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Plus, stay tuned because later in the show I’ll tell you why one Arctic ferry is putting batteries to the test.
On EV News China today we’re talking about: BYD Unloads On Argentina, China’s Charging Network and Zeekr 8X PHEV
BMW PRESSES AHEAD WITH US EV BUILD PLANS
BMW will start building electric cars in America in late 2026, even as its main battery partner delays a key plant. Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) has paused work on a $1.6bn battery cell factory in South Carolina that was meant to feed BMW’s electric ramp-up there.
BMW is pressing on. It plans to produce at least six electric models in the United States by the end of the decade. To cover the gap left by the stalled AESC site, the supplier will divert battery cells from its other factories to BMW’s South Carolina operations.
Spartanburg has already been tooled to build Neue Klasse models this year, and BMW has built a dedicated battery assembly plant in nearby Woodruff to feed it. The plan had been simple: Woodruff would receive cells from AESC’s new Florence facility, also in South Carolina. AESC’s decision to pause construction there, citing uncertainty over US economic policy and market conditions, put that schedule at risk and raised doubts over BMW’s American EV ramp‑up.
Nicolai Martin, BMW’s chief procurement officer, now says the supply problem has been “eliminated”. The Woodruff assembly plant will start operations as planned in 2026, and Spartanburg will begin fully electric vehicle production by year‑end. During the transition, AESC will ship cells from its existing global production network rather than from Florence.
The workhorse of the new line-up will be the iX5, an all-electric version of the fifth-generation X5, due in 2026. BMW then expects to add the iX7 (G67) in 2027 and the iX6 (G66) in 2028. A G74 model, geared towards off-road use, is rumoured for 2029. A fully electric iX4 is in development, but BMW has yet to fix a production site; Debrecen in Hungary, where the firm is building a new plant, is one option.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2026/01/22/bmw-ev-production-spartanburg-2026/
VOLVO TO REBOOT 2.5M CARS OVER THE AIR
Volvo will deliver a new infotainment interface into 2.5 million cars later this year, in what it calls one of the largest over-the-air updates in automotive history. Every Volvo running Android Automotive since its 2020 debut on the XC40 Recharge will gain the Volvo Car user experience already fitted to the EX30, EX90 and EX60.
The update turns a 2020 Volvo into a car with displays and functions that closely match the latest models. It also underlines the core promise of connected cars: a fleet that can stay current for far longer through remote software, not new hardware.
Volvo had planned the overhaul for last year but delayed it for more development. Anders Bell, the firm’s chief technology officer, now says the software sits in final testing and validation and will launch within months. He argues that because Volvo operates in more countries than Tesla, the scale and spread of this roll-out rank among the most significant fleet-wide updates yet, even if the American firm has normalised large over-the-air pushes.
Once installed, the software will give updated cars infotainment that is essentially identical to the EX90’s, aside from limits imposed by older chips and smaller screens. That common base also sets up the next step. Bell says that, after this upgrade, swapping the current Google Assistant for Gemini becomes straightforward, though Volvo has set no date and has not confirmed which cars will get it.
As a Polestar driver and Gemini AI user, I can’t wait to see what it’s like in-car.
Gemini will let drivers hold natural conversations with their cars: drafting and translating messages before sending them, querying the owner’s manual or pulling precise information on destinations. Volvo claims such dialogue lowers cognitive load, helping drivers keep their focus and cut distractions for everyone in the cabin, even in a six-year-old XC40 Recharge.
https://evne.ws/4a0tFCd
EU SMALL-EV PLAN WINS SUPPORT, BUT RULES WORRY CARMAKERS
Renault and Stellantis back Brussels’s push for small electric cars. They now fear the fine print.
In December the European Commission floated plans to smooth the shift to full electrification, while still allowing some internal-combustion sales beyond 2035. Carmakers liked the political signal. They worry that once drafted, the rules may turn a simple release valve into a tangle that proves hard to use.
At the core sits a planned “M1E” sub-category for electric cars under 4.2 metres, built in the EU. Each sale would count as 1.3 electric-vehicle credits towards a manufacturer’s CO2 targets. In theory this lets firms keep selling petrol cars without inviting ruinous fines.
Brussels has promised to recognise the heavy development costs of small EVs and to freeze new rules that might add extra burden. National and city governments, inside and outside the EU, such as Britain, could add perks like lower parking charges or scrappage bonuses for M1E models.
The scheme ties this support to local content. The aim is to back small-car makers while keeping jobs and supply chains in Europe by insisting on EU production and substantial EU parts. Emanuele Cappellano, Stellantis’s new Europe boss, calls the move sound but rejects strict sourcing rules. He wants a staged supply-chain build-up, not a hard requirement from day one.
The Renault 5, built in Douai with nearby AESC batteries, should comply with ease. The Fiat Grande Panda, assembled in Serbia, may scrape through on EU content. Chinese-made parts, above all batteries and motors, complicate almost every bill of materials. Renault’s Dacia pushes for fleet-level rather than per-car accounting, which would offset its China-built Spring against EU-made models. Renault says it already keeps suppliers close to its plants.
https://evne.ws/3YWduRt
HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 N CHASES EV THRILL-SEEKERS
Hyundai’s second electric performance car has the 0-62mph sprint to 3.2 seconds and runs on to 160mph. It is a clear step up from the standard Ioniq 6, aimed at buyers who think most EVs feel the same.
That matters because Hyundai’s N division is fast becoming one of the few mass-market outfits to treat electric performance as more than a straight-line stunt. The Ioniq 6 N follows the Ioniq 5 N in using hardware and software to add texture, not just thrust.
A high-output dual-motor powertrain sits at the core, fed by an 84 kilowatt-hour battery that is officially good for 302 miles between charges. Electrically adjustable dampers and an electronic limited-slip differential back up the extra power, suggesting the car should cope with more than motorway work.
The firm’s simulated sequential gearbox, first seen on the Ioniq 5 N, returns with shorter ratios and a new sound system. That feature won much of the praise for the earlier car, as it gave drivers clearer cues about speed and load than a single-gear EV usually offers.
Hyundai has dressed the car to match the numbers. A rear spoiler, front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser signal intent, while 20-inch alloy wheels wear model-specific 275-millimetre-wide Pirelli P Zero tyres. Braking comes from 400-millimetre vented discs with four-piston calipers at the front and 360-millimetre vented discs at the rear.
Inside, an N-specific steering wheel carries paddles for the simulated gearbox and extra controls for drive mode customisation. The same bucket seats as the Ioniq 5 N are carried over.
Six paint finishes are offered. Pearlescent white is standard; N’s signature blue, pearlescent black and metallic grey each cost £750 extra. Matt gold and matt grey are £1,250, as is a panoramic glass roof.
https://evne.ws/4pXiUq4
KIA SLASHES EV PRICES AS KOREAN PRICE WAR ESCALATES
Kia has cut prices on its main electric models by up to 3 million won ($2,000), the clearest sign yet that South Korea’s EV price war is intensifying. The move follows Tesla’s reductions of as much as 9.4 million won ($6,350) on the Model Y and Model 3 and comes as BYD prepares to launch the Dolphin hatchback in the low 20 million won ($13,500) range.
The cuts pull Kia’s core models into far more aggressive territory. The EV6 range drops by 3 million won across all variants, while the long-range EV5 falls by 2.8 million won ($1,890). After central and local government subsidies, Seoul buyers can now acquire an EV3 for between 35 million and 42 million won ($23,600-$28,350). The EV6 now sits in the 35 million-48 million won ($23,600-$32,400) bracket after incentives.
A new standard EV5 variant pushes effective entry prices for Air, Earth and GT-line models into the 34 million won ($22,950) range. Buyers of the EV3 and EV4 can secure financing at 0.8% for up to four years or 1.1% for up to five years, some 3.3 percentage points below average interest rates on instalment purchases.
Kia also wants to shore up residual values. The carmaker will issue performance certificates for used EVs and expand its in-house quality grading system. Customers trading in an existing Kia EV for a new one receive additional discounts of up to 1.7 million won ($1,150).
Tesla, though, still sits at the top end of the market. The Model Y long-range premium version now sells for around 60 million won ($40,500) after nearly 10 million won in reductions since year-end.
SCOTLAND PUTS £85M INTO EV CHARGING PUSH
Scotland will spend £85 million on electric vehicle charging as part of a draft 2026-27 Budget that puts £4.3 billion into transport. The plan channels public money towards net-zero goals while trying to keep drivers, businesses and councils on side.
But the headline move is the push to expand the country’s charging network. £85 million will fund both new and ongoing low-carbon work, with electric vehicle infrastructure at its core.
New incentives will back consumers and businesses that switch to electric vehicles, though the government has yet to say how generous or targeted they will be.
https://evne.ws/4bRpDOY
EV INTEREST OUTPACES SALES AS MANDATE LOOMS
British car buyers spent much of 2025 looking at electric cars they did not buy.
IMAGIN.studio’s Quarterly Insights Report, based on more than 2.3bn image views on UK car-buying sites spanning retailers, brokers and motor finance platforms, shows battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 29% of all searches. That is close to one in three, even though BEVs made up only 23% of 2025 UK new-car registrations, according to the SMMT. The gap between browsing intent and buying behaviour will matter more as policy tightens.
The zero-emission vehicle mandate will demand that 33% of new sales are BEVs in 2026. A market where BEVs attract 29% of searches but only 23% of registrations signals weak conversion from interest to purchase. Yet the overall pattern of attention tilts towards electrification.
Four of the five most searched EVs were SUVs: the Dacia Spring, Kia EV3, Skoda Elroq and Skoda Enyaq. SMMT figures suggest the return of EV purchase grants has helped, with uptake up 24%. But only around a quarter of electric models qualify, which leaves most of the market—and most of that EV curiosity—outside the scope of support.
IRIZAR LANDS 39-BUS ARRIVA ORDER IN DUTCH BRT PUSH
Irizar e-mobility has won an order for 39 ie tram buses from Arriva in the Netherlands, a rare foothold in one of Europe’s most mature electric‑bus markets. The deal covers 18 12‑metre buses and 21 articulated 18‑metre vehicles for a high‑capacity Bus Rapid Transit line in the Oost‑Brabant region, serving cities including Tilburg.
urban networks work to tight operational standards, dense timetables and have little patience for unreliable kit. Arriva plans to deploy the electric fleet on high‑frequency city routes, which will test both Irizar’s technology and its ability to support intensive duty cycles in a crowded, price‑sensitive market.
Each bus will use Irizar batteries with more than 615 kWh capacity, paired with depot‑based charging. That points to an overnight‑charging strategy and long‑range operation rather than heavy reliance on on‑route top‑ups.
https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/the-very-first-delivery-for-irizar-e-mobility-in-the-netherlands-39-ie-trams-on-the-way/
RIVIAN MOVES TO FILL FORD F-150 LIGHTNING VOID
Rivian has moved fast to fill a gap left by Ford. Days after Ford halted production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup, Rivian’s senior manager for fleet sales and management, Seth Parks, took to LinkedIn to urge fleet buyers with cancelled Lightning orders to consider the R1T instead.
Ford’s retreat sits at the centre of a broader electric-vehicle shake-up that forced a $19.5 billion impairment charge. Jim Farley, Ford’s boss, said electric vehicles priced between $50,000 and $80,000 were not selling. The Lightning itself carried sticker prices from $57,375 to $87,590. That leaves corporate buyers with budgets and decarbonisation targets, but fewer options.
Rivian wants to turn their frustration into volume. It opened orders for its electric delivery van (EDV) to fleet customers nearly a year ago, yet has named only two commercial clients so far: meal-kit firm HelloFresh and pizza-delivery app Slice. EDV sales fell year-on-year in 2025, though Rivian has not disclosed exact figures.
For now Amazon anchors the business. More than 35,000 branded Rivian electric delivery vans already run routes for the e-commerce giant, out of a 100,000-unit order due to be fulfilled by 2030. That contract gives Rivian scale, but also leaves it exposed to a single large customer.
https://evne.ws/4k0m4Iw
ARCTIC FERRY PUTS BATTERIES TO THE TEST
On January 1st the M/F Vargsund, an all‑electric passenger and car ferry, completed its first run in northern Norway in temperatures of -13°F (-25°C), a corner of the Arctic where cold and reliability, not carbon footprints, usually shape design choices.
Yet the M/F Vargsund runs on electricity alone. Unlike other car ferries in the region it uses no internal‑combustion engine at all, turning a routine crossing into a test of whether battery‑powered vessels can cope with harsh conditions as well as, or better than, diesel craft.
The ship measures 50 metres and can take 28 cars and 100 passengers. That is modest by global ferry standards but enough to prove a point: a fully electric vessel can keep a regular schedule in sub‑zero weather without a back‑up engine.
In 2025, 96% of new car registrations in Norway were pure electric, as drivers and firms move early ahead of tighter rules on internal‑combustion engines. Road transport has already shifted. Coastal shipping is now edging the same way.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/worlds-most-northern-electric-ferry-now-sailing-in-frigid-13f-temps-25c/
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