00:00
Capital One's tech team isn't just talking about multi-agentic AI, they are already deployed
00:07
It's called Chat Concierge, and it's simplifying car shopping, using self-reflection and layered
00:12
reasoning with live API checks.
00:14
It doesn't just help buyers find a car they love, it helps schedule a test drive, get
00:19
pre-approved for financing, and estimate trading value.
00:22
Advanced, intuitive, and deployed, that's how they stack.
00:27
It's technology at Capital One.
00:31
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in, Granger knows that you need a partner that
00:35
helps you find the right product, fast and hassle-free.
00:39
And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's
00:43
no need to break a sweat.
00:45
With Grangers easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon
00:49
have everything humming right along.
00:52
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
00:56
Call 1-800-GRANGER for the ones who get it done.
01:01
Capital One's tech team isn't just talking about multi-agentic AI, they are already deployed
01:07
It's called Chat Concierge, and it's simplifying car shopping, using self-reflection and layered
01:12
reasoning with live API checks.
01:14
It doesn't just help buyers find a car they love, it helps schedule a test drive,
01:19
get pre-approved for financing, and estimate trading value.
01:22
Advanced, intuitive, and deployed, that's how they stack.
01:25
That's technology at Capital One.
01:29
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes
01:35
all the difference.
01:37
That's why hands down, you count on Granger for auto-reordering.
01:41
With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut-resistant gloves they need at the
01:45
start of their shift.
01:47
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
01:51
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
01:55
Granger for the ones who get it done.
02:00
Welcome back to EV News Daily.
02:01
Coming up today, smart return to the ultra-compact EV segment.
02:04
Kia's EV5 arrives under 40K, and Honda revises its EV target, plus stay tuned.
02:10
Later in the show, I'll tell you how long it took a solar car to cover 3,000 kilometers
02:16
in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge cruiser class.
02:19
Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you're listening around
02:23
Welcome to EV News Daily.
02:24
Your trusted source of EV information, it is Wednesday 3rd of September.
02:27
I'm Martin Lee, and I go through every EV story that I can find, over a thousand sources
02:33
So you don't have to, so you're fully up to date in one little podcast.
02:36
Patreon supporters also get the episodes ad-free, fund this podcast and be part of
02:41
the EV News Daily community.
02:42
Welcome to a new Patreon producer.
02:44
Well, that'll be you, Rob Woods.
02:47
Rob, thank you so much for signing up.
02:48
My friend, very kind of you, to fund this show and keep me in work.
02:53
If you like Rob by clicking on a link in the show notes, we'll start with Smart launching
02:57
a new electric hashtag too next year.
03:00
Mercedes might have killed off the Smart 4-2.
03:03
But here's the twist.
03:04
The tiny city car that squeezed into impossible parking spots is getting a new electric makeover.
03:10
Smart is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, just confirmed its successor
03:14
will premiere in late 2026 as the all-electric hashtag too.
03:18
The 2 is an ultra-compact segment, a kind of a segment vehicle designed by Mercedes-Benz
03:25
and built in China.
03:26
It's currently in final design and development under the codename Project 2, so not exactly
03:32
a secret codename for that project.
03:34
Smart Europe CEO, Dirk Adelman, revealed last year that the 4-2 successor is coming.
03:41
It'll use a completely new electric compact architecture targeting four or hopefully
03:47
five-star Euro-NCAP safety rating with a high level of driver assistance features and good
03:54
Smart plans to launch three new models total, with one new model hitting European markets
04:00
The question is, will the new electric number 2 capture the same parking anywhere magic,
04:06
the imagination, the kind of, at times, the kind of the zeitgeist of small city
04:11
cars that made the original 4-2 such a legend, we'll wait and see.
04:16
Now let's move on to Kia, opening orders for the EV5, the brand new EV5 just opened for
04:21
UK orders, a 39295.
04:25
Now that is right in the heart of Tesla Model Y, ID4, Nissan Aria Territory, in fact for
04:32
some of those, it's considerably cheaper.
04:35
It's Kia's fifth electric vehicle in the UK and effectively the electric version of
04:39
the popular Sportage, see those everywhere.
04:43
Kia gives you three trim levels that won't break the bank.
04:46
The base air model starts at 39295, if you want more features.
04:50
The GT line costs 42595, that adds 19-inch wheels, heated rear seats, electric front seats,
04:59
And the top GT line S is 47095, adding a sunroof, ventilated front seats, a Harman
05:07
Kardon audio system, head-up display and fingerprint recognition, not sure what that's
05:12
for, what to get into the vehicle to start the vehicle to open up, I don't know, a secret
05:16
glovebox compartment.
05:17
That sounds very James Bond.
05:20
Every single model uses the same battery.
05:22
So the old Kia Genesis Hyundai thing of offering different battery sizes to get a lower entry
05:30
I do that with the EV3, still my current crush by the way, but not on this vehicle.
05:36
So this one doesn't have the small battery option.
05:38
This is a large family SUV by the way.
05:41
So 81.4 kilowatt hours, delivering 329 miles of range.
05:46
That's more than most people drive in a week, according to the average stats.
05:51
The front-mounted motor is a decent 214 horsepower and it charges up to 150 kilowatts so you're
05:57
not waiting around forever.
05:58
The charging stations, they're building European EV5s in South Korea, not in China.
06:04
And that dodges hefty EU tariffs on Chinese built EVs, not that we pay them since
06:10
Follow EU down that path.
06:13
And while they haven't confirmed it yet, there is obviously talk of a dual-motor 300 horsepower
06:18
version coming later.
06:20
They always have a GT version, don't they?
06:22
And I think it's better, there's a GT EV9, which is a big three-row seven-seater.
06:30
If they make a GT version of that, then they'll no doubt make a GT version of this
06:35
All right, first delivery start this year.
06:37
Let's compare it to its competition then.
06:39
Tesla Model Y, in terms of size, family occupancy, all that kind of stuff, space right up against
06:45
the Model Y, that starts at 45 over here.
06:49
So they are bringing in five grand less on the Kia EV5, more than 5,000 pounds.
06:57
That's for the rear-wheel drive version, very comparable.
06:59
The long-range all-wheel drive is 52 and the performance, which was launched last
07:02
Friday morning, was 62,000 pounds here.
07:06
The Volkswagen ID4, that starts at 37,000 for the Pro trim, 44 and a half for the
07:13
Match Pro with the big battery, and 54,000 for the GTX trim.
07:18
And finally the Nissan Aria was recently cut to 37,000 pounds on the base trim, and that
07:23
enables all higher trims to also get the new government grant.
07:28
So very, very competitive pricing there on Kia for the EV5.
07:33
As I always say, it will 100% come down to the monthly payments, and the special offers
07:38
in family vehicles like that are not bought by people walking into a showroom, your local
07:45
Kia showroom, and saying, oh, here's 40,000 pounds in used notes for an EV5.
07:51
It's always about the monthly finance, and they tend to be pretty good on that after
07:57
It won't be a cheap car when it first comes out, but if it's not urgent for you, give
08:01
There's still no major deals that I see on the EV3, which is a real shame, because the
08:05
smaller version of that, the Kia EV3, I really, really like.
08:09
I've seen so many around now.
08:11
It's, you know, for a long time, I argue the Volkswagen Golf was the perfect car.
08:15
Not too big, not too small, does everything, gets your family places, but also gets
08:20
I think that, for me, that's now the Kia EV3.
08:24
Charges decently, goes far enough.
08:26
You can get the small battery, big battery, great pricing.
08:30
OK, EV5 will be a lot bigger, though, and deliveries start later in the year.
08:35
Now, let's talk about Honda, delaying its EV focus for two years.
08:39
Honda just cut its 2030 EV target from 30%, 30% EV, to somewhere below.
08:46
According to the CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, announcing the automaker will
08:50
prioritize hybrids over purebevs.
08:53
The strategy shift comes as Honda's only current EV, the Prologue, is doing
08:58
It's averaging 2,700 units monthly year to date, but July did six and a half
09:06
Honda plans 13 hybrid models, launching over four years from 2027.
09:10
Two new EVs enter production next year on Honda's in-house platform.
09:16
A mid-sized crossover and the zero series sedan.
09:20
The zero series follows the compact crossover.
09:23
Another one will be late 2026 as the first Honda badge vehicle
09:27
from Ohio's EV hub.
09:29
The zero series compact sedan will follow the crossover, production versions
09:34
of both the crossover and the sedan debut, we think next year, getting
09:38
all the details, we'll wait and see.
09:40
Now, Tesla's European performance.
09:42
What do the August numbers tell us so far?
09:45
Just yesterday or the day before, I get confused at my own gender.
09:50
I don't know what day it was, but I was talking about Tesla's
09:53
July numbers now that they're all mopped up and in the books.
09:56
Some countries report sooner than others.
09:58
Some do daily figures, by the way.
10:00
So now on the 3rd of September, we can get to look at Tesla's August performance.
10:04
And what do the numbers tell us?
10:05
Well, Tesla just lost 84% of its customers in one Nordic country.
10:11
But while Elon Musk's company crashes around Europe due to fierce
10:14
competition and backlash against the CEO, two nations did bug.
10:18
The trend August data reveals Tesla's European nightmare continues.
10:22
France saw registration data plummet.
10:24
47%, the overall car market grew.
10:27
That's not a good sign.
10:28
Sweden's collapse was even worse, down 84%, despite the car market going up 6%.
10:33
Denmark down 42%, Netherlands down 50%.
10:37
All these numbers aren't just double digit.
10:39
They're huge for Tesla.
10:42
But here's where it gets interesting.
10:43
Norway bucked the trend, with Tesla up 21.3% in August.
10:48
And sales managers in Spain might avoid a tough conversation
10:51
with the boss at least for a month.
10:53
Because in Spain, deliveries exploded.
10:56
161% up to 1,435 cars in August, up from 549.
11:04
I don't know the breakdown of that.
11:05
Could well be the new Model Y effect.
11:07
And if you're one of those who think that all the talk around the backlash
11:11
being because of the far right supporting CEO.
11:15
I get those emails saying, look, you're really overregging the putting on this.
11:18
I mean, they didn't use that phrase.
11:19
It's a very British phrase, but you go on too much about how Europeans
11:24
and British don't like the halo around Elon Musk is definitely worn off now,
11:30
partly because of politics and all those kind of things.
11:33
I think people are much less enamored with him.
11:36
Even half followers of technology.
11:39
He used to be portrayed by the media, the newspapers and stuff like that.
11:42
As kind of a visionary, genius, tech, Silicon Valley kind of person.
11:47
And now when he gets reported, generally not in the EV press,
11:51
but far and wide, it's a very negative interpretation now over here.
11:55
Sorry if you don't live in Europe.
11:57
I'm just telling you how it is if you're a Tesla fan.
11:59
But OK, I'll buy that if you think we go overboard a little bit too much
12:03
on how we're not so keen on the chap anymore.
12:05
Let's talk about the competition because you can't avoid that.
12:08
Chinese rival BYD was one of the Chinese competitors
12:11
crushing Tesla pretty much everywhere.
12:14
It jumped 218 percent in Norway, up 400 percent in Spain.
12:19
So although Tesla did pretty well in Spain, year to date,
12:21
BYD sold over 14,000 cars there.
12:25
Tesla managed 9000.
12:27
You know, I don't know the breakdown of that.
12:29
And it's a valid argument to say, yeah, but Tesla sell
12:31
more high value vehicles than their Chinese competitors.
12:34
No, that over here.
12:35
You don't get too many of those ultra cheap Chinese cars.
12:40
That is also an argument.
12:41
I guess if you're looking at things like financial performances
12:44
and stuff like that, is it better to sell
12:46
fewer more profitable cars?
12:48
Well, that's an argument for somebody else to have.
12:50
Now, BYD are having arguments in their kind of investor
12:55
community around profits.
12:56
That's a really interesting topic.
12:58
We'll tackle that in a moment.
13:00
The Defender Sport EV and the Fiat Grande Panda
13:03
pricing and spec stick around back in a mow.
13:07
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant,
13:10
you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
13:13
That's why hands down, you count on Granger for auto
13:17
With on-time restocks, your team will
13:19
have the cut resistant gloves they
13:21
need at the start of their shift.
13:23
And you can end your day knowing
13:25
they've got safety well in hand.
13:28
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.
13:32
Granger for the ones who get it done.
13:37
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in,
13:40
Granger knows that you need a partner that
13:42
helps you find the right product, fast and hassle-free.
13:46
And you know that when the first problem of the day
13:48
is a clanking blower motor, there's
13:50
no need to break a sweat.
13:52
With Granger's easy to use website and product details,
13:55
you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right
13:58
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.
14:02
Granger for the ones who get it done.
14:09
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in,
14:12
Granger knows that you need a partner that helps you find
14:14
the right product, fast and hassle-free.
14:18
And you know that when the first problem of the day
14:20
is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat.
14:24
With Granger's easy to use website and product details,
14:27
you're confident you'll soon have everything humming
14:30
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.
14:34
Granger for the ones who get it done.
14:39
Before you begin your road trip,
14:42
ask yourself, do you really need five full suitcases?
14:46
With the 2026 Kia Sportage X Pro's class-leading cargo space,
14:50
you'll have room for what you need.
14:52
Find out more at your local Kia dealer today.
14:54
Keep the adventure going.
14:56
Kia, movement that inspires.
14:58
Call 800-334-KIA for details.
15:00
Always drive safely and obey all traffic laws.
15:01
Comparisons based on second row legroom and cargo space
15:03
behind second row seats and the subcompact SUV class
15:06
according to Kia segmentation as of October 2025.
15:09
All right, so welcome back to the podcast.
15:10
If you heard the ads, or if you didn't,
15:13
because you're on Patreon, thank you for that.
15:15
But if you listen to the ad-supported free feed
15:17
and you'd like to fund this show,
15:18
get closer to the community,
15:20
and, well, frankly, pay more wages,
15:23
then you can do that on the Patreon page.
15:26
Now, China's EV King BYD just shocked investors
15:29
with their first profit drop in three years,
15:31
falling 30% despite selling more cars than ever.
15:34
And here's what happened behind the scenes.
15:36
BYD got caught in China's brutal EV price war
15:40
while profits crashed at home.
15:41
Overseas revenue exploded 50% year over year
15:44
in the first half of this year.
15:46
BYD also ramping up R&D spending by 50%,
15:49
betting big on future technology.
15:51
BYD, a famously vertically integrated company,
15:54
they literally make everything that they possibly can.
15:58
The company also started paying suppliers within 60 days
16:02
instead of, well, nearly year-long delays
16:06
GMT research revealed that this could mean
16:08
BYD's true debt is higher than previously thought.
16:13
BYD's solution, go global.
16:15
They are prioritizing global markets outside of China
16:18
where profit margins are higher,
16:20
making overseas expansion their key growth driver.
16:23
Maybe they'll have to lose at home for a bit
16:27
Now, let's talk about Land Rover,
16:29
planning to expand the Defender lineup
16:31
with a smaller electric model.
16:32
And now a prototype has been seen
16:34
during hot weather testing in Southern Europe.
16:37
The vehicle shows an upright profile.
16:40
If you know what a Defender looks like,
16:42
whether that is the little kind of three door or five door,
16:45
I like the, is it two door, three door?
16:47
How would you describe a Defender?
16:48
Cause I would call a three door vehicle like a hatchback.
16:52
I'd say it was a three door and a five door hatchback,
16:54
but the Defender obviously has a, you know,
16:57
a vertical slab at the back of it.
16:59
So, you know what I mean?
17:00
The two door version, man, that's a good looking vehicle.
17:03
However, it's now been seen testing.
17:05
The vehicle shows, well, it looks like a Defender
17:08
and that's a really good thing in my mind
17:10
because the new electric Range Rover looks
17:13
exactly the same as every other Range Rover
17:16
that could be petrol or diesel.
17:17
It just happens to have batteries.
17:19
And I am a really big fan of that
17:21
as we'll get onto in a minute with Mercedes Benz.
17:24
It has a flush rear door handle setup,
17:26
vertically aligned handles on the left side
17:29
of the tailgate indicate the side swinging door
17:31
has been maintained.
17:33
There was no boot mounted or tailgate spare wheel,
17:37
but that was a, obviously this is a testing vehicle.
17:39
The front end is largely all sealed up as it's an EV.
17:43
Doesn't need the air coming in the combustion vehicles need
17:46
both for cooling and, well, you know, to combust,
17:49
obviously the platform is the electrified
17:52
modular architecture EMA 800 volt electric system
17:56
using electric motors and batteries built in the UK
17:59
a new factory in summer sets owned by Tata Land Rover's
18:03
parent company, according to a British magazine,
18:06
the electric baby Defender will be still called
18:08
the Defender sport more details when we get it.
18:11
Now here's a really cool looking vehicle,
18:14
the new Fiat Grande Panda open for orders at 21035.
18:18
I mean, why do you put it 35 quid over 21?
18:23
Can you not put it on sale for 2,995?
18:26
Fiat lose 40 quid of profit and then we get to say it's,
18:30
yeah, you know what I'm saying?
18:32
It's under 21, but anyway, it's over 21,000.
18:34
It's 21035 either way.
18:37
That's really, really cheap.
18:38
It makes it one of the most affordable EVs you can buy
18:41
and not some stripped down city car
18:43
either is looking at you dachier spring.
18:46
This is a proper vehicle, right?
18:49
Okay, 11 seconds, 0 to 62 is not quick,
18:51
but a big battery 44 kilowatt hour.
18:54
They call this a global vehicle.
18:56
They need the new Fiat Panda to work everywhere globally,
18:58
whether that's EV or not EV.
19:01
It's got the integrated charging cable for AC
19:04
on the little coil spring.
19:05
So you open up the little flappy flap at the beginning
19:07
at the grill and it pulls out the cable.
19:10
And then when you've finished AC charging,
19:12
it just winds itself back in again to the car.
19:14
I've seen people over the years say,
19:16
why don't cars have the cable attached for AC charging?
19:19
Well, this one does at 200 miles of range,
19:23
100 kilowatt DC fast charging.
19:25
You can top up reasonably quickly on longer trips
19:27
if you need to take them.
19:29
Here's where it gets interesting.
19:31
The government's new electric car grant
19:33
gives 1500 quid off cars like the related Citroen EC3.
19:38
But Fiat hasn't yet either done the paperwork
19:40
or got the qualification.
19:42
So Fiat have done their own 1500 pound E grant
19:45
and it matches the government grant.
19:47
So they are taking it on the chin there
19:48
until they get the government money
19:50
and the government catches up.
19:51
The demand has been unparalleled, say Fiat,
19:53
with several thousand buyers already registering interest.
19:56
Dealers are reporting big inquiries.
19:58
You can see the car at dealers nationwide
20:00
between tomorrow, the 4th of September
20:02
and the 11th of October.
20:04
Deliveries are in November.
20:05
So for under 22,000 pounds,
20:07
you're getting a proper electric car, decent range,
20:09
not bad performance.
20:11
It undercuts most rivals.
20:12
And if you've been waiting for a stylish small EV
20:16
to become affordable, this might be the moment.
20:19
Look, I love the Dacia Spring
20:20
and I really love the Leap Motor T03.
20:23
They're around 14,000 pounds, but stylish, they're not.
20:28
But now, if you can stretch your budget to 20,
20:31
well, look, you're getting Fiat Grande Panda,
20:33
also a very small car, but really interesting.
20:36
Design flourishes inside and out.
20:39
Funky colors, like the whole world has turned gray.
20:43
My Polestar is Swedish gray, right?
20:45
You can get the Polestar in many shades of gray.
20:49
But the Fiat is bright colors inside great fabrics,
20:52
little design touches, quirks,
20:54
stuff that's on the inside for no particular reason,
20:57
just because it looks good or is a throwback to the past.
21:00
The Renault 5 fits the bill as well.
21:02
If you can get that budget to low 20s
21:04
and you want a small city car
21:05
that will do long journeys occasionally,
21:07
but actually makes you smile when you get inside your car.
21:11
And shouldn't our cars make us feel good and drive
21:13
when we drive them?
21:15
That low 20s bracket is getting really, really competitive now
21:19
and I'm absolutely here for it.
21:20
Now, a car that 16 year olds can legally drive,
21:24
at least in France, is about to hit UK roads
21:27
through Nissan dealers, but don't get excited.
21:29
It doesn't mean that 16 year olds
21:30
can start driving the vehicle on the road here.
21:34
It's called the Silence S4
21:35
and it's electric microcar
21:37
that's been selling across Europe for over a year now
21:39
and it's coming to Britain early next year.
21:42
But you will need a driving license to drive this thing.
21:45
There's also a cargo version.
21:47
Nissan has partnered with Silence,
21:49
although they've been selling it in France.
21:51
So maybe it's the Silence, maybe.
21:54
They sell it through dealerships in France,
21:56
also in Germany and Italy.
21:57
They're now expanding to the UK
22:00
to shake up urban transport.
22:01
The entry level Unico uses a 5.6 kilowatt hour battery,
22:06
62 miles range, they say.
22:08
I mean, it's a very lightweight car.
22:11
Reversing camera as standard,
22:13
28 mile an hour top speed, it has to be.
22:15
So 16 year olds can drive it on the continent.
22:17
The L6E Vivo adds a little TFT display inside
22:22
and two removable batteries for 11.2 kilowatt hours total,
22:26
100 miles range, still 28 miles an hour.
22:30
And the battery features trolley handles and wheels.
22:34
So if you want, when you've parked your car,
22:37
you can then wheel the battery out from under the seats
22:41
and charge it in the office
22:43
on the boss's electricity, but under your desk,
22:46
which I think is brilliant.
22:48
Battery swap stations let drivers exchange empty packs
22:53
for new ones via a subscription service.
22:55
Not sure if that's coming to the UK.
22:56
Compared to the Citroën AMI, the little Silence
23:00
or Silence S4 offers more tech,
23:03
better equipped interior, more practicality
23:06
and a big battery as well.
23:09
This, in terms of how it looks,
23:11
there's not much you can do
23:12
with a two-seater car that has no front,
23:14
no boot, has got some storage, of course,
23:17
but the shape of the thing,
23:21
if you're gonna make a very short car that kids can drive,
23:25
I mean, it doesn't look exactly the same as the Citroën AMI
23:28
because that's quite a stylish-looking vehicle,
23:30
but it's certainly, yeah,
23:33
it's a small two-seater tiny little short car.
23:36
There's not much you can do with it.
23:37
It looks how you'd expect.
23:38
Now, three battery giants revealed their new power plays
23:44
Let's talk about them.
23:45
So, first up, LG dropped their first prismatic
23:49
lithium-ion phosphate battery
23:50
after years of development
23:52
and years of making pouch cells for energy storage.
23:55
Samsung unveiled their new battery box
23:57
with more energy density than their previous version
24:01
using LFP cells for long service life
24:05
and SKON is converting part
24:07
of their Georgia EV battery line to ESS.
24:09
This is all about energy storage systems.
24:13
The timing isn't random.
24:15
Mordor Intelligence points out
24:17
that the US energy storage market
24:20
will hit $5.09 billion a year by 2030,
24:25
US tariffs on Chinese batteries
24:27
are jumping to 60% next year, up from 40% this year.
24:31
Companies are positioning for a new market in the US
24:33
where domestic production of energy storage
24:37
is gonna be critical, really.
24:39
LG's format shift signals
24:41
their flexibility in manufacturing.
24:43
Samsung's dual chemistry approach
24:45
covers off performance and longevity
24:47
and SKON's conversion of the factory
24:49
shows how companies need to quickly pivot
24:51
if the market changes pivot.
24:53
Mercedes is gonna end EQE production next year.
24:57
They just call time on two of their electric cars
25:00
after just four years.
25:02
Ooh, is that embarrassing?
25:05
I think it's pragmatic if nothing else.
25:07
So the EQE sedan, EQE SUV,
25:11
are getting the axe next year,
25:13
barely surviving their fourth birthday.
25:15
The EQE is built in Germany.
25:16
EQE SUV is made in Alabama
25:19
and they just weren't selling well enough to keep them alive.
25:21
But Mercedes is not leaving you hanging.
25:22
They're replacing both with something better.
25:24
The C-Class EQ drops next year
25:27
and the GLC EQ debuts at this month's IAA Munich show.
25:31
Both run on the new 800 volts MBEAM platform.
25:36
The new GLC EQ, 570 liters of boot space
25:40
and 128-liter frunk beating the EQ's 520 liters.
25:45
It'll tow 2,500 kilograms as well, unlike the EQE.
25:48
The C-Class EQ gets premium treatment
25:51
with air suspension and rear steering.
25:52
Mercedes isn't abandoning the EQE concept though.
25:56
There will be a direct successor
25:58
and that'll be the E-Class,
25:59
because it's back in 2027.
26:01
And this goes back to what I said a minute ago
26:03
about car companies making vehicles
26:06
that don't look like what their existing customers
26:10
think a vehicle should look like
26:12
or just their personal preference.
26:15
And so Mercedes really went down the route
26:18
of being the wind tunnel and the CFD
26:22
dictated the shape of that vehicle
26:24
and they were fabulously efficient,
26:26
but it turns out ES-Class and E-Class buyers went,
26:29
we're not sure about how long.
26:31
And so the new S-Class and E-Class
26:33
will have that traditional three box shape
26:37
and it'll either have an engine or batteries
26:40
Now, that's not the most efficient way
26:41
to run a car company, by the way.
26:43
The most efficient way is to be absolutely single-focused,
26:45
whether it's a Tesla or a Chinese company
26:48
that just makes a pure EV platform
26:51
maximum efficiency in terms of making
26:54
the best possible electric vehicle.
26:57
But that's exactly what Mercedes-Benz did
27:01
It didn't go down very well.
27:02
So the new E-Class coming on again,
27:04
that MBEAM platform.
27:06
The EQE was updated and it's short life.
27:09
It got the bigger battery to 96 kilowatt hours,
27:12
a heat pump, more performance.
27:14
They even added a disconnect for the front motor
27:16
to be more efficient, but sadly, not enough.
27:18
Now let's talk Hyundai IONIQ 3.
27:21
Now the Hyundai IONIQ 3 is an interesting vehicle
27:25
because it's gonna give you access
27:27
to a lot of technology for not as much money
27:29
as you would have had to pay.
27:30
CarPlay Ultra is what I'm talking about.
27:33
Now we'll see IONIQ 3 at the IAA show in Munich next week,
27:36
or maybe this weekend on the press days.
27:39
And this is gonna be the cheapest car you can get
27:42
with CarPlay Ultra.
27:43
It goes beyond the traditional center screen,
27:45
expanding all the instrument clusters,
27:48
the Speedos, the climate, and vehicle integration.
27:52
Apple launched with Aston Martin vehicles
27:54
exclusively in the US and Canada,
27:56
but not everyone can afford an Aston Martin.
27:58
But if your budget's reasonable,
28:00
you probably can afford a Hyundai Kia or Genesis
28:02
and they're the ones that get CarPlay Ultra next.
28:04
The system has built-in radio, climate, widgets,
28:08
bi-directional data flow, connects to your iPhone,
28:11
all your driving metrics like speed and tire pressure,
28:14
everything fully integrated into the car.
28:16
In fact, CarPlay Ultra takes over the car.
28:20
And Apple control the human interface
28:23
in terms of what you see and the buttons that you press.
28:27
Now many car makers push back against that
28:29
and say it's a key part of our relationship
28:31
with our buyers, our customers, our drivers.
28:34
We don't wanna just hand over that crucial part
28:36
of the relationship to Apple.
28:38
Others go, well, look, if our customers want it,
28:41
they can absolutely have it.
28:44
The Arnic 3 production starts in 2026 up against, again,
28:47
that segment, Renault 5, Peugeot E208,
28:50
Kia EV2, Fiat Grande Panda.
28:52
Now, GWM just dropped two new hybrid versions
28:55
of their Havel H6 in Australia.
28:57
September marks the arrival of a new ultra-hybrid
28:59
all-wheel drive, but it's not a plug-in,
29:02
There is, though, a front-wheel drive plug-in hybrid,
29:05
Luxe version of the Havel,
29:07
and it starts at 4,400-900 drive away,
29:09
and that's really good.
29:10
That's in Aussie dollars, obviously,
29:12
making it great wall motors,
29:13
most affordable plug-in hybrid,
29:14
3,000 Aussie dollars less than the ultra plug-in hybrid,
29:17
a serious price cut to bring plug-in technology
29:21
to American, sorry, to Australian families.
29:23
The plug-in hybrid has a 20 kilowatt hour
29:25
lithium-ion phosphate pack,
29:26
over 100K's pure electric range.
29:28
And finally, meet the Sophie 8X.
29:31
What is a Sophie 8X?
29:33
It's a student-built solar car
29:36
that just won the 2025 solar challenge.
29:39
The student-built car just defeated
29:40
every engineering team across 3,000 kilometers
29:45
of brutal Aussie outback.
29:47
The Sophie 8X didn't just win the challenge,
29:51
it shattered expectations.
29:52
It averaged 68.7 kilometers per hour
29:56
for 44 straight hours across the continent
30:00
with nothing but sunshine to power it.
30:02
Here's what makes it possible.
30:04
The most electric vehicles need massive battery packs,
30:07
weighing hundreds of kilograms.
30:11
The Sophie 8X battery is 40 kilograms.
30:15
And that's a massive saving.
30:18
The lightness is, you know,
30:20
less than some people take as carry-on,
30:22
you know, on a cruise or something.
30:24
The tiny battery pack is 15 kilowatt hours
30:26
which is still decent size into the energy storage.
30:30
And that's what powered the two-seat vehicle
30:33
over 3,000 kilometers at average highway speeds.
30:36
The secret lies in efficiency.
30:37
Typically, these waste, you know,
30:39
energy through resistance and heat and things like that.
30:43
The Sophie 8X used the new
30:45
Silicon Carbide Semiconductors
30:47
to cut energy consumption by 30%.
30:49
Every electron counts when you're racing
30:51
on sun power alone.
30:53
But efficiency means nothing without energy collection.
30:57
Six square meters of solar cells cover the roof,
31:00
continuously feeding power to the vehicle while it drives.
31:03
The 400 watt hour per kilogram lithium pouch cells
31:06
store the energy in minimal space, minimal weight.
31:09
And aerodynamics sealed the victory.
31:11
Computational fluid dynamics.
31:13
CFD, putting it into a computer,
31:16
running the algorithm and saying make something slippery.
31:19
Shaped every curve of the carbon fiber body.
31:22
And it does look like one of these kind of crazy, very low,
31:26
no exposed wheels, solar vehicles.
31:30
But anyways, the class it was in
31:33
was between 400 and 800 kilograms.
31:36
The ultimate validation, Hong Kong has approved it
31:40
for being safe on public roads.
31:42
It's the first solar racing vehicle
31:44
legally authorized for street use in the territory.
31:48
So well done to that team.
31:50
And that's your podcast for today.
31:51
Thanks to our premium partners, Porsche of the Village
31:53
in Cincinnati, Audi of Cincinnati East,
31:56
and Volvo cars of Cincinnati East.
31:59
National car charging on the US mainland
32:01
and the Loha Charge in Hawaii at Octopus Electroverse.
32:04
Global public charging made simple with one app and one map.
32:07
Have a good and see you tomorrow.
32:08
And remember, there's no such thing
32:11
as a self-charging hybrid.
32:17
Capital One's tech team isn't just talking
32:19
about multi-agentic AI.
32:22
They already deployed one.
32:23
It's called Chat Concierge,
32:25
and it's simplifying car shopping.
32:27
Using self-reflection and layered reasoning
32:29
with live API checks,
32:31
it doesn't just help buyers find a car they love.
32:34
It helps schedule a test drive,
32:35
get pre-approved for financing,
32:37
and estimate trading value.
32:39
Advanced, intuitive, and deployed.
32:42
That's how they stack.
32:43
That's technology at Capital One.
32:47
Ring Central's AI receptionist uses voice AI
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to answer on the first ring,
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so you'll never miss a call again.
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In just a few minutes,
32:54
you can personalize your own AI receptionist
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to answer questions, route calls,
32:58
schedule appointments, and even send texts
33:00
in multiple languages.
33:02
Plus, it's easy to scale.
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Create unlimited AI receptionists
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across any phone system.
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It's all powered by one reliable platform
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See for yourself at ringcentral.com.
33:14
Ring Central, voice of your business.
33:17
Capital One's tech team
33:18
isn't just talking about multi-agentic AI.
33:21
They already deployed one.
33:23
It's called Chat Concierge,
33:25
and it's simplifying car shopping.
33:27
Using self-reflection and layered reasoning
33:29
with live API checks,
33:31
it doesn't just help buyers find a car they love.
33:34
It helps schedule a test drive,
33:35
get pre-approved for financing,
33:37
and estimate trading value.
33:39
Advanced, intuitive, and deployed.
33:41
That's how they stack.
33:43
That's technology at Capital One.
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Cornel's plumbing, heating, and air.
34:13
Capital One's tech team isn't just talking
34:16
about multi-agentic AI.
34:18
They already deployed one.
34:19
It's called Chat Concierge,
34:21
and it's simplifying car shopping.
34:23
Using self-reflection and layered reasoning
34:25
with live API checks,
34:27
it doesn't just help buyers find a car they love.
34:30
It helps schedule a test drive,
34:32
get pre-approved for financing,
34:33
and estimate trading value.
34:35
Advanced, intuitive, and deployed.
34:38
That's how they stack.
34:39
That's technology at Capital One.