EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs Oct 21, 2025

BRIEFLY: Volvo, Supercharging, Mustang Mach-E California & more | 21 Oct 2025

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Car

Volvo EX90

The Volvo EX90 is a new electric SUV from Volvo, which means it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It's designed to be safe and has a lot of modern features, making it a good choice for people who want an eco-friendly vehicle.

Term

DC fast charging

DC fast charging is a way to charge electric cars much faster than regular charging. It helps drivers quickly get back on the road by providing a lot of power in a short time.

Brand

Tesla

Tesla is a company that makes electric cars and other energy products. They are well-known for their high-tech vehicles and charging stations.

Car

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is an electric SUV that carries the Mustang name. It has special packages that give it unique looks and features, similar to how Mustangs were customized in the past.

Concept

California special package

The California special package is a special set of features for some cars that makes them look and perform differently. It's inspired by what people in California like in their cars.

Car

Chevrolet Bolt

The Chevrolet Bolt is an electric car that is known for being affordable and practical. It's a good option for people looking to drive an electric vehicle without spending too much money.

Term

400 kilowatt chargers

400 kilowatt chargers are very powerful charging stations for electric cars. They can charge the car's battery much faster than regular chargers, making it easier for drivers to get back on the road quickly.

Concept

emissions pool

An emissions pool is a way for car companies to share their pollution limits. If one company has less pollution, it can sell its extra allowance to another company that needs it.

Brand

BYD

BYD is a car company from China that makes electric cars and batteries, and it's becoming popular around the world.

Car

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf is a popular electric car that runs on batteries instead of gasoline, making it more environmentally friendly.

Company

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a well-known car company from Germany that makes many different types of cars, including electric ones.

Company

Rivian

Rivian is a company that makes electric trucks and SUVs. They are known for creating vehicles that are designed for outdoor adventures.

Term

sodium ion batteries

Sodium ion batteries are a new type of battery that could be used in electric cars. They might be cheaper and easier to make than the more common lithium-ion batteries.

Term

LFP packs

LFP packs are a kind of battery used in electric cars that are safe and last a long time. They are not as powerful as some other types of batteries but are cheaper and very reliable.

Car

Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera is a fancy car that has four doors and is designed for both speed and comfort. It's getting a new version that can run on electricity as well as gas.

Car

Porsche Taycan

The Porsche Taycan is an all-electric car from Porsche that is very fast and has a lot of cool tech features. It's one of their newest models and is designed to compete with other high-performance electric cars.

LIVE

It's even used briefly for Tuesday, October 21st, everything you'd be in less than five minutes.

If you haven't got time for the full podcast, Patreon supporters go ad-free. Join me in the

Patreon exclusive chat area called KillerWatt Confidential for paid members and the $5.10 a

month. You also get the bonus shows seven days ahead of everybody else. Volvo is offering a

years-free home charging in Sweden, but they're treating it as a pilot. This is for 5,150 kilowatt

hours per year by 25,000 kilometers on a new EX-90. For instance, if you're a Vattenfall

customer in Sweden, they want to roll this out to other countries as well. Very interesting,

isn't it? Free home charging could be an incentive, a lever that other car makers start to pull. I

like it. US fast charging growth slowed a bit Q3 compared to Q2, but it's still up a lot. 700

new DC fast charging stations coming online. Tesla almost 2,000 of the ports, of the 4,000 ports.

That's more than the next nine put together. Tesla supercharging continues to be rolled out

at quite a rip, albeit a lower percentage of the US market because other EV chargers are coming

online. The new Mustang Mach-E gets a California special package. If you get the new Mach-E GT,

top of the range one, you can now spec the California package, a throwback to the 1968

option that appeared from California's dealers for Ford's. GM is planning a family of EVs based

around the Bolt, around 30,000 US dollars. The president of GM, Mark Reyes, talking on the

Inside EVs podcast about how there will be a low priced family around the Bolt. That's interesting,

I wonder what he means by that. Porsche has opened its ninth brand exclusive charging lounge

in Evendorf, Lower Saxony. They got one in Austria, one in Switzerland, the rest are in

Germany as well. 400 kilowatt chargers, which can all dispense 400 kilowatts, even if everyone is

full by the way. How very Porsche, awesome. And a big charging lounge as well with Wi-Fi and snacks

and coffee and drinks and conveniences. And if you have your Porsche number plate inside your

Porsche app, the barrier will raise automatically a little exclusive area for you to go and hide with

other Porsche owners. And fair enough too, no skin off my nose, looks like an amazing,

amazing place to go and charge. Nissan is joining BYD in the EU emissions pool. Emissions pools are

all to do with CO2 and the tightening of those regulations and having to pay fines if you miss

them. So it's cheaper to pay another car company that has excess credits effectively than pay the

fines. Well BYD in Germany has a lot more. In the EU BYD has plenty spare. And so Nissan, which was

normally with Renault, because they're reliant, is now joining with BYD. Perhaps if only they'd

rolled out the new leaf better and earlier they wouldn't be having to do that. Rivian is delaying

some new features, which should have been here almost a month ago. They promised Kicktern and

Radtuna by the end of September. Now they say by the end of the year, not the first time an EV

company's missed a deadline. RVTEC is the joint venture between Rivian and Volkswagen. RVTEC

want new offices in Palo Alto. And that's really interesting because they're not doing it in

Germany, in Wolfsburg, under the eyes, you know, under the supervision of Wolfswagen. And they're

Rivian's based. They're doing it in Palo Alto. That's brilliant because that's exactly where

a next generation tech thinking Silicon Valley company should be. And perhaps what has held back

software in some of the German brands until now. Sodium ion batteries are nearing mass production,

a new report coming out saying that they're almost ready for primetime with electric vehicles to

match the energy density of LFP packs. Aqua superpower is installing 75 kilowatt marine

chargers around Lake Garda, which I've been to. It is utterly beautiful. And that is brilliant.

Even that is going electric as well with marine EVs. Germany is putting together a plan by 2030

to have more charging infrastructure for heavy duty goods, vehicles, and Porsche appeared to

be rolling out a hardcore Panamera plug in hybrid with the equivalent of like the Porsche

Taycan Vizac package. And that's briefly

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BRIEFLY: Volvo, Supercharging, Mustang Mach-E California & more | 21 Oct 2025

Volvo EX90

DC fast charging

Tesla

Ford Mustang

California special package

Chevrolet Bolt

400 kilowatt chargers

emissions pool

BYD

Nissan Leaf

Volkswagen

Rivian

sodium ion batteries

LFP packs

Porsche Panamera

Porsche Taycan

About this episode

Original notes