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ev.news Briefly: ID. Buzz Cargo, Alpine A290, Audi A6 & more
Oct 01, 2026
Show notes
VOLKSWAGEN OPENS ORDERS FOR LONGER ID. BUZZ CARGO Volkswagen has opened German orders for the longer ID. Buzz Cargo, which increases load volume from 3.9 to 4.4 cubic metres, gains a wider side opening for a Euro pallet and uses an 86 kWh battery, with prices from €50,630 for the 250 kW AWD version and €48,490 for the forthcoming 210 kW RWD model. Quoted ranges are 430–460 km for AWD and 450–490 km for RWD, with 200 kW DC charging, 11 kW AC charging, one-pedal driving and 3.0 kW continuous vehicle-to-load power. ALPINE ADDS COLLECTION PACKAGE TO ELECTRIC A290 Alpine has introduced a more restrained Collection styling package for the A290 GT, GT Performance and GTS, adding body-colour wheelarches, a black steering wheel, silver brake calipers, exclusive matte grey-blue or metallic white paint, a gloss-black roof and diamond-cut Snowflake wheels. GT and GT Performance also receive blue-and-white fabric and faux-leather interiors, while GTS retains leather; UK timing and pricing remain unconfirmed, although a small premium over the roughly £30,000 existing range is expected. AUDI A6 E-TRON CLAIMS 831-MILE SINGLE-CHARGE RECORD Rally driver Miko Marczyk drove an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance 1,338 km, or more than 831 miles, on one charge over 45 hours, exceeding a previous claimed Lucid Air record of 749 miles and travelling more than 360 miles beyond the Audi’s official 468-mile maximum. The 94.9 kWh car averaged 8.8 miles/kWh on a carefully selected Polish route with favourable terrain and energy-efficient Michelin tyres, making the conditions and exceptionally long journey important context for the claimed record. DACIA HIPSTER PRODUCTION PLANNED FOR 2027 AT EXPECTED £9,500 Dacia is reportedly planning 2027 production of the Hipster, potentially giving Britain an electric city car costing around £9,500, although the project has not yet received final production approval. Sources indicate a 15 kWh battery and production at Shiyan in China using some previous-generation Spring components, while Dacia is still deciding between four-seat L7e and two-seat L6 configurations as it seeks a profitable sub-£10,000 starting price. EU WILL NOT VOTE ON TESLA FSD ON 6 OCTOBER Tesla’s attempt to secure EU-wide approval for Full Self-Driving Supervised will be discussed by the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles on 6 October but will not be put to a vote, making December the earliest scheduled opportunity for a decision. Seven countries have authorised the driver-supervised system, but bloc-wide approval requires support from at least 15 member states representing 65% of the EU population, while concerns including speed-limit compliance remain and Tesla’s reported European safety figures have not been independently audited. INDEPENDENT USED-CAR DEALERS GET FREE EV TRAINING Independent used-car dealers can now access EV Retail Ready, a free online programme created by the BVRLA, Independent Motor Dealers Association and EVA England to improve staff knowledge of charging, running costs, ownership and the EV buying process. The four-module course takes up to two hours, includes access to Clearwatt’s vehicle-specific battery, charging and real-world range data, and requires all customer-facing staff to complete the training for dealership accreditation. RENAULT PLANS €600 MILLION SPANISH FACTORY INVESTMENT Renault plans to invest €600 million through 2030 in its Valladolid and Palencia factories in Spain, preparing them for five new models including two medium-sized EVs based on the electric-specific RGEV Medium 2.0 platform. The programme, combining Renault funding with national and regional public support, also includes a battery assembly line at Valladolid and is intended to help secure the future of more than 6,000 direct jobs. US SENATORS DELAY BID FOR PERMANENT CHINESE VEHICLE BAN US senators have delayed a fast-track attempt to make restrictions on Chinese vehicles permanent while discussions continue with Republican Senator Rand Paul, whose objection prevents the unanimous consent needed despite the bill having 51 supporters. The proposal would prevent presidential waivers for Chinese manufacturers and could also affect Mercedes-Benz because Chinese investors own nearly 20% of it, although Senator Bernie Moreno said the company would have until 2030 to comply and could potentially receive waivers. SLOVENIA WILL END ELECTRIC-CAR PURCHASE SUBSIDIES Slovenia’s new government will end electric-car purchase subsidies after existing funding was exhausted, shifting its electric-mobility policy towards charging infrastructure instead. Around €2.5 million is available for slower chargers and roughly €25 million is planned next year for charging infrastructure on and beyond the TEN-T network, with future support expected to rely more heavily on national rather than EU funding. ROLLS-ROYCE ELECTRIC SUV PROTOTYPE SHOWS SPLIT BONNET SEAM A photograph of Rolls-Royce’s forthcoming electric SUV prototype shows a centre bonnet seam resembling a split-opening mechanism described in a 2024 BMW patent, although neither the mechanism nor the possible storage space beneath it has been confirmed. The standalone electric SUV could enter production next year alongside the V12 Cullinan, but reports of BMW Group EV technology, an 800-volt electrical system, dual motors and all-wheel drive remain expectations rather than confirmed specifications.
ev.news Briefly: Smart #2, Rivian Gets Licence and Diesel Getting More Expensive | 28 Sep 2026
Sep 29, 2026
Show notes
SMART’S TINY #2 HAS SURPRISINGLY SERIOUS ENGINEERING smart’s new sub-3-metre electric #2 uses rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight distribution, five-link independent rear suspension and a compact 11-in-1 electric-drive unit to maximise cabin space and manoeuvrability. Its 35.8 kWh CATL battery targets about 300 km WLTP range and 10–80% charging in 20 minutes, while seven airbags and a body made from more than 78% high-strength steel underpin its safety pitch ahead of the 12 October Paris debut. RIVIAN GAINS WASHINGTON LICENCE FOR DIRECT SALES Rivian has obtained a Washington motor vehicle dealer licence allowing it to sell directly through company-owned locations, although it has not said when in-state sales, test drives or deliveries will begin. It is also preparing a showroom and service centre with 13 service bays and 21 chargers for an expected early-spring 2027 opening, serving a state with almost 10,000 registered Rivians. USED-DIESEL VALUES FALL AS DIESEL COSTS AROUND 14% MORE UK diesel prices are around 14% higher than petrol, contributing to falling used-diesel values as motorists reconsider whether the fuel still makes economic sense. Higher fuel costs following geopolitical disruption and the arrival of cheaper EVs are accelerating diesel’s decline, although Britain’s 4.8 million diesel vans have had fewer alternatives until the recent arrival of longer-range electric vans. PG&E WILL PAY GM EV DRIVERS TO HELP TAKE PRESSURE OFF THE GRID GM and PG&E are offering eligible Northern and Central California buyers of new Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC EVs a free GM home charger, although customers must pay installation costs. Drivers using participating chargers and OnStar can receive a $15 monthly bill credit plus up to another $50 for allowing PG&E’s Charge Manager software to shift charging towards periods of lower grid demand or cheaper electricity. HYUNDAI: “YOU MUST BE IN THE GAME” ON SOLID-STATE BATTERIES Hyundai will continue developing solid-state batteries despite R&D chief Manfred Harrer saying he does not expect their raw-material costs to become suitable for mass-market vehicles within five years. Hyundai is working internally and with partners including Solid Power, with Harrer expecting small-volume halo vehicles using solid-state packs to reach the market within that period while broader adoption remains further away. HYUNDAI TESTS 200 KWH USED-BATTERY STORAGE Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution are testing a 200 kWh stationary storage system using retired batteries from E-GMP vehicles at a fast-charging site in South Korea. The pilot will charge the batteries during off-peak periods and discharge during high demand, testing whether used EV packs can safely and economically reduce grid peaks and charging-station costs. POWERCO DELAYS $7-BILLION ST. THOMAS BATTERY FACTORY BY TWO YEARS Volkswagen’s PowerCo has delayed the opening of its $7-billion St. Thomas battery factory in Ontario by two years, citing changing market demand, technological developments and Volkswagen Group strategy. Construction is continuing on the 16-million-square-foot plant, which has received commitments of $700 million from Canada’s federal government and $500 million from Ontario. BOSCH WARNS COSTLY BATTERY REPAIRS COULD SHORTEN EV LIVES Bosch warns that ageing EVs could be scrapped prematurely if owners cannot economically repair individual battery components once their original warranties expire. It argues that module-level repairs could keep otherwise usable cars on the road, avoiding situations where the cost of replacing an entire battery exceeds the vehicle’s value. KIA PV5 CHASSIS UK CONVERSIONS DUE FOURTH QUARTER 2026 Kia has introduced the PV5 Chassis, an E-GMP.S-based electric commercial-vehicle platform designed for specialist body conversions including UK tipper, dropside and Box/Luton versions from TGS Automotive Group. UK models will use the 71.2 kWh Long Range battery exclusively, while other European markets will also receive a 51.1 kWh Standard Range version. THREE-QUARTERS OF 20 LEADING UK PHEVS CANNOT USE RAPID CHARGERS ChargeUK says three-quarters of the UK’s 20 best-selling plug-in hybrid models cannot use rapid chargers, with only 26% of vehicles sold across those models capable of charging at 50 kW or more and none supporting 150 kW ultra-rapid charging. The charging-industry group argues that limited public charging capability encourages PHEV drivers to rely on petrol and warns the government against treating higher PHEV sales as equivalent to wider electrification. VERTICAL OPENS £1.5M VALO ASSEMBLY CENTRE Vertical Aerospace has opened a £1.5 million, 60,000-square-foot assembly centre at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire to build Valo electric aircraft for certification testing. Assembly of the first certification aircraft is expected in the fourth quarter of 2027, with commercial certification targeted for 2029 and around 1,500 pre-orders reported from customers including major airlines and aviation operators.
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