DAILY: Renault Twingo Arrives, Ferrari Elettrica Specs and Rivian Adds Google Gemini | 10 Oct 2025
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVsOct 10, 2025
DAILY: Renault Twingo Arrives, Ferrari Elettrica Specs and Rivian Adds Google Gemini | 10 Oct 2025
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Car
Ferrari Elettrica
The Ferrari Elettrica is a new electric car from Ferrari. It aims to combine the brand's famous speed and luxury with electric technology, which is more environmentally friendly.
Rivian is a company that makes electric trucks and SUVs. They focus on creating vehicles that are good for outdoor adventures, like camping and off-roading.
The Renault 4 CV is an old-fashioned small car that was popular a long time ago. It's known for being simple and affordable, which helped a lot of people own a car for the first time.
The Dacia Spring is a small electric car that is inexpensive and great for city driving. It's a good choice if you want to try an electric vehicle without spending too much money.
A pre-reg car is a car that a dealership has registered but hasn't sold yet. It usually has very few miles on it and can be cheaper than a brand new car.
Kilowatt hours are a way to measure how much energy a battery can hold. In electric cars, more kilowatt hours usually mean you can drive further before needing to charge it.
The Ora Funky Cat is a fun-looking electric car that comes with cool features like heated seats and a 360-degree camera. It's designed to appeal to younger drivers.
The 2035 mandate is a rule in Europe that plans to stop the sale of new cars that run on gasoline or diesel by 2035. It's designed to help the environment by encouraging the use of electric cars.
A skateboard platform is a way to build electric cars where the battery and motors are placed flat on the bottom. This helps make the car more spacious and allows for different shapes on top.
ESC means Electronic Stability Control. It's a system in cars that helps keep them stable and prevents them from sliding around when driving on slippery roads.
Amplifying sound means making the sounds that the car naturally makes louder. Instead of adding fake sounds, the car uses its real noises to create a unique sound experience.
The Rivian R2 is a new electric vehicle that Rivian is planning to release. It's meant to be more affordable than their earlier models, making it easier for more people to buy an electric car.
The Volvo EX90 is a new electric SUV that doesn't use gas and focuses on being safe and environmentally friendly. It's important because it shows how car companies are moving towards electric vehicles to help the planet.
The Tesla Model 3 is an electric car that is smaller than the Model S. It's popular for being affordable compared to other Teslas and has features like autopilot, which helps with driving.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is a small, inexpensive car that is great on gas, which means it doesn't cost much to drive. It's often talked about because it's one of the cheapest new cars you can buy.
The Tesla Model Y is a type of car that runs on electricity instead of gas. It's known for being roomy inside and having cool tech features, which makes it a popular choice for families and tech lovers.
The Chevy Bolt is an electric car that is known for being affordable and having a good driving range. It's a practical choice for those looking to switch to electric vehicles.
ADAS is a set of safety features in cars that help drivers with things like staying in their lane or avoiding accidents. It's like having an extra set of eyes on the road.
The Tata Motors Aria is a type of vehicle that is a mix between a car and an SUV, making it good for families. It has been improved recently to make it better and more appealing to buyers.
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Welcome back to the podcast today. The Renault Twingo arrives, the Ferrari Elettrica arrives,
and Rivian adds Google Gemini plus stay tuned later in the show. I'll tell you what wildly high
percentage of electric two-wheelers they use in Pakistan that have rather dubious batteries.
Well, thank you for listening to the podcast this week and I've been really under the weather
just about coming out the other side of it. The occupational hazard of having two small little
people who run around the house and bring everything home. So been under the weather,
still feeling terrible but my voice is getting much better now. So I can catch up with a couple
of the bonus shows I've written and not yet recorded. And by the way, if you're on Patreon,
I don't like to plug it too much, but it's how I am living these days. The Patreon platform
gives me 95% of the money that you pledge. They take some for the platform, the processing,
the credit card fees, and things like that. There's nothing else, whether YouTube or whatever,
that gives me that share of the revenue. It's incredible. It really supports creators. And if
you get any value out of this, whether you learn something from this podcast or get entertained
by it or whatever, have a think about the Patreon platform. $5, $10 a month, be an exec producer,
get your name in the show notes every day. Get your name on the Hall of Fame and join our list of
legends. So check out patreon.com slash EV News Daily. Quick mention for a new feature I switched
on yesterday called Killer What Confidential, the Patreon only chat. Now Patreon can have a chat
feature, multiple chat rooms for different tiers. I'm going to start using those more for when
question of the week comes back next week. But for today, I can confirm that we've turned on
the internal chat room for Patreon only subscribers. So if you're in the Patreon gang,
hundreds of people are come and have a chat at the minute. I've got one room, which is just
generally come and chat with me. It's where I'm hanging out and sharing my thoughts. I'm not on
social media anymore, just for mental health reasons. And it just got a complete mess. I might
go back to posting on it, but not reading. So if you want to interact, for now, it's paid Patreon
subscribers. And I'll open that up to the free tier because you can be a free Patreon supporter.
Cost you nothing just a registration. And we'll do some stuff with question of the week. But for
now, I've opened it up. I've called it Killer What Confidential. But you know, that's what the chat
room is called. Come and say hi and chat over the weekend. And I'd love to hear from you. All right,
plug out of the way. It's one of the benefits of being a Patreon subscriber, by the way,
if you want to come and chat with the gang. Now, Renault kick us off today. We'll unveil
the fourth generation Twingo called Twingo E-Tech. We get it on 6th of November,
orders opening mid-October, I think, if you have an R pass. And so that is the Renault
pass. I've done it before. And so if you want to get ahead of the queue by a month or so,
you can buy a pass, which gives you a spot in line. People do it. If you're a big Renault fan,
I guess I'm always tempted to wait six months to see what offers come out. But if you need a
new car and you love the new Twingo, and I really do, by the way, this starts at £17,000. Delivery
is 2026, but we don't know when. As the early reservation scheme is called Twingo R pass,
15th of October, you can get in line or skip the line, really, I suppose. Four official preview
images were published today, which show a rounded bubble-like silhouette, a semi-circular lighting.
Renault hasn't given us all the full drivetrain specs, but we know this is on the same platform
as the Renault 4 and Renault 5. It's called AMPR or Amper Small from Renault and Ampere,
their EV business. And they want an efficiency target of this little car, 6.2 miles per kilowatt
hour. I'm so excited by small, efficient EVs. You know this point now. I'm wildly excited by a £17,000
Renault Twingo. Yeah, they're cheaper cars. They're cheap bit of the company. They're Romanian bit
dachier, sell the spring. And you can get that for £10,000 today, by the way. There's a dealer
near me in Christchurch, and they're called Hendy, Virtu. Anyway, I'm sorry, I'll double
check if you're interested. In fact, I'll put it on the Patreon exclusive chat, killer what
confidential. I'll pop it in there if anyone's interested. I saw a pre-reg car. So this was
registered in March, but it hasn't driven off their lot in six months. And so it's done 10 miles,
right? It's effectively a new car, but it's not a new registration. It's a pre-reg car.
And it's 9995 for a dachier spring. All right, batteries under 30 kilowatt hours. It's super
stripped down. You could make an argument. Should you just buy an aura funky cat that's now two or
three years old, that's got electric seats, heated seats, 360 camera, because they're £11,000
now. By the way, they've had massive depreciation. You could make that argument for a brand new car
under £10,000. No one reports that news, do they? Maybe the newspapers say, oh, you get a 10 grand
brand new EV now, but you can. So I know that this Renault Twingo is going to be more than that.
But look, give it time. Let the offers kick in. This little Renault Twingo, if it's anything
by the five and the four, which are incredible cars, Renault's on a roll right now. They have a new
CEO, Francois Provoz, describes himself as a continuity CEO. And that's an amazing thing to
hear because a lot of CEOs want to make their mark. This guy's like, right, we have a plan,
let's execute the plan. The company says the Twingo will be 50% less to produce than the new C
segment SUV that they're making through material use changes, software centric architectures,
and a faster scale up as well. Big headline today, actually, I know that not everyone's going to get
this car, so my US listeners as well. But honestly, the small car market, the under 20 grand, under
15 grand market in Europe is exploding. Do you want to know why? The UK had mandates this year.
Europe has mandates this year. Europe is now fighting tooth and nail, especially the Germans,
to get rid of the 2035 mandate on pure combustion. Let me tell you, those mandates,
absolutely, because you've got to sell a car to get a credit, right? That means you can sell,
arguably, some more expensive petrol SUVs and there's some funky things with the zero emission
credits, but they absolutely work at the lower end of the market. We have an explosion of choice
under 20k and loads under 17, 18, arguably, and I'm absolutely here for it. I love it. All right,
let's move on before I fangirl too much on the Renault Twingo. The Ferrari Elettrica. Yes,
there's no C in that. The Italian Elettrica is their Ferrari's first EV and we got the specs
issued yesterday. And as you can imagine, the internet did its thing and said that Ferrari
shouldn't be going electric, but yeah, whatever. Four motor four door GT, arguably, the most comfortable
Ferrari ever made. This thing's going to be a GT cruiser. Skateboard platform, four motors,
1000 horsepower, 2.5 seconds to 62, 200 mile an hour top speed, battery, big, 122 kilowatt hour,
charging, big 350 kilowatts on an 800 volt platform. So that range of 323 miles is kind of
neither here nor there. It's a Ferrari, but you'll either buy one or you won't. And actually,
you won't be able to buy one of these. I can't buy one of these, even if I had won the lottery,
because Ferrari's these days are a case of, especially with a small run like their first EV.
It will be people who have several Ferraris in their garage get invited to buy one of these.
That's the way Ferrari works these days. The front axle houses two motors combined with the
rear pair making 1000 horsepower. Ferrari says all developed in house. So the motors developed in
house, the battery developed in house, the cells themselves, though come from SK Innovation.
Electrica has three energy settings, range, touring and performance, five drive modes from
ice to wet to sport and even everything turned off. ESC traction control stability all off.
Cabin sound is generated from a rear axle accelerometer that Ferrari compares to the
pickup on an electric guitar. So amplifying the EV motors, the vibrations, the processes,
the actual gearing itself, they're not inventing an electric sound and playing it in through
speakers. They're amplifying the noise that your car makes. They say, look, if we're going to make a
Ferrari EV, have a listen to it. Listen to what an, oh man, how long have I been waiting to hear
this? I love the sound of an EV. I love it in the summer here when my windows are down and I
can just hear the sound of my car. I don't miss vroom, vroom, putt, putt anymore. Ferrari will
do a full reveal early next year saying it's not a super car. It's a GT Tourer. What will it cost?
Doesn't matter. 500 grand maybe. Yeah, only Ferrari fans will get invited to buy one anyway
and add it to their collection. Now, it appears Rivian is getting rid of Amazon's Alexa and
going for Google's Gemini. Just as I did recently, I'm glad to see that RJ Scarrange is paying attention
to my home automation setup. Yeah, look, I ditched Alexa. I had a screen in every room. I got my
first one, the tower, like a big toilet roll, big kitchen roll. Years ago, got in our old house,
seven or eight years ago, I don't know. And I loved it. It was brilliant, controlled the house
with it. But then more and more recently, I'd come into a room and then the screen would be showing
me, hey, do you want to buy this product on Amazon? I'm like, no, I didn't buy a product
for now to be sold to. So do one, Bezos. So I've got rid of all of my screens. If I haven't,
they're in a box in front of me. And I need to eBay them. If anybody wants a box of varying sizes
of Amazon screens, you know, I'll give you mate's rates. You know, holy moly. So I've got a couple
of Google screens now. We've really pulled back on the screens. Now we just have speakers.
But now we've got kids and stuff. I want a bit careful of screens around the house,
easily to get addicted to them when you're kiddos. And so Rivian's doing the same. So
they're getting rid of the Amazon system and with Google Gemini. And I use that a lot because I
pay for the Google subscription service for two terabytes of storage and Gemini as well. It's
honestly really, really good. Like all the LLMs now are brilliant. You just talk to them in normal
language. So you could probably ask your car not only about the car itself, turn on the heating,
the cooling, the seats, but also about generally where you're going and things like that. CEO RJ
Scaring said that had voice to text and reaffirmed no support for Apple. Now also,
Rivian reconfirming their R2. I've mentioned this a couple of times recently, but this is the
strongest yesterday. I saw the news RJ Scaring saying he's never been more confident in their
future. I guess he has to be the biggest cheerleader. If the CEO can't be the biggest cheerleader,
who can, right? Scaring says the R2 embodies lessons from the R1 and credits highly accurate,
precise teams for the progress and the brand resonance skeptics say that Rivian's failure
after 16 years, like they're not new. They've been, they took a long time to find their groove.
Then they got backed by Amazon and Volkswagen. They did a proper IPO.
Rivian is the real deal. The vehicles are the real deal. Many people are still critical though,
saying that they won't get through to the R2. You know, the $45,000 won't be immediate vehicle, but
it'll come in time by the next next year they say, and I think they're going to be fantastic.
Next generation Volvo EX40 confirmed to use the SPA3 platform. SPA3 platform is Volvo's thing.
Shifting from the CMA platform, co-developed with Geely, to Volvo's BEV only SPA3. Volvo,
interestingly, reading between the lines, have made noises. I think following the glitchy launch
of EX30 and the glitchy still launch of EX90, are distancing themselves in the customer's
mind from Geely, the mothership. Obviously, they can't distance themselves because they're owned
by them, but Volvo, I think in terms of the customer messaging, have actually said,
this is not a Geely shared platform. This is Volvo's platform. We'll get it right from now on.
I think maybe their customer research probably told them they had to do something like that,
because EV fans are a little more educated than, you know, early adopters are a little more educated
and most people wouldn't know the platform a car is on. But Volvo said, look, this is our platform.
It's a Volvo. It's coming in 2027. Cell-to-body integration, high voltage, mega casting to
give us cost reductions and simplification, and, you know, new chemistries as well. So,
an LFP pack, an NMC pack, and 350 miles plus, you would think, on an EX40 coming in 2027.
Pricing, what, 50K in America? I don't know. They haven't said, I'm guessing.
Tesla introduced their new standard trims for three and Y this week. The Model 3 now uses
manually adjustable electric mirrors rather than power mirrors. And people have taken to the
Internet to point out many of the things wrong with Tesla this week. You won't be surprised to
hear the Internet had it say, pointing out the Mitsubishi Mirage is a $17,000 vehicle new and has
power mirrors. Model 3 doesn't. But the Model Y does keep power adjustable mirrors, but
also then covers up the glass screen. Interior on the Model 3 goes to cloth with plastic and
cloth inserts, a small rear, the small rear screen that adjusted the vents and things like that
is all gone. Rear seats is only heated. Front seat ventilation and rear seat heating is all gone.
No AMFM radio, no ambient lighting. Battery capacity is reduced, 69.5 kilowatt hours. Peak
charging, 225 kilowatts. And again, the Internet pointing out, well, actually, let's compare that
40,000, because it's 39, what, 39,000? Maybe, no, it's almost 40 with fees in destination, saying,
well, but what about the new Chevy Bolt that's coming? Well, that's got almost as much range.
It charges at 150 kilowatts, and if you're not road tripping, that is going to have
lane centering, for instance, a degree of autonomy and ADAS, which the Teslas don't.
I'm not so bothered about that side of it. The Internet very much was up in arms over Tesla,
not even giving you autopilot. Completely, there's nothing, apart from cruise control,
on the standard Range 3 and Y. That's probably just an intentional thing to nudge you towards FSD
and $99 a month, isn't it? Let's face it. So it comes with the hardware needed.
It's not like they're taking all the cameras out of the cars. And so I'm less worried about that.
The Internet got very upset about no autopilot, and fair enough. But I think that's just a
marketing ploy to get you to see FSD as a worthwhile subscription. We'll take a break,
we'll come back, we'll talk Scotter in Germany, and Nissan and the Leaf in Japan stick around,
back in a mo. All right, welcome back to the podcast. Now, let's talk about BYD sales in
Germany surging. Well, they're coming up from nothing, really. They sold last month in September
3,255 cars, which is a 2,225% year-on-year increase. From January to September, BYD
sold almost 12,000 cars in Germany. So smooth it out. That's a 600% increase on the first
nine months of this year compared to last year, because they weren't really around last year.
Softer sales and a tough market in China have forced the Chinese makers to look overseas,
and Germany's one of those markets. BYD is localizing production as well, with semi-knockdown
kits in Brazil, in Uzbekistan, there, European factory in Hungary, should come online soon.
Scotter in Germany has done really well. Then number two in the market now, overtaking BMW.
So number one in Germany is the VW brand itself with 76,000 BEVs, Scotter 35,000 BEVs,
and BMW 34,500 BEVs. Then in Germany, it's Audi, Seat Cupra, Mercedes, and Tesla down in
eighth now in Germany. Even though the cars are made there for now, the Germans are not sold so
much on Teslas. Some of the industry experts saying that that's a sign of things to come
with more Chinese cars coming to Europe. Nissan, though, is launching the new leaf in Japan,
first of all, taking orders from October 17 for the new third gen leaf, positioning it as a core
model. Like, it's the only thing they sell of any substance. The new Aria has been refreshed in
Japan. Aria now off the menu in the US, but being refreshed in Japan. Leaf, though, offers 702
kilometers driving range, 50% more than the second gen model, 10 to 80 under 35 minutes,
they say. There's some good leaf stuff online already. The great YouTube channel and EV content
creator, Misko Electric. Lacey's done a lot of stuff around Nissan. She works in Nissan.
She's supercharged. Nissan Leaf, one of her shorts this week, showed it taking 140,
150 kilowatts, and the pack was half full. That's really, really good. The first variant,
designated the B7, starts at 34,000 US dollars equivalent in Japan, coming down to 28,000 US
dollars equivalent with about 4 million yen off with government subsidies. Nissan plans
lower capacity, lower price models announced in February. The new leaf will reach the US
soon. It's already out in the US, as in we've seen the car, and it should be on
Europe's roads by early 2026 as well. When you charge your EVs, it's getting cheaper if you use
IONITY. Two new annual subscriptions, power and motion to make ultra rapid EV charging cost a
bit more predictable. Both plans guarantee IONITY's lowest charging rates for 12 months.
All customers pay the equivalent of only 10 months of base fees. Pricing is transparent,
they say, with no hidden fees, no unexpected charges. Motion 365 subscribers can also upgrade
to power 365. So what do you get? Well, you get a free RFID charging card to put on your keyring,
lucky you, and you get 5,000 ultra rapid charges up to 400 kilowatts in 23 European countries to
make ultra rapid charging, they say, more predictable with a new or two new subscription,
annual subscription tiers. FedEx in Australia is adding 55 electric delivery vehicles. I almost
called them EDVs. That's the Rivian's terminology, not FedEx at all, because they're using Fuso
eCanters and Mercedes-Benz eSprinters. Rollout begins in Adelaide, expanding to Melbourne,
Sydney and Brisbane. The eCanter has a range of 200 kilometers per charge. The eSprinter has
one and a half tons payload and 264 kilometers of range. This supports FedEx's global goal to
decarbonize their fleet. The company called Fuel, F-U-E-L, founded by motorcycle racer,
entrepreneur, famous bike guy Eric Buell, sadly didn't make it. I had a few emails over the years
from people who put money down with fuel saying, what can you do? Can you do a campaign for fuel?
So I politely said, keep me up to date with your situation. I'll pass on the news,
but I can't become some sort of campaigning podcast against one particular company,
because those people were really upset at not getting what they'd put their money down for.
The company didn't make it and it's now sold its assets at auction for $170,000 only.
The company did produce working prototypes and showed some early promise, but momentum faded
after production delays, a shift towards electric bicycles, then a bankruptcy filing last year,
an enclosure. Heritage global partners handled the sale of about 185 lots. There were some
trademarks, MIP, prototypes, the website, and other assets, $170,000, all it was worth.
Proceeds will be put towards the $7 million in outstanding
debts. And finally, batteries are very important to be safe, but what about if you're trying to cut
costs to the absolute bone? Well, 90% of Pakistan's electric two-wheelers rely on lead acid batteries,
which are marketed as graphene upgrades, which weakens the value of EV incentives and risks
consumer confidence. The Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association is now urging the
government to stop channeling subsidies to older technologies, since consumers already pay a premium
for EVs. The PAMA director, saying that over 90% of e-bikes are using a form of lead acid cells,
but coated with a thin graphene layer, which is a deceptive practice and an ineffective
modification, local makers offer no more than two years at the most warranty on these lead acid
battery packs for e-bikes versus five years or more for a proper lithium-ion battery. The association
there are alleging some interest in manipulating production and sales data. Subsidies, they say,
should be redirected to proper advanced battery technology with enforceable warranties and
transparency to ensure safety for e-bike riders. Goodness, that is a hot topic right now,
to make sure that everyone who buys an e-bike is getting a decent battery. You've seen so many
people buying this, some terrible stuff online, charging them at home and bad BMSs and bad charges
and things like that. There's nothing wrong with charging your e-bike battery at home, but
there is some danger out there if you're looking to save every last penny and buy it from some
online unknown seller. So that's your podcast for today. Thanks to our premium partner's Porsche
of the Village in Cincinnati, Audi of Cincinnati East and Volvo cars of Cincinnati East,
national car charging on the US mainland, and a low-heat charge in Hawaii, an octopus,
electric reverse, global public charging made simple with one app and one map. Have a good
and sit tomorrow and remember, there's no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.
About this episode
The episode covers the arrival of the Renault Twingo E-Tech, Ferrari's first EV, the Elettrica, and Rivian's switch from Amazon Alexa to Google Gemini for their vehicles. The Twingo E-Tech is set to be an affordable small EV, while the Ferrari Elettrica boasts impressive specs like 1000 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of 2.5 seconds. Rivian's CEO expresses confidence in their upcoming R2 model. Additionally, the episode discusses the surge of BYD sales in Germany, Nissan's new Leaf, and concerns about lead-acid batteries in Pakistan's electric two-wheelers.
