EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon

You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog

Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:
➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple
➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic
➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify
➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein
➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart

EU EV TARGETS COULD SAVE €12 BILLION https://evne.ws/869af

FORD AND GEELY PLAN VALENCIA JOINT VENTURE https://evne.ws/afwia

SENATE BILL COULD BAR MERCEDES FROM US https://evne.ws/lvdv8

RIVIAN CUTS BATTERY COST WITH STRUCTURAL PACK https://evne.ws/9ks51

TESLA SHEDS $214.5 BILLION AFTER EARNINGS https://evne.ws/jxmin

TESLA PUSHES BACK 2026 PRODUCTION GOALS https://evne.ws/5sbtb

DENZA Z9 GT OPENS UK ORDERS https://evne.ws/fcz10

CARMAKERS PRESS UK TO REOPEN 2035 BAN https://evne.ws/84hfv

BMW IX1 AND IX2 WIN FULL UK GRANT https://evne.ws/bm0pg

NHTSA OPENS RULE ON CAR DOOR ESCAPE https://evne.ws/nuil3

It's EV News Briefly for Saturday 25 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

EU EV TARGETS COULD SAVE €12 BILLION
Meeting the EU's 2030 EV targets covering 35 million battery EVs, 3 million electric vans and 200,000 electric trucks could cut oil imports by about 190 million barrels a year, worth roughly €12 billion, according to E-Mobility Europe and Ember. In 2025 alone, battery EVs already displaced 57 million barrels of oil and kept about €4 billion in European wealth inside the bloc, with the report urging faster electrification alongside a stronger industrial base and energy resilience.

FORD AND GEELY PLAN VALENCIA JOINT VENTURE
Ford and Geely Auto are forming a Europe-focused joint venture at Ford's Valencia plant in Spain, with Ford owning 66% and Geely 34%, aiming to start operations in early 2027 and begin production in 2028. The venture will build a new compact Bronco, a jointly developed multi-energy crossover, and two Geely-branded electric SUVs, while Kuga production continues uninterrupted during the transition.

SENATE BILL COULD BAR MERCEDES FROM US
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced bipartisan legislation barring automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership from selling cars in the US, a threshold Mercedes-Benz would exceed due to nearly 20% Chinese investor ownership. Committee chair Ted Cruz said the bill would effectively ban Mercedes, though the company would have until 2030 to comply or seek a waiver, with the measure still needing full Senate and House approval plus a presidential signature.

RIVIAN CUTS BATTERY COST WITH STRUCTURAL PACK
Rivian slashed R2 battery-pack cost by switching to large-format 4695 cells, cutting cell count from 7,776 to 776, and making the pack structural to the vehicle floor, saving about 7mm of space used for extra protection and venting. The company made the pack non-serviceable at the cell level to simplify validation, instead consolidating serviceable electronics into a rear-seat "powerhouse" that cut high-voltage cabling by roughly 70% versus R1.

TESLA SHEDS $214.5 BILLION AFTER EARNINGS
Tesla shares fell 14.5% to $319.69 after disappointing Q2 earnings, wiping $214.5 billion off its market value in the largest one-day loss in company history. The drop followed missed expectations, a more cautious timeline for Cybercab, Semi and Megapack 3, and Tesla's first negative free cash flow in two years amid $5.8 billion in quarterly capital spending.

TESLA PUSHES BACK 2026 PRODUCTION GOALS
Tesla no longer expects volume production of the Cybercab, Semi, Megapack 3 or Optimus in 2026, blaming the need to scale 4680 battery output, even as quarterly revenue rose 26% to $28.2 billion on stronger deliveries. Despite the sales rebound, net income fell 5% to $1.1 billion, free cash flow turned negative $1 billion, and 2026 capital expenditure is now expected to reach $25 billion.

DENZA Z9 GT OPENS UK ORDERS
BYD's luxury brand Denza has opened UK orders for the Z9 GT shooting brake, starting at £105,000 for the EV and £95,000 for the plug-in hybrid, more than triple its Chinese starting price. The EV offers up to 599 km WLTP range, a 122.49 kWh Blade Battery 2.0 pack, tri-motor output of about 1,140 hp, and Flash Charging claiming 10-70% in roughly 5 minutes, as BYD tests premium pricing with a Daniel Craig/James Bond campaign.

CARMAKERS PRESS UK TO REOPEN 2035 BAN
BMW, Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Bosch privately urged UK ministers in April to keep combustion, hybrid and range-extender vehicles on sale beyond 2035, citing the EU's softened 90% target and customer demand concerns. The Department for Transport insisted the 2035 phase-out is not being renegotiated, while critics including Polestar's UK boss and thinktank ECIU warned that delay risks jobs and climate goals despite the manufacturers employing about 30,000 people in the UK.

BMW IX1 AND IX2 WIN FULL UK GRANT
BMW secured the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant for the iX1 and iX2 in the UK, tied to its Science Based Targets commitment and the Regensburg plant's renewable energy use, making the iX1 eDrive20 Sport start at £33,315, cheaper than its petrol X1 equivalent. BMW also added a new, more affordable iX2 eDrive20 Sport variant at the same £33,315 starting price, alongside other grant-eligible trims.

NHTSA OPENS RULE ON CAR DOOR ESCAPE
NHTSA has opened formal rulemaking on requiring reliable manual door-escape systems in new US cars, responding to a petition citing incidents where flush, electronic door handles—used notably by Tesla—trapped occupants after crashes or power loss. Bloomberg reported at least 15 deaths linked to such failures, and any final rule could force manufacturers to add mechanical backups and revise crash-test protocols, though the process is expected to take months to years.

3,258 episodes and 3,113 days later. Phew.
That first episode went out on 18 January 2018 and nobody heard it.
There has been one most days since — through Christmases, a pandemic, becoming a dad and a long list of difficult days when stopping would have been the sensible choice because I was doing this in my 'spare time'. Whatever that is.
Following a question I asked you recently and feedback from loads of you, publicly and privately, I've decided that EV News Daily will become ev.news on 1 August.
The short version, for anyone who reads no further: the show does not change, the feed does not break, the pledge stays as it is and there is nothing to do.
Why the change?
The name began as a description. One short podcast, just the news, daily.
In 2026 it describes less than it used to. There is now the original global news podcast, Briefly for those in a hurry, China, Specials, the written daily briefing here on Patreon and on evnewsdaily.comwhen I have time, and a YouTube channel I have restarted several times and never quite got right.
But most importantly the show these days is all about explaining what the news means, rather than just repeating headlines.
"EV News Daily" is where this came from and in some ways it's tethering me to the past because I'm doing everything the way I used to, plus many new things bolted on.
ev.news names a new thing. It is shorter, it survives being said out loud on air, it's better for search when someone looks for 'EV news' and it is easier to remember. The industry has changed beyond recognition in eight years, and this next stage feels like the moment to change with it.
For those who asked - yes I have bought the ev.news domain, so the podcast will be matched by an online presence and email addresses. I also have managed to get 'evnews' as a username on Instagram and Threads. On Facebook, X, LinkedIn and more the handle/username will have to stay evnewsdaily, as evnews was taken long ago, but that's not a problem.
It also sets an intention. The plan was never to stay a single creator with a microphone — though that remains an accurate description of most days since I quit my job, adopted two kids and started doing this full-time.
I have a vision of a team working on this one day - perhaps someone on ev.news China, someone on a newsletter, someone who loves making video.
What does it mean?
Very little immediate change, and that is deliberate.
- *The feed does not change.* Same Patreon, same RSS, same Apple, Spotify, etc. Nothing to re-subscribe to, nothing to fix. New artwork and a new name will turn up first.
- *The ad-free feed continues.* Untouched. One of the best benefits of Patreon support and it stays.
- *The pledge does not change.* Same tiers, same price, same platform. No restructuring, nothing to re-confirm.
- *The show does not change.* Same format, same presenter attempting Chinese names.
- *The website will be new.* evnewsdaily.com has never been a work of art but I enjoyed learning Wordpress. ev.news will be built to do the job properly: somewhere audio and video stop fighting each other, and somewhere a future newsletter could live natively.
How can you help?
A rebrand only makes sense when there is something worth putting a better name on.
There is something here worth rebranding because you pay for it. Patreon legends covered the hosting and the kit through the years when the whole audience would have fitted in my spare bedroom, and it turned a hobby that lost money into something that could take itself seriously. There is a rebrand on 1 August because you decided a daily EV podcast was worth a few quid a month.
So over the next few days I will share things as I make them: any new artwork, the site as it gets built, the bits that break and all the things I have not worked out yet. You have heard more of this show than anyone else, and you're in the best place to help me course-correct when I get it wrong.
Thank you.
3,258 episodes later, I don't know what comes next, but at least the first episode of ev.news won't just be me talking to myself!
— Martyn

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon

You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog

Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:
➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple
➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic
➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify
➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein
➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart

VOLKSWAGEN OPENS UK ORDERS FOR TRANSPORTER EHYBRID https://evne.ws/3gzja

GERMAN BEVS GOT CHEAPER, NOT PRICIER https://evne.ws/84w6t

FORD APPROVES F-150 HOME BACKUP SWITCH https://evne.ws/jx4g2

NISSAN LEAF NISMO LAUNCHES IN JAPAN https://evne.ws/6ve94

SILA RAISES $300 MILLION FOR US ANODES https://evne.ws/46vb4

MILENCE OPENS ZERO-EMISSION BUILT HENGLO TRUCK HUB https://evne.ws/suqs7

SPECTRE CLIMBS AS ROLLS-ROYCE KEEPS V12 https://evne.ws/nkbd7

GRIDSERVE OPENS FIFTH ELECTRIC FORECOURT AT M1 https://evne.ws/5t0wk

HOME CHARGING LEAVES RAPID NETWORK UNDER STRAIN https://evne.ws/gmxrl

AUSTRALIA POST GETS $40.5M FOR HEAVIER EVS https://evne.ws/yxd6p

AVILOO EXPANDS USED EV BATTERY WARRANTY NORTH https://evne.ws/6o010

It's EV News Briefly for Friday 24 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

VOLKSWAGEN OPENS UK ORDERS FOR TRANSPORTER EHYBRID
Volkswagen has opened UK orders for its first Transporter plug-in hybrid, badged eHybrid, offered in panel van, Kombi and Shuttle bodystyles with a 2.5-litre petrol engine, electric motor and 11.8kWh battery delivering 232PS and up to 35 miles of electric range. Prices start at £38,155 excluding VAT, and the van shares its Ford Transit Custom-derived plug-in hybrid platform while retaining a 1,132kg payload and 2,300kg towing capacity.

GERMAN BEVS GOT CHEAPER, NOT PRICIER
A study by ICCT and Fraunhofer ISI found that comparable battery EVs in Germany fell about 18% in real terms between 2020 and 2025, even though average list prices rose from roughly €37,000 to €53,000 due to larger, better-equipped models. Battery costs dropped 21-24% nominally over the period, but manufacturers mostly reinvested those savings into extra range and R&D rather than passing them fully to buyers.

FORD APPROVES F-150 HOME BACKUP SWITCH
Ford has approved Global Power Products' GenerLink transfer switch for F-150 Lightning and PowerBoost Hybrid owners, letting Pro Power Onboard feed a home's main electrical panel directly without extension cords. The hardware costs $1,100 plus installation fees of $250-$1,500, positioning it as a cheaper alternative to Ford's automatic wall-charger-based backup system.

NISSAN LEAF NISMO LAUNCHES IN JAPAN
Nissan has launched the Leaf Nismo in Japan starting July 22, with North America and Europe to follow later; it keeps the standard 160kW/214hp motor and battery but adds recalibrated software for about 20% stronger initial acceleration, plus suspension, tyre and aerodynamic upgrades. Pricing starts at ¥6.60 million (~$40,600), rising to ¥7.23 million (~$44,510) for the weight-saving Recaro edition.

SILA RAISES $300 MILLION FOR US ANODES
Sila has raised $300 million to expand production of its Titan Silicon silicon-carbon anodes, which it claims can boost EV range by up to 20% and energy density by 20-40% with faster charging. Its Moses Lake, Washington factory is scaling toward 250 GWh of annual capacity within five years, with customers including Mercedes-Benz and Panasonic Energy already signed up.

MILENCE OPENS ZERO-EMISSION BUILT HENGLO TRUCK HUB
Milence has opened its fourth Dutch heavy-duty charging hub, at Deurningen-Hengelo on the A1, notable as the company's first built entirely using zero-emission construction machinery. The site offers five 400kW CCS bays plus rest facilities, and Milence, backed by Daimler Truck, Traton and Volvo, plans to replicate the all-electric construction approach at future hubs.

SPECTRE CLIMBS AS ROLLS-ROYCE KEEPS V12
The Rolls-Royce Spectre became the brand's second best-selling model worldwide in 2025, drawing a younger buyer base and showing little resistance from existing V12 customers, according to sales director Julian Jenkins. Despite this EV momentum and an upcoming Spectre Series II with 500kW output and 628km range, Rolls-Royce has dropped its 2030 V12 phase-out plan, citing regulatory changes, and will keep selling both powertrains.

GRIDSERVE OPENS FIFTH ELECTRIC FORECOURT AT M1
GRIDSERVE has opened its fifth Electric Forecourt at Markham Vale on the M1, featuring 39 ultra-rapid 400kW ABB charging bays, solar panels and rainwater harvesting, bringing its national network past 200 sites. The launch follows a record first half of 2026 in which battery electric vehicles reached about 24.9% of UK new car registrations.

HOME CHARGING LEAVES RAPID NETWORK UNDER STRAIN
A YouGov survey of 2,086 EV drivers found 74.6% use public chargers only once every few months or less, reflecting that 91% of EV owners can charge at home where off-peak tariffs can fall to 7p/kWh versus 87p/kWh for public rapid charging. This heavy reliance on home charging is squeezing public chargepoint operators financially, even as rapid chargers remain essential for longer journeys.

AUSTRALIA POST GETS $40.5M FOR HEAVIER EVS
Australia Post will receive a $40.5 million federal investment in 2026-27 to add electric vans, trucks, prime movers and depot charging infrastructure, building on its existing fleet of over 5,000 electric vehicles. The move aims to cut diesel use by about 1 million litres a year while supporting a delivery network handling 2.2 billion parcels annually.

AVILOO EXPANDS USED EV BATTERY WARRANTY NORTH
Aviloo has extended its used EV Battery Warranty to Norway and Denmark, adding to ten existing European markets, using its three-minute Flash Test to set an individual State of Health threshold for each vehicle. If a covered battery falls below that threshold within a year, buyers receive compensation of up to 34,000 kr in Norway or 23,000 kr in Denmark, plus a refund of the test cost.