Episode Details

It's ev.news Briefly for Wednesday 26 August 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnews

RENAULT 5 GAINS RANGE AND LFP ENTRY VERSION
Renault has updated the electric Renault 5, lifting the 40 kWh Urban Range to 315 km (196 miles) and the 52 kWh Comfort Range to 430 km (267 miles) from 410 km, crediting a lower ride height, redesigned mirrors and optimised battery electronics. In markets including France, the 70 kW/40 kWh version is replaced by an entry model pairing an 80 kW "Gen 2 Evo" motor from the Twingo E-Tech with a 36.5 kWh cell-to-pack LFP battery for up to 305 km (190 miles), 6.6 kW AC and 80 kW DC charging, with Google's Gemini assistant arriving over the air and the range shown at the Paris Motor Show from 12 to 18 October 2026.

CHINESE AUTOMAKERS PLAN 1.5 MILLION EUROPEAN OUTPUT BY 2035
Mobility Global forecasts Chinese brands will build about 90,000 vehicles in Europe this year, rising to 1 million by 2030 and 1.5 million by 2035, with roughly half of the 2030 output coming from Spain as BYD starts Hungarian production this autumn, Chery assembles Jaecoo and Omoda in Barcelona, Leapmotor uses Stellantis' Zaragoza plant, MG plans a Galicia plant for 2028 and Geely forms a Ford joint venture in Valencia (66% Ford, 34% Geely) operating from the first half of 2027. The push comes ahead of the EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act, which would attach "Made in EU" tests to public procurement, state support and CO₂ super-credits rather than impose a general local-content rule, while economists warn Europe risks becoming a final-assembly site without winning higher-value manufacturing and supply-chain jobs.

FIAT 500E LEADS OWNERSHIP COST STUDY
Self, Inc. compared annual running costs for 50 new cars, excluding purchase price, finance and depreciation and assuming 15,000 miles a year, finding an average of $6,913 and placing the Fiat 500e first at $3,557, ahead of the Honda Civic Hybrid at $4,833. Hybrids averaged $5,734 a year against $6,189 for battery-electric and $7,025 for combustion cars, with the Dodge Charger Daytona the second-cheapest EV at $5,298 and the Lucid Air the priciest at $10,049, though the 500e's win has not translated into demand as Stellantis reported just 150 US sales in the first half of 2026, down 81% year on year.

ICAUR V25 CONFIRMED FOR AUSTRALIA IN EARLY 2027
Chery has confirmed the iCaur V25 will launch in Australia in early 2027 alongside the brand's arrival, with the larger V27 also expected in the initial line-up, and the 4636mm-long five-seater offering a 2820mm wheelbase, 197mm of ground clearance, a 200kg roof-load rating, fixed aluminium side steps, removable D-pillar panels and a side-hinged rear door with a 22.7-litre external storage box. It uses a range-extender drivetrain with a Chery 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 33.67kWh LFP battery giving up to 150km (93.2 miles) of electric range on WLTC, and rides on a unibody with MacPherson struts and rear five-link suspension rather than a ladder frame.

KEMPOWER LINKS PLUG COUNT TO CHARGER USE
Kempower's analysis of North American public charging sites on its ChargEye software found plug count correlated with utilisation at 0.63 versus just 0.228 for total installed power, that distributed-charging sites averaged 83% higher utilisation than fixed-power dispensers, and that about 100 kW of available power per plug is the sweet spot when all connectors are in use. The paper does not disclose sample size, observation period, how utilisation was calculated or whether it controlled for