ev.news

It's ev.news Briefly for Saturday 03 October 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.
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GASOLINE CARS LOSE THEIR GLOBAL MAJORITY

Pure petrol cars fell below half of global new-car sales for the first time in the first half of 2026, dropping 10% year on year to 20.25 million vehicles and a 49% market share. EVs reached 6.87 million sales and 17% share, so this is not an EV takeover but a milestone showing the global market fragmenting across battery-electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and other powertrains.

TESLA SUPERCHARGERS PASS 85,000 — AND GET BUSIER

Tesla’s Supercharger network has passed 85,000 stalls across more than 9,000 sites worldwide, while third-quarter charging sessions rose 29% year on year to 69 million and delivered around 2.4 TWh of electricity. Tesla is also introducing factory-assembled Supercharger designs to accelerate deployment, but rising utilisation suggests the network’s economics are increasingly being driven by how intensively existing chargers are used, not simply how many are installed.

TESLA'S CHEAPER MODEL 3 GAINS IN CANADA

Tesla’s Shanghai-built Model 3 is gaining sales in Canada after the country reopened limited imports of Chinese-made EVs under a 49,000-vehicle annual quota carrying a 6.1% tariff instead of the previous 100% surtax. Despite being ineligible for Canada’s federal EV incentive, the Model 3’s lower Chinese manufacturing costs have enabled aggressive pricing, potentially providing an early indication of how competitive Chinese-built EVs from Tesla and forthcoming brands such as BYD, Chery and Changan could be in North America.

GM BETS ON LMR AS ITS NEXT EV BATTERY

GM and LG Energy Solution plan to convert their Spring Hill, Tennessee battery plant to produce lithium-manganese-rich cells from 2028, betting that LMR can provide around 33% more energy density than LFP at roughly similar cost. GM sees the chemistry as particularly attractive for electric pickups and large SUVs and potentially important enough to displace LFP from its future EV portfolio, although durability, capacity retention and fast-charging performance remain unresolved.

BMW STARTS NEUE KLASSE BATTERY RAMP EARLY

BMW has started series production of sixth-generation Neue Klasse battery packs at its €1 billion Irlbach-Straßkirchen plant in Bavaria earlier than planned, initially supplying the new i3 from Munich. The factory is part of BMW’s strategy of assembling batteries close to vehicle plants worldwide, and its early ramp-up shows Neue Klasse moving beyond launch into large-scale industrial production.

VOLVO EV SALES RISE AS COMPANY WARNS ON PROFITS

Volvo Cars has withdrawn its annual guidance and warned of weaker earnings and cash flow after third-quarter deliveries fell 11%, with difficult conditions in China and a slower-than-expected US premium-market recovery weighing on the business. Its EV sales nevertheless rose 29% and reached almost one-third of total deliveries, showing that Volvo’s electrification is progressing even as broader market weakness and pricing pressure damage profitability.

ELECTRIC G-CLASS GETS NACS AND MORE EPA RANGE

Mercedes-Benz has given the 2027 G 580 Electric native NACS fast-charging access in the US, increased EPA range from 239 to 249 miles and cut its claimed 10–80% charging time from 32 to 29 minutes while retaining a 200 kW peak charging rate. The changes improve usability, particularly through easier Tesla Supercharger access, but do not resolve the larger question of weak demand for the electric G-Class compared with its combustion counterpart.

MERCEDES BRINGS SIX SHOW PREMIERES TO PARIS

Mercedes-Benz will bring six major models to the Paris Motor Show on 12 October, including the GLA, electric VLE, GLE, S-Class, AMG CLA 45 and AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, although these are show premieres rather than six new world debuts. The electric VLE, with seating for up to eight and more than 700 km of claimed WLTP range, will be one of the main EV attractions alongside electric versions of the C-Class and GLC as Mercedes demonstrates the breadth of its current product renewal.

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JAECOO 7 TOPS UK SALES AS CHINESE BRANDS NEAR 25% SHARE https://evne.ws/0sli5

HYUNDAI MAY FILL TWO BIG GAPS IN ITS IONIQ RANGE https://evne.ws/slhw9

HYUNDAI SELLS 800V IONIQ V AT $15,000 BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE IT https://evne.ws/bgano

GM’S LIMITED-RUN BOLT MEANS 35,000 CARS https://evne.ws/buj28

BMW WANTS GENERIC PARTS TO DOMINATE €80BN BUDGET https://evne.ws/v7i80

AMPOL BUYS SCALE IN EV CHARGING WITH EVIE DEAL https://evne.ws/y5cvb

FEDEX ORDERS 2,000 HARBINGER ELECTRIC TRUCKS https://evne.ws/zj0lw

STELLANTIS STOPS PLANTS AS BIG EV BATTERIES RUN SHORT https://evne.ws/qja9q

RIVIAN SPIN-OFF ALSO TESTS WHAT EUROPE WANTS FROM ITS E-BIKE https://evne.ws/89def

JAECOO 7 TOPS UK SALES AS CHINESE BRANDS NEAR 25% SHARE

The Jaecoo 7 became the UK’s best-selling new car in September, while Chinese brands reached 23% market share and BYD became the country’s second-largest bran. BEVs rose and are now 28% of the new cars. Despite the headline 33% ZEV mandate target, scheme flexibilities put the effective 2026 requirement at about 24.6%, meaning the industry is collectively ahead. Jaecoo’s rapid growth brings the challenge of after-sales challenge after nearly two-thirds of owners reporting problems waited more than a week for repairs.

HYUNDAI MAY FILL TWO BIG GAPS IN ITS IONIQ RANGE

Hyundai is reportedly preparing IONIQ 4 and IONIQ 7 electric SUVs, with the compact IONIQ 4 expected to offer 42 or 61 kWh batteries, up to 308 miles of WLTP range and pricing from about £25,000, while the larger IONIQ 7 could offer 800V architecture, at least 400 miles and cost around £45,000–£50,000. Neither model is confirmed, but together they would fill major gaps between Hyundai’s existing EVs and create a much more complete SUV range comparable with Kia’s EV3, EV5 and EV9 line-up.

HYUNDAI SELLS 800V IONIQ V AT $15,000 BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE IT

Hyundai has launched the China-only IONIQ V from a limited-time $14,900, offering 53.5 or 66.8 kWh LFP batteries, up to 650 km CLTC range and an 800V E-GMP architecture, although Hyundai has not disclosed its peak DC charging power. The aggressively priced model is an early test of Hyundai’s planned 20-model Chinese EV push, but in a market rapidly moving towards megawatt-class charging, the unanswered charging-rate figure will help determine whether its technology is as competitive as its price.

GM’S LIMITED-RUN BOLT MEANS 35,000 CARS

GM’s revived Chevrolet Bolt could finish with only around 35,000 vehicles built before production ends in the first quarter of 2027, based on the current output rate at its Fairfax, Kansas plant, although GM itself has not confirmed that figure. The $28,995 Bolt uses a 65 kWh LFP battery, delivers 262 miles of EPA range and raises DC charging to 150 kW, but the projected production scale suggests this comeback is intended as a relatively short-lived programme rather than a new high-volume cornerstone.

BMW WANTS GENERIC PARTS TO DOMINATE €80BN BUDGET

BMW wants standardised, industry-generic components to become the largest part of its €80 billion annual purchasing budget by 2032, while cutting the share spent on bespoke components by more than half. The aim is to reduce costs and lift automotive margins from 2.3% towards 3–5% by 2028, reserving BMW-specific engineering for components that genuinely affect performance, quality or brand character.

AMPOL BUYS SCALE IN EV CHARGING WITH EVIE DEAL

Australian fuel retailer Ampol will buy Evie Networks for $225 million, adding more than 1,030 charging bays across 400 sites to its existing 300-plus bays, although around 80% of Evie locations are already situated at Ampol sites. The deal comes as battery-electric vehicles reached 25% of Australian new-car sales in August and, for the first time, outsold petrol, diesel, hybrids and plug-in hybrids individually, making the acquisition look increasingly like preparation for a structural shift in transport.

FEDEX ORDERS 2,000 HARBINGER ELECTRIC TRUCKS

FedEx has placed an order worth $300 million for 2,000 Harbinger electric trucks for US and Canadian pickup-and-delivery routes, with deliveries due by the end of 2027. Harbinger estimates each truck could save roughly $20,000 a year in fuel and the fleet could avoid more than 1.7 million tonnes of CO2, but the larger significance is that this deployment will test their medium-duty electric-truck economics at commercial scale.

STELLANTIS STOPS PLANTS AS BIG EV BATTERIES RUN SHORT

Stellantis will temporarily halt production at two factories in October because ACC cannot supply enough 97 kWh batteries for long-range STLA Medium EVs such as the Peugeot E-3008, E-5008 and Opel Grandland Electric. Demand for those larger-battery versions, particularly from fleets, is exceeding supply from ACC’s struggling Douvrin cell plant, making this a production-mix problem caused by strong demand for long-range EVs rather than weak EV sales.

RIVIAN SPIN-OFF ALSO TESTS WHAT EUROPE WANTS FROM ITS E-BIKE

Rivian spin-off Also is surveying European consumers to determine whether its 45 km/h TM-B should arrive as a regulated speed pedelec, a conventional 25 km/h e-bike or potentially in multiple versions, while also examining which car journeys and employer-leasing opportunities it could replace. Also has yet to announce European launch markets, pricing, dealers, homologation timing or final specifications, so the survey is effectively helping decide what the European product needs to become rather than simply preparing to import the existing US model.

XIAOMI BREAKS 40,000 DELIVERIES — BUT Q4 MUST BE FAR BIGGER
Xiaomi exceeded 40,000 monthly deliveries for the first time in September, helped by the launch of its first range-extended EV, the Sky Nomad, which starts at about $31,300 and attracted more than 10,000 locked-in orders within four minutes. But with at least 286,475 vehicles delivered in the first nine months, Xiaomi would need something close to 88,000 deliveries a month in Q4 to reach its 550,000 annual target, making the required acceleration far greater than September’s record pace.
XPENG SETS A QUARTERLY RECORD — NOW IT WANTS 60,000 A MONTH
Xpeng delivered a record 118,390 vehicles in Q3, including 41,256 in September, beating its previous quarterly record and landing just above the midpoint of its own guidance. Chairman He Xiaopeng now wants monthly sales above 60,000, around 45% higher than September, supported by new models including the G9L and Mona L05 alongside continued volume from the Mona L03 and GX.
ZEEKR HITS SIXTH RECORD MONTH AS 9X BUILDS VOLUME
Zeekr delivered a record 37,216 vehicles in September, its sixth consecutive monthly high and 104% more than a year earlier, although growth versus August slowed to just 0.64%. The 9X contributed 7,225 deliveries while the 7X continues to exceed 10,000 monthly sales, and Zeekr is expanding both models with European launches and a new 85 kWh battery option for the 2027 7X.
AIVA ME7 MOVES FROM CONCEPT TO PRODUCTION CAR
AIVA has revealed the production ME7 in Paris, giving the young Chinese brand its first road-going model, although it disclosed design features rather than key EV specifications such as battery capacity, range or charging speed. More significantly, AIVA combines control by Saidou Technology with manufacturing from Seres and investment from CATL, allowing the new brand to use established production capacity while retaining control of its products and sales channels.
VOLKSWAGEN STARTS DELIVERIES OF 129,900-YUAN ID. AURA T6
Volkswagen has started Chinese deliveries of the ID. AURA T6, an electric SUV priced from about $19,400 with 59.9 or 77.5 kWh LFP batteries, up to 660 km CLTC range and a 170 kW rear motor. Its wider significance is Volkswagen’s use of a China-specific electronic architecture developed with CARIAD China and Xpeng, combining aggressive local pricing with LiDAR-assisted driving and Chinese technology rather than relying on the Volkswagen badge to justify a premium.
ICAR GIVES ITS RANGE-EXTENDER A 51.2 KWH BATTERY
Chery’s iCAR has launched a long-range V27 with a 51.2 kWh CATL LFP battery and 300 km of CLTC electric range, substantially increasing how far the range-extended SUV can travel before its 1.5-litre generator is needed. Priced from about $28,300, it illustrates how Chinese range-extender vehicles are increasingly carrying battery packs approaching those of full EVs while retaining an engine for longer journeys.
BYD SAYS FORMULA S PAIR COULD REACH 15,000 A MONTH
BYD says its new Formula S liftback and Formula S GT estate are selling ahead of expectations and could eventually reach 15,000 combined monthly sales, although that remains a company projection rather than an achieved delivery figure. Priced from about $28,300, both support BYD’s claimed nine-minute 10–97% Flash Charging system, making the cars an important test of whether BYD’s planned network of 20,000 Chinese and 6,000 overseas Flash Charging stations can become a genuine competitive advantage.

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BMW I3 OPENS RESERVATIONS WITH 912 KM WLTP RANGE https://evne.ws/bg3j8

BMW PLANS ENTRY-LEVEL NEUE KLASSE EV FOR 2028 https://evne.ws/4apma

RIVIAN R2 PET CAM WON’T WORK WITH PEOPLE INSIDE https://evne.ws/6mhq2

RENAULT MEGANE DROPS TO £28,245 AND CHARGES FASTER https://evne.ws/o1xzv

GOTION LIFTS SOLID-STATE BATTERY GOAL TO 400 WH/KG https://evne.ws/vzkq0

EUROPE COULD HAVE ENOUGH EU-MADE BATTERY CELLS BY 2030 https://evne.ws/i2k0u

MERCEDES GETS FIRST LOOK AT PROLOGIUM’S GEN4 CELLS https://evne.ws/sqhvu

LEAPMOTOR C10 RAISES CHARGING FROM 84 TO 120 KW https://evne.ws/1vmoc

T&E SAYS EV DEPRECIATION GAP SHRINKS 80% https://evne.ws/j9zzs

PORSCHE BOSS REJECTS ANTI-EV LABEL AS PETROL MACAN RETURNS https://evne.ws/qm4nx