Can EVs help solve the affordability crisis? Dave Thomas from CDK talks it out
Mar 10, 2026
Show notes
As the average transaction price of a new car creeps towards $55,000, a coming wave of low mile, off-lease EVs with massive depreciation could help car dealers solve the affordability crisis, combat sticker shock, and move more units. CDK's David Thomas talks us through it on today's surprisingly affordable episode of Quick Charge.
A tidal wave of EVs leased in the early-2020s is about to come back to dealers, with over 300,000 electric lease returns expected in 2026 alone, and many hundreds of thousands more every year thereafter just as used values fall and fuel prices climb. For dealers and buyers alike, that volatility could turn what looks like a resale disaster on paper into one of the biggest affordability opportunities the car market has seen in years.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Interview: it’s all solar, all the time with Emily from EnergySage
Mar 05, 2026
Show notes
On today's solar-powered episode of Quick Charge, we've got EnergySage director of insights Emily Walker with a look inside the company's 22nd industry report, this time featuring home solar, EV charging, and whole home electrification.
In addition to some key takeaways from millions of solar customer datapoints across North America, Emily talks us through the changing landscape of hardware availability, what trade restrictions on China could mean for the residential solar market, some of the ways people are choosing to finance their solar panel systems – and why the right choice can help save them big money!
You can check out some of the article we referenced in the episode, below, and let us know if you knew that Franklin WH stood for "Whole Home" in the comments.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Elon’s dirty deals, Tesla’s credit losses, and electric semi trucks save BIG money
Mar 04, 2026
Show notes
On today's disturbingly dirty episode of Quick Charge, Elon Musk is undoing nearly two decades of decarbonization by pumping out massive amounts of pollution to keep his xAI and Grok slop-machines rolling – and hurting some of America's most vulnerable communities at the same time.
Tesla's troubles with pollution and carbon don't end there, either – two of company's biggest buyers of carbon credits are taking their business elsewhere, and the damage to Tesla's bottom line could be in the billions. Plus: it's a record month for Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales, electric semi trucks really do save fleets money, and some cool pictures of Volvo heavy equipment assets getting topped off at the Circle K!
And, before you ask: NO! The irony is not lost on me ... but I didn't waste any water making the image, I just copy/pasted it in (he said, defensively).
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Donut solid-state batteries tested, Tesla engineer quits, and solar value
Feb 27, 2026
Show notes
On today's extraordinary episode of Quick Charge, we reflect on the fact that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and both Donut Labs AND Tesla are a long long way from turning everyone into believers.
While Donut Labs' allegedly groundbreaking solid state battery tech gets put to the test, Tesla engineer Victor Nechita, who served as Tesla’s vehicle program manager for the Cybercab, has announced he is leaving the company as part of the recent exodus of the brand's top staff. Plus, a new study of 5,000 home sales showed that rooftop solar really does pay for itself – almost as soon as you put it in!
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Floodgates open for Tesla lawsuits, Waymo expands, and US goes nuclear
Feb 25, 2026
Show notes
On today's high-dollar episode of Quick Charge, Tesla is reeling from a $243 million judgement against it in a high-profile wrongful death case involving the company's Autopilot system, and has a hard time getting the relevant data to NHTSA.
We've also got news that Waymo its expanding its L4 autonomous and driverless taxi operations into four new US cities across Florida and Texas, bringing its total to 10 compared to Tesla's 0 total cities with driverless electric vehicles in operation.
Plus: the US Air Force has deployed the world's first portable 5MW nuclear reactor – which seems like the kind of thing we should all know about, you know?
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Amazon grows van fleet, solar-powered semis, and BetterFleet stops by
Feb 21, 2026
Show notes
On today's smarter episode of Quick Charge, we've got CEO Daniel Hilson here to give us an in-depth look at how BetterFleet can help fleets and utilities manage their charging schedules to keep both energy costs and downtime to a minimum.
We also take a look at Amazon's Rivian electric van fleet and how their goal of reaching 100,000 vans by 2030 is coming along, as well as a new solar-powered semi trailer that's using Australia's sunshine to keep food fresh from farm to store to table.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We'll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Tesla’s European future in doubt, but they didn’t get banned in California!
Feb 19, 2026
Show notes
On today's labor-intensive episode of Quick Charge, Germany's largest union IG Metall is squaring off with Tesla in a major dispute involving a toxic work culture, criminal charges, defamation, and more – but at least they can still sell cars in California (for now).
That's right, gang – Tesla has managed to avoid a sales ban in California by pivoting away from the use of the word "Autopilot" in its marketing (which explains that $99 FSD Supervised deal too, btw). Plus: Polestar is rolling out FOUR new production cars in then next THREE years and if you just can't wait for that, there's a whole lot of great deals on a new EV you can drive home today.
That featured image up there, by the way, comes courtesy of IG Metall.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Robotaxis wreck 4x more than humans, and at least one Tesla wants to swim
Feb 18, 2026
Show notes
On today's crash-tacular episode of Quick Charge it's been a rough, rough week for Tesla stans as new data out of Austin shows Robotaxis crashing at rates more than 4x higher than humans, new data out of China shows sales crashing more than 45%, and a new video seems to show a Tesla trying to crash into a lake.
We've got some of Fred's in-depth analysis of what's going on over at Tesla as they start rolling Cybercabs or Cybervehicles or whatever they're calling it off an assembly line, too – and even something the house that Elon built is doing right!
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Texas bets on Tesla bets on WeChat, and a bet on Toyota to crack solid-state
Feb 12, 2026
Show notes
On today's Texas-sized episode of Quick Charge, Tesla Cybertruck owners in the Lone Star state get V2G access, Tesla Model 3 and Y models get WeChat via OTA, and Toyota has an all-new electric Toyota Highlander with up to 320 miles of range!
We're also taking a look at a Japanese joint venture involving oil refining giant Idemitsu Kosan and Sumitomo Metal Mining that's helping Toyota scale up its solid-state battery production plus up to $5,000 off and 0% interest financing on new Toyota EVs.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
Tesla Semi specs and pricing, L4 haul trucks, and Windrose’ mobile AI concept
Feb 10, 2026
Show notes
On today's long overdue episode of Quick Charge, we've finally got production specs and pricing on the Tesla Semi first revealed by Elon Musk nine (9) years ago. Will it be a revolution, or a case of too little, too late to make a real impact?
We've also got a Level 4 autonomous mining truck backed by global EV leader BYD that's already being put to work on more than 30 mining sites, a look at the first preproduction Rivian R2s, and a mobile AI data center + BESS and charging solution from Windrose Electric CEO Wen Han that may be the most bonkers, or brilliant thing you see this week.
New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We'll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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