Electrek

With gas prices surging, driving an EV sounds even more attractive right about now. This month, several automakers are offering discounts of up to $10,000 or more on popular EVs, including the Hyundai IONIQ 9 and Chevy Equinox EV. Not only are EV drivers saving money at the pump right now, but waking up with a full charge every morning beats stopping for gas. After the $7,500 tax credit expired at the end of September, many automakers stepped in, offering their own incentives to match it.

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla having its HW3 reckoning, Ford reshuffling its EV unit, Donut Lab being in hot water, and more. The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel. As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

The Santa Fe will launch as Hyundai’s first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) in 2027. With its official debut coming up, the Santa FE EREV was spotted with a unique design. The Santa Fe is one of Hyundai’s most popular SUVs, so an electric version makes sense. However, this one won’t be fully electric. During its CEO Investor Day in September, Hyundai announced plans to launch its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) in 2027.

Volkswagen launched the ID.UNYX 08, starting at under $35,000 in China. The fully connected electric SUV is Volkswagen’s first EV co-developed with XPeng. After BYD ended Volkswagen’s 15-year run as China’s top-selling car brand in 2023, Volkswagen is looking to make a comeback. However, the German automaker’s all-electric vehicles dropped 63% in the first quarter ahead of its biggest EV offensive yet.

The Dutch Tesla owner who launched a collective claim against Tesla over FSD on HW3 cars called Tesla to ask about the €6,400 he paid for “Full Self-Driving” in 2019. After 7 years of waiting, Tesla’s answer was to “just be patient.” It’s an almost comically tone-deaf response that perfectly encapsulates Tesla’s approach to the HW3 problem — and it’s only going to fuel the growing legal pressure in Europe.

Toyota has no plans to launch an EV version, but the RAV4’s chief engineer said you can try its updated electric SUV instead. The RAV4 has gone back and forth with the Tesla Model Y over the past few years as the world’s best-selling vehicle. Despite reports suggesting otherwise, Toyota has no intentions of introducing an all-electric version. Yoshinori Futonagane, the chief engineer for the Toyota RAV4, told Carsales that a battery electric RAV4 is not part of the plans.

The EV5 is expected to be among Kia’s best-selling vehicles. Following its initial success, Kia revealed plans to introduce a new high-volume electric SUV. Here’s what we know about the new EV so far. After posting its best first-quarter sales in company history, Kia revealed its ambitious plans to drive “exponential growth” over the next four years. During its CEO Investor Day, the Korean automaker announced its mid- to long-term strategy.

The EV2 is now available to order in Europe, with the first customer deliveries starting next month. Kia opened EV2 orders at lower prices than expected. After opening orders in Germany last month, Kia launched the EV2 in several additional European markets, including the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland. “The start of production for the EV2 continues to verify our technical capabilities and flexibility in Europe,” Soohang Chang, President and CEO at Kia Europe, said during the event.

Volvo is expanding its electric trucking lead with the launch of new and improved line of FH, FM, and FMX Electric HD and semi trucks with up to 700 km (~430 miles) of range. The next-generation Volvo FH, FM, and FMX Electric trucks feature Volvo’s new e-axle driveline technology, which the company says offers major improvements in flexibility, productivity, and driving comfort – along with enough increased efficiency to offer more than 400 miles of range in long-haul highway trim.

California Senate Bill 1213 is calling out truck makers for playing games with zero emission truck pricing by requiring manufacturers to make truck pricing public if they want access to the state’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) and Clean Transportation Programs.