BRIEFLY: BMW, Rivian, Walmart & more | 05 Feb 2026
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Car
BMW i3
The BMW i3 is a small electric car made by BMW. It's designed for city driving and is known for its unique look and eco-friendly materials.
Term
platform
A platform in cars is like the foundation of a house. It's the basic structure that supports different car models and helps them share parts and designs.
Car
BMW iX3
The BMW iX3 is an electric SUV from BMW. It offers the space and comfort of a regular SUV but runs on electricity instead of gasoline.
Term
DC fast charging
DC fast charging is a way to quickly charge electric cars using special equipment. It fills up the car's battery much faster than regular charging methods.
Term
kilowatt
A kilowatt is a measure of power. When charging electric cars, it tells you how fast the electricity is being supplied to the battery.
Company
Alpetronic
Alpetronic is a company that makes charging stations for electric cars. They are known for making very good and reliable charging equipment.
Term
electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline. They are usually better for the environment and can save you money on fuel costs.
Term
combustion engine
A combustion engine is a type of engine that makes cars go by burning fuel like gasoline. It's the most common type of engine in cars before electric ones became popular.
Term
price parity
Price parity means that electric cars cost about the same as regular gas cars. When this happens, more people might choose to buy electric cars.
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Let's do the 60-second savings challenge.
Step one, download rocket money.
Step two, link your accounts and see every subscription you're paying for.
Tap one you don't use and cancel it.
That's money back every month.
Step three, create a financial goal.
$50 every paycheck or let the app automatically move
small amounts of cash when you can afford it.
In a week, you'll forget you set it up.
In a month, you'll see real dollars piling up.
In a year, you'll be shocked at how much money you've saved.
Bonus challenge, upload an internet or phone bill
and let rocketmoney try to lower it.
You only pay if they find you savings.
On average, Rocket Money members can save up to $740 a year
when using all the app's premium features.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
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It's EV news briefly for Thursday 5th of February.
Everything you've seen in less than five minutes
and you've got time for the full podcast.
That's okay.
Let's get you up to speed.
BMW started pre-series production of their three series.
They've called it the i3.
Or do we call it the new i3?
Anyway, this is noir class of platform,
just like all the goodness in the iX3,
but possibly going even further,
it's a more aerodynamic shape.
This is the saloon sedan.
There'll be a touring version of it coming soon as well.
They've been retooling their Munich plant
a hundred years of making cars at that facility
and now it goes EV.
Rivian says it's re-engineered its R2 to make more money
in places the R1 doesn't.
The mass market SUV arriving with customers very soon,
they say, in a recent walkthrough at their facility
explaining that they've designed the R2
for manufacturing principles first,
not styling preferences inwards.
It means they can use fewer stampings, fewer castings.
They can have the parts to be easier assembled,
battery packs accommodating multiple chemistry software
ported over from the R1 vehicles.
Walmart is adding 78 owned and operated charging sites
in 19 states.
These are 400 kilowatt DC fast charges.
90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart,
which makes DC fast charging extremely convenient
while you pop in and grab some supplies.
Jurisels, e-charge network expanding in the UK,
a new one, a new castle of ontine, six of them,
which are 300 kilowatt charges serving two cars each.
And this is following their site in Cheltenham recently.
What I love about these,
firstly it's the Alpetronic hardware,
which is just about the best stuff they can get,
but they've done them like little Jurisel batteries.
So the famous copper and black battery colors,
decades of brand building, of TV adverts,
of Jurisel buddies.
For many people it's a shorthand in their head
if you like a watchword of reliability
and battery safety and all those things.
I think it's a really good thing for the EV industry.
Plus they look like little Jurisel batteries
and they just look so cute and cool as well.
And the work is expanding
with 200 million pounds of investment.
Let's go to Canada.
Altawa is scrapping their EV sales mandate,
which was for 60% EV by the end of the decade.
In its place comes a 1.5 billion Canadian dollar
investment fund helping more drivers go EV,
also investing in battery cell production.
Cathode materials and more.
And yes, money off new electric vehicles in Canada.
Used EV sales are surging here in Great Britain.
Averaged used EV prices have dropped
over the last three years from 30,000 to 25,000 pounds.
That's from about 38,000 US to about 31,000 US equivalent.
Monthly payments for electric vehicles
on platforms like the Marketplace Cinch.
They say today that they are edging so close now
to the combustion equivalent to pretty much a price parity.
But of course EVs much cheaper to run
if you charge them,
if you can charge them overnight on cheap rate.
America's car dealers have discovered
a convenient new patriot themselves.
They don't want Chinese cars in the country either.
And not because of some of the reasons which are given,
but because it means they wanna protect
their own 16,000 franchise dealers of the NADA.
The reason they're giving is they're supporting
the US's cybersecurity threat.
Now I don't think the NADA is that concerned
about cybersecurity, but that's the reason they're giving
to keep Chinese EVs out of the country
a little bit longer.
But dealers navigate very thin profit margins
and things are more expensive.
And so at some point could we see American dealers
selling Chinese EVs to make a bit more money?
Tesla's grip on the US market is still slipping,
but it's not falling off a cliff.
It was 49% in 2024, 46% of the EV bev market last year.
And it's fleets in the UK,
which are driving the move to pure bev,
not private buyers here,
as EV share goes through the roof for fleet buyers.
And that's briefly.
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My shopping style is more stay at home
than try and store.
So my Amex Blue Cash Every Day card
is my go-to accessory.
When I shop, it's easy to earn
by getting 3% cashback on U.S. online retail purchases.
Each order brings me closer to more cashback.
So go ahead, add the card and shop the latest styles,
reinvent your look and reward yourself with Amex
and try on the Blue Cash Every Day card.
Learn more at americanexpress.com slash explore dash BCE
terms in cashback cap apply.
My shopping style is more stay at home than try and store.
So my Amex Blue Cash Every Day card is my go-to accessory.
When I shop, it's easy to earn
by getting 3% cashback on U.S. online retail purchases.
Each order brings me closer to more cashback.
So go ahead, add the card and shop the latest styles,
reinvent your look and reward yourself with Amex
and try on the Blue Cash Every Day card.
Learn more at americanexpress.com slash explore dash BCE
terms in cashback cap apply.
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About this episode
BMW kicks off pre-series production of its new i3, featuring an aerodynamic design and a transition to electric at their Munich plant. Rivian reveals its re-engineered R2 SUV, focusing on manufacturing efficiency. Walmart announces the installation of 78 DC fast charging stations across 19 states, enhancing convenience for EV users. Meanwhile, Canada shifts from an EV sales mandate to a significant investment fund to boost EV adoption. The episode also discusses the evolving landscape of used EV prices and the challenges American dealers face with the potential influx of Chinese EVs.
Original notes
It's EV News Briefly for Thursday 05 February 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
BMW STARTS DRESS REHEARSAL FOR NEUE KLASSE IN MUNICH https://evne.ws/3OcZVe4
RIVIAN STRIPS COSTS FROM R2 WITHOUT STARTING FROM SCRATCH https://evne.ws/46DnCCy
WALMART DOUBLES DOWN ON OWN-BRAND EV CHARGING https://evchargingstations.com/chargingnews/walmart-ev-charging-plans-expand/)
DURACELL BETS ON BRANDING WITH SECOND UK EV SITE https://bit.ly/45JLapg
OTTAWA TO DROP EV SALES MANDATE FOR C$1.5BN FUND https://bit.ly/3ZS9CkE
USED EV SALES SURGE AS PRICES SLIDE ON CINCH https://evne.ws/46Gfz87
DEALERS BACK SECURITY CURBS ON CHINESE CARS https://bit.ly/4r0Bsax
TESLA’S GRIP ON US EVS STARTS TO SLIP https://evne.ws/4rc248w
FLEETS DRIVE ELECTRIC SURGE AS PRIVATE BUYERS STALL https://evne.ws/4racZj9
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4:16