The Xiaomi SU7 Max is an electric car that can travel long distances quickly. It has advanced technology that helps it stay cool and recharge fast, making it very efficient for long drives.
Solid-state batteries are a new kind of battery that can store more energy and are safer than traditional batteries. They could help electric cars go further on a single charge.
The Volvo XC60 is a type of car called a mid-size SUV, which means it's larger than a regular car but smaller than a full-size SUV. It's known for being safe and stylish.
The Volvo EX90 is a new electric SUV from Volvo, a brand known for safety and comfort. It has a modern design and is part of Volvo's plan to make only electric cars in the future. People might mention it because it looks different from other cars and has some special features.
The Scandi Volvo interior is a style of car interior that is very simple and clean, using natural materials. It makes the inside of the car feel modern and comfortable.
WLTP is a way to test how much fuel a car uses and how much pollution it produces. It's meant to give a better idea of real-world driving conditions than older tests.
Škoda is a car brand from the Czech Republic that makes a variety of cars, often seen as budget-friendly options. It's part of a larger company called Volkswagen.
BEV means Battery Electric Vehicle. It's a car that runs only on electricity and doesn't use any gasoline or diesel, making it better for the environment.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can use both electricity and gasoline. You can charge it at home, and it can drive on electric power for a while before needing gasoline.
An all-electric portfolio means a collection of cars that run only on electricity, not gas or diesel. Companies are making more of these cars to help the environment and meet new rules.
A fast charging network is a system of places where you can quickly charge electric cars. It helps drivers recharge their cars much faster than regular chargers.
The Honda Fit EV is an electric car that looks like a small hatchback and is great for city driving. It's designed to be easy to use and save energy, making it a good choice for people who want to be more eco-friendly. People might wonder if it has enough battery life for their daily needs.
The Tesla Model S is a high-end electric car that can drive long distances on a single charge. It has a simple interior and includes smart features that help with driving.
The Tesla Model X is an electric SUV that has unique doors that open upwards. It can carry more people and cargo than a regular car and has many high-tech features.
The Tesla Model Y is an electric car that looks like a small SUV and is known for being eco-friendly. It's popular because it can go a long distance on a single charge and has lots of cool tech features. People might talk about it because Tesla is changing where they make these cars.
EVs stands for electric vehicles, which are cars that run on electricity instead of gas. They are better for the environment because they don't produce exhaust fumes.
Rear wheel drive means that the back wheels of the car get the power from the engine. This setup can make the car handle better, especially when driving fast.
Front wheel drive means that the front wheels of the car get the power from the engine. This setup is common in many cars today because it can save space and improve fuel efficiency.
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a new electric van that looks like the old VW buses from the past. It's designed to be fun and practical while being good for the environment. People might talk about it because it's a different kind of electric car that stands out from the rest.
The Audi S5 is a fancy sports car that looks sleek and drives really fast. It's a step up from the regular Audi A5 and has a lot of luxury features inside. People might be talking about it because it got some cool updates that make it look even better.
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Welcome back to EV News Daily.
Volvo's EX60 leaks early.
Scodder rises up the EV charts,
and Tesla stops FSD transfers.
Plus, stay tuned.
Later in the show, I'll tell you why
we should be having a better conversation
around micro-mobility and keeping our kids safe.
On EV News China today, we're talking about Xiaomi,
setting a new 24-hour distance record.
This is an insane story.
If you don't mind listening to the spin-off podcast,
which is, again, 20 minutes of just China news,
there's so much happening out of China.
That one is incredible.
That SU7 Max from Xiaomi is just a monster
in terms of thermal management, rapid recharging,
and just driving nonstop for 24 hours, new world record.
Cherry is betting on solid-state batteries
to do 1,500 kilometers,
and they're doing some minus 30 degrees cold weather testing,
and Neo won another case against content creators
that said nasty things about it.
That's in your feed, and it was out a few hours ago.
Now, Volvo kick us off.
Volvo will show its electric EX60 on Wednesday,
the 21st of January.
The car has already appeared online, though.
Image is leaked on Reddit.
I think this is via a Swedish blogger
or someone's got hold of one of the videos,
because they've taken stills from one of the videos
that's going to be shown at the launch.
And so it shows, well, a mid-size electric Volvo.
Now, I'm going to put this story
on every top of the podcast order today,
but if you know what a Volvo looks like,
the outline is familiar.
An XC60 is the outgoing version of the car,
so mid-size SUV.
You know how all of their other EVs look,
like the EX90 and the face,
the closed-off face and the EX30?
Yeah, it's halfway between that.
You know the Thor's Hammer headlights?
Yeah, it's got that.
You know the familiar Swedish, Scandi Volvo interior?
Yeah, it's got that.
So I mean, I'll put it top of the running order
because it's a leak of a massive vehicle launch tomorrow,
but really, we want to know all about the car
when it is finally revealed.
So we'll look at the numbers and it's huge
because the XC60, the outgoing vehicle in all its forms,
sold 230,000 of them last year.
Any misstep in the EX60 could damage their cash cow.
So I don't think they're going to get it wrong.
We know 505 miles, WLTP is the big number.
Insane.
And so that move towards electrification
takes another big step forward.
All right, let's get into this then.
Škoda, a surging in Europe,
Škoda closed 2025 with 1,043,900 vehicles worldwide.
That is up 12.7% on the previous year.
That's its strongest run in six years,
longer second tier European brand.
And for those of us old enough to remember
before Škoda became part of Volkswagen,
it was the butt of Saturday night comedians
on the TV in the 80s.
So it's come a long way, that brand.
Deliveries in the European Union plus four,
we call it the 27 plus four.
So EU countries, United Kingdom, Nordics.
So EU 27 plus four was up 10% to 836,000.
That pushes Škoda into third place in the core region
for the very first time.
And the ranking matters less than what shifted it
because great to be number three,
but you care about how they did it.
That'll be the EV sales then.
Bev deliveries doubled to 175,000, 120% increase.
Plug-in hybrids also climbed as well to 43,000.
And in total, that's 219,000 plug-in vehicles
that Škoda last year in Europe.
Plug-in models were over a quarter of their business now.
So one in four new Škodas leaving the showrooms
and the factory gates.
Have a charging cable.
Well, I don't know if they come with a charging cable
before you hulk me to that.
Normally it's an optional extra these days.
You know, I'm just saying.
The firm is also moving up the EV league tables
thanks to the ENIAC and the LROC
lifting Škoda to fourth place in Europe's EV makers.
They've now got 7% Bev share in Europe.
Germany loved Škoda in the last year.
Denmark, Netherlands to all posting huge growth.
LROC was the breakout model.
That was second overall in the regional EV sales,
topping the charts in many smaller markets as well.
Can they keep up the pace?
Well, this year Škoda says two new all-electric models.
There's the Urban Crossover, the Epic, EPIQ,
and the Seven Seats, Three Row Family SUV,
the Peak, PEAQ.
They say that will double their all-electric portfolio
I know, you know, built on VW's MEV platform,
which isn't always everyone's cup of tea
in terms of the software and interacting with the cars.
They're absolutely making it work.
Now, Ireland's fast charging network is surging
as EV sales take off in Ireland.
The EV market is entering this year
with charging and sales rising together.
Early January figures show EV registrations
up over 50% year on year.
Some brands, over 1,000%,
as the key 261 registration period gets underway.
A joint update from Nevo.ie.
Huge shout out to Derek Riley
for emailing me first thing this morning with this data.
And the Irish Electric Vehicle Association,
drawing on the IEVA 2025 year review,
links this momentum to a rise in infrastructure in Ireland.
Country which has at times been a little bit slower
to build out the infrastructure.
CCS connectors increased from 1,040 to almost 1,500
over the last year.
Two thirds of the network now delivers
over 100 kilowatt DC fast charging.
Regional build out is broad.
Limerick and Sligo featuring growth
like Limerick's fast charging capacity up 120%.
And the pipeline is growing
with 160 new connectors for Ireland in under construction.
Nevo's consumer insights suggest Ireland
is moving beyond early adopters,
lower TCO total cost of ownership and more affordable models
and the visibility of more charging at retail parks
and four courts are all helping first time buyers go EV.
Derek Riley from Nevo.ie, brilliant content creator,
part of Nevo.ie and also former guest on this podcast.
One of our highest rating podcasts back in the day.
I was having a look at our download stats of all time,
almost eight years or whatever it was.
And the interview I did with Derek,
which is years ago now, is still one of the most listened to.
He must have shared it because he's hugely popular.
So his audience must have found it.
The conversation in showrooms, he says,
and online has shifted.
It's no longer, does it have enough range?
But how does an EV fit my life?
The infrastructure growth in Ireland,
highlighted by the IEVA is the final piece of the puzzle.
Yeah, completely agree, brilliant news.
Now, moving on, Tesla has put a date
on the death of free self, full self-driving transfers
March 31st this year.
Customers who want to carry an existing FSD license
to a new car must place an order by then.
The shift turns the rolling opaque incentive
into a clear final window.
This thing's kind of been dragging on,
they've been renewing it.
Buyers now secure the free transfer at the point of order,
not the point of delivery.
That breaks with past quarters
when Tesla tied eligibility for transferring
what you've paid for to a new vehicle before quarter end.
So it's not just another end of quarter push
to juice the books.
Well, Tesla is also moving FSD, as I said,
on a recent podcast from being a paid product
to a subscription product.
But if you bought it on a vehicle
and it was a software product
and you were buying it in some people's minds
almost separately, paying that eight grand,
12 grand, 15 grand, whatever you paid,
as a product, porting it to the next vehicle
is not only a good thing,
because it allows Tesla to get their existing customers
into new vehicles, it's almost like a right
because you've bought it or have you.
Honestly, it's my current thing
because we have so many subscriptions in life.
We don't really own very much anymore, do we?
Hey, it keeps minimalists very happy, doesn't it?
However, FSD itself is changing.
So they're testing the unsupervised version
on its RoboTaxi fleet,
while public releases gain more features.
Some people are finding it a big improvement.
Some people are finding it isn't improving quick enough
to fulfill the promise of full self-driving.
Tesla has said nothing firm about what happens
to the free FSD perk bundled in the Luxe package.
You get that on Model Ss and Xs and Cybertrucks.
For now, if you wanna move your FSD that you've bought,
long-term rented, I don't know what you do with software
if you've paid 10 grand for it,
is, I guess I could read the fine print,
couldn't I have a Tesla contract
if I really cared that much,
and for now they've got a deadline.
Now, Tesla Canada is delaying cars to customers,
and I'll explain why Canadian buyers
of Model Y performance that were getting ready
to go pick up the vehicle,
February deliveries, insurance sorted,
everything lined up.
Yeah, Tesla contacted them yesterday to say,
sorry, not coming, probably the summer.
The delay lands as tariffs on Chinese-made EVs
have gone in Canada, effectively gone,
it's 6.1% now, and that could reshape
how Tesla feeds Canada with its vehicles.
Tesla's already switched Canadian Model Y sourcing once,
moving to its Berlin plant after the US
but the tariffs on vehicles built at Fremont
to go to Canada.
That shift reportedly let Tesla cut Canadian prices
by about 14,000 US or 20,000 Canadian.
Canada's new deal with China adds a complication.
Up to 49,000 EV imports a year or only 6.1% tariff,
that's gonna go up, but also half the quota
must be in cheaper vehicles, below 35,000 Canadian.
So Tesla might want to get a bunch of vehicles in soon
and use up half of the amount, the cap within the cap,
because their vehicles are gonna be way over 35 grand.
So there's gonna be all sorts of things happening
in the background right now in the industry
and we'll wait and see what Tesla does with it.
Shanghai gives Tesla a route, though.
The plant credited with completing roughly one vehicle
every 30 seconds, I've read in the past,
and sourcing 95% of the parts locally
already accounts to half of Tesla's global deliveries,
rerouting Canadian supply from China
would match the new tariff regime
and build on their presence in the country
where it has 39 retail and service locations.
Right, we'll talk a bit more about Canada.
There's more reaction from the auto industry there.
Plus we'll talk about smart and electric buses
back in a bit.
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Welcome back to the podcast.
Now, Canada will admit 49,000 Chinese built EVs
a year at 6.1% tariff.
The Prime Minister, Mark Carney,
framed it as a return to pre-friction normalcy,
saying the arrangement brings conditions closer to those
that prevailed before this tariff escalation.
They picked the 49,000 number
because before the 100% tariffs
when Canada followed America,
that was the number that were coming in.
Industry isn't sure.
Global automakers of Canada,
which speaks for 16 foreign brands,
offers cautious support.
It warns that a tariff carve out of this sort
may distort competition,
even if it trims sticker prices in the short run.
It also argues the quota
adds another moving part to a sector
already burdened by mandates and tariffs and duties.
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association,
now they represent the big Detroit three.
They haven't minced their words,
calling the decision deeply disappointing
and sees risk as much in geopolitics as commerce,
more Chinese EVs on Canadian roads.
It says, will strain Canada's far more important
auto relationship with the United States.
As for the United States,
Donald Trump signaled Washington has no objection
and said Canada should make any deals that it wants to do
if it can get a good deal with Canada.
That leaves cyber security as an unresolved worry.
Critics say Ottawa has put lower prices for EVs
ahead of the security risk
that comes with Chinese connected cars.
Now, Smart, the car brand Smart, has a new boss.
They're heriting a shrinking business
and a higher tariff bill.
From the first of March,
Wolfgang Uffa is now head of,
currently head of Smart Germany,
becomes a head of Smart in Europe
with a very blunt mandate,
get the brand back into growth.
Data force figures show Smart sold 13,000 cars
in Europe last year, but that was down 47%.
And that's a concern because they've been adding new models.
The collapse comes as costs rise since late 2024.
China built BEVs have faced more tariffs.
The 28.8% combined hit of the old tariffs and the new ones
bites harder at Smart than most rivals
because all of its cars are built in China.
Smart says the new boss will work closely
with Mercedes-Benz and the European retail network
to cut duplication across markets
and, well, sell more cars.
The firm hints at leaner operations
rather than changing its strategy.
Rival China-linked brands have tried to soften the blow
of tariffs by leaning on plug-in hybrids,
but Smart can't do that.
Smart's founding European CEO, Mr. Edelman,
who is leaving, says that,
I think it's been Mercedes he's going to, I think.
He says that under his watch,
Smart had a successful move to a BEV-only lineup
and stretched beyond mini cars
with the hashtag one, small SUV.
Whose idea was that at Smart?
I mean, the number one is fine.
Hashtags all very 2015.
Was this a group of people my age sitting around a borg
and going, hey, hey, the kids are gonna love.
We'll call the cars the hashtags.
Terrible decision.
Very, very 10 years ago.
The hashtag one, the small SUV,
the hashtag three compact coupe-style SUV
and the hashtag five, the mid-sized SUV.
That's pretty impressive vehicle, actually.
Last year, the one led Smart's European tally,
followed by the three and the five.
Smart plans to return to the mini car segment this year
with the two, though it has shared few details.
The new boss must now turn that product plan
and closer ties with Mercedes
while carrying a tariff burden
into a more successful business.
Now, Post-Auto has signed a deal with Solaris
for 115 battery electric buses,
a large single supplier bet,
as Swiss cities go electric.
The agreement runs until the end of this year
and lets Post-Auto order vehicles in batches,
deliveries are scheduled through to the end of 2027.
It follows separate tenders
in which Solaris won both the 12 and 18 meter categories.
The contract also shows how quickly Swiss operations
are now moving from trials to scaled procurement,
buying a load of buses to decarbonize Swiss cities
and the areas in which they run.
Very beautiful areas as well.
So it's a good thing we're cleaning up the air in Switzerland,
which I imagine is already pretty good
if I went to go check the data.
Now, on a recent podcast, possibly even yesterday,
my mind gets muddled.
I was talking about the new MG4.
So there's crash testing for the new MG4 from China
called the MG4 Urban.
And that's interesting because the MG4
that we have at the minute in Europe
is a very, very good driver's car.
Great chassis, rear wheel drive.
However, in China, they completely reinvented it.
Front wheel drive, all new.
It's kind of blobby and it's much cheaper.
And that's what they want to do with the MG4.
Over here, they said, no, no, no,
we'll just make the old one look a little bit more funky,
but then the crash data yesterday,
whenever it was came out
and they've been testing the new one.
So we don't know what they're going to do.
But MG, for now, we think we'll get a refreshed MG4 soon,
as well, in 2026.
The cabin looks as if it belongs to a pricier car.
An updated MG4 is already on sale in Brazil.
So what looks like it's going to happen
is the European market will get
and the UK right hand drive market around the summer of 2026.
I'd like it to be sooner.
A refreshed from the outside looks very similar,
but all the insides are different.
The car that goes up against Renault 4, Renault 5,
Volkswagen ID3, Kia EV3.
The biggest change is a rethink of the cabin.
It looks way better.
It's like the MG S5.
And so the dashboard gains its new air vents, new door handles,
three spoke steering wheel, not a two spoke.
The current open layout gives way to a more conventional console
with cup holders.
The gear selector is a rotary one,
wireless phone heaters and MG with their sportier seats going in.
The screens grow in size, the existing seven inch driver display
and 10.25 inch central screen go to 10.25 for the driver
and 12.8 inch central touch screen like the MG S5.
So that brings the MG for user interface
way into line with newer MG models under the skin.
Little change, we think.
And that's a good thing.
It's a great car to drive, MSP platform, modular scalable platform.
And the battery lineup has always been part of the MG4's appeal.
So three battery packs, 49, 64,
which is kind of the sweet spot, or 77 kilowatt hours.
And that big battery goes 329 miles, WLTP, 530 kilometers.
But will they get rid of the small battery
and make that the MG for urban?
Well, we'll wait and see what they do with the lineup.
A quickie on Australia, BYD has picked the first seven seat model
to go down under the Sea Lion 8 is an SUV.
Sea Lion 8 starts at fifty seven thousand Aussie dollars before on-road costs
in the large family segment up against Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.
It's got a plug in hybrid system like the Cherry Tigo eight.
All three versions use the super hybrid plug in system.
Either front wheel drive or all wheel drive charging capacity is DC
rated at 40 kilowatts on the small pack.
Sorry for the front wheel drive and 74 kilowatts for the all wheel drive.
Default is 11 kilowatts, AC, which is good.
Nice big screens, tri-zone climate, nine airbags, three 60 camera
and all the toys for families that need the space.
Now, a couple of stories to finish us off on micro mobility.
I don't do too much of these stories, so I'll put them both together.
Acer is wheeling out its predator onto the streets.
The Predator ES Storm Pro is the firm's
new e-mobility scooter, a high performance scooter built for longer urban runs.
So 20 kilometers an hour or 12.4 miles an hour in some EU regions.
My American listeners are currently scoffing at that.
There's an EU version built for Spain, which will do 15 miles an hour or 25
k's at the US.
We'll get the 20 mile an hour version, a maximum payload of 120 kilograms.
That's 265 pounds shows that this is aimed at adults, not kids.
Acer leans on control and comfort as much as speed.
Traction control on a scooter. Cool.
Ten inch tubeless tires, front and rear suspension.
It's got disc brakes, ABS.
It's got regen. Cool.
It's got curse like a Formula One car used to.
And it's got a 12.8 amp power battery.
That's 614 watt hours.
And so Acer plans to launch the scooter in the first quarter of this year
for six hundred and twenty nine euros, about seven hundred and thirty nine dollars.
And that's interesting
because we don't really have a conversation about e-mobility,
but I'm increasingly seeing more and more.
I say kids, maybe I mean teenagers, but they're kids, aren't they?
On these Chinese imported really high power scooters,
often not wearing a helmet, sometimes on the pavement.
And, you know, it's up to their parents to parent them.
I can't do that. Not my job, but it's dangerous.
And we have a real lack of regulation over here.
Again, my American listeners, you might scoff regulation.
And there's a couple of US websites.
I really, really like the cover.
E-mobility stuff and electric cars.
And they have sections that cover e-mobility.
And they're kind of a big moan at the moment because e-bikes are being regulated.
We have regulations around e-bikes.
We don't we don't have twist grip or thumb accelerators, thumb grip throttles.
We have pedal X. So you've got to move your feet before the motor will come in.
And the motor is only ever.
It's a small 250 kilowatt motor on my e-bake.
And it's all about helping you not being effectively a motorbike with pedals.
We still see them, but they're illegal and the police have better things to do.
But check out this story that came across my desk today.
Two Australian brothers, 22 and 17 years old,
suffered life-changing injuries in an e-scooter crash in Victoria in Australia.
A cape, Peter Patterson over the weekend on Saturday.
Police say the pair were riding together on a single e-scooter
and hit the rear of a stationary car that was parked.
The impact was so great from them hitting it, it's written off the parked car.
There was a picture.
Obviously, I went online.
There's a link in the show notes if you want to the car.
The back of the whole car is stoved in.
That's two humans hitting it.
It's not OK.
Officers said the injuries are too graphic to talk about.
The crash exposes a gap between the promise of immobility,
which we should be talking about and the way that some people are using them.
Police inspections said that the e-scooter was probably doing
about 35 miles an hour or 56 kilometers an hour.
But the version that they had bought illegal in Victoria
could do 62 miles an hour.
That's 100 kilometers an hour in a class of hardware that leaves no margin for error.
None of the basic safeguards were being followed.
The e-scooter was unregistered, neither wearing helmets or protective clothing.
Not that make it OK.
The younger brother falls below the legal rider age of 16.
And Victoria's rules are clear.
e-scooters can do 12 miles an hour.
So no passengers to be ridden on it.
And there's a 16 year year old regulation there as well.
And so devices that exceed those specifications that can do extreme speeds.
And I get it.
If you're not one for regulation, if you just want to be,
don't tell me what to do, leave me alone.
I'm not an idiot.
I won't crash the thing to get it.
But I'm seeing more and more kids on them.
And my little boy, seven, and he's in this middle school time
when there's an innocence, right?
But his next school is going to be a high school where when he moves to be
the youngest kid in the high school, that goes all the way through to 17 year olds,
where there's going to be a whole set of influences.
And I worry so much about the world he's growing up into,
where we have no regulation around e-bikes and e-scooters in this country.
Despite best efforts to sort it, it's still a model in so many places.
For now, police and regulators are urging anyone whose kids
to want one of these vehicles or machines, use reputable local retailers,
choose legal spec machines, make sure they wear their helmets
when they're out and about 250 watt limit on the motor
and a 20 kph cap at least in Australia for this.
It's a massively heartbreaking story.
When I read it, I was just like, absolute chills of like, man,
like that my son's going to be grown up in like just two minutes time.
And technology can't keep up with the rules anyway.
But don't do too much immobility stuff on the pod, do we?
I thought I'd mention it.
It's one of those conversations we need to have.
Well, we all need to have.
But politicians, regulators need to have to keep people safe.
So anyway, that's your podcast for today.
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About this episode
Volvo's upcoming EX60 electric SUV has leaked ahead of its official reveal, showcasing familiar design elements and impressive range. Škoda is making waves in the EV market, reporting a significant increase in sales and moving up the ranks in Europe, thanks to strong demand for its electric models. Meanwhile, Tesla announces the end of free full self-driving transfers, creating a deadline for customers. The episode also touches on the rise of micro-mobility and the need for better safety regulations, highlighted by a tragic accident involving e-scooters.
