The Dodge Charger is a big, fast car from America that many people like because it looks cool and can go really fast. It's often talked about when people discuss new ways to charge electric cars, even though the Charger itself is usually a gas car.
The Tesla Model 3 is a fully electric car that runs on batteries instead of gas. It's popular because it can go far on a single charge and has lots of cool tech inside.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is an electric SUV, meaning it has lots of space and runs on electricity. It uses the Mustang name, which is usually for sporty cars.
The Kia EV9 is a big electric car that looks like a family SUV and runs on batteries instead of gas. It's part of a new group of electric cars that many companies are making to help people drive cleaner and use less fuel.
The Polestar 2 is a stylish electric car made by a company connected to Volvo. It’s known for being quick and nice to look at, and soon there will be a new version that is built on a different design to make it even better.
The EX60 is a small electric SUV from Volvo that shows what their future cars might look like. It’s built differently from some older Volvo cars, which means it might have new features and ways of working.
Volkswagen is a big car company from Germany that makes many different kinds of cars. They have bought other brands like Scout to make more types of vehicles.
The Dacia Spring Electric Cargo is a small, cheap electric car made to carry goods around town. It's affordable but some people say it doesn't feel very strong or comfortable when driving.
The Alpine A110 is a small, sporty car from France that is fun to drive because it is light and easy to handle. Soon, there will be a new version that uses electricity instead of gas, showing how sports cars are changing.
The Renault 5 is a small, popular car from France that is now coming back as an electric car. There is also a special fast and expensive version called the Renault 5 Turbo 3E that is very powerful and unique.
JD Power credits continued infrastructure expansion
and Tesla opening its charger network to non-Tesla vehicles via J3400,
or the old NACS or NAX name.
Quality improved at the premium end, reaching 75 problems per 100.
This is the PP100 score.
Problems per 100 vehicles.
So, at the premium end, 75 problems per 100 vehicles.
That was actually a fall of almost 16 on the previous year.
In other words, fewer squeaks, rattles, bings and bongs,
which don't make any sense or noises.
Mass market Bev's were at 92.
PP's per 100.
Problems per 100.
Bev's outscored plug-in hybrids in both segments, largely on cost of ownership.
Premium Bev's scored 786 out of 1,000 versus 756 for premium plug-in hybrids,
a 30-point gap.
Mass market Bev's scored out of the 1,000 score.
727 versus 658 for mass market plug-in hybrids, a 69-point gap.
JD Power attributing the difference to plug-in hybrids
retaining internal combustion engines that need service.
You're not kidding.
No plug-in hybrid models qualified for awards in either segment, says JD Power.
The top-ranked premium Bev, so asking owners of new cars
how satisfied they are with their vehicles.
Number one, Model 3 owners.
Number two, Model Y owners.
Then third, BMW i4 owners.
That's in the premium segment.
You can argue amongst yourselves whether modern cheap Teslas are premium vehicles.
Either way, in the mass market segment, Ford Mustang Mach-E led the way.
I'm not sure how a Mustang Mach-E is mass market, and yet the standard Tesla vehicles now with
cloth seats and no niceties are called premium.
But either way, that's the mass market segment.
Ford Mustang Mach-E followed by Hyundai i6 and the Kia EV9.
Let's talk about Polestar next, and not just because I'm a Polestar owner
and just a blatant fanboy these days.
Polestar is going to launch four new models by the end of 2028.
That doubles their lineup, in sort of, because the Polestar one isn't really a thing anymore.
In fact, they have the two, the three, and the four.
And the two is rather long in the tooth.
I know I own one of the original launch ones in 2020.
The Swedish EV maker, owned these days by Geely, aims to do 100,000 sales a year
up from 60,000 last year.
And it needs the uplift because the share price has created amidst heavy losses.
The new CEO, not really new anymore.
When did he take over?
Late 2024, I think, wasn't it, Michael Loschler?
He ran Opel Vauxhall and not a journeyman, but certainly someone in the car industry
that's got a extensive CV, moved around a lot.
He says Polestar currently captures 25% of the EV segments that it competes in
and expects a broader range to lift it to up to 65%.
First comes the Polestar 5.
This is the British-engineered Grand Tourer.
Sad to say that many of the British engineers that worked on that have now been laid off
because the project is done.
There won't be another need for them.
But I've been following the video series that Polestar have been putting out
over the last year or so.
And it's fascinating to see, obviously, a bit of pride
because they've been making it not too far away from me.
First comes the Polestar 5.
An electric Grand Tourer comes out in the summer.
Polestar 5 is the halo model.
It will stay in the range and be there as a permanent car on its own platform.
So not using a Chinese Geely platform, for instance,
designed to be just the best that they could do.
Sadly, they're now defunct UK R&D team, put that together.
Later this year, Polestar adds the wagon version of the Polestar 4.
Now, I've seen this testing or rather camouflage pictures in China
over the last quite recently.
And so talked about it on our spin-off podcast, EV News China.
Polestar 4 coming in the wagon version looks, I think, really special.
Then again, I really like estate cars
because I just think a really gorgeous shooting break, estate wagon.
Call it what you will.
It's just such a good looking form factor.
I don't really want an SUV, but everybody else does.
So what do I know?
But the estate version of the Polestar 4 uses the same EV platform.
It restores a traditional rear window after the Polestar 4 ditched it
in favour of more rear headroom and a camera feed.
Honestly, that works fine.
It's a big fuss over nothing when people complain about it.
The shifting of your focal length is a little time to get used to,
but that's it when you look up at a mirror.
And it's slightly different looking at a camera, but either way,
Polestar will rebadge the car as Polestar 4 coupe.
Both versions will be made in Busan, South Korea,
to avoid Chinese tariffs in the US.
Next year, Polestar will replace their Polestar 2
on an entirely new platform.
Polestar developed it in around 30 months
and made it longer than the outgoing model.
For more rear passenger space, possibly one of the downsides,
I would say, to the existing car, which I've had for a couple of years now,
and I still really like it.
I like the conventional feel of a Polestar 2.
We went shopping for a Tesla and came home with a Polestar.
That makes sense.
My wife just didn't feel that a steering wheel and a screen
felt premium enough for spending what we were spending.
I kind of agree with her with that, but many people don't like
the kind of enclosed cockpit, the tunnel down the middle of the car,
effectively, that goes away from the flat floor of a specially designed EV platform.
They feel it's maybe too claustrophobic.
I like all of those things.
I feel cocooned inside it.
There are buttons that I can push, and I like the aesthetic.
And so Polestar 2, there's going to be a new one of those.
They've sold 190,000 of the existing ones so far.
They'll get to 200,000 before too long,
and they want to use that to attract maybe some younger buyers into the brand.
And then after that comes Polestar 7.
Polestar 7 is their compact SUV.
Think Volvo EX60, but it won't be on SPA3 platform.
Volvo claim that to be all their own.
We'll wait and see.
Polestar wants to aim that at Europe.
So the European fast-growing EV segment for compact SUVs,
so that's what that's going to drop into.
They do still plan a Polestar 6 as a high-end derivative.
That's being put off till after 2028.
Polestar insists it will stay premium
rather than chasing volume for the sake of it,
but they want to hit economies of scale.
In another story, Polestar's next four models
also carry some degree of uncertainty in the United States,
with Chinese tariffs over 100% on Chinese built EVs.
So Polestar 5, the four-door electric flagship,
almost 1,000 horsepower, begins deliveries this summer.
But in the US, that's uncertain.
It's built in Chongqing.
It faces tariffs that would push the US price
over $250,000.
So yeah, no.
A new Polestar 4, the estate variant, adding the rear window,
will be produced at the Renault Korea plant,
as they mentioned in South Korea,
alongside the existing Polestar 4.
So that means US deliveries are confirmed for Q4 this year.
And the next gen Polestar 2 develops in China
and out in 2027.
That's going to face the same tough tariff barrier.
Oh, the next gen Polestar 2, the current gen Polestar 2,
which will go off sale this year,
means Polestar has just two US models,
the three and the four,
as it awaits clarity on tariff policy.
Finally, in a sort of all the same story wrapped up,
Polestar will not go the combustion hybrid route
that their competitors are doing, ever, says the CEO.
For a brand that launched with the limited-run Polestar 1,
a plug-in hybrid, a very high-performance clever plug-in hybrid,
that reads like a hard-slam shut on a door
that many of its competitors are leaving a jar.
Polestar, being the Swedish brand owned by Geely
and spun out of Volvo,
has only ever built electric cars since the Polestar 1.
The CEO made it his pledge as he acknowledged a market
that now looks less certain.
Evie adoption has slowed in the United States
as it races forward in China and Europe.
The US is dismantling its climate initiatives.
Rival brands are all retreating to things like EREV's plug-in hybrids
and frankly, very mild soft hybrid technology.
Polestar could follow if they wanted.
Geely's portfolio gives them access
to loads of plug-in hybrid or EREV technology,
but the answer is no, we will not do it, say Polestar.
The case rests on focus and identity.
Polestar has posted heavy losses during its growth phase,
and Mr. Loschler said the strategy centers
on expanding into new market segments
with new models not adding combustion,
warning that hybrids alongside Evie create complexity
in a world that needs to be more simple.
And absolutely, a lot of people have no idea
what Polestar stands for.
He also framed the decision as a customer-led thing.
The average Polestar buyer, he revealed is 45 years old.
What am I, 47?
I bought it two years ago.
I am Mr. Average.
I bought my Polestar at 45.
Okay, maybe just shy.
And he said that he wants to attract
Polestar's younger, climate-conscious consumer
that would reject the brand, making overtures to engines.
Right, speaking of which, one of those is scouts,
and they seem to have some issues,
at least according to a German report,
talking about Volkswagen, the mothership.
And also, Dacia, have some news.
I'll bring you those stories and more in a moment.
Stick around.
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German outlet, Deschbegel,
reporting that Scout may push its production
start back by at least a year to 2028,
the middle of 2028.
The magazine blames unspecified technical problems
but offered no details or named sources.
But the report matters because Scout,
under its Volkswagen leadership,
while it plans a full re-launch
of the classic American off-road brand,
which VW ended up with through various acquisitions
over the years.
The company aims to build an electric SUV
and electric pickup in South Carolina
in their new dedicated factory.
The thing is they're going to pivot
to range extenders, though.
E-Revs, they're called the Harvester
in their marketing speak,
but it's triggered the delay.
Over 80% of customer pre-orders said
we want the one with the petrol tank,
and that promised scout,
prompted Scout to prioritize it
over any BEV models,
which we think are now delayed,
possibly indefinitely,
as they can sell more of the ones that come
with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine
sourced from Volkswagen, Mexico,
under the load bed, actually,
not going to be up front,
and it's only ever a generator to make electricity.
Software, though,
it seems to be the second obstacle.
Scouts' original architecture
would have relied on the Volkswagen Rivian Joint Venture,
founded in 2024,
but that's BEV development only.
Rivian aren't going to start prioritizing
range extender software.
That's not where Rivian is.
Their interest doesn't lie there.
I'm sure the Volkswagen money
helps us to persuade them,
but that means Volkswagen's
Cariad Unit has to step up
and integrate combustion engine control systems
into Rivian's architecture.
That's expensive and lengthy,
and relying on Cariad in the past
has led to many, many delays
and a lot of money.
Scout disputes the timing, though.
It told Car and Driver
that their production will happen in 2027.
Scouts said it will begin validation builds this year
with that effort maturing
into full production next year.
Customer deliveries will follow.
The official community forum
being run by Scouts Jamie Vondruska
dismissed DeSpiegel's framing,
but did leave the door open,
saying are there potential delays?
Of course.
He said he will alert the community
to any official changes as quick as possible.
Let's talk about the Romanian value bit of Renault,
that's Dacia,
rolling out an updated battery platform
for their new entry-level BEV.
This spring has a new lithium-ion phosphate pack.
It's 24.3 kilowatt hours
using cell-to-pack technology.
Housed in a reinforced central platform section,
the Dacia says will improve weight distribution.
The spring replaces the old motors,
which were either 33 or 48 kilowatts in power,
with new ones, 52 or 75 kilowatts of power,
that's 100 horsepower,
and torque gains up 20%.
It adds anti-roll bar,
a standard for the first time
in retuned suspension.
The Dacia springs always been very, very cheap,
but it's been dog slower charging
and very stripped down as well.
If you could either wait to get maybe a six-month-old,
one of its competitors,
like a Great Wall Motor,
Funky Cat or Zero Three,
Leap Motor T03 for instance,
you've got a lot more car
for the same amount of money as a new spring.
But as a new car at under 15,000 euros,
it's still a great bit of value.
Dacia has chased efficiency
with new underbody fairings and tailgate spoilers.
WLTP range actually stays the same
at 140 miles or 225 kilometers
on the 15-inch wheel versions anyway,
but they've bought energy consumption down by 9%.
That's great.
We don't talk about energy efficiency enough, do we?
Now EVs will emerge as grid storage.
Renewables add clean power.
We know that.
They also add swings in supply.
It's not always windy
and it's certainly not always sunny,
but that forces the grid to use storage
that can be flexible and scalable.
Electric vehicles sit in the middle of that search
on their own.
Each car is modest,
but taken together.
That's a huge pool of capacity
and that pool of storage
steadies the grid
and matches supply with demand.
And that shift changes the role of the driver.
EVs pull consumers into energy market traders,
not just billpayers.
That's all according to Herbert Dease,
the former CEO of Volkswagen Group.
He's now the board chair of the Mobility House
and he wants transport and energy to merge.
He made the case in a recent podcast episode
of the Energy Transitions podcast
in a discussion on how mobility evolves.
Very interesting discussion,
only half hour or so long.
It's in English, by the way,
in case you were wondering.
Not German.
And so I'll put a link in the show notes.
Little listen to that.
Mr. Dease discussed decentralized ways
to tackle energy challenges.
They also returned to a blunt test
in the discussion
to invest in very practical,
economically viable solutions.
Not pie in the sky wish lists.
Mr. Dease argues for full commitment to immobility
and for clearing any barriers
that move away outdated mindsets.
The conversation also covered
the Mobility House's current projects
and the role that fast moving startups play
in the clean energy shift.
Let's talk about Alpine,
which is the sporty bit of Renault.
Alpine's next gen electric A110 comes next year.
Unfiled at the Paris Motor Show this October.
We'll share the Alpine performance platform
with that exceptional but very expensive
Renault 5 Turbo 3E that we saw.
That was the one capped at 1,980 units.
So 1980 as a nod to the Renault 5 Turbo.
And it's going to be £135,000.
The APP platform is bonded aluminium 800 volt
twice as rigid as the existing structure in the A110.
But sub 1500 kilograms curb weight.
70 kilowatt hour battery sits behind the occupants
so very low centre of gravity,
mid-engined if you like.
And then running that between Renault and Alpine
mean they can share finance, development costs
and things like that.
At launch the electric A110 uses two rear mounted motors
producing over 345 horsepower, a four wheel drive variant
with front in wheel motors is possible.
The cabin breaks new ground for Alpine.
The first fully bespoke interior raised style
sitting position so your raised feet I should say.
So sitting very low but with your feet up
like a Formula One driver.
Like yeah just sort of relaxing.
I'm sure it's not relaxing strut Formula One car.
Minimal screens and lots of physical controls.
And so the exterior retains its quad headlights,
grows marginally in length.
The range spans four body styles.
Coupe convertible, four seat GT versions of both
and performance targets very, very high.
The CEO is formerly a Ferrari
where he oversaw vehicles like the 458 Speciale and 296 GTB.
So expect good things from the Alpine A110.
And finally we'll finish off with this.
Tesla has avoided a suspension of its California operations
after complying with the California DMV
and ordering them to stop using the phrase autopilot
for selling features.
The move ends a case that ran for three years.
The DMV opened a 2021 investigation.
It accused Tesla of misleading customers by
selling a feature called autopilot that was an autopilot.
From May 2021, Tesla marketed its ADAS with the phrase,
the system is designed to be able to conduct short
and long distance trips with no action required
by the person in the driver's seat.
The DMV alleged Tesla's vehicles could not in 2021
and cannot in 2026 deliver the capability
originally described by Tesla to conducting
short or long distance trips with no action required.
The DMV filed formal accusations against Tesla's
licenses to manufacture and deal cars in 2023.
Tesla argued that the DMV had known that they were using
the autopilot branding since back in 2014
and full self-driving since 2016.
So what's the problem?
We've been doing it for a long time was their argument.
There was a five-day hearing last year
and they found that they violated state law
by using the phrase autopilot.
The initial ruling imposed a 30-day suspension of
their licenses if Tesla didn't stop selling
a product called autopilot.
DMV's final decision permanently stayed the manufacturer's
license suspension and gave them 60 days to drop the phrase.
That happened on February 14th, five days ago.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Tesla no longer sell autopilot.
You now have to subscribe to it for $99 per month.
And that is full self-driving, not autopilot.
So the chief executive Elon Musk said that $99 a month price
will rise as the system gets better.
That's a claim he's made in the past.
And it was a lie.
The price has actually decreased.
And that's your podcast for today.
Thanks for listening and thanks to our premium partners
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About this episode
Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) owner satisfaction has reached new highs, with 96% of owners planning to buy another BEV despite the loss of federal tax credits. JD Power's 2026 study highlights improvements in charging infrastructure and vehicle quality, with Tesla models leading premium satisfaction and Ford Mustang Mach-E topping the mass market. Polestar plans to double its lineup by 2028, introducing the Polestar 5 grand tourer, a wagon version of the Polestar 4, a new Polestar 2, and a compact SUV Polestar 7, though US sales face challenges from Chinese tariffs. Polestar remains committed to fully electric vehicles, avoiding hybrids.
