Daily Recap: Friday, February 13, 2026
22 episodes
The Trump Administration eliminated the EPA's greenhouse gas endangerment finding, the legal foundation for federal emissions regulations since 2009. The same week, Ferrari revealed a Jony Ive-designed electric car and Rivian's R2 got its first press drives with positive reviews. Tesla's latest Full Self-Driving build got a long-form road test. And automotive journalism scholarships are open through the end of February.
Headlines
Trump Administration Eliminates EPA Endangerment Finding on Greenhouse Gases
The Trump administration eliminated the EPA's endangerment finding that was established in 2009 and used as justification for most EV regulation in the US.
The 2009 Endangerment finding was the scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health, and removing it represents a significant shift in environmental policy.
From Autoline Daily:
"In two thousand and nine, the EPA used that ruling to establish what it called an endangerment finding and began issuing regulations to restrict greenhouse gas emissions. Yesterday, the Trump administration eliminated that endangerment finding."
From Automotive News Daily Drive:
"The Trump EPA is repealing the 2009 Endangerment finding. That's the scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health."
Episode Spotlights
Rivian R2 îs the Perfect Car? New Ferrari Reveal and Ford in Trouble! — THIS CAR POD! with Doug DeMuro & Friends
On how many people have driven the Rivian R2 so far:
"I drove the Rivian R2... One of like 10 at the most. All right. There's me. There's Marquez... There's Jerry Rigg everything... And then there's some fellow from Motor Trend. Sure. And Matt Watson also."
Tesla FSD v14 1-HOUR+ Live Test + Rivian R2 First Drive Impressions — The InEVitable
On Tesla's current full self-driving software version:
"we're at FSD 205, yes, version 14.2.2.3. So I think we're the most current."
S7E9 – How to Win an Automotive Engineering or Journalism Scholarship? — Total Car Score
On eligibility requirements for automotive journalism scholarships:
"The students who are eligible are both undergraduate students and graduate students. You have to have a good GPA. I think it's a 3.0 or better... our scholarship portal is open right now. It's open just through the end of February."
Is the Audi RS3 the end of an era ? | Ep 82 | Drive Torque Podcast — Drive Torque Podcast
On coordinating press car testing across European locations:
"the Audi studio shoot came in in Munich. And I had an RS3 booked in over that week... And then I was talking to Misha, see if he could be at the Nürburgring, so I could pop in and say hi. And he said, no, I'm at the ice race."
F1 Testing 2026 – Day 3 — P1 with Matt and Tommy
On Max Verstappen's concerns with 2026 F1 regulations:
"Max has said this since 2023, I think, when the rules were first announced. And he has maintained that opinion throughout."
If You Only Listen To One
Autoblog Podcast #S2E04: RIP Alpina? + elektrische Ferrari — Autoblog Podcast
Covers Renault 4 electric car reception and sales performance, Automatic parking system experiences and failures.
By the Numbers
Most-Discussed Cars
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Ford Mustang | 5 |
| Ford F150 | 5 |
| Honda Civic | 5 |
| Dodge Charger | 5 |
| BMW M5 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 4 |
| Honda Accord | 4 |
| BMW E92 | 3 |
Trending Terminology
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 8 |
| four-wheel drive | 3 |
| horsepower | 2 |
| hybrids | 2 |
22 episodes. 361 car mentions. 286 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.