EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs May 13, 2026

BRIEFLY: BYD, Mazda, Targets & more | 13 May 2026

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Car

BYD Dolphin G

BYD Dolphin G is a small plug-in hybrid car BYD is planning for Europe. They’re saying they’ll tweak the car for European buyers instead of selling the exact same version everywhere.

Concept

plug-in hybrid

A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on electricity and also has a gas engine. You can charge it like an EV, and when the battery runs low it uses gas.

Concept

dedicated EV platform

A dedicated EV platform means the car’s “underbody design” is built specifically for electric cars. It’s different from taking a gas-car design and converting it to electric.

Concept

A mild hybrid is a hybrid that uses a small electric assist, but it can’t usually drive like an EV on its own. The electric system helps the gas engine in certain moments and recovers energy when slowing down.

Car

Opel Corsa GSE

Opel Corsa GSE is an electric Corsa that Opel says is their fastest-accelerating production model. It also gets EV-specific updates like battery temperature control and revised suspension/brakes.

Term

ECMP platform

ECMP is the electric-car “base” that the Corsa GSE is built on. Using the same platform helps engineers design the battery and electric parts more efficiently.

Term

thermal management on the battery

Battery thermal management is the system that controls battery temperature using cooling/heating and sensors. Keeping the pack in the right temperature range helps performance, charging speed, and long-term battery health.

Concept

EV road user charge

An EV road user charge is a fee for using the roads that’s meant to replace fuel taxes. Since EVs don’t buy gas, governments may charge EV drivers another way to help pay for roads.

Concept

high-court ruling

A high-court ruling is a top-level court decision that can require governments to change their plans. Here, it’s why the EV road user charge policy was paused and needs coordination.

Concept

charging per mile

Instead of paying based on how much electricity you used, “charging per mile” tries to charge you based on distance driven. Some drivers dislike it because it may not reflect how hard their car was working or how efficiently they charged.

Concept

grid connections at depots

Depots need enough electricity to charge EV trucks and buses. If getting that power connection is complicated or takes too long, it becomes a bottleneck for fleet electrification.

Concept

AI-driven fast charging method using reinforcement learning

They’re using AI to manage fast charging more intelligently. “Reinforcement learning” means the system learns what charging approach works best by repeatedly trying and improving based on results.

Term

charging current

Charging current is how “strong” the electrical flow is during charging. Lower or better-controlled current can be gentler on the battery, which can help it wear out more slowly.

Term

lithium ion batteries

Most EVs use lithium-ion batteries. How you charge them—especially how fast and how hard—affects how long they last.

Concept

using an electric bus depot to support the national grid

They’re testing whether an electric bus depot can help the electricity grid. When the buses aren’t out on the road, the depot can adjust charging (and possibly share power) to keep the grid stable.

Brand

Lucid

Lucid is a company that makes electric cars. Here, they’re saying they’ll wait to launch in the UK until early 2028.

LIVE

It's EV News briefly for Wednesday, 13th of May, everything you've seen in less than five minutes.

If you haven't got time for the full podcast, hey, don't worry, let's get you up to speed.

BYD says they will design and develop their new purpose-built models for European customers

in Europe over the next three years, starting with a very small plug-in hybrid compact car

called the Dolphin G. They say that European tastes and Chinese tastes are diverging, which is why

they'll do something different for European variants than they would at home.

Mazda has pushed back its first dedicated EV platform by at least two years to 2029,

cutting their EV investment by half and shifting the resources back to mild tame hybrid technology.

They say they will sell EVs in places, but there'll be Chinese Chang'an automobiles

badgers, Mazdas in Europe and Australia and Southeast Asia.

Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in Germany met EU officials today in Brussels,

asking for further flexibility on clean air targets. Despite having already won concessions

just months ago now, German car makers want to go even further in delaying cleaning up the air

that we breathe. They say they can't make money unless we do, and shifting all the obviously

negative health implications, which only transpired years down the line to obviously government

healthcare budgets as we all suffer with dirty air and the idea to clean them up with electric

vehicles. And the general mood for electrification doesn't always suit the bottom line, but don't

worry, the Germans are still arguing that they should be allowed to sell their gas guzzlers for

longer. Opel has revealed their all-electric Corsa GSE. They say it's the fastest accelerating

production Opel slash Vauxhall they've ever built. 5.5 seconds north of 62, which is frankly not

that rapid. It's gonna be their new mild, let's call it that, warmed up Corsa GSE on the ECMP

platform. They've got some hardware changes, some forpist and brakes and lowered sports suspension,

oh and some new thermal management on the battery as well for that. Australia's federal government

has paused its EV road user charge, opting to first develop a coordinated policy with

state and territory governments following the high-course ruling that struck down Victoria's

version of charging per mile. The UK of course is plowing ahead with that idea for electric

vehicle drivers, which is wildly unpopular from everyone that I speak to. A new German study

by the Institute for Applied Ecology found that when asking people who already drive electric

heavy goods vehicles, 93% of transport companies running electric trucks are either satisfied

or very satisfied. They say EV trucks compared to diesel have higher reliability, better driving

comfort, lower operating costs, the same share expect electric trucks to become the standard.

By 2030, 93% expect electric just to be the way to go. The biggest pinch points for them,

grid connections at depots are too complex. Still, we know that, work to do.

Research is at Chalmers University of Technology developing an AI-driven fast charging method

using reinforcement learning that can extend your EV battery life by 23%. The system adapts

charging current to the battery individually rather than having a broad set of rules of

how to charge lithium ion batteries. First bus in the UK launching a trial to use their

electric bus depot to support the national grid when the buses aren't driving, they could be

providing electricity to the grid. Lucid delaying their UK plans to early 2028, they say we will

come to the UK just not yet. And the UK used EV sales a bit of record high in the first

quarter of the year, up 32% year on year. One in 23 used cars are now choosing an EV,

less than the new car market of course, but the surge is being driven by a growing supply in the

EV markets. And that's briefly.

About this episode

BYD is outlining Europe-focused plug-in hybrid plans, starting with a small compact called the Dolphin G. Mazda is pushing back its first dedicated EV platform to 2029 and cutting EV investment, while Opel reveals the all-electric Corsa GSE. Policy shifts also land: Australia pauses its EV road user charge after a high-court ruling. On the charging front, Chalmers University is testing AI-driven fast charging that claims a 23% battery-life extension, and a UK bus-depot trial aims to support the grid.

AI-driven fast charging method using reinforcement learning charging current charging per mile dedicated EV platform ECMP platform EV road user charge grid connections at depots lithium-ion batteries Lucid mild hybrid technology

Byd Dolphin Opel Corsa

Original notes

It's EV News Briefly for Wednesday 13 May 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

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BYD PLANS EUROPE-BUILT CARS FOR EUROPE
BYD will design and develop a series of purpose-built models for European consumers over the next three years, starting with the Dolphin G PHEV — set to debut in June and making its UK public appearance at Goodwood in July. Executive VP Stella Li has directed engineers to keep European variants under 4.3 metres, with separate B- and C-segment standards, as BYD stops adapting China-market models and instead builds vehicles tailored to dense European cities.
MAZDA DELAYS DEDICATED EV TO 2029
Mazda has pushed back its first dedicated EV platform by two years to 2029 and cut EV investment by nearly half, shifting resources toward hybrids and China-sourced electrified products. Before 2029, Mazda will sell China-built EVs — effectively rebadged Changan Automobile models — in Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
AUTOMAKERS SEEK NEW EU CO2 CONCESSIONS
Volkswagen Group, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz met EU officials in Brussels on 13 May to press for further flexibility on the bloc's 2035 emissions targets, despite having already won concessions just months ago. Germany's VDA lobby warned that the country's auto sector could shed up to 125,000 additional jobs by 2035 without meaningful improvement in competitiveness.
OPEL PREVIEWS 207 KW CORSA GSE
Opel has revealed the all-electric Corsa GSE, which it claims will be the fastest-accelerating production Opel ever built, with a 0–100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds from a front-mounted 207 kW permanent magnet motor. The car rides on Stellantis' e-CMP platform and features a Torsen limited-slip differential, Alcon four-piston brakes, lowered sports suspension, and uprated battery thermal management.
AUSTRALIA DELAYS FEDERAL EV ROAD CHARGE
Australia's federal government has paused its EV road user charge, opting to first develop a coordinated policy with state and territory governments following the High Court's 2023 ruling that struck down Victoria's version. The budget also restructures EV fringe benefits tax support, narrowing the full FBT exemption from April 2027 to EVs priced at A$75,000 or below on novated leases, before shifting to a 25% FBT reduction for all EVs under the luxury car tax threshold from April 2029.
GERMAN OPERATORS BACK ELECTRIC TRUCKS
A German study by the Institute for Applied Ecology found that 93% of transport companies already running electric trucks are satisfied or very satisfied, citing high reliability, driving comfort, and low operating costs. The same share expect electric trucks to become the standard fleet vehicle by 2030, though operators flagged high upfront costs and depot grid connection complexity as the main barriers.
AI CHARGING METHOD CUTS EV BATTERY WEAR
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an AI-driven fast-charging method using reinforcement learning that extends EV battery life by 23% without adding to charge times. The system adapts charging current to each battery's state of health and electrochemistry in real time, reducing internal wear and the risk of lithium plating compared to current one-size-fits-all charging protocols.
FIRST BUS TESTS DEPOTS AS GRID ASSETS
First Bus has launched a trial using its electric bus depot infrastructure to support the National Grid, intelligently scheduling charging to absorb surplus Scottish wind power that would otherwise be curtailed. The UK's largest electric bus operator, with over 1,400 zero-emission vehicles, argues the scheme can cut wasted renewable energy, support grid stability, and improve the economics of fleet electrification.
LUCID PUTS UK LAUNCH BACK TO 2028
Lucid has delayed its UK market entry to early 2028 — the third such postponement — with European President Lawrence Hamilton saying the firm must sequence its expansion carefully after entering seven or eight more continental European markets in 2026 first. Lucid will skip bringing the current Air and Gravity models to the UK, instead launching only on its new mid-size 800-volt platform with the Cosmos coupé-crossover and Earth SUV variants, built on the Atlas drive unit that cuts manufacturing costs by 37%.
UK E-VAN RULES EASE FROM 2026
From June 2026, the UK government will remove regulatory barriers for electric vans weighing between 3.5 and 4.25 tonnes, aligning them with equivalent diesel and petrol vehicles under the Class 7 MOT framework with a first MOT due after three years rather than one. Driver hours rules will also change, removing mandatory tachograph use and base-distance restrictions, with operators set to save up to 60% on MOT costs under the new regime.
UK USED EV SALES HIT Q1 RECORD
UK used EV sales hit a record 86,943 units in Q1 2026, up 32% year on year, with around one in 23 used car buyers choosing an EV compared to one in 30 in the same period last year. The surge is being driven by growing used EV supply from strong prior new car sales, lower prices, and improving buyer confidence in battery longevity.

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