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BMW IX3 ORDERS NEAR 100,000 https://evne.ws/2cykd

BMW TO BUILD IX5 BATTERY PACKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA https://evne.ws/0edr7

ZEEKR 9X ARRIVES IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/dwtl4

SK ON AND FACTORIAL TARGET SOLID-STATE SCALE https://evne.ws/ocft9

TESLA SHIP LOAD SETS SHANGHAI RECORD https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3362084/china-made-vessel-carries-record-number-evs-shipment-shanghai-europe

NORWAY LEADS GLOBAL EV ADOPTION INDEX https://evtech.news/charging-infrastructure/worlds-most-ev-friendly-countries-ranked-norway-leads-global-ev-adoption-index-denmark-second-china-third.html

MITSUBISHI RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA WITH LEAF EV https://evne.ws/9mma3

LEPAS L8 TARGETS EUROPE ON VALUE https://evne.ws/62kzo

KERBSIDE CHARGING SEARCHES JUMP AS EV COST SCRUTINY GROWS https://www.motortradenews.com/electric-vehicles/searches-for-kerbside-ev-charging-up-125-in-three-months-vertu-finds/

PRINCE AL WALEED RAISES LUCID STAKE https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/saudi-prince-buys-5-stake-in-lucid-motors/

It's EV News Briefly for Thursday 30 July 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.
Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDaily

BMW IX3 ORDERS NEAR 100,000

BMW has taken nearly 100,000 orders for the iX3 since launch and is raising output at its Debrecen plant in Hungary, which built its 50,000th unit just nine months after opening — the fastest ramp-up of any new BMW plant. The Neue Klasse flagship uses sixth-generation eDrive tech and a 108.7 kWh battery, charges at up to 400 kW to add 373 km (231 miles) in ten minutes, and starts at €73,925 ($85,200) in Germany for the iX3 50 xDrive with up to 805 km (500 miles) of WLTP range.

BMW TO BUILD IX5 BATTERY PACKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

BMW will begin mass production of iX5 high-voltage battery packs in December at its new Plant Woodruff in South Carolina, near Plant Spartanburg where the iX5 is assembled, keeping pack assembly in-house to build a local supply chain, cut geopolitical risk and reduce logistics costs. AESC, now majority-owned by China's Envision Group, supplies the 120 mm cylindrical cells — which deliver 30% more usable energy than the iX3's 95 mm cells — giving the US iX5 a 144 kWh pack (141 kWh in Europe), an estimated 435 miles of range, 460 kW peak charging and a 10-80% charge in 22 minutes.

ZEEKR 9X ARRIVES IN EUROPE

Zeekr has launched the 9X Ultra 6-Seater in Europe as a luxury SUV and its first Super Hybrid, pairing a 900V dual-motor system with a 2.0-litre turbo engine used purely as a generator for 897 horsepower, 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, up to 737 km of range and a 10-80% DC charge in 9.5 minutes. Designed in Gothenburg with adaptive air suspension and CDC dampers, it offers reclining, massaging first and second rows, an onboard refrigerator, a ceiling-mounted 17-inch 3K OLED screen and a 32-speaker Naim system, and marks Zeekr's fifth European model in three years across 16 markets.

SK ON AND FACTORIAL TARGET SOLID-STATE SCALE

SK On and Factorial Energy have partnered to push solid-state batteries towards production, combining Factorial's FEST cell technology with SK On's manufacturing network to tackle the scaling problem that has held back a chemistry promising higher energy density, longer range and faster charging than lithium-ion. Factorial is already testing cells in North America and has integrated them into Stellantis' Dodge Charger Daytona prototype, claiming 375 Wh/kg energy density, while its work with Mercedes-Benz produced a modified EQS that covered over 745 miles on a single charge.

TESLA SHIP LOAD SETS SHANGHAI RECORD

The Chinese-built car carrier Glovis Nova loaded 7,738 electric vehicles — all Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cars — at Shanghai's South Port Terminal on Sunday, a domestic record for a single voyage, and set sail for Zeebrugge, Belgium, for distribution across Europe. The 10,800-car vessel and its sister ship Glovis Leader, which berthed the same day before heading to Busan, were built by Guangzhou Shipyard International, a China State Shipbuilding Corporation subsidiary, and rank among the largest of their kind in the world.

NORWAY LEADS GLOBAL EV ADOPTION INDEX

Norway tops the latest Global EV Adoption Index with 73.2 out of 100, ahead of Denmark on 64.7 and China on 64.5, backed by a 92% EV sales share in 2024, 32 public chargers per 1,000 battery vehicles and 41.9% fast-charger coverage. Denmark climbed 40 percentage points since 2020 to a 56% sales share with 73 chargers per 1,000 EVs, China recorded a 48% share and 103 chargers per 1,000 vehicles, and Tesla led brand interest across 75 countries with 71.6 million Google queries in the past year.

MITSUBISHI RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA WITH LEAF EV

Mitsubishi will re-enter the North American EV market with the 2027 Eclipse Sportback EV, on sale in the US and Canada by late summer or early fall of 2026 through around 300 dealerships. Billed as all-new, it is in fact based on the next-generation Nissan Leaf via the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, sharing its 75 kWh liquid-cooled battery, native NACS port, Supercharger access and 150 kW charging (10-80% in about 35 minutes) beneath new fascias, lighting and alloys, with range and pricing still undisclosed.

LEPAS L8 TARGETS EUROPE ON VALUE

Chery has launched the Lepas L8, a D-segment family SUV priced from £34,900 to £37,900, using the upmarket Lepas brand to challenge BMW and Volkswagen on space, equipment and price alongside stablemates such as the Jaecoo 7, Omoda 7 and Chery Tiggo 8. Power comes from Chery's Super Hybrid system combining a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and 18.4 kWh battery, while the cabin offers an upmarket feel, generous tech, vast rear legroom and headroom despite the panoramic roof, and a 507-litre boot comparable to a Nissan Qashqai's.

KERBSIDE CHARGING SEARCHES JUMP AS EV COST SCRUTINY GROWS

Vertu reports that searches for "kerbside EV charging" rose 125% over the past three months while searches for "cheapest EV tariff" climbed 173%, suggesting buyers are weighing access and running costs together before switching. The trend matters because government figures published in 2024 found 40% of UK households have no access to off-street parking, leaving a large share of the market dependent on public charging and highly sensitive to the cost of every kilowatt-hour.

PRINCE AL WALEED RAISES LUCID STAKE

Prince Al Waleed bin Talal's investment office bought just over 19 million Lucid shares, lifting his stake to about 5% according to an SEC filing, with the prince saying he bought when Lucid's market cap was below $2 billion following speculation — since denied by Lucid — about bankruptcy or a take-private deal. The purchase, which Lucid welcomed as an independent vote of confidence, comes as the company restructures under new CEO Silvio Napoli after cutting 18% of staff in June on top of an earlier 12% lay-off, and adds to Saudi ownership alongside the Public Investment Fund's roughly 60% stake held since the 2021 SPAC merger.

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DONGFENG JOINS CHINA’S 1.5MW CHARGING RACE https://evne.ws/07jy5

XIAOMI OPENS SKY NOMAD EREV PRE-SALES https://evne.ws/xzfxy

CHINA PUTS SMART EVS AT POLICY CORE https://paultan.org/2026/07/29/china-to-fast-track-a-dedicated-15th-five-year-plan-for-smart-connected-evs-focus-on-software-and-autonomy/

CHINA BUILDS CHARGING AT SCALE https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/28/WS6a688fc7a310986e2b467c34.html

DEEPAL OPENS REFRESHED S05 PRE-SALES https://evne.ws/ih3ar

FREELANDER 8 STARTS CHINA PRODUCTION https://evne.ws/ktbjs

BRAZIL TOPS CHINESE CAR IMPORTS https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3362315/brazil-becomes-worlds-top-buyer-chinese-cars-imports-jump-147

BYD PASSES 100,000 UK REGISTRATIONS https://evne.ws/bhjoe

BYD STAYS IN FORTUNE GLOBAL 500 TOP 100 https://www.byd.com/uk/news-list/byd-ranks-91st-in-2026-fortune-global-500

LI AUTO, XIAOMI STRETCH EREV OIL INTERVALS https://evne.ws/sy7uk

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MERCEDES LAUNCHES ELECTRIC GLA FIRST https://evne.ws/jnyta

FERRARI LUCE BEATS 2026 SALES TARGET https://evne.ws/i2gia

RENAULT PROFITS BEAT ON EVS AND CUTS https://evne.ws/qdabj

WALMART BUILDS OUT US FAST CHARGING https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-29/why-walmart-is-quickly-adding-charging-stations-to-its-stores

CANADA’S FAST CHARGERS OUTPACE DEMAND https://evne.ws/zo6p5

FORMER VW ENGINEERS CHARGED OVER RIVIAN DEAL TRADES https://evne.ws/bvddj

IONIQ 3 OPENS UK AND EUROPE ORDERS https://evne.ws/29nle

KIA COMMITS $649 MILLION TO MEXICO EVS https://evne.ws/m66ns

V2G COULD DWARF MANAGED CHARGING VALUE https://evne.ws/qs3mu

SC01 SET FOR UK ARRIVAL IN 2027 https://evne.ws/wsx0m

It's EV News Briefly for Friday 31 July 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.
Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDaily

MERCEDES LAUNCHES ELECTRIC GLA FIRST
Mercedes unveiled the all-electric GLA in Warsaw, breaking from its usual pattern by launching three battery-electric versions first in November, with hybrids following in early 2027. Built on the 800-volt MMA platform, the GLA offers up to 657 km WLTP range, 320 kW charging, and starts at €48,599 as Mercedes' cheapest electric SUV.

FERRARI LUCE BEATS 2026 SALES TARGET
Ferrari's electric Luce hit its 2026 sales target of nearly 500 units within two months of its May launch, despite public backlash, an 8% share price drop, and the departure of marketing chief Enrico Galliera. Demand proved strongest in China, where its 88-unit allocation sold out at roughly $589,000, with Ferrari targeting 2,500 total Luce sales by 2030.

RENAULT PROFITS BEAT ON EVS AND CUTS
Renault posted a 5.2% operating margin and 9.5% revenue growth in the first half of 2026, beating forecasts through cost cuts and a stronger EV lineup, outperforming Audi and Mercedes-Benz margins for the period. CEO Francois Provost is pushing cheaper EVs like the €19,490 Twingo and €25,000 R5 to defend market share against BYD, Opel and Citroën, while targeting €400 in annual per-vehicle cost savings.

WALMART BUILDS OUT US FAST CHARGING
Walmart has opened about 46 high-speed public charging stations with 380 cords across roughly 326 of its 4,600 US stores, ranking second only to Tesla in network expansion during the second quarter. The retailer is leaning on its vast footprint—90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a store—to combine charging dwell time with shopping, potentially lifting store sales by about 5%.

CANADA'S FAST CHARGERS OUTPACE DEMAND
Canada's DC fast-charger utilization fell to just 9.5% in Q2 2026, down from 11.3% in Q1 and well below the 15-20% operators typically need to break even, trailing the US average of 15.8%. Paren's data, covering nearly 10,000 ports, shows profitability is highly site-specific, prompting calls for demand-led charger siting and better reliability.

FORMER VW ENGINEERS CHARGED OVER RIVIAN DEAL TRADES
Prosecutors charged former Volkswagen engineers Michael Stamp and Michael Plank with insider trading ahead of VW's $5 billion Rivian joint venture announcement in June 2024, which sent Rivian shares up 23%. Stamp allegedly made $250,000 and Plank $50,000, with Plank also accused of tipping a family member who made $12,000, while incriminating searches about insider trading laws feature in the case.

IONIQ 3 OPENS UK AND EUROPE ORDERS
Hyundai's new IONIQ 3 electric hatchback has drawn more customer interest than any previous Hyundai launch, debuting at Goodwood with UK pricing expected under £25,000 and offering up to 308 miles of range from a 61 kWh battery. Built on the E-GMP platform for the European market, the compact IONIQ 3 is not planned for a US launch.

KIA COMMITS $649 MILLION TO MEXICO EVS
Kia will invest $649 million in its Pesquería, Mexico plant to begin producing the EV3 compact SUV starting August 4, marking its first EV production in the country. The move, tied to Mexico's Plan México initiative, is expected to create 500 jobs this year and 1,500 by 2030, while helping Kia navigate USMCA trade rules and tariffs.

V2G COULD DWARF MANAGED CHARGING VALUE
A General Motors-commissioned E3 study found vehicle-to-grid technology could deliver five to 15 times more value per EV than one-way managed charging, totaling roughly $7 billion nationwide by 2030, with the strongest returns in California, ERCOT, and the Pacific Northwest. GM already has 250,000 bidirectional-capable vehicles on the road and is pushing utilities to speed up V2G tariffs and approvals, including a plan to use 52,000 vehicles to balance PG&E's grid by 2030.

SC01 SET FOR UK ARRIVAL IN 2027
Small Sports Car Company will bring its China-built SC01 lightweight electric sportscar to the UK, featuring 429 bhp, a 1,365 kg curb weight, a 2.9-second 0-62 mph time, and a 500 km CLTC range. UK demonstration cars arrive in Q4 2026, with right-hand-drive customer cars following from April 2027, though pricing has not yet been announced.