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RIVIAN DEMO DRIVES PASS 150,000 AFTER R2 LAUNCH
Rivian completed more than 150,000 demo drives through August, with activity accelerating sharply after R2 drives began on 9 June, while CEO RJ Scaringe says Launch Edition orders converted from reservations better than expected and the company is preparing a second production shift in Illinois. However, Rivian’s figures cover its entire range and marketing events, and without disclosed R2 production, deliveries or test-drive conversion rates, demo drives remain evidence of interest rather than confirmed sales demand.

MARY BARRA SAYS EVS REMAIN GM'S END GAME
GM CEO Mary Barra says EVs remain the company’s “end game” and “north star” despite cancelled electric-truck plans and weaker US EV sales, with electric vehicles still projected to represent roughly 40–50% of GM sales by 2030. GM is continuing to invest in batteries, software and charging while using combustion-vehicle profits to fund a transition Barra now expects to take decades rather than follow a fixed near-term deadline.

ELECTRIC TRUCKS LEAD IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026
IAA Transportation 2026 shows battery-electric trucks moving from demonstration projects towards mainstream freight, with new Volvo models, MAN trucks claiming up to 720 km of range and Mercedes eActros 600 customer vehicles already accumulating more than 160 million kilometres. The wider focus on megawatt charging, depot infrastructure and energy management shows that grid capacity and charging operations are increasingly as important to electric trucking as the vehicles themselves.

GEELY GALAXY CRUISER 700 COULD BE BUILT AT FORD'S VALENCIA PLANT
Geely is considering building its new Galaxy Cruiser 700 SUV at Ford’s Valencia factory from 2028 through their 66%-Ford, 34%-Geely joint venture, potentially reducing tariffs, logistics costs and reliance on importing complete vehicles from China. With Geely’s EX5 also expected to be produced there and the plant potentially capable of 500,000 vehicles annually, Valencia could become a major European manufacturing base for the Chinese carmaker.

MG5 IS AUGUST'S FASTEST-SELLING USED CAR
Electric cars occupied nine of the UK’s 10 fastest-selling used-car positions in August, led by the MG5 at just 20.6 days on dealer forecourts, ahead of models including the Mercedes EQA, Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID.4. The figures show strong demand and rapid turnover for particular used EVs, although combustion cars still dominate overall used-car sales volumes, with the Vauxhall Corsa remaining Britain’s best-selling used model.

RENAULT LAUNCHES REMANUFACTURED EV MOTORS AT AROUND 30% LESS
Renault is offering remanufactured 6AM electric traction motors in Europe for the Megane E-Tech, Scenic E-Tech and Master E-Tech at around 30% less than equivalent new motors, with The Remakers claiming equivalent performance, reliability and an “as good as new” guarantee. Lower-cost replacement motors could materially improve the economics of keeping older EVs on the road after warranty expiry, although Renault has not yet confirmed the programme for the UK.

VOLVO LAUNCHES ELECTRIC TRUCK FOR UP TO 80 TONNES
Volvo Trucks has developed a new battery-electric truck for combinations weighing up to 80 tonnes, using 640 kWh of usable battery capacity and offering quoted ranges of 450 km at 64 tonnes and 420 km at 76 tonnes. Megawatt charging can take the battery from 20–80% in around 36 minutes, pushing battery-electric trucks into demanding applications such as long-haul freight, timber transport and refrigerated operations when European sales begin in early 2027.

U.S. BUYERS AND DEALERS DIVIDE OVER CHINESE CARS
Around half of surveyed US car buyers say they would consider a Chinese vehicle, attracted partly by prices substantially below America’s roughly $50,000 average new-car transaction price, while many US dealers remain opposed to Chinese manufacturers entering the market. High tariffs and forthcoming restrictions on Chinese vehicle software and hardware currently leave those brands without a viable US sales route, despite evidence that both consumers and some dealer groups could ultimately be willing to sell them.

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DENZA MAKES N8L EV CHEAPER THAN PHEV https://evne.ws/1uuyx

NIO ES8 HITS 150,000 IN ONE YEAR https://evne.ws/kku39

CATL’S EGYPT BATTERY PLAN STARTS WITH TRUCKS https://evne.ws/ot77t

WNEVC PUTS CHINA’S EV EXPORT PUSH CENTRE STAGE https://evne.ws/ol413

BYD TAKES 1.5 MW TRUCK CHARGING TO EUROPE https://evne.ws/ac95r

CHINESE BATTERY RECYCLER PLANS TO TRIPLE CAPACITY https://evne.ws/y5op8

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IONNA HITS 1,488 FAST-CHARGING PORTS https://evne.ws/3trnh

KIA’S PV7 BRINGS 800-VOLT CHARGING TO ITS VAN RANGE https://evne.ws/8h1hp

KIA PV5 PASSES 50,000 GLOBAL SALES https://evne.ws/iqig7

LEAPMOTOR B03X STARTS AT €24,900 IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/h27mk

LEAPMOTOR MOVES B10 PRODUCTION TO SPAIN https://evne.ws/ro7ds

GM WANTS US-MADE SODIUM-ION CELLS BY 2029 https://evne.ws/ffyyt

MAXUS REVEALS 615-KWH ELECTRIC TRUCK https://evne.ws/acpiu

A BYD KEPT A SYDNEY PUB OPEN FOR SIX HOURS https://evne.ws/blr0e

COSTCO MOTOR OIL JUMPS TO $58 https://evne.ws/kvzy3

IONNA HITS 1,488 FAST-CHARGING PORTS

Ionna has expanded to 1,488 fast-charging ports across 174 US stations, with ports up 50% and locations 74% in six months, while its Alpitronic hardware offers up to 400 kW charging, card readers and Plug and Charge support. The automaker-backed network has already ranked first in JD Power’s US charging-experience study, is offering discounts to owners of several major EV brands, and is targeting 30,000 charging bays by 2030.

KIA’S PV7 BRINGS 800-VOLT CHARGING TO ITS VAN RANGE

Kia’s larger PV7 electric van will arrive in South Korea and Europe in the second half of 2027 with 71.5 or 96.2 kWh batteries, more than 460 km provisional WLTP range and an 800-volt architecture capable of roughly 10–80% charging in 25 minutes. With up to 8.0 cubic metres of cargo space, 1,200 kg payload and eventually 23 variants, the PV7 extends Kia’s PBV strategy into a commercial class where charging downtime, payload and operating economics will determine its success.

KIA PV5 PASSES 50,000 GLOBAL SALES

Kia’s PV5 has passed 50,000 global sales just 13 months after launch, reaching 53,530 units by the end of July with around 60% sold outside South Korea. It was Kia’s third-best-selling EV during the first seven months of the year, giving the company meaningful evidence that its dedicated electric-commercial-vehicle platform has enough demand to support expansion into models such as the larger PV7.

LEAPMOTOR B03X STARTS AT €24,900 IN EUROPE

Leapmotor will open European orders for the B03X in July from €24,900, with a 39.8 kWh version offering up to 292 km WLTP and a 53.0 kWh model reaching 382 km. Both claim 30–80% charging in 16 minutes, while generous storage and extensive standard technology make the B03X a potentially strong value proposition if those specifications and prices survive localisation across European markets.

LEAPMOTOR MOVES B10 PRODUCTION TO SPAIN

Leapmotor will begin assembling the B10 at Stellantis’s Figueruelas plant near Zaragoza next month, initially targeting 40,000 cars annually while also localising battery-module and chassis production in Spain. British customers are expected to continue receiving Chinese-built cars because the UK does not impose the EU’s additional anti-subsidy tariffs, illustrating how European EV manufacturing decisions are increasingly being shaped by trade policy rather than production efficiency alone.

GM WANTS US-MADE SODIUM-ION CELLS BY 2029

General Motors and Peak Energy are targeting US commercial production of sodium-ion batteries around 2029, slightly later than their original 2028 goal, as GM seeks a cheaper domestic chemistry primarily suited to stationary energy storage. Sodium-ion offers lower energy density than lithium-ion but potentially lower costs, wider temperature tolerance and reduced cooling requirements, although GM must still overcome a supply chain currently dominated by China.

MAXUS REVEALS 615-KWH ELECTRIC TRUCK

Maxus has revealed its first 42-tonne electric tractor unit, the eDeliver 420L, using a huge 615 kWh CATL battery that it says can charge from 20–80% in 25 minutes, potentially fitting charging into mandatory driver rest periods. The crucial missing figure is range, but the truck marks SAIC-owned Maxus’s move into long-haul electric freight alongside the smaller 120 kWh eDeliver 75, which offers up to 250 km WLTP range.

A BYD KEPT A SYDNEY PUB OPEN FOR SIX HOURS

A Sydney pub used vehicle-to-load from a BYD EV to power essential equipment for six hours during a power cut, allowing it to continue serving customers rather than closing. The improvised setup did not power the whole building, but it provides a practical real-world example of how bidirectional-capable EV hardware can provide useful backup energy beyond the usual camping and power-tool use cases.

COSTCO MOTOR OIL JUMPS TO $58

Costco has raised a 10-quart pack of Kirkland synthetic motor oil from roughly the mid-$30s to $58 as surging base-oil costs tighten lubricant supplies, while also restricting how much customers can buy. Battery-electric cars avoid engine-oil changes entirely, unlike combustion cars, plug-in hybrids and range-extenders, modestly strengthening the BEV ownership-cost advantage even if higher oil prices alone are unlikely to change purchasing behaviour.

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BYD’S SEALION 08 PUTS NEW BLADE BATTERY ON THE ROAD https://evne.ws/l2cd1

BYD’S SOLID-STATE BATTERY GETS A 2027 ROAD TEST https://evne.ws/y4qzk

GEELY’S EX5 GAINS 800V AND 6C CHARGING https://evne.ws/qk799

XIAOMI’S SKYNOMAD ARRIVES AS EREV SALES FALL https://evne.ws/mo1ck

FOREIGN PETROL CARS HIT 23.4% DISCOUNTS IN CHINA https://evne.ws/67oyt

YANGWANG TEASES BYD’S NEXT ULTRA-LUXURY FLAGSHIP https://evne.ws/pyxuz