EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs Mar 15, 2026

BRIEFLY: Lucid Cosmos, Rivian R2, Polestar 3 & more | 14 Mar 2026

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Car

Lucid Cosmos

The Lucid Cosmos is a new electric SUV made by Lucid. It's a comfortable and modern car that uses electricity instead of gas, and it's made for people who want a nice, mid-sized SUV.

Car

The Chevrolet Volt is a car that uses both electricity and gas to help you drive longer distances. It can run on electric power for a while, then switch to gas when needed. This makes it easier to drive without worrying about charging all the time.

Term

800 volt architecture

The 800 volt system in an electric car means it can charge faster and work more efficiently than cars with lower voltage systems.

Term

cab forward SUV

A cab forward SUV is a type of car where the seats and windows are moved closer to the front, so there's more room inside and you can see better when driving.

Part

J3400 charging port

The J3400 charging port is the plug on the car that lets it charge its battery very quickly, and it can work with Tesla's charging stations too.

Part

Atlas drive motor units

Atlas drive motors are special electric motors made by Lucid that help the car move by turning the wheels using electricity.

Term

Tesla Supercharging network

Tesla Superchargers are special charging stations that can fill up electric cars quickly, making it easier to travel long distances.

Concept

centralised electrical architecture

Centralised electrical architecture means the car's electrical parts are organized together in one system, making it cheaper and easier to fix.

Concept

mega-casting

Mega-casting means making big parts of the car's frame from one piece of metal instead of many smaller parts, which can make the car lighter but harder to fix if broken.

Car

Lucid Luna

The Lucid Luna is a small electric car made to drive itself and carry passengers without a driver, and it doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals.

Term

RoboTaxi

A RoboTaxi is a car that can drive itself and take people where they want to go without a driver.

Term

steer by wire

Steer by wire means the car uses computers to turn the wheels instead of a steering wheel connected by rods and gears.

Term

aero-tuning

Aero-tuning means shaping the car so it moves through the air more easily, which helps it use less energy and go farther.

Concept

Uber technology

Uber technology is the computer system that helps people order rides and drivers find passengers, used here to help RoboTaxis work smoothly.

Car

Rivian R2

Car

Rivian R2

The Rivian R2 is a new electric car made by Rivian. It's designed to be more affordable and for people who want an electric vehicle for everyday use or adventure.

Car

Polestar 3

The Polestar 3 is a new electric SUV made by Polestar. It's designed to be a high-tech and stylish electric car for families or anyone wanting an electric SUV.

Term

350 kilowatt DC fast charging

This is a very fast way to charge electric cars, giving a lot of power quickly so the battery fills up faster than usual.

Part

NVIDIA Drive AGX

NVIDIA Drive AGX is a powerful computer inside some cars that helps the car understand its surroundings and drive itself or assist the driver.

Term

hardware retrofit

Sometimes car makers update parts inside a car after you buy it to make it better. This is called a hardware retrofit.

Brand

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big car company made by joining two other big car companies. It owns many different car brands you might know.

Car

X9 Xpong

The X9 is an electric car made in China. It is part of a plan where different companies work together to make new kinds of cars that use electricity instead of gas.

Term

fleet CO2 targets

Fleet CO2 targets are rules that car companies must follow to keep pollution low for all the cars they sell together. If they don't meet these rules, they might have to pay money.

Car

Alpina B10

The Alpina B10 is a special kind of SUV that is faster and fancier than normal cars. It can get updates through the internet to add new features and make driving easier.

Car

Leapmotor B10

The Leapmotor B10 is an electric SUV from China. It has features that make driving easier and can connect to your phone for apps and music.

Term

Android Auto

Android Auto lets you use your Android phone on your car's screen so you can get directions, listen to music, and use apps safely while driving.

Term

one-pedal driving

One-pedal driving means you can speed up and slow down your car using just one pedal. When you take your foot off the pedal, the car slows down by itself.

Term

Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay lets you use your iPhone on your car's screen so you can get directions, listen to music, and use apps easily while driving.

LIVE

It's EV News briefly for Saturday, 14th of March, everything you need to know in less

than five minutes.

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

Lucid revealed the Cosmos, that's their mid-size $50,000 SUV, targeting who they described

as upscale nurturers.

That's the demographic thereafter.

Anyway, production planned by the end of this year.

It's described as a cab forward SUV on an 800 volt architecture using the new Atlas

drive motor units and a J3400 charging port in just the right place to use the Tesla Supercharging

network as well.

A new centralised electrical architecture cuts wiring costs and they say lower insurance

expenses with more replaceable crash structure parts not going down the route of mega-casting.

And talking of Lucid, they unveiled the Luna, the two-seat RoboTaxi concept, steer by wire,

no steering wheel or pedals and a large central display for those riding inside the

RoboTaxi to watch during their journey.

Same platform as the Cosmos.

They want six miles per kilowatt hour efficiency and they're targeting adding 200 miles of

range in 15 minutes of stoppage.

Of course, if it's a RoboTaxi, it's a working vehicle.

Used to carry on working as much as possible to make money, aggressive aero-tuning they

say in a smaller battery pack going right up against Tesla's idea for a RoboTaxi, looking

very similar actually.

Uber is also finalising a deal with Lucid to deploy their mid-size platform as a RoboTaxi

at volumes using Uber technology.

Alright, moving on.

Rivian's unveiled the R2.

Talks a lot about it as a special podcast in your feed as well as bonus podcasts about

Rivian R2 starting at $57,990 for the launch edition with delivery at under $60,000 but

buyers can't yet configure online.

If you're a reservation holder, you'll know all you've been asked to do is give an indication

of what your configuration would be and you won't get your order time until June.

That puts Rivian's stated spring delivery window, well, in doubt for nearly everybody.

They might deliver a car perhaps on the last day of spring but they're really pushing that

definition I think end to production of June at the earliest.

They're going to be late summer deliveries from the majority of the early reservation

holders.

Polestar 3 is changing after, well, for some markets the car isn't even out, for some

markets the car's pretty new and they're already updating it.

There's a question, should Polestar just have, well, Geely, the parent company, have held

Polestar 3 back because what they're doing is properly upgrading it.

In fact, the whole architecture changes.

It moves to a high voltage 800 volt architecture with 350 kilowatt DC fast charging, 80% charge

in 22 minutes.

The new hardcore NVIDIA drive, AGX are in processor replacing the older ones.

The range is now battery packs either 92 or 160, 106 kilowatt hours, apologies.

And some owners will get a complimentary hardware retrofit for the compute but you can't upgrade

of course the basic architecture, the voltage of the vehicle and so people will have just

bought that car and it's already working at China speed.

So kind of outdated.

We see that a lot in China, check out the spinoff podcast, I don't know what EV news

China.

Stellantis is in talks with Xiaomi and Xpong about deals that could include Chinese car

makers taking steaks in Stellantis brands like Maserati and using excess production facility

they have in Europe.

Volkswagen missed its 2025 fleet CO2 targets to get around that.

They can sell more battery electric vehicles, the electric urban family car roll out is

happening and they need that.

Leap motor doing a big over the air update to their B10, that's their midsize SUV, one

pedal driving, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and more coming to that and General Motors

is supporting the restoration of one of the only surviving EV ones, it was sold at auction

recently and they are officially supplying any parts to help the candy and that's briefly.

About this episode

Lucid introduced the Cosmos, a $50,000 mid-size SUV with advanced 800-volt architecture and Tesla Supercharging compatibility, alongside the Luna RoboTaxi concept featuring steer-by-wire technology and Uber collaboration. Rivian revealed the R2 with delayed deliveries expected by late summer. Polestar 3 is receiving a major update to an 800-volt system and faster charging, leaving some recent buyers with outdated hardware. Stellantis is exploring partnerships with Chinese firms Xiaomi and Xpeng, while Volkswagen missed 2025 CO2 targets and is pushing electric urban cars. Leap Motor and GM also made news with software updates and EV restoration support.

350 kilowatt DC fast charging 800 volt architecture aero-tuning Android Auto Apple CarPlay Atlas drive motor units cab forward SUV centralised electrical architecture fleet CO2 targets hardware retrofit

Alpina B10 Chevrolet Volt Leapmotor B10 Lucid Cosmos Polestar 3 Rivian R2 XPeng X9

Original notes

t's EV News Briefly for Saturday 14 March 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

LUCID SHOWS COSMOS AHEAD OF 2026 LAUNCH
Lucid Motors revealed the Cosmos, a midsize SUV targeting "upscale nurturers," with production planned by end of 2026 but meaningful sales not expected until 2027. The cab-forward SUV rides on an 800V architecture with Atlas drive unit motors, a J3400 charging port, and a new centralised electrical architecture designed to cut wiring costs and lower insurance expenses.
LUCID SHOWS LUNAR ROBOTAXI CONCEPT
Lucid unveiled the Lunar, a two-seat robotaxi concept with steer-by-wire, no steering wheel or pedals, and a large central display, built on the same 800V midsize platform as the Cosmos. It targets an impressive 5.5–6 miles per kWh efficiency and DC fast-charging performance of 200+ miles of range in 15 minutes, achieved through aggressive aerodynamic tuning that allows a smaller battery pack.
UBER NEARS SECOND LUCID ROBOTAXI DEAL
Uber is finalising a deal with Lucid to deploy its midsize platform as a robotaxi at volumes comparable to the existing 20,000-unit Gravity SUV contract. If confirmed at similar scale, the combined Lucid-Uber robotaxi programme would total roughly 40,000 vehicles across two platforms.
RIVIAN R2 TIMELINE TIGHTENS
Rivian has unveiled the R2 Performance starting at $57,990, but buyers cannot yet configure the car online and reservation holders won't learn their estimated order time until June. This puts Rivian's previously stated Spring delivery window in serious doubt, as orders won't enter production until June at the earliest.
POLESTAR 3 ADDS 800V TECH FOR AUSTRALIA
Polestar has updated the Polestar 3 with 800V architecture enabling up to 350kW DC fast charging and a 10–80% charge time of just 22 minutes, alongside a new NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processor replacing the older Xavier chip. The range now spans three trims with battery packs of 92kWh or 106kWh, and existing owners will receive a complimentary hardware retrofit for the upgraded computing platform.
STELLANTIS HOLDS TALKS WITH XIAOMI AND XPENG
Stellantis is in talks with Xiaomi and Xpeng about deals that could include Chinese carmakers taking stakes in Stellantis brands like Maserati and accessing European manufacturing facilities. In return, Stellantis hopes to gain EV and software technology it has struggled to develop competitively, and is also exploring a deeper tie-up with Leapmotor for affordable EVs in Europe.
VOLKSWAGEN MISSES EU CO2 TARGET, AVOIDS FINES
Volkswagen missed its 2025 EU fleet CO2 target, finishing at 100g/km against its 95g/km limit, despite BEV deliveries rising 32% to nearly 1 million units. The EU's three-year compliance mechanism means no immediate fines, but the group must now meet fleet limits in 2026 and 2027, primarily through an accelerated BEV push built around its Electric Urban Car Family rollout.
LEAPMOTOR B10 OTA ADDS ONE-PEDAL DRIVING
Leapmotor pushed a major OTA update to the B10 six months after launch, adding one-pedal driving, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, split-screen navigation, and a Quick Start mode — all without requiring a dealer visit. The update also brings customisable steering wheel shortcut buttons and more natural adaptive cruise control behaviour in bends, with the B10 priced from €33,300.
GM BACKS RARE EV1 RESTORATION
GM is actively supporting the restoration of V212, one of the few surviving EV1s, after the car sold at auction for over $100,000 following its discovery in a Georgia impound lot. GM President Mark Reuss invited the restoration team to GM's Global Technical Center, supplying parts and technical documentation, with the goal of completing the project before the EV1's 30th anniversary in November 2026.

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