BRIEFLY: France Leasing Scheme, VW Surge and Mini EV Records
About this episode
France is making strides in electric vehicle accessibility with a new social leasing scheme for low-income households, allowing leases from just 95 euros per month. Volkswagen is experiencing a surge in EV sales, particularly in Europe, while BMW's electric segment is thriving. Lucid faces software issues with its new gravity SUV, prompting leadership changes. New Jersey invests in electric buses and chargers, and both China and India are reducing coal power in favor of renewables. Additionally, two Chinese EVs are set to enter Western markets, showcasing the growing global EV landscape.
It's EV News Briefly for Wednesday 14 January 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
FRANCE’S SOCIAL LEASING SCHEME ADDS 50,000 EVS https://evne.ws/45K8BP0
VW EV SALES SURGE BUT CHINA AND SOFTWARE DRAG https://evne.ws/4qpohzF
BMW SALES FLAT BUT ELECTRIC SHARE JUMPS https://evne.ws/49mR7uu
MINI HITS RECORD AS EVS PASS ONE-THIRD OF SALES https://evne.ws/4bwPfAw
LUCID GRAVITY LAUNCH HITS SOFTWARE POTHOLES https://evne.ws/49D8I08
LUCID SAYS STOP SELLING GUILT, START SELLING SPEED https://evne.ws/4aTn5j3
NEW JERSEY POURS US$32M INTO E-BUSES AND CHARGERS https://evne.ws/49w50Fq
CHINA AND INDIA CUT COAL POWER TOGETHER FOR FIRST TIME IN 52 YEARS https://evne.ws/49ohcJw
ZEEKR 7GT ESTATE TARGETS EUROPEAN EV TASTES https://evne.ws/3NcGmSV
XPENG P7+ TARGETS EUROPE’S FAMILY EV SALOON BUYERS https://evne.ws/49BlZGu
BEV
"Europe where Volkswagen is winning now ahead of Tesla and taking 75% of Bev deliveries."
BEV means Battery Electric Vehicle. It's a car that runs only on electricity and doesn't use any gasoline or diesel.
BEV stands for Battery Electric Vehicle, which is a type of electric vehicle that is powered entirely by electricity stored in batteries, without any internal combustion engine.
Volkswagen
"Europe where Volkswagen is winning now ahead of Tesla and taking 75% of Bev deliveries."
Volkswagen is a well-known car company from Germany that makes many different types of cars. They are currently doing very well in selling electric cars in Europe.
Volkswagen is a German automotive manufacturer known for producing a wide range of vehicles, including the iconic Beetle and the Golf. The company is currently a leader in the electric vehicle (EV) market in Europe.
BMW
"BMW doing well, actually tell a lie, BMW flat as a business as the group, but you know what, the EV bit of BMW going great guns."
BMW is a famous car company from Germany that makes luxury cars. They are now also making more electric cars.
BMW is a German luxury vehicle manufacturer known for its performance-oriented cars and motorcycles. The company is increasingly focusing on electric vehicles as part of its strategy.
fully electric vehicles
"They sold 442,000 fully electric vehicles, 18% of BMW group, Mini's doing really well."
Fully electric vehicles are cars that run only on electricity. They don't use any fuel like gas or diesel.
Fully electric vehicles are cars that operate entirely on electric power, using batteries as their only source of energy, without any gasoline or diesel components.
Mini Cooper
"a little Mini Cooper and Cooper S and the Aiseman all doing pretty good business in electric form."
The Mini Cooper is a small car that is fun to drive and has a unique look. It comes in different types, including some that run on electricity.
The Mini Cooper is a compact car known for its distinctive design and sporty performance. It has become popular for its fun driving experience and is available in various configurations, including electric versions.
Lucid Gravity
"...etty good business in electric form. Lucid's new gravity SUV reached customers with malfunctioning screens..."
The Lucid Gravity is a fancy electric SUV made by a company called Lucid Motors. It's designed to be very high-tech and comfortable, but some people have had problems with the screens inside the car not working properly.
The Lucid Gravity is an all-electric SUV from Lucid Motors, known for its luxury features and advanced technology. It represents the company's expansion into the SUV market, aiming to compete with established luxury electric vehicles. The mention of malfunctioning screens highlights some early production issues that have raised concerns among customers.
key fob
"Lucid's new gravity SUV reached customers with malfunctioning screens and key fobs that wouldn't work. You had owners online saying, oh, that's okay..."
A key fob is a small remote that helps you unlock and start your car without using a regular key.
A key fob is a small electronic device used to control keyless entry systems in vehicles, allowing owners to unlock and start their cars without using a traditional key.
software updates
"...saying he replaced the software leadership team and says with two updates, January and March, all the bugs will be squished..."
Software updates are changes made to a car's computer system to fix problems or improve how it works.
Software updates are improvements or fixes provided by manufacturers to enhance the functionality and performance of a vehicle's electronic systems.
Zeekr 7GT
"...brilliant Zika 7 GT, don't get it in right hand drive here in the UK but that starts at 47-48 thousand euros in Germany..."
The Zika 7 GT is a car from a Chinese company called Zika. It's an electric vehicle that looks stylish and is designed for comfort and speed.
The Zika 7 GT is a model from the Chinese automotive brand Zika, known for its electric vehicles. It is designed as a fastback saloon, offering a blend of performance and luxury features.
X-Punks P7 Plus
"...X-Punks P7 Plus again these are both 400 plus kilowatt charging cars, big saloons and fastback estates that's also now on sale in Europe."
The X-Punks P7 Plus is another electric car from a Chinese brand called X-Punks. It's designed to be fast and has a lot of modern features.
The X-Punks P7 Plus is an electric vehicle from the Chinese brand X-Punks, featuring advanced technology and performance capabilities. It is part of a growing trend of EVs entering the European market.
kilowatt
"...these are both 400 plus kilowatt charging cars, big saloons and fastback estates that's also now on sale in Europe."
A kilowatt is a way to measure how powerful something is, especially in electric cars. More kilowatts usually mean the car can go faster and perform better.
Kilowatt (kW) is a unit of power commonly used to measure the output of electric motors and the power consumption of electric vehicles. In the context of cars, higher kilowatt ratings indicate greater performance and speed.
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
Help improve this episode
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.