EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs Apr 17, 2026

DAILY: Mercedes C-Class EV Preview, Musk Buys Cybertrucks For Himself and BMW Adds Plug&Charge | 17 Apr 2026

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Car

Mercedes C-Class EV

Mercedes is previewing an all-electric version of the C-Class. They’re showing what the inside will look like and what tech features you’ll get before the full official reveal.

Term

“Plug and charge” is an EV charging feature where you plug in and the car automatically authenticates with the charger, so you don’t need to tap a card or use an app. It relies on secure communication between the vehicle and charging network to start charging quickly.

Car

Leapmotor D19

They talk about a new Leapmotor SUV called the D19. It’s positioned as a big, family-friendly electric vehicle with a luxury vibe at a relatively lower price.

Term

hyper screen

A hyper screen is basically a very large digital screen setup for the dashboard. Mercedes is describing it as advanced lighting and display technology so the screen can look and feel more customizable.

Term

matrix backlighting

Matrix backlighting means the screen’s light is controlled in many small sections. That helps the display look brighter and clearer where it needs to, without washing out the rest.

Concept

panoramic glass roof

A panoramic glass roof is a big glass panel in the roof. It makes the cabin feel more open and airy, and it can also let in more light.

Term

vegan society certified upholstery

This means the seats use materials that are certified to avoid animal-based products. It’s a way for buyers to choose upholstery that aligns with vegan preferences.

Car

Mercedes GLC class EV

They’re comparing the new C-Class EV to another Mercedes EV, the GLC-Class EV. The point is that the GLC already uses the same vegan-certified seat materials.

Term

electro pneumatic

Electro-pneumatic seats use electricity to control air-powered adjustments. That can help with things like lumbar support and seat ventilation.

Company

Burmeister sound system

This is a high-end Mercedes audio option from Burmester. It’s meant to make music and sound feel more immersive, including through the seat itself.

Term

vibrating seat exciters

These are devices that make the seat vibrate in sync with the audio. It’s like adding a “feel it” layer to music and sound effects.

Term

sky control roof

A sky control roof is a fancy glass roof feature that can create a starry lighting look inside the cabin. It’s mainly for ambiance, but Mercedes says it also helps in other ways.

Term

multi-source heat pump

A heat pump helps manage temperature in an EV. A “multi-source” version can pull heat from more than one place, which can improve efficiency in different weather.

Term

sound deadening

Sound deadening is how the car reduces outside and road noise so the cabin feels quieter. They’re saying the EV is designed to be more refined by blocking more noise.

Term

aero optimization

Aero optimization is about making the car slice through the air more efficiently. That can help the EV go farther and also feel quieter at speed.

Car

Cybertrucks

The host discusses Elon Musk buying Cybertrucks for himself and notes that a portion of Cybertruck sales went to Musk-affiliated entities. They also frame the controversy around transparency—how those internal purchases affect sales figures and public perception.

Car

Delorean DMC-12

The DeLorean DMC-12 is a sports car that’s famous for its unusual stainless-steel body. It’s remembered today mostly because it stands out visually and became well known through media. People bring it up when talking about vehicles that were different and still got a lot of attention.

Company

BMW group

The host attributes the plug-and-charge rollout to BMW Group, describing how BMW and Mini drivers can authenticate using an existing BMW account. This is a practical example of how automakers are integrating charging experiences into their connected-car ecosystems.

Term

public DC charging points

They’re talking about public fast chargers that use DC power. These are the ones you can use to charge more quickly, and the new system is meant to make starting easier.

Term

fleet driver

A fleet driver is a person who drives a car owned or managed by a business. The episode is saying the charging experience can be set up so it’s easy for those drivers to use.

Term

Plug&Charge

Plug&Charge is a convenience feature for EV charging. With the right charger, your car can start charging automatically after you plug it in.

Car

Byd Shark 6

BYD is offering more versions of the Shark 6 in Australia. The idea is to give tradies and other buyers a more practical pickup-style EV option, with different levels of capability and features.

Term

dual mode off-road (DMO) system

Dual mode off-road is a set of driving modes meant for rough terrain. It’s designed to help the vehicle move more confidently when conditions are difficult.

Term

plug-in hybrid

A plug-in hybrid can run on electricity like an EV, but it also has a gas engine as backup. You can charge it at home or at a charger, then drive on electric for a while.

Term

crawl mode

Crawl mode is for very slow, careful driving—like when you’re climbing steep spots or moving over rocks. It helps the car control speed smoothly so you don’t have to “feather” the throttle.

Concept

over-the-air (OTA) update

An OTA update is like updating your phone, but for your car. It can add new features or improvements wirelessly after you buy the vehicle.

Company

Alleggo

Alleggo is a company that runs EV charging. They’re trying to make charging cheaper and easier by encouraging drivers to charge overnight instead of during busy evening hours.

Concept

smart charging scheme

A smart charging scheme coordinates when an EV charges to reduce strain on the grid and take advantage of lower-cost electricity. Here, the plan uses scheduling so charging can be delayed until the grid is under capacity, reducing peak-time usage.

Concept

charging habits

They’re talking about how people choose when to plug in and how much to charge. The idea is that small rewards can nudge people into charging in a way that saves money and helps the power system.

Concept

West Texas or Brent crude

Brent and West Texas are two common “reference” prices for oil around the world. If oil prices rise there, gas prices usually rise too, which can make EVs more appealing financially.

Concept

fuel prices at the pump

This is just the price you pay for gas when you fill up. The point here is that when gas gets expensive, more people start considering EVs because it costs less to run.

Company

Rivian Adventure Network

Rivian has its own set of charging stations. They’re changing the plug type at some locations, so you may need the right adapter to use them.

Term

CCS-1

CCS-1 is a common charging plug type used on many EVs. If a charging station stops offering CCS-1, you may need an adapter to keep charging with your car.

Term

J3400

J3400 is a specific type of charging plug for EV fast charging. If your car doesn’t use it natively, you might need an adapter to charge at those stations.

Term

NAX

NAX is Rivian’s name for a charging setup that uses the newer J3400 plug. It’s meant to make charging easier for newer Rivians.

Car

Rivian R1-S

R1-S is an earlier Rivian EV model. The podcast is using it to explain when Rivian started rolling out the newer charging connector.

Car

Rivian R2

The Rivian R2 is a newer Rivian EV that’s expected to use the newer J3400 charging plug. That’s one reason Rivian is updating some charging stations.

Car

Rivian R1-T

R1-T is Rivian’s truck. It’s mentioned here mainly to set the timeline for when Rivian started using the newer charging connector.

Car

Rivian R2

Concept

K car

In Japan, “K car” means a tiny, lightly regulated class of vehicle. Those rules can make the cars cheaper to own, so they’re common for city driving.

Car

Honda Super N

Honda Super N is a very small hatchback Honda plans to sell in the UK. The discussion focuses on how it’s meant to compete in the cheapest, smallest-car category.

Car

T3 Leap Motors T03

The T3 is a tiny, narrow vehicle designed for city use. It’s meant to be easy to drive and park in crowded areas. It’s discussed in EV news because small electric cars can be a practical way to add more options for everyday driving.

Car

Leap Motor T03

Leap Motor T03 is a very small EV that’s brought up as an example of the kind of car people might cross-shop. It’s part of the discussion about competing in the cheapest microcar segment.

Car

Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring is a low-cost small EV that the host brings up as a benchmark. It helps illustrate what price range Honda would have to beat or match.

Concept

e-axle

An e-axle is basically the EV’s electric motor and drivetrain packaged together. It helps the car deliver power efficiently, and it can support different power modes like “boost.”

Term

boost mode

Boost mode is when the car briefly makes extra power for quicker acceleration. It’s usually temporary so the battery and motor don’t overheat or drain too fast.

Term

WLTC combined range

WLTC is a standardized test used to estimate how far an EV can go on a charge. “Combined range” is the overall number that mixes different types of driving.

Term

ANPR cameras

ANPR cameras automatically read license plates. In this case, they’re being used to help manage EV charging spots and catch drivers who misuse them.

Term

outstaying

Overstaying means someone keeps their car in a charging spot longer than they need. That can stop other drivers from being able to charge when they arrive.

Concept

DC fast charger

A DC fast charger is a charging station designed to add lots of power quickly. The problem discussed is people leaving their car parked there for hours instead of using it briefly and then moving.

Concept

parking discipline

“Parking discipline” means following the rules for using charging spots. The idea is that if people are monitored, fewer will park there longer than they should.

Company

National Car Charging

They’re a company involved with EV charging. The host is thanking them as a partner for the show.

Company

loha charge

This is another charging-related company the host is thanking. It’s associated with EV charging in Hawaii.

Company

avaloos

Avaloos helps check how healthy an EV battery is. That can be useful if you’re buying a used EV or trying to understand battery wear.

Concept

self-charging hybrid

They’re saying a “self-charging hybrid” isn’t truly independent of energy sources. Even if it charges itself a bit while driving, it still needs fuel or electricity to come from somewhere.

LIVE

Welcome back to EV news daily on the podcast today, Mercedes Benz is previewing the C class

electric cabin, Musk is buying Cybertrux for himself and BMW adds plug and charge plus

stay tuned later in the show I'll tell you how one British company is ready to tackle

cars blocking EV charging bays next time you need to top up.

Over on EV news China our spin off podcast today we're talking about how large SUVs

are dominating new models Leap motor one of those debuting the D19 that's a really

high end probably you would think maybe a hundred and twenty hundred and fifty thousand

dollar big three row super luxury vehicle it's thirty five grand equivalent in its launch

spec and the VW launching the ID UNIX 08 alright let's get into the news Mercedes Benz has

shown the interior of its new all electric C class very important vehicle gets its full

reveal on the twentieth of April next week but now we see the internals of the new the

cabin of the new C class electric the new super screen is just the standard option you

can also pick the larger hyper screen that uses matrix backlighting ten million pixels

and multiple brightness zones with ten color schemes across the displays it's utterly

enormous it's forty inches across from left to right this thing is huge like we've seen

the hyper screens before in the Mercedes Benz it's just the entire dashboard glass

the Mercedes Benz as the electric platform and standard panoramic glass roof make the

interior space bigger than any previous C class also becomes the second Mercedes model

after the GLC class EV to have vegan society certified upholstery up front the seats are

electro pneumatic for a lumber support massage and ventilating buyers who go for the optional

Burmeister sound system also get what's described as vibrating seat exciters that will turn

what you're listening to into physical vibrations sounds really interesting for those who wants

more bling Mercedes offers an optional sky control roof with a hundred and sixty two shining

stars embedded into the glass panel subtle it is not Mercedes also claims some gains more

than a snazzy roof a multi-source heat pump less the automatic climate control heat the

cabin twice as fast as Mercedes combustion models while using half the energy the firm

says refinement improves through more sound deadening aero optimization noise insulating

glass and a all-new air conditioning system moving on SpaceX has been buying up a lot

of cyber trucks Elon Musk has been writing checks to Elon Musk he's been selling cars

to himself and there's nothing inherently wrong with that car companies always have

always sold cars to their own finance departments and if you need a fleet of cars well why would

you not drive a Tesla if you're a Tesla affiliated company a lot of criticism online today about

this but why would you buy another brand if you were SpaceX or his other affiliated entities

XAI the boring company Neuralink and more they've been buying a lot of them though a fifth of all

cyber trucks sold to himself they sold about 7000 cyber trucks in the US in Q4 last year without

selling cars to himself it would have dropped shown a more than 50% year on year drop so I guess

it's the transparency here that people got upset about online and also what's interesting is we've

seen those photographs of cyber trucks around SpaceX sites like Starbase in Texas and also make

sense that you buy Teslas but he's been buying a lot of them and without that the figures would

look really bad and also it's kind of more evidence that it was a technically very very

interesting vehicle the cyber truck in the way that the DeLorean was interesting and I think

we'll look back on the cyber truck with maybe a similar view there's actually really interesting

technology under the skin of cyber truck which people don't really talk about unfortunately

because I think the looks and the divisiveness get in the way but yeah now BMW group has launched

a new plug-and-charge system in Germany and let's drivers use public DC charging points without a

separate charging contract or an app or a charging card if you're in a BMW or mini and you already

have a BMW account you can log into that car and you'll have your credit card in your BMW

account and billing goes straight through to your card it takes a few easy steps to set up plug-and-charge

and it means that if you are turning up to a supported station and you are using plug-and-charge

if you haven't got an existing charging contract and also if you're a tourist it's a rental company

you've hired the car a fleet driver a pool cars maybe as long as you've got a BMW account and your

card is in it you just log into that and plug-and-charge will work absolutely fine BMW sorry BYD has

widened its shark six youth range in Australia from one model to three when I think of a youth by

the way in my mind's eye rightly or wrongly I think of a cab up front and then like a big metal

sort of box bed if you like that's how I think of Aussie youths different to American pickup trucks

and that's kind of what I think of as a what a tradie would use a proper working vehicle

well that's exactly what they've done there's the new shark six dynamic cab chassis there's the

new shark six performance and premium giving BYD a broader appeal across tradies fleets and even

private buyers who want something a little nicer the shark six cab chassis starts at 55,000 Aussie

dollars plus on road costs at the premium is 58,000 performance is 62 the cab chassis is all about

trade use you can add your heavy-duty alloy tray developed by Ironman four by four with integrated

tie-down points and lockable storage of course they all use the DMO system the dual mode off-road

system plug-in hybrid of course engine sizes are different there's now a two-liter engine

on the performance version there's also three and a half thousand kilograms of towing capacity

brake towing three and a half thousands a really big deal for some people the performance also

adds a new crawl mode for low-speed off-road driving like rock crawling or steep inclines

BYD expects a future over-the-air update to add crawl mode to all the other shark sixes

and at a point in time in the future now charging network Alleggo has launched a new overnight

smart charging scheme in the Netherlands the plan targets a simple problem too many drivers

need to get home and plug in and it could be a bit inconvenient I guess to go out and plug in a

little bit later so what they're saying is look use scheduling when the grid is cheap and under

used Alleggo says you can shift 70% of energy consumption from peak evening hours to the

off-peak periods so when you plug in your car on the Alleggo app it will give you the option to

either charge immediately or smart schedule and that's really good if you pick your smart schedule

option it will then delay the charge until the grid is at below capacity Alleggo offers cashback

rewards on this at 5% of the charging costs the company says it will build more grid conscious

charging habits I love stuff like this because I find all people need is a nudge now I think

number one people want pounds in their pocket or whatever that is where there's euros in your

pocket okay so I think number one make it a financial reward and it doesn't have to be very much

for people to move their habits as long as it's just open the app and hit one or two buttons

like charge now okay I need I need a full charge maybe got a really big battery or something

or yeah cool smart I want it by 50% by the morning so you fill your boots you do the

smart charging for me I think a lot of people would pick that if there's a little bit of a kick

back now rising fuel prices are next in the news this has been an ongoing rumbling story

fuel prices now look set to do what years of messaging about driving EVs couldn't do electrifying

dot com the UK based website surveyed more than a thousand visitors and found that over 70% of

those that are non EV drivers said that rising fuel prices are now making them actively consider

the switch to electric in the same survey 73% of non EV drivers said soaring prices would

definitely move them to an EV fuel prices of course have been spiking around the world

during the 50 day US Israeli air attacks on Iran and the disruption to oil supply through the

straight of Hormuz at the point of recording this there is a cessation of or a ceasefire I

should say I think which is largely being observed but that hasn't meant that oil is suddenly flowing

on tankers in fact I was looking earlier today at Reuters and it said it's no different at all

so because the US are blockating it as well anything you can do we can do better so everyone's

blockading it and now this is this meant has meant after heading towards a couple of months

that stocks and reserves are starting to reach critical points and although there are days when

the oil price goes down the price of West Texas or Brent crude goes up it goes down there's

positive headlines negative headlines largely you'll have seen the people are paying more at the

pump than they were two months ago and so fuel prices are a really interesting thing again move

people it is a financial thing it's not about the environment it's not about driving a high tech car

having the latest toys being an early adopter it's just like you could save this much money every

month or this every year okay right fine I don't care what powers my car I want to go to A to B

and that's already a cheap way to do it we'll take a break we'll come back we'll talk Rivian

and Honda stick around back in a mo. Hey welcome back to the podcast now let's talk a little bit

about Rivian has converted the first four of its Rivian Adventure Network charging sites to

J3400 or NAX removing the CCS-1 connectors entirely these are the first of the J3400 sites

in the Rivian Adventure Network all four in California by the way this started to change

when they were adding NAX connectors back in July 2025 with dual stalls with CCS-1 and J3400

together the rollout matched the launch of the R1-S R1-T now there's the new R2 which of course

is J3400 standard well even though obviously the the new 2026 model year R1's come with J3400

there's a need to move over however owners of older cars still need to carry adapters

that's J3400 to CCS-1 when using these four sites others who you can use those those charging

sites will also need adapters a likely driver for the change is the R2 imminently ramping up

increasing the number of J3400 equipped Rivians on the road a single connector type simplifies

logistics doesn't it and replacement parts and hardware management stuff like that let's talk

Honda unveiling the Super N this is a K car a proper K car and it's coming to the UK it'll go

sale in July under £20,000 it's a very small hatchback I think like people who buy maybe the

old smart cars which were two-seaters or the little leap motors T03 very narrow vehicles

small cars K cars of course in Japan are certified as K cars due to the dimensions they have to fit

under and then they're given very favorable financial terms because of that they're very very

popular small hatchback means that Honda can now play in that part of the market now

those small cars like Dacia Spring, Hyundai Insta, Leap Motor T03 are between 14 and 16,

14 and 18 depending on trims so Honda would have to bring the price down to be competitive I don't

think this thing is going to be so attractive based purely on it being a Honda they have

got a fight on price as well we saw a Goodwood last year in 2025 Japan gets the same car as the

Super one they opened pre-orders funnily enough today in Japan delivery start in May the Super

N measures 3.4 meters long and sits on the lightweight platform used by Honda's N Series K cars in

Japan drawing styling on the 1980s Honda City Turbo car with a wide track and very pronounced

80s looking bumpers the power comes from a compact e-axle it's normally 47 kilowatts but there's a

boost mode for 70 kilowatts of power Honda says WLTC combined range 274 kilometers here in the UK

199 miles urban cycle 128 miles combined cycle I couldn't find at least I don't know if it disclosed

the UK specs battery and charging the launch will be right hand drive only so if it is popular here

I have to make a different one for the European Union and finally how do you stop people parking

in charging bays when they shouldn't well there's a UK based company called Mav Systems launching

their new ANPR cameras that can monitor entire charging areas not just a single bay at a time

and it aims to help parking operators maybe authorities or I don't know like local councils

or something who run charging sites manage the common problems people overstaying so if you're

there for four hours on a DC fast charger you're blatantly just parking it there plugging it in

and walking away there's also icing by gas guzzlers and poor turnover as well at a high demand

location so what they do is they cut the hardware needed to police those bays a single camera can

monitor multiple bays while conventional ANPR systems have until now been expensive because

it's one camera per bay so this cuts the costs hugely encouraging people to monitor sites more

effectively of course there may be some pushback on this because ANPR is number plate recognition

so it's it's logging who you are where you are at what time and how long you spent there people

that like being tracked but ANPR is everywhere here frankly and so that leaves a simple test

if one single unit can monitor multiple charging bays we'll operators now take the jump into

monitoring EV charging sites more proactively making driver bay discipline less of an issue that we

have to pay attention to and something that others start to police because if you don't do it you'll

get a little letter and a picture and a bill and a fine in the post a few days later to say

hey you were here for like four hours six hours you weren't DC charging if you're an EV here's

your bill also if you're driving a car that's not zero emission and you park in that bay

here's your fine and you get better get paid up interesting one of how much that'll be enforced

if it'll be used well it's another solution I guess being offered and that's your podcast

for today thanks for listening back over the weekend got a ton of stories already lined up

half written so it's definitely gonna be a saturday show maybe a sunday show not sure gonna

take one at least one of my kids to the sea life center to go you know we got the walk through

tunnels and there's sharks and stuff all around you and whatnot so that's definitely on the cards

over the weekend depending on weather so definitely a saturday show maybe a sunday one thank you for

listening if you have been all week and thanks to our premium partners national car charging on the

US mainland and the loha charge in hawaii and test tv avaloos trusted partner for independent

ev battery health testing in australia and new zealand have a good and see tomorrow and remember

there's no such thing as a self-charging hybrid

0:00

16:05

DAILY: Mercedes C-Class EV Preview, Musk Buys Cybertrucks For Himself and BMW Adds Plug&Charge | 17 Apr 2026

Leapmotor D19

Mercedes GLC class EV

fleet driver

Honda Super N

Leap Motor T03

loha charge

About this episode

Original notes