DAILY: Skoda Epiq Preview, Rivian Adds Keys To Your Watch and BYD Puts Ford In The Slow Lane | 10 Feb 2026

Five years ago, I was paying $65 a month for my subscriptions.

Today, those same subscriptions cost $111, and I don't even use half of them anymore.

That's why now, I use RocketMoney to manage my subscriptions for me.

The app gives you a list of all your subscriptions and reminds you of upcoming payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges.

On top of that, it also sends you alerts when subscription prices go up, so you always know the price you're paying.

If you decide you no longer want a subscription, you can cancel it right from the app.

No customer service needed.

And the best part is, RocketMoney even reaches out and tries to get you refunded for some of the money you lost.

On average, people that cancel their subscriptions with RocketMoney save $378 a year.

And overall, RocketMoney has saved its members $880 million in canceled subscriptions.

Stop wasting money on things you don't use.

Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.

That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

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.

Five years ago, I was paying $65 a month for my subscriptions.

Today, those same subscriptions cost $111, and I don't even use half of them anymore.

That's why now I use RocketMoney to manage my subscriptions for me.

The app gives you a list of all your subscriptions and reminds you of upcoming payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges.

On top of that, it also sends you alerts when subscription prices go up, so you always know the price you're paying.

If you decide you no longer want a subscription, you can cancel it right from the app.

No customer service needed.

And the best part is, RocketMoney even reaches out and tries to get you refunded for some of the money you lost.

On average, people that cancel their subscriptions with RocketMoney save $378 a year.

And overall, RocketMoney has saved its members $880 million in canceled subscriptions.

Stop wasting money on things you don't use.

Go to RocketMoney.com slash cancel to get started.

That's RocketMoney.com slash cancel.

RocketMoney.com slash cancel.

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.

Fast Chargers.

On EV News China today, we're talking about X-Pung's Level 4 Autonomy.

BYD's Sodium Ion batteries and Geely joins the 1,500-kilometer club.

Let's get into it and Scotter's Little Epic.

Scotter will unveil the Epic EPIQ.

That's kind of how they do their naming anyway.

A compact electric crossover sometime in the first half of this year.

We're getting more details though.

The model serves as Scotter's entry-level EV.

This is sub 25K, so under 25,000 euros or pounds, competing with the likes of the Citroën EC3 Aircross, the Renault 4 and 5 cars.

In many markets, Scotter expects the Epic to match the price of its ice-powered Kamiq.

That is K-A-M-I-Q.

Positioning of that means the Epic is going to be one of the most affordable vehicles in Scotter's entire portfolio.

The Epic marks Scotter's first use of Volkswagen's MEB Plus platform.

That's designed for compact electric vehicles.

The platform enables front-wheel drive architecture that maximizes interior space, it reduces weight, and it improves efficiency.

Maximum range reaches 267 miles, that's 430 kilometers, DC fast charging 133 kilowatts.

The same MEB Plus architecture, well that's what you'll find underneath the VW ID Polo and the CUPRA Reval.

Three powertrain options we now know available, ranging from 85 kilowatts to 155 kilowatts.

Two batteries, either 38.5 or 55 kilowatt hours.

The top Epic 55 variant will deliver the maximum 434 kilometers of range and 155 kilowatts of power.

The Epic forms a central part of Scotter's strategy to double its all-EV portfolio by the end of this year.

The brand's existing EV range has been doing really, really well in Europe with the first L-Rock breaking into the European top 20 at the end of last year.

Alright, let's move on.

And a bit of Rivian news, which many of its existing owners will be happy about.

Rivian is launching a dedicated Apple Watch app, giving you remote access and control.

Rivian Tracker posted release notes from the software update 2026.03 or .03.

It's not yet available, but it's coming.

The automaker added support in December for using Apple Watch as a digital key through Apple's Wallet app.

The new companion app sits within Rivian's own ecosystem and requires version 3.9 or later of the mobile app.

The Watch app adds controls for things like venting windows, sounding the alarm, adjusting cabin temperature,

and setting charging targets users can lock or unlock with a tap, and with the app open, even start driving.

Must admit, being able to do things like open and close windows, I'm not sure how many combustion drivers

know about how good EVs are.

And so many of the never bevers that just want to hang onto their petrol and diesel till the year 2050.

And that's cool, they can do that.

Just how convenient EVs are.

It's not just preheating and pre-cooling in the middle of winter, we're coming to the end of our winter now.

Meaning there's no ice and snow on your car when you go to work.

That's the kind of obvious stuff we were doing 10 years ago.

Now, just the convenience of having an app like on the Polestar app, which is probably not the best one out there,

but I like the Polestar app, it does what I need it to do.

Just being able to check.

Oh, I've left the window open, a smidge, or one of my kids has left one of their windows open.

If I see it start to rain, I mean it would be very cool to have some sort of home assistant integration.

If my weather, my home weather, you know, it's sent to detected rain,

it could run something through an API to go, are your car windows open?

Okay, close the windows or at least send a notification.

That would be next level geekery.

Anyway, this is a huge digression.

Let's get back to Rivian.

The digital crown adjusts temperature and charge targets.

Owners can figure up to four quick controls for frequent functions.

Functionality differs by generation.

The app enables Apple Watch key compatibility for the Gen 1 Rivians for the very first time.

But users must keep the app in the foreground for it to work as a key.

Standalone digital key functions require Gen 2 EVs.

That was the one that came out last year, which worked with Apple wallet based digital keys without the app being in the foreground.

The app arrives just over a year after Tesla released its Apple Watch app in December of 2024.

Neither automaker supports Apple CarPlay, which is interestingly interesting.

Recent media reports have claimed that Tesla is very close to unveiling their Apple CarPlay.

Let's move on.

BYD overtook Ford Motor Company in global sales for the first time last year.

Climbing to sixth place while Ford dropped to seventh.

Ford's wholesale deliveries fell 2% to 4.4 million vehicles, trailing BYD's 4.6 million.

Of course, that includes BYD's passenger cars and commercial vehicles, but the business is mostly, to be honest, passenger cars.

The ranking shift reflects Ford's geographic struggles.

I'll put it that way.

US sales grew, but the company lost ground in Europe and faced big declines in China.

Chinese manufacturers, BYD, Xiaomi, Geely and more, have captured market share from foreign car makers with affordable, technology-rich EVs.

Ford has announced a $19.5 billion charge related to reversing some of its missteps in EVs.

I think it's even the most ardent Ford fan would say there's been missteps, and that's not to say the vehicles are bad.

The Mustang Mach-E is great. F-150 Lightning.

I don't meet many owners that don't love those vehicles, and the little Ford electric transit.

Well, that's really cool.

But there's nothing else that they will sell you, and they haven't got anything else for a long, long time at Ford.

The pipeline all kind of got dried up, and now they're saying,

Well, we listened to the customer, and the customer's always right.

Yes, but there were no customers for Teslas when Tesla first said,

How about we make you an EV?

And well, they pretty much single-handedly created the entire EV market.

So, at least in some parts of the world.

So, yeah, I kind of get both sides of the argument.

BYD has done it by expanding aggressively beyond China.

The company exported 1.05 million vehicles last year, big milestone hitting a million vehicles exported.

They want to do 1.3 million this year in Europe, South America, Asia, BYD,

like many car makers, headwinds at home looking overseas for growth.

And specifically BYD will target over 50,000 new registrations in Germany this year.

More than doubling its 23,500 units from last year.

Germany's CEO, who joined from Stellantis last year,

reaffirmed the goal originally set for 2025

by BYD Europe CEO, Stella Lee.

Dealer expansion underpins the strategy.

BYD started last year with 26 German locations and now operates 190.

They want 350 by the end of this year.

Product mix has shifted in Germany.

In January last month BYD registered over 2,500 vehicles in Germany.

It's a 60-40 split, so 60% Bev, 40% plug-in.

And that departs from its initial approach in Europe, which is going to be Bev.

Only the company targets a 5% share, market share for plug-in hybrids and 4% for Bev's.

BYD held just under 1% of the German market last year.

But interestingly, BYD sell more vehicles in Germany than Tesla do.

And Tesla's actually built a big ol' factory in the country.

The CLU, DMI, that's their plug-in hybrid,

was Europe's best-selling plug-in hybrid last year in 2025 with over 72,000 units shifted.

And the new CL6 DMI estate now available.

Plug-in hybrids avoid the European Union tariff supplied to pure electric vehicles,

supporting that hybrid focus.

Pricing is aggressive.

The Dolphin Surf lists at less than 19,000 euros.

The CLU lists at less than 35,000 euros in Germany,

dropping with 6 grand EV subsidy to, well, 13,000 or 29,000 euros, respectfully.

And finally, on BYD before we take a break,

BYD Australia will launch seven or eight new models this year

as it pursues a top three sales position.

The chief operating officer, Stephen Collins,

announced the expansion plan at the C-Line 5 and C-Line 8 media launch,

confirming the rollout will occur sometime between April and December this year.

The announcement follows four recent arrivals in Australia.

The ATO-1, that's a minicar.

The ATO-2, a compact SUV.

The C-Line 5 plug-in hybrid.

That's a kind of medium-sized SUV.

And the C-Line 8, that's a plug-in hybrid.

It's a large SUV.

The C-Line 8 is BYD's first seven-seat SUV down under.

BYD expects the C-Line 8 to rank, not rank, but rank,

among its top three sellers alongside the Shark 6.

That's the Ute and the C-Line 7.

It's medium-sized SUV.

That's an all-electric vehicle.

Mr. Collins declined to specify which models come in which order.

The company's definition of new includes major updates,

as well though to current models, as well as all new additions.

Expected facelifts for the Dolphin small car

and ATO-3 compact SUV aren't counted in that list.

Two confirmed releases will be the new Shark 6,

coming in a cab chassis as well,

and the new Shark 6 Ute with a bigger two-litre DMO system,

that plug-in hybrid system.

So three and a half thousand kilograms,

brake towing, an improved 4x4 system,

hitting a ton of payload,

so really comparable to anything you could buy with combustion.

The CL-06, sedan, and the wagon

have already been spotted in Australia testing,

and BYD will expand its dealer network

to 150 locations by the middle of the year,

the brand-increasing fleet sales as a focus

and reducing service wait times in Australia.

Right, we'll take a break.

We'll come back to Genesis and GM.

More in a bit.

You can 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 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.

That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

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.

The holidays are expensive.

You're paying for gifts, travel, decorations, food,

and before you know it,

you've blown way past what you were planning to spend.

Don't start the new year off with bad money vibes.

Download rocketmoney to stay on top of your finances.

The app pulls your income, expenses,

and upcoming charges into one place

so you can get the clearest picture of your money.

It shows how much to set aside for bills

and how much is safe to spend for the month

so you can spend with confidence.

No guesswork needed.

Get alerts before bills hit.

Track budgets and see every subscription you're paying for.

RocketMoney also finds extra ways to save you money

by cancelling subscriptions you're not using

and negotiating lower bills for you.

On average, RocketMoney users can save up to $740 a year

when using all of the app's premium features.

Start the year off right by taking control of your finances.

Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.

That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

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.

Welcome back to the podcast.

Thanks for sitting through the ads, or fast-forwarding them.

On the ad-supportive free feed,

this podcast will always be free.

So many people get into the Patreon,

which is the kind of monthly $5, $10, sometimes more support level,

sometimes just to support the work that I do here.

Since I gave up my job,

and now I spread the word about EVs every single day.

And some people do it because they hate the ads.

But the ads also pay my mortgage.

And so sorry about those.

If you're listening to the free feed,

I know it's a pain in the backside.

That's why we have the Patreon there.

But I never want to put this even behind

like a soft paywall or anything.

So let's move on.

And we'll talk Genesis.

We'll enter Italy with three electric models.

Genesis Motor Europe has launched in Italy.

It's fourth European market after Germany,

the UK, and Switzerland.

Italy gains access to three electric models from launch.

The GV60, one of my favorite cars I've never owned.

Some would call it a compact SUV.

It would be fine enough for us.

You know, 800-volt platform.

There's some killer bargains coming off

finance agreements now in the UK.

There's the Electrified G70,

which I wish they'd call it the Electric G70

because it is, that's their flagship SUV.

And the Electrified G80, again,

please just call it the Electric G80 Electrified.

It sounds like you're fudging it and it's not.

It's an EV.

That's the G80's the sedan.

All of those are great, by the way.

I think the sedan's probably a, you know,

maybe a more niche choice.

People who want a certain kind of really long,

big executive cruiser, but either way,

the SUVs are very popular.

The G80 carries the most comprehensive

standard equipment of any Genesis model

sold in Europe.

The brand will operate through high visibility retail locations,

they say, including Rome.

The MD there confirming the brand's long-term

commitment to European growth.

Where next?

France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Genesis are going to enter the

World Insurance Championship WEC

with the Magma brand,

which I find curious because I think

Genesis should lean into

luxury the way that Toyota would use

Lexus, for instance,

but Hyundai Kia or Hyundai Motor Group

are using the Genesis brand

to lean into sportiness

and racing with Magma,

which is not what I think Genesis is about.

But who cares what I think.

I think they should lean into like,

okay, now we're going to make the

special edition versions.

And the special edition versions

are just, you know, next level

luxury at a price that's not

Bentley price rather than like,

oh, we've lowered it and it goes really quickly.

Okay, they must know what they're doing.

They got access to a lot more

of their business and a lot more

data than an idiot like me.

Okay, let's talk about

some heavy transport.

South Australian company,

VE Motion, has launched Australia's

first commercially available powered

trailer system claiming

diesel savings up to 50%.

And that's really interesting.

How can we get commercial

vehicles, which do big, big miles,

by the way, but might not be

ready to go fully electric yet.

Let's be pragmatic and build

a coalition of EV drivers

without being too preachy

about this.

Well, let me tell you about it.

The base kit is $200,000.

For that, you get a 200 kilowatt

hour battery pack, about one

quarter the price of a battery

electric mover, while

delivering half the emissions

from running it as a pure diesel

and, you know, half the benefits.

Battery options include two, four

or 600 kilowatt hour packs.

They're CATL, lithium ion,

phosphate pack.

So it's the good stuff.

And the trailer

effectively pushes the

truck along as well.

And so the system features

an e-axle rated at 400 horsepower

and 10 tons gross axle weight.

Charging uses CCS-2

up to 180 kilowatts of power.

Also an onboard 22 kilowatt AC

charger for slow, or even

three phase overnight.

They build the system in Murray

Bridge.

They've invested four million

Aussie dollars in R&D.

And the modular kits

fit new or existing

truck trailers.

They include regen braking,

propulsion assist and onboard

power for the trailer systems as

well. Many trailer systems, like

the cooling systems, I read this

a while ago, like, you know, it's

kind of refrigerated freezer trucks.

They often have a separate

combustion engine that runs

that bit, like not much the

time. And they aren't

subject to the same emissions

rules as the cars that you and

I drive. A bit like, I don't

know, a petrol lawnmower can

be really, really hazardous to

the operators. A quick side

note. I hate the fact that when

I go and see our local council

workers doing the garden

maintenance and stuff, and they're

all using these small engine

petrol grass trimmers and lawnmowers.

It's without face masks. So

bad for their health, right? We've got the

technology now just to do that as pure

electric. It would be cheaper, but also

better for their health. It's not fair

they go to work and face, you know, those

kind of emissions. Anyway, how's the

sidebar they need to do? So

actually powering those from a

massive battery, a traction battery

in the semi truck trailer that

also pushes the truck along. I get

it. Some people hate me talking about

combustion on this on this podcast.

I'm there with you, by the way,

and this again, you haven't got to get ready

your diesel track the

unit, if you like, because you've got

an electric trailer that's pushing

you along. I don't know. It's just one

solution. I'm all about building a

coalition of people using electric in

different ways as long as you charge

it. This is a path,

a journey that we're on. It's not a switch

that we're flicking overnight where we all drive EV.

This is vehicle to load,

vehicle to grid. All these things could

be used in terms of the trailer

itself. It's really cool. Right,

a couple more stories. General Motors

faces $8 billion

in write downs from its

faltering EV strategy and now pins recovery

on lithium manganese

rich batteries. The battery chief

Kurt Kelly calls the approach ambitious

and risky with industry critics

questioning whether LMR can achieve

viability. GM targets

2028 for LMR vehicles

following its first $6

billion charge disclosed in January

related to scaling back its EV

production. Stalantas and Ford

booking things similar.

Kelty attributes GM's

difficulties partly to market stagnation

in the United States after rapid

growth with no recovery

anticipated in the U.S. They say

till after the 2030s, I'm a little

more optimistic about that. Western

carmakers trail China's cost structures

significantly. Battery

and plug-in hybrid vehicles captured over

50% of Chinese new car sales last

year. Monthly we saw 60%

LMR chemistry.

Well that reduces reliance on

expensive nickel and cobalt. It

adds manganese positioning between

cheaper LFP cells and more premium

high nickel cells. Mr.

Kelty claims GM Motors

has solved voltage fading

the degradation problems that plagued

earlier LMR batteries. Meanwhile

China is going in on

all in on sodium ion

batteries as a another solution.

Let's talk about eon

drive next. And finally

eon drive infrastructure

Italy. Just one

three different lots from

the Autostrada per Italia

that is for ultra fast charging

infrastructure on Italian motorways. Next time

you drive through Italy

on the motorway system, well maybe not next time

but either way the project will cover

18 service areas

they're adding 104

new charging points to Italy's

motorway network by the end of the year

serving major east west and north south

routes including the A4, Turin

to Trieste's routes

and the A14, Bologna and

Toronto motorways. Each site

will feature up to eight Alpetronic

HYC400s and I mention that because

that's the good stuff.

So up to 400 kilowatts

per charging point. Eon will

integrate PV canopies

so again it's nice to have

PV at a charging station

doesn't really make a... it doesn't really move the needle

but still it's a canopy

and we like that. Also some

battery storage at every location

this design aims to maximize local solar power

and reduce peak grid demand

we'll see how big those solar

arrays are though but that is

a great bit of news for my Italian

listeners. I've not got many

I got some. Thanks for listening

and that's your podcast for today

thanks to National Car Charging on the US mainland

and the Low Heart Charge in Hawaii

Avalu's trusted partner for independent

EV battery health testing in Australia

and New Zealand. Have a good one see you tomorrow

and remember there's no such thing as a

self-charging hybrid.

I didn't even realize I was wasting

$415 a month

until I downloaded Rocky Money.

I thought I had my finances under control

until the app laid out all my spending

and categorized it for me. Takeout

shopping and unused subscriptions

were quietly draining my account

and as a result my savings took a back

seat but Rocky Money doesn't just

tell you what you're wasting money on

it takes action to save you money

first the app looks at your income

and monthly expenses and calculates how

much you can safely spend each day to stay

under budget. Rocky Money also

finds and cancels unwanted subscriptions

for you and even negotiates better

rates on your bills so you have more money

in your pocket. On average

Rocky Money members can save up to $740

a year when using all the apps

premium features. Users love the app

with over 186,000

5-star ratings. It's time to simplify

your finances and take control of your money.

Go to rocketmoney.com

slash cancel to get started. That's

rocketmoney.com

slash cancel.

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

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.

DAILY: Skoda Epiq Preview, Rivian Adds Keys To Your Watch and BYD Puts Ford In The Slow Lane | 10 Feb 2026

Epiq

Renault 4

Citroën ë-C3 Aircross

Raval Cupra Reval

Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford Mustang

Byd Shark 6

Sealion Cline 7

Genesis GV60

Genesis G70

Genesis G80

Hyundai Genesis

Tesla Semi

About this episode

Original notes