In July, Rivian told investors that point-to-point driving, where the car follows a route to an address you type in, would start rolling out by the end of this year. On Thursday's third-quarter call the date held but the scope narrowed: a limited rollout through an invitation-only early access program this year, with every other Autonomy+ subscriber waiting until 2027. The lidar-equipped hardware that was targeted for the end of 2026 now goes to employees first, with customers following next year. Nothing was cancelled. The promises simply got more careful, which is what tends to happen once the calendar starts checking them. Travis Ketchum saw it coming on his July stream, telling viewers he expected the year-end hardware date to mean validation units rather than customer cars, and point-to-point to begin as a closed beta.
The surest way to judge a promise is to find one with a number attached and hold a stopwatch to it. Ever took Kia's 31-minute charging claim for the EV3 and measured 31 minutes and 40 seconds. Edmunds bought a Model Y 18 months ago and can now say what that decision cost: nothing in repairs or maintenance, and about $17,000 in lost value on a $61,000 car. The lifetime Full Self-Driving package it paid for still needs someone watching the road, a point Edmunds makes plainly throughout the review. Alistair Weaver says the day you can look away is not far off. That may prove right. The review's own method is the better guide, though: count what the car did while you owned it.
Two of today's stories are still at the promise stage. Fort Bend County voted on October 22 to give Tesla tax breaks for Project Crystal Sun, a $10.1 billion solar factory, but the vote binds the county, not Tesla, which has told Texas it is still weighing a site in another state. Production in early 2029 is, for now, a line in a filing. BMW has put its own dates on the new i3: adaptive suspension as an option from November, according to a BMW press officer heard in the video, and an electric M3 the presenter says will be shown in January. Its 566-mile range is a lab figure, and nobody in today's videos has driven one until the battery runs out.
What to watch: whether point-to-point reaches early access owners before December 31, and how much more Rivian shows at its Autonomy and AI Day on December 9; Tesla's site decision, which The Electric Viking says it wants to make before the year ends, along with the state approvals the Fort Bend deal still needs; the i3's adaptive suspension option in November; and the first independent motorway range test of the i3 50 xDrive, which will say more about that 566 than any brochure.
Rivian's July Promises Meet Its Third-Quarter Call
The video here is Travis Ketchum's live breakdown of Rivian's second-quarter call on July 30, which makes it a useful record of what the company promised three months ago. Ketchum, who says on the stream that he owns Rivian stock, heard RJ Scaringe say point-to-point driving would begin rolling out by the end of this year and that third-generation autonomy hardware, including the in-house RAP1 chip and lidar, was targeted for the end of 2026. On Thursday's third-quarter call, Scaringe described a limited point-to-point rollout later this year through the invitation-only Autonomy Early Access program, with a general release to Autonomy+ subscribers in 2027. He said the lidar vehicle goes through an employee program late this year and reaches customers in 2027. The quarter itself set records. Rivian's third-quarter release reports revenue of $2.155 billion, up 38 percent, and 19,248 deliveries, with R2 outselling both R1 and the commercial van. On the call, Rivian raised the bottom of its full-year delivery guidance from 65,000 to 67,000, kept the top at 70,000, and said it expects to exit the year at a positive automotive gross profit, though not for the full fourth quarter. Today is Claire McDonough's last day as CFO, as Rivian announced in August, and vice president of finance Derek Mulvey becomes interim CFO.
A Texas County Backs Tesla's $10.1 Billion Solar Plant. Tesla Hasn't Picked It Yet
The Electric Viking covers the vote in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, to approve tax incentives for Project Crystal Sun, Tesla's code name for a $10.1 billion solar cell and panel factory near Needville. County commissioners passed four agreements on October 22, each by a 4 to 0 vote with one abstention, according to TeslaNorth, which also reports that Tesla's state filing projects 9,712 permanent jobs by 2033 and production starting in early 2029. Electrek, reporting on the original filing, puts the site at about 3,050 acres. The Viking's interest is in the scope. He says the plant would take silicon from ingots to wafers, cells and finished panels in one place, and contrasts that with most US solar manufacturing, which he describes as assembly of cells made in Asia. He also says $8.6 billion of the total is earmarked for equipment. Nothing is settled yet. Tesla has told Texas it is still weighing a rival site in another state, and the Viking notes the deal still needs state sign-off. He reads the rival site as leverage for better terms, says Tesla wants to decide before the end of the year, and ties the timing to what he says Tesla told investors on its latest earnings call: that its Megapack batteries are nearly sold out for 2027.
BMW's Electric 3 Series Promises 566 Miles and a 21-Minute Charge
Electrifying's presenter drove the new BMW i3, the electric version of the 3 Series, and admits to trying and failing to find something wrong with it. The test car was the i3 50 xDrive, which the presenter puts at about £53,000 with a 108.7 kWh usable battery, a claimed 566 miles, 400 kW charging on an 800-volt system and 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes. The cheaper 40 xDrive, at about £48,000, has an 82.8 kWh battery and 300 kW charging, and the presenter says it also reaches 80 percent in 21 minutes. The video gives its range as around 436 miles; Electrifying's own website lists 441 miles WLTP. According to the video, the 50 makes 469 hp and reaches 62 mph in about 4.7 seconds, and the 40 makes 374 hp and needs about 5.4. The test car lacked adaptive suspension. A BMW press officer heard in the video confirms it becomes an option from November, and the presenter, who prices it at £775, recommends waiting for it. Boot space is 520 litres plus a 58-litre front trunk, which the presenter finds fiddly to open. For a sense of the gap, Auto Express lists the Tesla Model 3 Long Range at 410 miles WLTP and 250 kW charging for around £50,000.
Kia's EV3 Misses Its 31-Minute Charging Claim by 40 Seconds
Ever's Andrew Lambrecht ran a 2027 Kia EV3 GT-Line, with the 81.4 kWh battery and all-wheel drive, through the channel's 10 to 80 percent test at a Tesla Supercharger. Kia quotes 31 minutes for this battery. The test took 31 minutes and 40 seconds at an average of 112 kW. Lambrecht notes the EV3 runs a 400-volt system, which he says makes it the first eGMP-based model sold in the US without 800 volts. Its peak was modest at 129 kW, reached at 51 percent, but the curve stayed above 100 kW until 71 percent before falling to 55 kW at 80. Among the small EVs Ever has tested, it was slower than the Chevrolet Bolt (25:52), Subaru Uncharted (26:48) and Mini Countryman SE (26:59), and quicker than the Nissan Leaf (34:19). Lambrecht points out that the EV3 has the largest battery of the group and added 59 kWh to the Countryman's 45. It needed just under 13 minutes to add 100 miles of EPA-rated range. Kia's US prices run from $29,890 for the 221-mile Light to $45,890 for the GT, with the GT-Line AWD tested here at $43,490 before a $1,495 destination charge, according to Electrek.
Edmunds' Model Y After 18 Months: No Repair Bills, 28 Percent Gone
Edmunds bought a Model Y Launch Series for about $61,000, including Full Self-Driving for the life of the car, a package Edmunds notes is now sold only as a subscription. Eighteen months and 11,000 miles later, the staff report spending nothing on repairs or maintenance. The latest offer for the car was $44,000, which Edmunds puts at about 28 percent depreciation, against roughly 30 percent for the mainstream EVs it typically returns after a year. Spread over 11,000 miles, that loss comes to about $1.55 a mile, by far the largest running cost in the review. The car matched its 327-mile EPA rating in Edmunds' range test, used 26.8 kWh per 100 miles and ran 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds at the track. The complaints are specific: a turn-signal stalk without a normal detent, air vents that can only be aimed through the touchscreen, a firm ride and no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Ronald Montoya says Cabin Overheat Protection and Summon standby used about 120 miles of range while the car sat for three days. Several staff praise Full Self-Driving (Supervised), but Brian Wong says it reached 52 mph on a 35 mph street in Hurry mode before he took over. Edmunds rates the car 8.2 out of 10, tied for second in its class with the Rivian R2.
Bottom line: Judge each company in today's edition by the oldest promise it has kept, not the newest one it has made. Kia earns the most trust: it said 31 minutes and delivered 31:40. Rivian had a strong quarter, but anyone buying an R2 or R1 for point-to-point should treat 2027 as the real date and value the car without it. Tesla's Texas factory is a negotiation until Tesla signs. And the i3's 566 miles is a lab number until someone drives one flat on a motorway. Wait for that test before planning a nonstop run to Scotland.
Commentary on third-party videos. Figures and claims are as presented in the sources and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.