EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs

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SMART #2 BEGINS VALIDATION TESTING https://evne.ws/y8wtg

LI AUTO LAUNCHES UPDATED L6 AT OLD PRICE https://evne.ws/fzl95

FREELANDER 8 BEGINS CHINA PREVIEW TOUR https://evne.ws/0kcu3

BLOGGER JAILED OVER XIAOMI SU7 VIDEO https://evne.ws/00f2e

BYD SHOWS DENZA Z9S IN PRODUCTION FORM https://evne.ws/uvpj9

BYD’S FANG CHENG BAO SETS OUT FARTHER https://evne.ws/hofd3

JETOUR OPENS PRE-SALES FOR ZONGHENG F700 https://evne.ws/sb8d8

GM EYES CHEVROLET REBADGE FOR BINGO PRO https://evne.ws/1qcb7

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VOLKSWAGEN PUTS GTI ON AN EV https://evne.ws/4dAHkSu

BMW AND SOLARWATT PUSH V2H PLANS https://evne.ws/495oUaV

GM CUTS BOLT COSTS WITH BATCH BUILDS https://evne.ws/4dwamT5

UK INSURERS SHUN MANY CHINESE CARS https://evne.ws/4uNQ26C

BMW TIES IONNA DISCOUNT TO US CHARGING https://evne.ws/4dhioQP

EPA DELAYS TIER 4 BY TWO YEARS https://evne.ws/4nx8b6d

KIA DEBUTS PV5 SIDE-ENTRY WAV IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/4tA6aHP

COULTHARD DRIVES FORMULA E GEN4 AT MONACO https://evne.ws/3RhctCP

RECYCLING LIFTS OLD BATTERIES INTO BETTER CATHODES https://evne.ws/4usJdHV

It's EV News Briefly for Monday 18 May 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.
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VOLKSWAGEN PUTS GTI ON AN EV
Volkswagen has unveiled the ID. Polo GTI, the first-ever electric vehicle to carry the iconic GTI badge — a near-50-year-first — sitting above the standard ID. Polo with a 223hp front-mounted motor, 0–62mph in 6.8 seconds, and a 263-mile WLTP range from its 52 kWh battery. It goes on sale in Germany from autumn 2026, priced from €39,000, competing with the Alpine A290 and Peugeot E-208 GTi, but will not be sold in North America.

BMW AND SOLARWATT PUSH V2H PLANS
BMW and SOLARWATT are expanding their partnership to bring Vehicle-to-Home bidirectional charging to BMW's Neue Klasse line-up, starting with the iX3 and i3, following Germany's first commercial Vehicle-to-Grid launch in March 2026. The integrated system will use SOLARWATT's energy management platform, the BMW Wallbox Professional, and both brands' apps to coordinate solar, home storage, dynamic tariffs, and EV charging — launching first across Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.

GM CUTS BOLT COSTS WITH BATCH BUILDS
GM is achieving its sub-$30,000 target for the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV in part by assembling cars in batches of 30 identical units at its Fairfax plant in Kansas City, rather than building mixed trims in sequence, reducing errors and line stoppages. The approach, part of GM's "Winning with Simplicity" strategy, also includes keeping clone spare bodies on standby, cutting floor space needs, reducing paint booth colour changes, and locking suppliers to a fixed seven-day delivery schedule.

UK INSURERS SHUN MANY CHINESE CARS
Carwow research found that half of all insurance quote requests for Chinese vehicles were declined outright by UK insurers, with AXA refusing to quote on all four tested models and Hastings Direct covering only one. Beyond availability, Chinese models averaged £901 per year to insure versus £646 for petrol equivalents — a £255 gap — with insurers citing limited repair data, underdeveloped parts supply chains, and a lack of long-term claims history as key reasons.

BMW TIES IONNA DISCOUNT TO US CHARGING
BMW has launched a preferred pricing programme with IONNA, giving BMW and MINI EV drivers a 20% discount on public charging sessions across the network's 1,000-plus US bays, running through 30 September 2026. The discount applies automatically via Plug & Charge or the My BMW App, with no subscription or RFID card required, as part of BMW's broader strategy to build out home, workplace, and public charging infrastructure.

EPA DELAYS TIER 4 BY TWO YEARS
The EPA has proposed pushing Biden-era Tier 4 light- and medium-duty vehicle emissions standards back two years, from model year 2027 to 2029, framing the move as a "freedom of choice" measure that the agency says will save automakers and consumers over $1.7 billion. The rollback goes much further than a delay, however — the EPA has also repealed the 2009 Endangerment Finding and all vehicle greenhouse gas regulations, dismantling the legal framework for future federal EV mandates.

KIA DEBUTS PV5 SIDE-ENTRY WAV IN EUROPE
Kia unveiled the PV5 WAV Side Entry at the Motability Scheme Live exhibition in Birmingham on 15 May 2026, claiming a segment first with its side-entry wheelchair access that allows kerb-side boarding — an advantage in dense urban areas where rear access is often blocked. Built for taxi operators, shuttle services, and fleet providers, the van features a reinforced floor, integrated wheelchair anchorage, floor lighting for boarding visibility, and a two-step manual ramp suited to varied road conditions.

COULTHARD DRIVES FORMULA E GEN4 AT MONACO
David Coulthard drove Formula E's upcoming GEN4 car on the streets of Monte Carlo, describing the experience as unlike anything in his career — a significant claim from a two-time Monaco Grand Prix winner. The GEN4, set to debut in the 2026/27 season, tops 205mph, weighs under 1,000kg, produces over 800bhp, hits 0–100kph in 1.8 seconds, and delivers a 71% power increase over GEN3 Evo in Attack Mode, with all-wheel drive and a redesigned ergonomic cockpit; it will make its first public show appearance at Goodwood Festival of Speed from 9–12 July.

RECYCLING LIFTS OLD BATTERIES INTO BETTER CATHODES
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a recycling process that upcycles spent lithium iron phosphate and lithium manganese oxide cells into higher-performance lithium manganese iron phosphate cathode material, recovering more than 95% of key elements — rivalling or exceeding most commercial operations. Crucially, the process runs at normal temperature and pressure, requires no energy-intensive equipment, fits existing recycling infrastructure, and produces cathode material with higher energy density than the source materials it came from.

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BYD BATTERY BOTTLENECK HITS FLASH-CHARGE MODELS https://evne.ws/3Rs8UJZ

BYD SENDS SONG ULTRA EV ACROSS CHINA https://evne.ws/4dglftl

ONVO L80 STARTS AT 242,800 YUAN https://evne.ws/4uh5E2M

DENZA HITS 500,000 AS N9 STARTS https://evne.ws/4ujFdJV

LEAPMOTOR PLANS SECOND BRAND FOR PREMIUM PUSH https://evne.ws/42DaIlW

LI AUTO LAUNCHES 2026 L9 IN CHINA https://evne.ws/4dtqN2m

LUXEED LAUNCHES V9 LUXURY MPV IN CHINA https://evne.ws/4df9DH4

AUDI SPLITS CHINA BUSINESS IN TWO https://evne.ws/42E5kyP

CHINA’S GOLDEN LITHIUM AWARDS FLAG SOLID-STATE PUSH https://evne.ws/3PMY80s

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RIVIAN OPENS R2 CONFIGURATOR EARLY https://evne.ws/4duA9uW

USED EV PRICES LEAD UK MARKET https://evne.ws/3RcfRio

RIVIAN ASSISTANT REACHES R1 OWNERS https://evne.ws/3RbsH0i

GREEN TECH NOW SHAPES HOME BUYING https://evne.ws/3RfZCRp

GRIZZL-E CLUB HITS 10,000 MEMBERS https://evne.ws/4nxM1km

GERMAN TRIAL TURNS PARKED EVS INTO FERRY BATTERIES https://evne.ws/43baVNk

RISING POWER BILLS HIT EV CHARGING SATISFACTION https://evne.ws/4ul4hQH

DISNEYLAND AUTOPIA GOES ELECTRIC IN 2027 https://evne.ws/4wyjU8G