, covering Circuit Electric, Tesla, Parkland, Kushtar, and smaller regional networks. Tesla is the cheapest at around 47 cents Canadian per kWh ad hoc. The largest charging site in Canada, in St-Louis-de-Blandford, has 44 chargers. Pull-through capability for EV trucks and trailers is now built into provincial rest areas.

The Smart #2 is a compact four-seater built on a purpose-designed platform called ECA, developed since 2019. It is 2.97 meters long and 1.9 meters wide, with a 6.95-meter turning circle. Claimed range is 300 km WLTP or 400 km CLTC, with V2L and DC fast charging included. The design came from Smart's European studio and revives the two-tone body language of the original car. The production-ready version debuts at Paris in October 2026, with sales expected early next year.

DW News examines the global EV picture as oil prices spike amid the Iran conflict. Germany's EV registrations exceeded gasoline car sales for the first time in March. EU fuel prices averaged €1.81 per liter in mid-April. In the US, EV demand dropped sharply after the federal tax credit was eliminated; VW sold just 250 ID4s in the three months after the credit ended. China produces more than half of all EVs globally, controls over 80 percent of rare earth processing capacity, and holds over 80 percent of Brazil's EV market.

A storm tore into the Normal plant on Friday night. If you have followed this company for any length of time, you already know how this goes.

State Of Charge tests the 2027 Bolt RS at a 350 kW EVgo station. The LFP pack peaks at 158 kW, hits 70 percent in 30 minutes, and completes a full charge in under an hour. The original Bolt needed more than two hours for the same session. GM claims 26 minutes from 10 to 80 percent; this first test on a 22-mile-old battery showed 33.3 minutes. EPA-rated range is 262 miles. Base price starts under $30,000.

Joey the Cat runs 40 Bay Area bar locations and moves about 50 skeeball machines and hundreds of arcade games between them. When he saw a TELO on the road, his test was simple: can a skeeball machine fit in the bed? It can, with room left over for his tools. He currently hauls in a 2011 Tacoma and a 2021 Mercedes Sprinter van and is looking for something smaller that can handle city parking without giving up utility.

CATL's Super Technology Day brought the third-generation Shenxing battery, which charges from 10 to 80 percent in 3 minutes and 44 seconds and holds above 90 percent capacity after 1,000 cycles. Also on stage: the Qilin Condensed Battery at 350 Wh/kg for 1,500 km of range in a sedan, the third-generation Qilin LFP at 280 Wh/kg and 3 MW peak power, and the Naxtra sodium-ion battery entering large-scale production. CATL also announced 4,000 integrated charge-swap stations by end of 2026.

Tom Voelk bought a 2021 Taycan 4S CPO for $74,000 against a $163,000 MSRP. After 13 months: one software glitch that cleared with a five-minute lock-and-walk-away, several pre-purchase recalls already handled, and strong pack health. After a manual rebalance, indicated range is 215 miles in cold weather and is expected to return to around 260 miles in summer. He charges overnight at 9 cents per kWh in Seattle.

Autogefühl covers the full reveal of the all-new electric Mercedes C-Class in Portugal. The C400 gets two motors, a two-speed transmission, and 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds. The 94.5 kWh net battery supports 330 kW DC peak charging with 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes. Pricing starts below 70,000 euros, with fully specced examples approaching 90,000 euros. The car sits on the MBEA platform shared with the GLC EQ. The BMW i3 counters with a 108.7 kWh battery; the C-Class answers with quicker acceleration and an optional air suspension plus rear-axle steering package.

Everything Electric CARS gets an early look at the Hyundai IONIQ 3 in Frankfurt. Two battery options are available: 42.2 kWh for 335 km, or 61 kWh for 490 km. Starting price is expected in the mid-£20,000s, with the N-Line top trim north of £30,000. UK deliveries are planned by end of summer 2026. The IONIQ 3 shares Hyundai Motor Group's EGMP platform with the Kia EV2, but its aerodynamic hatch shape pushes the long-range version 42 km further. A hidden lower boot compartment brings total cargo capacity to 441 liters.

Rivian's official interior design walkthrough for the R2 covers the decisions behind the cabin. Nature is the stated inspiration. Upcycled birch from the furniture industry runs throughout, styled in a way that echoes mid-century modern furniture rather than conventional automotive trim. The linear dashboard layout is designed to make the interior feel wider than the vehicle's footprint. The design team describes the goal as balancing technology with the R2's physical capabilities across on-road comfort, off-road use, and storage.

A Current Affair reports on Australia's EV market after March 2026 set a new record, with more sales that month than between 2011 and 2021 combined. Market share now sits at 14.8 percent, driven partly by rising fuel costs tied to Middle East oil supply tensions. The Tesla Model Y is Drive's 2026 Car of the Year and the country's best-selling EV. The BYD Shark electric ute is drawing interest from traditionally diesel-loyal tradespeople. Industry analysts say charging infrastructure, particularly outside major cities, is now the primary barrier to broader adoption.

The BBC World Service's Asia Specific podcast examines how China's EV dominance is reshaping the auto industry. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for more than 70 percent of EV production worldwide, with more than half the cars sold in China now electric or hybrid. Chinese manufacturers are expanding factory operations into Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia; BYD was Singapore's top-selling car brand last year. The episode covers government policy, tariff tensions in Europe and the US, and why Chinese brands are pricing carefully abroad to avoid backlash.

Electrifying's Kilowatt Half Hour covers the week in EV news. The Mercedes EQS is now rated at 574 miles WLTP, with real-world bad-weather range still somewhere around 470 miles. Kia is discontinuing the e-Niro after 100,000 EV sales in the UK, with the EV3 and EV2 set to fill the gap. Tesla's Full Self-Driving Supervised system received approval from Dutch regulators after 18 months of road testing. Volkswagen previewed the ID Polo, ID Polo GTI, and ID3 Neo at a major Hamburg launch event.

JR Car Reviews takes the 2026 Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric for a first drive at the Slovenian factory where it is built alongside the Clio. The car runs a 60 kW motor producing 82 horsepower, paired with a 37.5 kWh LFP battery. WLTP range sits around 280 km. This generation adds 50 kW DC charging for the first time, alongside standard 6.5 kW AC. The top-spec tested here is priced at around €21,500. Front suspension components come from the R5; rear from the Captur. 0-100 km/h takes around 12.1 seconds.

MotorTrend sits down with Ethan Robertson of Wheels, fluent in Mandarin and based in Shanghai, who has reviewed hundreds of Chinese EVs since 2019. He breaks down which brands have global staying power, where Tesla still stands in the Chinese market, and why the domestic price war is forcing consolidation. His list for brands with international potential: BYD first, then Zeekr from Geely Group, followed by NIO, Xpeng, and Leauto. He also covers why a BYD Seagull-equivalent simply does not exist in the US market.

Car and Driver put a 2024 BMW i4 xDrive40 through 40,000 miles over roughly 18 months. The xDrive40 makes 396 horsepower, tested to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, and came to $78,000 as tested with M Sport and options. EPA range is 279 miles on 19-inch wheels, dropping to around 225 miles when charging daily to 80 percent. At 80 mph in good conditions, the 84.3 kWh battery regularly returned over 3 miles per kWh. The factory summer tires chunked during instrumented testing and had to be replaced. An aftermarket winter tire set introduced sloppy, unpredictable handling; BMW-spec Goodyear winter tires fixed it. A deer collision cost $16,500 to repair. One scheduled service visit in 40,000 miles covered everything under BMW's complimentary program.

The Renault 5 and new Nissan Micra share the same platform, 52 kWh battery, 148 horsepower motor, and French factory. Both charge at 11 kW AC and 100 kW DC. The Renault 5 Techno Plus costs £23,945 after the £3,750 grant; the Micra Advance costs £23,245. On finance, the Renault works out to £348 per month versus £371 for the Micra, despite the higher list price. Driven back to back on English B-roads, both Electrifying presenters found the two indistinguishable by feel. The Micra has steering-wheel regen paddles for one-pedal driving that the Renault 5 does not yet offer, though they are expected via software update. The Renault wins on styling, on finance, and on interior personality.

Ethiopia is targeting half a million EVs on the road by 2030, supported by over 97 percent hydroelectric power generation and a 2024 government ban on gasoline and diesel car imports. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa's largest, began operation in 2025 at 5,150 megawatts, doubling the country's electricity output. Over 100 electric buses now carry more than 90,000 passengers daily in Addis Ababa. The EV fleet has grown from around 30,000 vehicles two years ago to nearly 120,000. A taxi driver told DW REV his monthly fuel costs fell from 40,000 to 50,000 birr to around 5,000 birr after switching to electric. Around 500 charging stations exist nationally, nearly all in the capital.

Walmart's DC fast charging network now has 31 locations, with the newest at a Freehold, New Jersey Supercenter, the first site north of the 37th parallel. The station uses eight Alpitronic HYC400 chargers rated at up to 400 kW each, with both CCS and NACS connectors per pedestal. State of Charge paid $0.39 per kWh on the visit. The nearest Tesla Supercharger, about two miles away, was showing $0.62 per kWh at the same time. Charging requires the Walmart app and a QR scan. The company is not adding new third-party chargers to its properties, and existing network agreements are expected to wind down as leases expire. Walmart doubled its location count in the two months before this visit.

EV jargon sounds intimidating until you realize it is just the same car stuff with different names. kWh is your fuel tank. kW is how fast the pump flows. Phantom drain is your porch light. Here is the plain-English translation guide nobody wrote for you.

Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske went in expecting to dismiss wireless EV charging and came out convinced. The Porsche Cayenne Electric's system achieves 89 to 92 percent efficiency, better than Level 1 wired at 60 percent and only a few points below Level 2 wired at 96 percent. At 11 kW, it charges faster than Porsche's own mobile connector in the US. Hardware costs around $6,500 for the floor pad and $1,650 for the vehicle receiver. Over 200,000 miles, using wireless instead of Level 2 wired adds roughly $1,000 in total energy costs. Safety systems include radar for living objects, metal detection, and temperature sensors. Oak Ridge National Lab has tested wireless fast charging on a Porsche at 270 kW and 95 percent efficiency.

Jacob from TheStraightPipes spends a week with the 2026 Lucid Air Touring: 620 hp, 885 lb-ft, 92 kWh battery, and a rated 431 miles of range. In real-world cold weather around 3°C, 50% battery still showed approximately 300 km remaining. The 900V architecture supports up to 350 kW DC charging. The glass canopy and best-in-class frunk earn real praise. Wireless Apple CarPlay worked flawlessly until it stopped working entirely. The key fob has no buttons. Door handles sometimes do not present themselves. Regen has no satisfying middle setting. At $112,800 CAD to start, the Lucid Air Touring is excellent on the numbers and still rough on some of the basics.

The Dutch Vehicle Authority approved Tesla FSD on April 10 after 18 months of testing and 1.6 million-plus kilometres on EU roads. Autospec Roaming explains the approval and what comes next. EU-wide rollout requires a majority vote from all 27 member states. The EU version differs from the US one: no speed profiles, on-screen notifications for every manoeuvre, stricter driver monitoring, and pre-approval required for future software updates. The system turns off when you cross into a country that has not approved it. Purchase price is €7,500, with a €99 monthly subscription now live in the Netherlands.

Kyle loads the Lightship onto a Rivian R1S at 36% battery with 80 miles to go and no viable charging stops en route. Trek Drive, the trailer's 78 kWh battery and rear-axle motor, engaged above 15 mph and pushed 13 to 30 kW throughout the run. Efficiency in the Rivian held between 2.3 and 2.45 miles per kWh while towing at up to 70 mph. After 71 miles, they arrived with 13% in the truck and 70% in the trailer, having used only about 30 kWh from the Rivian. Without Trek Drive, they would not have made it. The Lightship starts around $155,000 and climbs above $170,000 with Trek Drive, with DC fast charging for the trailer battery still coming via software update.

The Toyota C-HR Plus is a proper EV now. The mid-spec Design trim packs a 77 kWh battery, 221 horsepower, and a 377-mile WLTP range on 18-inch wheels. In real-world testing, CarGurus UK saw just over 4 miles per kWh and well over 300 miles from a full charge. Rapid charging tops out at 150 kW. Entry-level Icon trim qualifies for the £1,500 electric car grant, putting the base car under £33,000. Service the car at a Toyota dealership and the warranty extends to 10 years and 100,000 miles, with the battery guaranteed to hold at least 70% capacity for 10 years. The rear seat is the one honest compromise. It is not terrible, but it is not class-leading, and the verdict hinges on whether your passengers mind.

Depreciation has done something interesting. A used Porsche Taycan 4S has landed at roughly the same price as a new Tesla Model 3 Performance, and Gjeebs drives both back to back to sort out who wins what. The Model 3 Performance hits 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, runs Tesla's Supercharger network with Grok-powered AI navigation, gets over-the-air updates, comes with better trunk space, superior rear passenger room, and seats Gjeebs calls some of the best ever made. The Taycan brings genuine sports car feel, a steering wheel that gives real feedback, piped-in electric sound in Sport Plus, air suspension, and a presence that still stops traffic. The Taycan wins on feel. The Model 3 wins on everything practical.

Kyle from Out of Spec Reviews puts the Hankook iON HT on his Rivian R1T daily driver and runs it through a private track test and extended highway miles. The iON HT is an all-season tire engineered specifically for the weight, torque, and rolling resistance demands of electric trucks and large SUVs, available in 18, 19, 20, and 21-inch sizing. On the track, Kyle found braking grip and lateral load handling well above what he expected from a long-life all-season. On the highway at 75 mph, the electric motors were louder than the tires, which is the compliment. After 500 to 700 miles on the R1T, efficiency has been notably strong. Sponsored by Hankook, but the driving impressions are his own.

Verge Motorcycles put solid-state batteries into production in Q1 2026 with the TS Pro, making it the first production vehicle of any kind to ship solid-state as standard. Not a limited edition. Not an option. Standard. The base pack holds 20.2 kWh total with 18 kWh nominal capacity and a real-world range claim of up to 217 miles. It charges at up to 100 kW, reaching 80% in under 10 minutes and full in around 20 minutes, adding roughly 12 miles per minute. Because the solid-state chemistry is inherently more stable, the battery runs air cooling only with no liquid cooling system. The hub motor lives inside the rear wheel, producing 102 kW and 1,000 Nm of torque. Zero to 100 km/h takes 3.5 seconds.

Kyle gets the first press loan of the Lightship aero-electric trailer alongside Cybertruck owner Maryanne and co-founder Ben. At 75 mph, the Cybertruck towed the Lightship solidly. Then a left turn signal and brake light issue with the seven-pin connector grounded Trek Drive before it could be tested. The Rivian R1T dual motor stepped in without complaint. Trek Drive activated immediately, held 15 to 20 kW at 65 mph, scaled to 30 kW on hills, and cut off cleanly at around 77 mph. DC fast charging on the trailer at up to 150 kW is still coming via software update. The Cybertruck fix is in progress.

New U.S. power grid infrastructure takes 5 to 12 years to permit and build. Rivian and Redwood Materials are not waiting. According to a Rivian press release, the two companies are deploying second-life Rivian battery packs at the Normal, Illinois plant as on-site energy storage to cut peak demand costs. It is the first known closed-loop program where an automaker's retired packs power the factory that built them. Redwood was founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, and his track record on battery systems is the credibility that makes this more than a PR move. Nissan, BMW, and VW have all tried versions of second-life battery projects. None closed the loop like this.

The BYD Atto 3 Evo arrives in the UK with a frunk the original never had, a 585-litre boot (over 1,000 with seats folded), 800V architecture matching a Porsche Taycan for charge speed, and a battery that grew from around 60 kWh to 74.8 kWh at the same weight. The gear selector moved to a stalk, the screen is quick and responsive, and every variant costs approximately 700 pounds less than the equivalent original Atto 3. UK pricing sits between 37,000 and 42,000 pounds. The 8-year, 150,000-mile battery warranty has not changed.

SBS News reporter Alexandra Jones travels to Dubbo, NSW, the first Renewable Energy Zone in New South Wales, to find out who actually benefits when wind and solar farms reshape regional Australia. She visits an agrisolar farm under 64,000 panels, a community cooperative breaking ground in Orange on one of Australia's largest community-owned solar projects, and an Aboriginal Land Council that secured a stake in a major battery facility. Researchers say resolving First Nations land claims could unlock up to 18 times more solar and 22 times more wind in those areas. Some neighbouring landowners report falling property values. A NSW Parliamentary Inquiry has recommended mental health support for affected communities.

Travis Ketchum digs into what Rivian's EPA filing for the R2 actually reveals. The 335-mile result on the 21-inch range wheels is exactly in line with expectations, and Rivian is listing the car at 330, consistent with how the company has always managed owner expectations. What stood out was the battery chemistry: Rivian chose NCA rather than the NMC chemistry in R1 vehicles. NCA packs more range into a smaller, lighter, cheaper pack, which is central to hitting 300-plus miles at this price point. The tradeoff is sensitivity to heat and repeated DC fast charging, with research suggesting 10 to 15 percent capacity loss around 300 cycles. Rivian is adding an in-car battery degradation tracking screen. R1 owners average only about 10 DC fast charges per year, and keeping home charging to 70 percent should limit wear substantially. The R2 also qualifies for the Section 179 business deduction at its 6,173-pound GVWR.

Electrifying gets an exclusive look at the electric Nissan Juke at Nissan's headquarters in Japan. The Juke, which helped launch the compact crossover segment in 2010 and has sold over 1.5 million units in Europe, is going fully electric for the first time. The production car tracks closely to the 2023 Hyper Punk concept, with layered geometric lighting, origami panel lines, and enough angles to keep the optometrist busy. No specs were released at the reveal, but two battery options are expected based on the Leaf lineup. It sits on Nissan's dedicated EV platform and will support vehicle-to-grid technology. Built at Nissan's Sunderland factory in the UK, which should make it eligible for the UK government EV grant. Target pricing is aimed at the current Juke's mid-to-high 20,000-pound range.

Andrew Till visits Rome to find out why Italy's EV adoption rate sits at just 6.2 percent while the EU averaged 17.4 percent in 2025. Half of Italian dwellings are apartments, making home charging difficult, but Spain has an even higher apartment density and is one of Europe's fastest-growing EV markets. The difference: Spain has had consistent incentives since 2019 and mandatory low-emission zones in cities over 50,000 since 2023. Italy's eco bonus offered up to 13,750 euros for lower-income buyers, and when the 595 million euro fund launched in October 2025, it was fully exhausted in a single day. Meanwhile, the Italian-built Fiat 500e costs at least 9,950 euros after grants. The Chinese-made Leapmotor T3, with scrappage, can be had for 4,900 euros, and it is outselling nearly everything else in the country.

Thomas from Autogefühl drives the refreshed Mercedes EQS, and the battery story alone earns attention. The large pack is now 122 kWh net, the small one 112 kWh, and both charge on a new 800V architecture with peak rates up to 350 kW. That gets you 10-80% in about 25 minutes. Entry price in Germany drops to 94,000 euros, a figure that changes the company car tax math across Europe. The optional steer-by-wire system pairs with a flat F1-style steering wheel, cutting full lock-to-lock down to a fraction of a rotation. Thomas drives it through an obstacle course back-to-back with a pre-facelift model, and the difference is hard to ignore.

Walter tours Ionna's new driver's lounge at Forest Park, Georgia, immediately off I-75 near Atlanta Hartsfield. Alpitronic hyperchargers, canopy, Corian countertops, vending machines stocked with Red Bull, and seating that actually works. Walter's verdict: better than the BP lounge at LAX. The weekly DCFC roundup covers Kwik Trip's Kwik Charge network jumping from 10 to 16 stations across Wisconsin and Minnesota in a single week. Also this week: Pilot Flying J shutting down existing 4-stall stations to expand stall counts, Tesla Supercharger opening 10 new locations, BYD's 1 MW flash charger demonstrated in Europe, and Walmart adding seven more charging sites.

William from Out of Spec Roaming gets behind the wheel of the Denza Z9 GT, BYD's luxury performance brand. Three motors produce 1,156 hp. A 122 kWh LFP blade battery on a true 1,000V architecture holds around 300 kW at a public European charger well into a high state of charge. With BYD's own flash chargers, the Z9 GT goes from 10% to 97% in about 9 minutes. The party trick is independent rear-wheel steering: each rear wheel can turn in opposite directions, letting the car pivot around a single rear wheel for autonomous-ish parallel parking. It crab walks on command. At roughly €115,000 in Europe, it is one of the most capable cars on the market, and the accelerator mapping and infotainment are not quite at that level yet.

Auto Focus spends a week with the Mercedes CLA 350 electric, starting at $50,000 and landing at around $65,000 as tested. The rear axle runs a two-speed gearbox, and at highway speeds you actually feel it shift, something most EVs never do. Two charge ports live in the same motorized flap: NACS and a separate Level 2 AC inlet, neither needing an adapter. There is a usable frunk. The optional Burmester speakers are worth the $800. Ride quality is smooth and notably quiet on 19-inch wheels. The back seat is a B-minus thanks to a high floor and sloping roofline, and there is no next-song button on the steering wheel, a strange miss for a $65,000 car. The honest 300-mile range is a genuine selling point in a segment that is almost out of options.

Autotrader's Rory takes the £65,000 Hyundai Ioniq 6N to the Castellolí circuit near Barcelona: 650 PS, 0-to-62 in 3.2 seconds, drift optimizer, N Grin Boost, a simulated 8-speed DCT that beeps when you need to shift, and 260 kW rapid charging for 10-to-80% in around 18 minutes. He also sits down with engineer Tyrone Johnson, the man behind the Focus RS and Mustang, to hear why the fake gears and synthetic sound are serious engineering and not a gimmick. Verdict: not quite a supercar. Definitely a super car.

CBS Sunday Morning visits a BYD dealership in London where a Lexus owner is trading up to a Sealion 7. BYD, which started as a battery company and owns its whole supply chain, can reportedly build EVs for around 25% less than Western competitors. In the US, 100% tariffs effectively close the market to Chinese imports. In Norway, 97% of new car sales are electric. In China, roughly half. The US is under 10%. One British BYD owner on his American family's reaction: jealous.

Logan Taylor unboxes and rides the Y-Volt Surge V, which Y-Volt bills as the most powerful e-bike in its size class at 48 horsepower. GPS top speed: 67 mph. Y-Volt claims 700 ft-lb of torque. The package includes oversized four-piston brakes that have more throw and stopping power than anything Logan has tested on an e-bike, RFID and physical key unlock, forged carbon components, a dark-mode screen, and lit side panels. Sport mode has a noticeable mid-throttle power surge. Sponsored by Y-Volt, but Logan had full editorial control.

Jose Castillo at RivianTrackr stopped by the cleared lot off I-4 across from Millenia Mall where Rivian is constructing a 40,000 sq ft facility combining a showroom, service center, and charging hub. Construction goes vertical later this year. It is Rivian's third Orlando-area location, after Jetstream Drive and the Shader Road service center that opened last July. Rivian's name comes from the Indian River Lagoon in Florida, making Central Florida a little more than just another expansion dot.

Drive Protected runs Tesla's built-in battery health test on a Model 3 with 610,433 km on the clock. The test drains the pack to zero, charges it to 100%, and reports usable capacity against new. Getting started required breaking into the car by hand after the 12V battery died, snapping a tow hook cover in the process. Tesla service cleared a coolant fault before the test could run. Next morning: 70% battery health remaining. The screen shows 89% as the new ceiling for this pack. According to Tesla, it is still the original battery.

ABC News profiles Martin Green, the University of New South Wales researcher whose PERC cell design became the foundation of modern solar manufacturing. His lab held the world record for silicon solar cell efficiency for 31 years straight, from 1983 to 2014. One of his Chinese PhD students took the knowledge home, founded China's first commercial solar panel company, and became the first solar billionaire. Green published instead of patenting, which is why the solar industry is what it is today and why almost nobody has heard of his name. In 2004, installing 1 gigawatt of solar globally took an entire year. In 2024, about 600 gigawatts were added worldwide, with some single days matching what the whole world installed in a year two decades ago.

In 2025, China's combined wind and solar capacity surpassed coal for the first time. Envision, the world's second-largest wind turbine maker, runs an AI-managed wind and green hydrogen project in the Gobi Desert where industries plug directly into off-grid clean power. Company founder Le Chang has discussed bringing that model to Canada's remote wilderness with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said Canada plans to double its energy grid over the next 15 years. The concern: adopting Chinese-built AI-managed grid tech means what Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls giving a geopolitical rival an operating system for Canada's power supply. Meanwhile, China is still approving new coal plants. Two tracks, one country, one policy decision pending.

More than 15 million vehicles crowd Delhi's streets and fewer than 8% are electric, well short of the city's 30% target for 2030. Vehicles account for close to half of Delhi's particulate matter pollution. IX Energy strips out diesel powertrains, installs electric ones, and extends a truck's working life by up to seven years. Operating costs drop from around 12 rupees per kilometer to about 4. A conversion takes roughly two weeks and costs about 40% less than buying a new electric truck. The idea is not scaling fast: certified retrofitters are scarce, regulations are vague, and public charging is limited. Authorities tend to respond to pollution spikes with driving bans rather than conversion incentives, which hits drivers financially without offering a way forward.

What Car? gets an early look at the Honda Super N before UK showrooms open in July. Built on the bones of the Japanese N-One E city car, the Super N runs wider, sits lower, and promises something the N-One E very much does not: genuine driving fun. A boost button lifts the single motor from 63 to 94 horsepower. Paddles simulate a seven-speed sequential gearbox, and an active sound system recreates an engine note to match. Ambient lighting turns from blue to purple in boost mode. Honda quotes a combined range of 128 miles and says pricing will come in under £20,000, undercutting the cheapest Fiat 500e. In showrooms July 2026.

Redriven makes the case that the Australian used EV market is the best-kept secret going. BMW iX models that were $150,000 new are listing around $50,000. A Mercedes-Benz EQS 53 AMG that retailed near $400,000 in 2022 can be found used for a little over $90,000. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has dropped from around $70,000 new to $35,000. Top picks: Genesis GV60 for 800V charging at half price, GV70 EV for stronger residuals, and used Tesla Model 3s from under $30,000. Check accident history carefully, confirm all recalls are done, and stick to factory-backed brands.

An exclusive walkthrough of Tesla's Semi factory at Gigafactory Nevada in Sparks, where mass production is now ramping up. The tour covers the overhead conveyance system, where frames grow into 10,000-plus-pound assemblies as components are added at operator height, battery marriage where three parallel packs using Cybertruck cells are bolted into the frame, and the light tunnel at the end of general assembly. Standard range: 325 miles. Long range: 500 miles. A Tesla CDL driver describes the experience: effortless torque, remarkably quiet, and regen braking that removes steep-grade anxiety entirely.

Hyundai debuted the Ioniq Venus Concept in China, unveiling a new design direction called Art of Steel that replaces the parametric pixel language used across current Ioniq models. The exterior uses a single-curve silhouette, precision-cut edges, a lightweight frame roof, and a transparent rear spoiler, all in radiant gold paint. Inside, a dual-curved panoramic display pairs with a 3D augmented reality head-up display projecting navigation onto the windshield. Hyundai says the Venus supports both a full BEV powertrain and an extended range electric setup. A production-ready version is expected at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show.

Autogefühl walks through the all-new Cupra Raval: 4 meters long, 15mm lower than the ID.Polo, 10mm wider in the track. Top VZ trim runs 226 hp, adaptive DCC suspension, a front diff lock, 0-to-62 mph in under 7 seconds, and a 110 mph top speed. The 56 kWh NMC battery charges at 130 kW for a 10-to-80% time of 23 minutes. Trunk fits a cabin trolley. Pricing starts around €26,000 for the small battery; the fully loaded VZ is expected near €38,000.

Motorpoint tests chabak (차박), the Korean car-camping trend, using a Hyundai Ioniq 9 and a Hyundai Inster in a cold, wet car park in February. The Ioniq 9 brings a 111 kWh battery, 360 miles of range, vehicle-to-load capability, and electrically folding rear seats for a flat sleeping floor. The Inster brings a 49 kWh battery, 223 miles of official range, and flat front and rear seats. Both use utility mode to heat the cabin overnight. Verdict: warmer than expected, quieter than a tent, and you still need all your camping gear.

electricfelix gets a front-row seat at the first Denza flash charging system outside China. The setup is fully off-grid, drawing from two 190 kWh BYD Blade Battery Gen 2 storage units and a 2 MW power converter. Cables never touch the ground. Live results: 50% in 3 minutes 20 seconds, 80% in 6.5 minutes, 97% in 9 minutes 22 seconds. The car's active cooling shut off before 97% because the battery was unbothered. Currently being installed at Denza dealerships.

Reuters reports Tesla is developing an all-new compact SUV smaller and cheaper than the Model Y, a notable reversal after scrapping its $25,000 EV project in 2024. The vehicle would be 4.28 meters long, single motor, and lighter than the Model Y, with production targeted for China. We look at what this means for Tesla's sliding deliveries, how it compares to BYD and VW in a segment where both have a serious head start, and what separates real commitment from another false start.

Jacob spends a week with the 2026 Polestar 4 before handing Yuri the keys. The highlights: 544 hp, 506 lb-ft, a 100 kWh battery, 10-to-80% in 30 minutes at up to 200 kW, and an electrochromic glass roof. The sticking point is the missing rear window. A permanent digital mirror replaces it and forces your eyes to constantly re-focus from a screen inches away to the road ahead. Real-world issues include frameless windows that got stuck down in cold weather, an open car wash window that soaked the interior, proximity unlocking that worked perfectly for two days then didn't, and connected services that are free for one year with no published renewal price. Fully loaded: $93,400 CAD.

The "EV specific" label on a tire sounds like the automotive version of "AI powered" - something slapped on to justify a higher price. Electric Vehicle Man makes the case it isn't. Because EVs run so quietly, road and wind noise dominate the cabin in ways they never do in a combustion car. The Nissan Leaf team discovered during development that the wiper motor used across the entire Nissan lineup was suddenly too loud to live with. Tires face the same pressure. An EV-specific tire needs to handle four things simultaneously: lower rolling noise, less rolling resistance for extra range, extra load capacity for the heavier battery pack, and sidewalls that manage instant electric torque without going stiff and crashy. Worth it? Yes.

The NIO ES9 is positioned directly against the Range Rover in China, where Land Rover still has no fully electric flagship. At 5.3 meters long, it is a large car, but its 0.264 drag coefficient matches the BMW i8 supercar despite the bluff shape. The rear cabin is the main event: zero-gravity seats with 42 massage points and 67 adjustment options, a foot massager built into the footrest, a personal safe, a fridge, and two 16-inch OLED screens for video calls. Sound comes from 47 speakers delivering 4,630 watts. The side windows are electrochromic and can be tinted in sections. It slots below the ultra-luxury ET9 in NIO's lineup and would likely head to Europe if pricing holds.

Munro Live sits down with Cory Steuben, Lucid's Director of Cost Engineering, to detail the strategy behind the Cosmos and Earth midsize platform. The efficiency advantage is the foundation: the midsize needs only 69 kWh to travel roughly 300 miles, which frees up money normally spent on battery cells. The Atlas drive unit cut part count by 30%, shed 23% of the Zeus drive unit's weight, and came in 37% cheaper. Low-voltage wiring landed at roughly half the circuit count of a comparable Chinese competitor. One subsystem had an internal target of $59; suppliers quoted $120 to $150. The final sourced price landed within two cents of $59. Manufacturing in both Arizona and Saudi Arabia opens the global supply base in ways a US-only plant cannot.

Slate Auto head of design Tisha Johnson explains the philosophy behind the Slate pickup: affordable at purchase, affordable to own, and affordable to personalize. The truck leaves the factory in a single slate gray and is the first vehicle designed specifically to be DIY-wrapped. Over 100 wrap colors are planned. The dashboard can swap between a standard instrument panel and a full sound bar. The two-seater converts to a five-seat SUV by popping out the rear bulkhead and installing a bench seat. Reservations are open, with deliveries targeted for later this year.

EPA certification documents for the Rivian R2 have surfaced ahead of customer deliveries. The Performance trim on 21-inch All-Season tires earned 335 miles, five miles better than Rivian's own estimate of 330. The 20-inch All-Terrain version came in at 314 miles, also beating Rivian's 307-mile projection. Usable battery is 86.8 kWh and DC fast charging peaks at 210 kW. Payload capacity is roughly 1,175 lbs. The repositioned heat pump is confirmed to ship from day one, including on the Launch Edition. Employee deliveries are underway this month.

Electrifying recruits four real-world drivers, none of them EV owners, to spend a day with the MG4 Urban. The car offers around 258 miles of range and charges from 10 to 80% in about 30 minutes on a rapid charger. Highlights include five levels of regenerative braking, a one-pedal mode that brings the car to a full stop without touching the brake, 30 storage areas built throughout the cabin, and a boot floor that lowers to nearly double the usable depth. All four left saying it was easier and more practical than expected.

Dirty Tesla's Chris takes FSD 14.3 straight out on its release day. Tesla rewrote the AI compiler using MLIR, claiming a 20% improvement in reaction time and faster model iteration for future point releases. The RL neural network received a broad upgrade. On the drive, the car reads do-not-enter signs and overrides incorrect map data rather than following it blindly, and it avoids a near-miss when another driver cuts across without warning. Still on the to-do list: pothole avoidance and expanded reasoning beyond destination handling.

The switch to electric vehicles is necessary. It is not sufficient. Why the math of fleet turnover, manufacturing emissions, and grid decarbonization means EVs alone cannot hit the targets the science requires.

Scout Motors, revived by Volkswagen Group after acquiring the International Harvester nameplate, is presenting its debut lineup: the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup. Both are body-on-frame with 35-inch tires from the factory and serious off-road hardware baked in. The full EV version targets 350 miles of range. A range-extender version called the Harvester packages a small fuel tank and four-cylinder engine behind the rear axle, pushing total range past 500 miles for road trips without EV routing stress. Tactile switches sit below the touchscreen for eyes-free muscle-memory control, and an optional front bench seat is a deliberate nod to the original trucks.

France 24 covers the oil price shock hitting consumers differently around the world. In the US, regular gasoline crossed $4 a gallon for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Australian motorists bought 30% more fuel over Easter weekend than the year before. China holds roughly 1.4 billion barrels in strategic reserves and has directed hundreds of billions in subsidies into EVs over two decades. Today EVs account for more than half of new passenger car sales, and the country's fleet is 12% electric. Commercial drivers running battery-powered trucks say electricity prices barely moved while petroleum costs surged.

TELO Trucks introduces Madan Gopal, a safety engineer who spent 15 years at Tesla working on programs including the Model S, Model 3, Cybertruck, Semi, and robo-taxi before retiring and joining TELO as a consultant. His case: small EVs can be built for excellent crash performance because their compact motors free up space for a second load path that traditional ICE vehicles simply cannot use with a 300kg engine blocking the front. He explains why crash tests are run at 35 to 40 mph, why bolting an aftermarket steel bumper to your truck can cause airbags to fire at the wrong moment, and why that custom leather seat cover might be quietly disabling your side airbag.

True_Dad drove his R1S to the Venice Rivian Space to check out the R2 with his family, conveniently rolling over 20,000 miles on the way there. Five R2s were on display in different colors with various wheel and tire packages. The frunk is close to R1S-sized. Back seat legroom is solid but you sit lower, which means higher knees. Cargo space is in Honda CRV or Toyota RAV4 territory. The R2's side slats keep mud from splashing up the body, something his R1S doesn't have. One gripe: wood inlay is the only interior trim on offer.

Rivian delivered 10,365 electric vehicles in Q1 2026, a 20% jump year over year while most of the industry went the other direction. Ford's EV sales fell 70% to 6,860 units. Toyota's BEV total landed at 10,029, just behind Rivian. BMW's combined BEV and PHEV US sales dropped 50% to 9,856. Rivian pulled this off with no new model on sale, no federal tax credit, and production nearly matching deliveries. The R2 starts shipping soon. Full financials drop April 30.

CarGurus takes the fully loaded Rivian R1T Quad Motor off-road and comes away calling it one of the best vehicles they've driven. The quad motor delivers 1,025 horsepower and 1,195 lb-ft of torque, hitting 60 in under 3 seconds on summer tires. Range sits between 325 and 374 miles depending on wheels and tires. The gear tunnel between cab and bed is a clever use of dead space, and the built-in flashlight in the driver's door is always charged and ready. The kick turn feature spins the truck in place on tight trails. The wood dashboard trim is a $3,000 option the reviewer, a self-described woodworker, considers worth every cent. As-tested: over $123,000.

Out of Spec BITS tours the Aral Pulse Gigahub in Mönchengladbach, Germany, a flagship EV charging site with 14 Alpitronic Hypercharger 400s serving 28 stalls under a solar roof. The hardware is top shelf: 500-amp cables, tap-to-pay terminals, and covered parking. There's a self-service REWE grocery store, a driver's lounge, vending machines, spotless self-cleaning restrooms, and vacuum stations. Ad hoc pricing runs about 79 euro cents per kWh, steep even by German standards. Through the app it drops to around 54 cents. The site is gorgeous and nearly empty both times the host has visited. Location and cost seem to be keeping drivers away.

Reuters reports on how China's massive EV fleet is cushioning the country from the worst of the oil price shock caused by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Truck and taxi drivers say electricity prices have barely moved while fuel costs surge. The auto sector accounts for about 40% of China's oil consumption, and EVs now make up more than half of passenger vehicle sales. An Economist Intelligence Unit analyst says oil demand from Chinese road transport is no longer driving growth. China's total EV fleet is now roughly the size of the rest of the world's combined.

Enhauto's latest firmware update for its Commander dongle and S3XY accessories adds several features Tesla hasn't built into its own software. Performance Model Y Juniper owners can now enable Track Mode through the S3XY products even though it doesn't appear in Tesla's native menus. Also new: an Actions on Reverse automation that can mute all in-car audio when backing up, a Knight Rider sweeping animation for the ambient light strip, and separate brightness settings for day and night. Brake temperature per wheel is now visible in the S3XY app, a stat Tesla doesn't surface anywhere. All products are 20% off at enhauto.com through April 16.

AutoSpec Roaming breaks down the updated Zeekr 007 GT just announced in China, right as European deliveries of the 800V version begin this summer. The China-spec car moves to a 900V architecture, adds a 6C-capable NMC battery with 10-80% charging in around 10 minutes, and gains roughly 148 extra horsepower across both motors. The AWD performance version now hits 0-100km/h in 2.84 seconds. Europe gets the 800V model with the LFP Golden Brick battery and around 400kW peak charging, which is still fast but a generation behind. The host argues Zeekr should sync their market releases. The owner forums agree loudly.

Consumer Reports gets a first look at the 2027 Kia EV3. The standard 58.3kWh model gets around 220 miles of estimated range. The larger 81.4kWh version stretches that to 320 miles on the front-wheel-drive variant, with AWD available. DC fast charging goes from 10 to 80% in 29 to 31 minutes. Dual 12.3-inch screens, physical climate controls, a wireless charger, and USB charging points built into the rear seatbacks are all welcome. The flush door handles aren't Consumer Reports' favorite, and the rear ones sit high enough that small children may struggle to reach them. Rear seat headroom is snug for anyone over 5'10". On sale late 2026, starting just over $35,000.

Business Today TV reports from the 2026 New York International Auto Show, where the mood is notably cautious. US EV sales have slipped from close to 10% of total auto sales to around 6.5%, and the removal of federal purchase incentives has further dampened momentum. Subaru unveiled the Getaway, a three-row electric SUV with over 500km of range, alongside a new Forester Wilderness Hybrid. Kia showed the EV3 alongside the Seltos in gas and hybrid form. Hyundai noted its hybrid lineup is outpacing EV sales. The counterforce: rising fuel prices tied to Middle East tensions are nudging some buyers, especially in California, back toward electric. The industry picture is less a retreat from EVs and more a calculated hedge.

Computer scientist Ayse Coskun spent 12 years asking whether data centers could flex their power use to match what the grid needs. The answer is yes. AI facilities run predictable, delayable workloads, making them ideal for soaking up excess solar midday and scaling back during peak demand. Her conductor platform runs on real AI data centers today, cutting power by pausing non-critical jobs without breaking performance promises. During a 2023 Texas heat wave, wholesale electricity prices spiked over 800% in a single afternoon. Flexible data center loads could have blunted that. It is a compelling case that the same technology straining the grid can also help stabilize it.

The 2026 Subaru Uncharted shares its platform with the Toyota C-HR but offers something Toyota doesn't: a front-wheel-drive base trim with 221 horsepower and over 300 miles of claimed range. All-wheel-drive models make 338 horsepower with around 290 miles. NACS port means Superchargers are on the table, and the Lexus-sourced interior feels genuinely upscale for the price. The sloping roofline cuts into cargo depth, the door handles sit high enough to frustrate smaller children, and anyone much over six feet will find their head pressed against the headliner in the rear seat. Good small EV. Just measure your passengers first.

Tesla delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1 2026, missing analyst expectations near 369,000 and producing over 408,000 units in the same period. That 50,000-unit gap between production and deliveries is the figure analysts are watching most closely. Year-over-year deliveries rose 6.3%, but quarter-over-quarter they fell 14.4%, and some analysts now warn of a third consecutive annual decline. Tesla lost the title of world's largest EV maker to BYD last year. Bright spots include recovery in key European markets and China sales up 23%. Shares fell around 5% after the report.

PVWatts is a free calculator from the National Laboratory of the Rockies that estimates annual and monthly electricity output for a rooftop solar system at any address in the world. Enter your address, pick a system size, and get production numbers based on real local weather data. It is the same tool used by solar installers and researchers. If you have ever wondered whether going solar pencils out for your home, start here.

Everything Electric's weekly roundup leads with BYD's flash charging network: 1,500 kW chargers designed for passenger cars, targeting a 10-to-80% charge in around 11 minutes. More than 4,000 stations were already live before the official announcement, with 20,000 more planned across China this year. Also covered: disused UK coal mines are heating homes in Gateshead via warm groundwater a kilometre underground; Aberdeen City Council scrapped its entire 25-vehicle hydrogen bus fleet after its refuelling station went offline in 2024; the Denza Z9 GT claims 644 miles on a single charge; and Germany has surpassed 2 million registered EVs.

Rivian produced 10,236 vehicles and delivered 10,365 at its Normal, Illinois plant in the quarter ending March 31, 2026. No surprises, no missed targets. Deliveries outpaced production slightly, which points to tight inventory management rather than any demand concern. The company held its full-year guidance of 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles for 2026. Full Q1 financials drop April 30 after market close, followed by an audio webcast at 5 p.m. ET where margins, costs, and the R2 production ramp will come into focus.

At the New York Auto Show, automakers unveiled new EVs into a market still finding its footing. EV sales hit 9.6% of all US vehicle sales in 2025, then dropped to 6.5% in the three months after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired on September 30, the lowest level since early 2022. Rising petrol prices are beginning to shift the picture. Kia's head of corporate communications called the slowdown a short-term blip; Cox Automotive's Aaron Keating noted more buyers are researching EVs, driven partly by people who were already considering hybrids. Kia's lower-priced EV3 and the Subaru Getaway are among the new models arriving later this year.

Sam and Sarah from The Driven take the Aion UT for a first drive around Sydney. The base model starts at $31,990 drive away, with the luxury variant sitting around $35,000 to $36,000, making it one of the most affordable new EVs in Australia. It carries a 60 kWh LFP battery with 420 km of claimed range and 11 kW AC charging. The sticking point is 87 kW DC charging, which puts the 30-to-80% window at around 24 minutes. Fine for city use and the odd longer trip, but noticeable if you road trip regularly. Cabin is quiet, regen is decent, and early ride impressions are good. Full review to follow.

Loganair partnered with Beta Technologies and Royal Mail to complete Scotland's first commercial electric airline trial across a full network. The aircraft flew routes between Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Wick, and Orkney, delivering mail to remote communities. Each flight averaged around $20 in electricity, roughly an 80% reduction versus jet fuel on the same routes. It covers more than 300 nautical miles per charge, recharges in 30 to 40 minutes, and needs no new airport infrastructure. UK and European aviation authority sign-off is the next step.

BBC China correspondent Laura Bicker travels from Inner Mongolia to Yunnan to see the renewable buildout at ground level. She finds sheep grazing inside solar installations, panels shaped like a horse, and one of Asia's largest floating solar farms built over a collapsed coal mine in Anhui province. At peak pace, China was installing around 100 solar panels per second. Coal still accounts for roughly half of all Chinese energy production and emissions were only beginning to flatten by the end of 2025. The government leads with energy security and jobs; clean air is the bonus.

What Car gets an early drive before the Twingo hits UK showrooms. Prices start under £20,000, possibly dropping below £17,000 if the battery supply shifts from China to Hungary and qualifies for the full £3,750 EV grant. The 27 kWh LFP battery is a first for Renault and can be charged to 100% daily without hurting longevity. Official range is 163 miles; a 50 kW DC charger adds around 114 miles in 30 minutes from 10%. In town it is excellent: a 9.9-meter turning circle and a more precise brake pedal than the Renault 5. At 80hp and 12.1 seconds to 60 it is slow, but noticeably more composed beyond town than cheaper rivals.

The Iran conflict disrupted a shipping route carrying roughly 20% of global oil supplies, pushing average EU petrol prices up 12% between February 23 and March 16. French used car platform Aramis Auto, majority owned by Stellantis, saw its share of EV sales nearly double from mid-February over that period. Petrol models fell from 34% to 28% of sales; diesel dropped from 14% to 10%. The company saw a similar surge when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Used EVs react fast to fuel price spikes, partly because they run around 40% cheaper than new models.

The Vmoto Stash looks and weighs like any 125 at 155 kg but peaks at 16 kW and pushes past 70 mph on a UK dual carriageway with a 100 kg rider aboard. A non-removable 74V ATL soft-core battery charges fully in 2.5 hours on a faster charger. Three power modes change acceleration as well as top speed. In sport mode, real-world range sits around 45 to 50 miles; mixed riding gets you closer to 60 to 70. Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires, dual-channel ABS, and USD forks come in at £6,299. It is chain-driven, which the reviewer frames as a feature: it feels like a proper motorcycle, just quieter and faster.

Axel, the curator thinks this might be the bike for you. The Maeving RM1S is CBT-compatible with a 5.46 kWh battery, 10.5 kW peak motor, and a 70 to 75 mph top speed that makes it usable beyond city limits. Charge to 100% from zero on a standard UK three-pin socket in 6 hours and 20 minutes. At 133 kg it is genuinely light, with removable batteries you can take up to your flat or office. At £7,495, it has no ABS and the switchgear is off-the-shelf, but the build quality is solid where it counts and the RM1 was the bestselling electric motorcycle in the UK last year. The S takes that reputation and gives it a proper top end.

Also Inc. spun out of Rivian just over a year ago with a focus on small-form-factor EVs for urban and commercial use. Their consumer ebike, the TMB, starts at $3,500 and uses a pedal-by-wire system called DreamRide that simulates traditional bike feel through a generator-based force feedback setup. The bigger play is autonomous last-mile delivery: a partnership with DoorDash aims to deploy self-driving delivery vehicles in bike lanes and road-adjacent spaces where vans and cars cannot operate. The company sees congestion and cost-per-mile as the driving forces behind a shift to smaller autonomous EVs for delivery at scale.

The Microlino is a Swiss-made electric quadricycle that seats two, opens like a fridge, and costs £25,370 in its largest battery configuration. That 15 kWh pack carries a 140-mile WLTP claim, but the Autotrader reviewer ran nearly out of charge on a February run from Bedfordshire to London after taking it flat out on the M1 motorway. Top speed is 56 mph, charging is AC-only at 2.3 kW, and the car weighs just over 600 kg. It eventually rolled into the Autotrader offices in Covent Garden on what appeared to be the very last electrons in the pack. The entry 5.5 kWh model is limited to 28 mph and claims 58 miles. The mid-spec 10.5 kWh version is rated at just over 100 miles.