Plug-in hybrids are cars that use both gas and electricity. You can charge their batteries by plugging them in, and they can drive some distance just on electricity before using gas.
Official testing procedures are special tests done to see how much fuel a car uses, but they assume people drive in perfect ways that might not match real life.
The Skoda Epiq is a small and simple car that's easy to park and drive around town. It's made to be affordable and practical for everyday use. People mention it when talking about good small cars that don't cost too much.
The Audi A1 is a small, fancy car made by Audi that's easy to drive in cities. They even made a special electric version called the A1 e-tron, which runs on batteries instead of gas. People talk about it because it's a nice small car that tries to be good for the environment.
Preferential tax treatment means the government gives special tax breaks or discounts to certain cars, usually to help people buy cleaner, better-for-the-environment vehicles.
A floating tablet-style display is a big touchscreen in the car that looks like it's sitting on top of the dashboard, letting you control things easily by touching the screen.
The Tesla Cybertruck is a new electric truck that looks very different from regular trucks. It runs on electricity and has special features like power going to all wheels.
State of health tells you how much life a battery has left. If it's 95%, the battery still works almost as well as when it was new.
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It's EV News briefly for Friday 20th of February.
Everything EV in less than five minutes.
If you haven't got time for the full podcast, let's get you up to speed.
A busy day of news.
The largest ever most comprehensive real-world study into plug-in hybrids is out today using Telematics real-world data of one million plug-in hybrids.
The German Fraunhofer Institute says that the transmitted vehicle data shows the way people use plug-in hybrids is so much worse than the official data tests.
The official testing procedure, which is so lenient because it presumes people plug them in every night and drive them on battery.
Not in the European Union, they say.
Some of the worst ones are the German plug-in hybrids.
They pointed out to Porsches ranking so much worse than the official data.
And some of the better ones, Kia Toyota, Ford and Renault, coming with better real-world figures.
But still, the average is up to, well, between 140 and 280 MPG.
These car makers say that that's the figure you can expect in real world.
It's more like 40 MPG.
Which is worse than some proper combustion-efficient vehicles except you're carrying around a battery and all the complicated technology of a plug-in hybrid that never gets plugged into the wall.
The car makers, responded, Porsche said, differing usage patterns explain the gap.
Germany's Automotive Industry Association said that the figures, the official emissions figures, remain reliable.
The European Commission introducing a new vehicle class for small battery-electric cars.
This could push Volkswagen to dust off some plans which they'd shelved.
That would be a very small Audi, maybe an Audi A1 e-tron, maybe a Skoda e-fabia that would sit below their smallest cars they have at the minute, like the Skoda Epic.
These would be cars 4.2 meters longer or smaller but would have some preferential tax treatment and things like that and helping them hit their CO2 targets.
Spy shots from thekoreancarblog.com show the new Hyundai Arnick 5 interior.
And it's very Chinese or Tesla.
They've got rid of the buttons and the traditional layout inside Hyundai's.
So, little screen behind the steering wheel, then a massive, looks like 17-inch, it's huge, floating tablet-style display.
That's a big departure for the internal styling of Hyundai's, the Arnick 5.
I think with its really charming retro-futuristic styling, all gone to what looks more of a homogenous interior style.
Couldn't see any physical buttons unless they were out of shot as well and that would be a concern.
Because increasing safety testing in China and the Euro NCAP testing is now factoring in.
Not taking your eyes off the road to look at a screen, but to have the return of those physical controls for common functions.
Tesla has launched a Cybertruck at $60,000 and it's a good spec.
It's all wheel drive, it's $60,000.
It's got power share, vehicle to home, vehicle to X really.
It's got the bed outlet, it's got the powered tonneau.
All the stuff that was stripped out on their previous cheaper versions, but the chief executive then said it's only on sale for 10 days.
It was in confusion and for people to pause their purchases to get some clarification.
An analysis of 240,000 vehicle inspections by the company Click Mechanic says electric cars are ahead on any serious conditions.
Easily outweighing any of the petrol and diesel models which have an average of 7.5% poor rating.
Some of the EVs they tested like BMW's, Kia's and Polestar's had a perfect score.
Stagecoach adding 110 buses to the South West County of Devon in the UK.
Auckland adding a plug-in hybrid ferry to their Auckland route.
And used EV batteries are holding up.
Generational London based EV battery diagnostics firm looked at 8,000 battery tests
and found that the median state of health over the entire fleet was 95% state of health remaining.
That's briefly.
Want to feel more confident with your finances this year?
If you have 60 seconds, I can show you how quick and easy it is to start building healthy money habits that could last you the entire year just by using rocket money.
Step one, download rocket money.
Step two, link all your accounts and see your entire spending picture.
Your subscriptions, your upcoming bills, your due dates, everything.
Step three, tap a subscription you don't use and cancel it.
Boom, that's money back every single month.
Step four, create a financial goal for something you want to save for, whether it be a vacation, a retirement account or a pet's birthday.
We don't judge.
Now let the app automatically move small amounts of cash towards your goal.
In a month, you'll see real dollars piling up.
In a year, you'll be shocked at how much money you saved.
Similar to the over 10 million members on the app that have saved up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features.
Use the savings challenge as one step closer to feeling better about your finances today at rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
One more time, it's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
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Granger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product, fast and hassle free.
And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat.
With Granger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
Granger for the ones who get it done.
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
That's why hands down you count on Granger for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift.
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About this episode
A comprehensive update on electric vehicle news highlights a major study revealing that real-world plug-in hybrid efficiency falls far below official claims, with German models performing worst. The EU plans a new small electric vehicle class, potentially reviving compact models from Volkswagen and Audi. Spy shots reveal Hyundai Ioniq 5's revamped, buttonless interior, sparking safety concerns. Tesla's Cybertruck launches at $60,000 with full features but limited availability. Analysis shows EVs outperform combustion cars in reliability, and used EV batteries maintain high health. Plus, public transport electrification expands with new buses and ferries.
It's EV News Briefly for Friday 20 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
