The ZEV mandate is a rule that requires car companies to sell a certain number of electric cars. This helps reduce pollution and encourages people to use cleaner vehicles.
The Hyundai Kona is a small SUV that is great for city driving and offers a lot of space inside for passengers and cargo. It's known for being affordable and comes with modern features, including an electric version that runs on battery power instead of gas.
The Ford GT is a very fast and expensive sports car that looks really cool and is built for racing. It’s special because it has a lot of history behind it, as it was designed to compete in races and is made in limited numbers, making it quite rare.
Battery electric vehicles are cars that run only on electricity and don't use any gasoline. They are better for the environment because they don't produce harmful emissions while driving.
A federal tax credit is a discount you can get when you buy an electric car, which helps lower the price you pay. It’s like getting money back on your taxes for choosing a car that’s better for the environment.
CO2 regulations are rules that limit how much carbon dioxide cars can emit. They help reduce pollution and encourage car manufacturers to create cleaner vehicles.
Ultra fast charging means charging electric cars very quickly, so they can get back on the road faster. It's important for making electric vehicles more convenient to use.
Nvidia is a tech company that makes powerful computer chips. They help cars drive themselves by using artificial intelligence, making driving safer and more efficient.
Self driving means cars can drive themselves without needing a person to control them. They use special technology to see and understand their surroundings.
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It's EV News, briefly everything you need to know about today's news in less than
five minutes.
If you haven't got time for the full podcast, that's okay.
I know you're busy.
Let's get you up to speed.
Cars in the UK hit a new milestone in December.
It was a 33% share of the new car market in December.
And almost half of all new cars sold here had a form of plug socket on the side.
Now, the UK has a mandate called the ZEV mandate.
Not technically, but that's what we call it.
And that is 33% for the year.
So, effectively, the industry hitting it a month early.
Now, what this year does, the car making industry and the lobby body
say it's too expensive to carry on discounting EVs.
Please lighten the rules and ease the load for us.
But none of them this year look like they will pay fines again
in terms of the excess credits floating around the industry for the carmakers.
There's a surplus of those to hit their targets in 2026.
That's fantastic news.
Tesla's European slump continues.
We started off 2025 with some bad news.
We wondered how the year would end.
But down in the biggest market for Tesla, which is the United Kingdom, down 10%.
But France down a huge amount as well, 37%.
Germany down 49%.
And other big markets also falling to whether we ask the question on the podcast today.
Is that the golden era for Tesla over now as they fight a very competitive battle on many fronts?
Tesla has lost its bid for CyberCab after the unveiling on October 10th of the CyberCab
after a few weeks.
Nobody had registered the phrase.
So a French company called Uniberve did.
And now the Tesla's got round to asking to register the CyberCab.
Praise the US Patent and Trademark officers will know someone got there before you.
I'm sure there'll be a deal to be done somewhere with maybe some money changing hands
and Tesla will get hold of that.
Perhaps just a slightly egg on the face moment, though.
Hyundai Australia launching the Alexio.
This will sit between the Kona at the cheaper end and the more premium Ionic 5.
It's $60,000 Aussie dollars.
88 kilowatt hour pack in the Alexio EV.
A car that many don't get Ford grew their car sales last year.
But sadly not their EV sales.
2.2 million vehicles in the United States sold last year, up 6%.
But battery electric vehicles were their weak spot.
A total of 84,000 fully electric down 14% on the previous year and really demand
falling off a cliff since the expiration of the federal tax credit.
They had record months leading up to it, selling more than 10,000 vehicles a month every month.
But once it went away, they had their worst every month for EV sales.
And that probably gives us an idea about why Ford have rode back so many of their EV plans,
putting things really on the back burner for a couple of years.
Not in the background, they're working very hard on that.
But nothing new to sell you for quite a long time in the United States.
If you're a Ford fan.
Now, the head of Alpetronic, the chief executive there,
a hardware maker of DC fast charging, really a standard bearer these days.
I speak to so many people that they say if they turn up at a charging site,
they're delighted to see Alpetronic hardware.
He's been talking about the issues he sees in the industry's short termism
from the political sphere, saying, look, the industry doesn't work on the four, five year cycles
of politics, which can swing one way or the other calling for more long term
certainties that the investment can be made.
But in the meantime, also working with CO2 regulations in Europe, Alpetronic,
looking very much at commercial heavy duty, ultra fast charging for those trucks
as being a big opportunity for them.
And finally, CES is on in Las Vegas.
So Nvidia introducing the artificial intelligence platform for self driving,
taking the fights and wanting Tesla's crown, really, in terms of self driving.
They called it Alper Mayo.
They were effusive in their praise for Tesla FSD, by the way, on stage,
but talking about how they will bring vision, language and action architecture.
And that's briefly.
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 rocket money 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 of the app's premium features.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five star ratings.
Make saving money the resolution you actually keep.
Start the 60 second savings challenge at rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
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 an HVAC technician and a call comes in,
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.
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
Granger for the ones who get it done.
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in,
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.
About this episode
The UK automotive market reached a significant milestone with 33% of new car sales being electric vehicles, a month ahead of the mandated target. Tesla faces challenges in Europe, with sales declining sharply in key markets, raising questions about its dominance. The episode also covers Hyundai's new Alexio EV, Ford's struggles with electric vehicle sales post-tax credit expiration, and insights from Alpetronic on the future of fast charging. Additionally, Nvidia showcases its AI platform for self-driving cars at CES, signaling competition for Tesla's FSD technology.
It's EV News Briefly for Tuesday 06 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
