Automotive enthusiasts aren’t the only ones who enjoy getting their hands dirty. Many regular drivers tackle oil changes, swap air filters, or fit new brake pads without a second thought. These are the sorts of jobs that make you feel connected to your car, a small ritual of maintenance and pride.

But every so often, a manufacturer decides to make things harder than they need to be. I once had to drop an entire subframe on my BMW just to replace oxygen sensors, an experience that left me wondering whether the engineers had ever tried it themselves.

Also: His Ioniq 5 N Turned Into A Paperweight Months Ago And Hyundai Still Has No Answers

It’s rare to see a mainstream brand like Hyundai put similar hurdles on its customers when it comes to repairs. However, according to one owner, the brand isn’t just making a simple fix hard; it’s straight up declaring war on his (and your) right to repair his own car.

Is Hyundai Denying Right to Repair?

Two recent posts on Reddit’s r/Ioniq5N community have ignited a fierce debate. There, an owner claims Hyundai has drawn the battle lines. He’d set out to replace his rear brake pads, something he says he’s done countless times before on other vehicles, but soon discovered the automaker’s diagnostic tools had other plans.

According to the post, Hyundai’s digital systems effectively lock out anyone who isn’t a certified technician from performing even basic maintenance.

The rear brake pads are affected by the electric parking brake. To replace them, one must disengage the brake and get it to retract completely, otherwise, the new pads won’t fit. In addition, the car needs a diagnostic tool to recalibrate the motor on how far to move with the new pads in place.

In other words, even if you could manually disengage the parking brake, the car would still need calibration to work properly.

More: Rivian Refused To Sell JerryRigEverything A 12V Battery Then Sent Him The Bill

The only way to accomplish this is allegedly to use Hyundai’s J2534 Diagnostic Tool, a Windows-based application available only through the automaker’s tech info portal.

The owner says the software requires a $60 weekly subscription, a $2,000+ approved hardware adapter, and a constant internet connection for authentication. Even then, it reportedly doesn’t work properly on newer models like the 2025 Ioniq 5 N.

No DIYers, Please – Only Pros

“I broke down and bought the subscription and special adapter,” the owner wrote. “Guess what? It didn’t work.” Only later did they find out why. “My blood is boiling at the moment. NASTF has blocked my account, saying “DIYers are not permitted access.”

They included a photo of a message from NASTF that says in part, “Please provide your business name and 9-digit Federal Employer Identification Number. DIYers are not permitted access.”

The irony, the poster points out, is that Hyundai dealers don’t even use this Windows tool. They reportedly have access to an entirely different Android-based software suite that works seamlessly.

While this all sounds like a bureaucratic mess, the underlying issue raises serious questions about Right to Repair access in the EV era. For decades, enthusiasts and independent mechanics have fought for access to diagnostic tools and repair data that manufacturers often guard tightly.

But when basic wear items like brake pads require proprietary authentication, the argument takes on a new urgency.

Has Hyundai Gone Too Far?

Nothing about this setup sounds reasonable. Replacing brake pads is as fundamental as car maintenance gets, yet Hyundai’s system allegedly makes it feel like breaking into Fort Knox.

If that’s true, the automaker has some serious rethinking to do because locking out the people who care most about maintaining their vehicles isn’t a good long-term strategy.

I have personally considered buying an Ioniq 5 and a Kia EV6, but will avoid both until this sort of thing is doable for folks like me. Hyundai tells us that it’s looking into the situation and will report back once it has more information.

Electric cars have come a long way in a short time, and few have made as much noise, or driven as well, as the Kia EV6. When it first arrived, it wasn’t just another entry into the EV race; it felt like a genuine shift in direction for Kia. When we first drove it, we called the EV6 the new EV benchmark.

Fast-forward a few years, and this not-quite-hatchback, not-quite-crossover remains one of the brand’s best creations. It’s a car that still makes a strong first impression, though the road ahead now looks tougher than ever.

Despite that unusual profile, the EV6 found steady momentum early on. Sales rose from its first year (18,249 units) to its second (18,879), and again into its third (21,715). Yet 2025 tells a different story, with numbers slipping fast to 11,077 through September.

The shape hasn’t changed, the fundamentals haven’t faltered, and on paper, it remains a strong contender. So what’s behind the slowdown?

QUICK FACTS

*Manufacturer

To find out what might be causing low sales this year, we picked one up for a week to treat it as our everyday driver. We tested it on the highway, in urban cityscapes, and even on some gravel roads. This is still a good car, and better than it was back in 2022, but is now harder to recommend than ever before. Read on to find out why. 

Shape and Presence

Photos Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

The general shape of the EV6 is unchanged since 2022. We’ve reviewed it in different years and in different markets, and one consistent charm has been its dapper styling. For 2025, the car received new front and rear-end lighting elements. 

They are genuine standouts in a market full of somewhat boring-looking light housings. There are updated wheels, lower bodyside moldings, and bumpers that continue in 2026 unchanged. 

One standout is the spoiler that splits in the middle and flares out at each end. It sort of looks like a backward driver’s cap and adds just a bit more personality to an already effervescent automobile.

Overall, this is a mostly cohesive design that turns heads without being too shout-y. The Wolf Gray paint on our test car certainly imbued that ethos. 

Interior

The cabin got an update in 2025 as well, so there’s a new steering wheel that the EV6 shares with other Kias. Our GT-Line trim also benefits from a heated steering wheel, dual 12.3-inch panoramic screen displays, a heads-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, Meridian speakers, a wireless device charger, and a huge power sunroof. 

Let’s break that list down a bit and discuss real-world experiences. The tech package in this car is great. The infotainment screens are responsive, provide excellent graphics, and have easy-to-navigate menus.

Some of the steering wheel controls can take a bit to learn, but once familiar, they feel like second nature. The heads-up display is bright, configurable, and can even incorporate navigation directions. 

Kia has also updated the seat heating and ventilation buttons on the center console. No longer are they haptic ones that can end up activated accidentally. Instead, they’re genuine hard buttons, which is a step in the right direction. 

Unfortunately, Kia continues to try and push its dual-mode HVAC/Media control system with a haptic button that changes the controls from one to the other.

I’ve griped about it plenty, so I won’t do it again here, but it’s annoying – especially when there’s clearly space to just put a second row of the same controls right under the current one and end the need to switch from one profile to the other and back. 

The seats are some of my favorites in this segment. They combine good lateral bolstering with solid adjustability and support. I especially like the headrest design that has multiple settings both horizontally and vertically.

Forget the type that just pivots on the bottom; these move as one unit forward or back to your desired position. If there’s anything I’d complain about, it’s that as a guy who stands 6’6’’, I could use about one more inch of headroom. 

Photos Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

That goes double for the rear seats, where I have okay legroom but again lack space for my noggin. Of course, the majority of back-seat passengers in the EV6 will likely fit just fine, and they’ll have access to bun warmers in the process. 

The cargo space provides 24.4 cu-ft of space. Sadly, the front trunk is only big enough for a few small accessories like charging adapters or a few tools.

Drive Impressions

As an automotive journalist, you sometimes have lots of access to cars. You’ll get one, sometimes two, every week. So far this year, very few have implored me to drive them as much as the EV6 GT-Line. Despite the fact that I don’t fit perfectly in it, I made up random excuses to go drive this thing. 

Since the first time I tested one, it’s been clear to me that the folks behind the Stinger GT may have had a hand in its creation. It’s no Tesla Model 3 Performance, but it ain’t far off.

Granted, this is the 320-horsepower (238 kW) dual-motor-equipped version of the EV6 that also makes 446 lb-ft (605 Nm) of torque. It’s no slouch, but even the base models aren’t what we’d call slow. 

That said, this is the best of the bunch for 2026 – unless, that is, Kia brings the GT back soon. It feels like it, too, with instantaneous acceleration, tight body control, and verbose steering feedback that makes hitting apexes a breeze. 

The one big complaint I have behind the wheel is that the ABS is still a bit too eager to kick in under hard pedal engagement. This was an issue with the GT, and remains to this day. With that in mind, it’s something drivers should almost never encounter regularly this side of a track day. 

How does such a sharp driver’s car handle everyday fair? The answer is, with aplomb. The EV6 has an Eco setting that dials things down to a comfortable six or so out of ten. The throttle softens up, the steering relaxes, and the whole car feels a touch more willing to float over bumps rather than pound them back into the pavement. 

Speaking of poor road conditions, they rarely upset the EV6. It’s composed and calm over everything aside from an actual dirt or gravel road. Even there, the weight balance and excellent motor tuning make it playful, predictable, and fun. The cabin is well insulated, too. Wind noise just isn’t an issue here. All in all, it’s a great car to drive. 

Charging And Efficiency

Including the week that we piloted the EV6, it had been over 900 miles since the last trip odometer reset. In that time, it managed exactly 3 miles per kWh.

That will no doubt change based on how one drives, but it’s a solid score. In our one testing foray with the car, it went from 19 percent to 97 percent on a 125 kW charger in 49 minutes.

Seeing as we charged at a public station, it cost us $28.55 to do so. Kia now uses the North American Charging Standard plug type, which makes it compatible with Tesla Superchargers.

In Eco mode, the EV6 predicted we had 283 miles of available range when full. We never found out because I couldn’t bear to keep it in Eco for that long. Sorry, not sorry. 

Competition

When the EV6 first arrived on the scene, it undercut the competition by tens of thousands of dollars. That’s not an exaggeration. The base price for a Model Y at the time was $58,990. The Ford Mustang Mach-E was $42,895. The EV6 was $40,900.

Several years on, it’s only increased its MSRP by $2,000 if we don’t count destination and delivery. That’s impressive, but the competition is far stiffer. 

The Model Y now starts at just $39,990, and even the next trim up costs only $44,990. A top-of-the-range Performance starts at $57,490. Our Kia EV6 GT-Line has an MSRP of $60,740.

That would make perfect sense if it were beat-for-beat on par with the Tesla, but sadly for the Korean automaker, that just isn’t the case. Tesla offers more range, similar performance, a simpler buying experience, more towing capacity, and more cargo space. 

Add to that competition the also excellent, and similarly equipped, Hyundai Ioniq 5. It’s a tough market, and it’s possible that the EV6 hasn’t improved enough, or dropped its price enough, to remain seriously competitive.

On top of that, we have the problem of the used market, which sees similarly equipped low-mileage EV6s go for roughly 60 percent of their original MSRP with regularity. 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, this is still a good car. One could even call it great. It’s certainly a blast to drive. I think it’s more attractive than most in its segment, too. It’s practical in that it’s a hatch with decent boot space and reasonable seating for five.

While it doesn’t have as much range as some of its competition, it’s more than enough for most drivers. What really makes it hard to recommend it, then, is its price. Drop that by somewhere between five and ten percent, and it would feel far easier to justify. 

Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting was absolutely full of news. More than 75 percent of the company’s shareholders voted to approve Elon Musk’s one-trillion-dollar compensation plan, split into 12 tranches of shares that unlock only if Tesla meets a series of milestones over the next decade. Musk also confirmed that series production of the long-awaited CyberCab will begin in April next year.

Also: Elon Musk’s Trillion Dollar Pay Hinges On A Bet That Could Break Tesla

The Roadster 2 demo is now slated for the same month, and in classic Musk style, the timing isn’t without a joke. He says it’s happening on April Fools’ Day, partly because it “affords some deniability.” If the demo slips, he quipped, “I could say I was just kidding.”

What’s New With the Semi?

And then there’s the Semi, which is heading for a redesign and full-scale production next year, following its unveiling all the way back in 2017 The redesigned Class 8 hauler gets meaningful efficiency gains, higher payload capacity, and a package clearly engineered around Tesla’s autonomy ambitions.

While the original Semi entered limited production back in 2022, this is a full-scale update with big aspirations and changes.

Efficiency is the biggest news. Tesla claims energy consumption drops to 1.7 kWh per mile, a 15 percent improvement over the current Semi. Paired with a 500-mile range rating, the update positions the new truck more competitively against rivals from Daimler and Volvo.

Drive power holds at 800 kW, but Tesla says that internal improvements under the skin, such as cooling, software, and thermal routing, provide more consistent performance under load.

Fast Charge Future

Another major upgrade is charging. The new Semi supports a peak rate of 1.2 MW (1,200 kW). That eclipses the current Megacharger output and allows for significantly shorter high-volume charging stops when paired with compatible infrastructure. Payload capacity also increases, though Tesla didn’t reveal by how much.

Visually, the Tesla truck looks a lot more like the rest of the family now. It gets a new Model Y-style front light bar, cleaner body surfacing, and a reshaped roof to improve aerodynamic flow. The black glass side panel is narrower, the bumper is reworked, and that continues to the wheel openings.

Read: Tesla’s Cybercab Might Become The Affordable Model 2 After All

Tesla frames all of this as groundwork for a future autonomous freight platform. Amazingly, the brand and its CEO avoided reaffirming any specific Level 5 self-driving timelines.

How Fast Can It Build the Cybercab?

Elon Musk didn’t stop at teasing the Cybercab itself; he also boasted about how it would be built. According to him, the dedicated production line will operate on an astonishing sub-10-second cycle time, compared with the roughly one-minute rhythm it currently takes to assemble a Model Y.

If that target holds, Musk suggested, it could translate to an annual output up to five million Cybercabs, a figure that would eclipse the production pace of nearly any vehicle on the road today. Still, as with most of Musk’s projections, take everything said with a grain of salt.

Either way, it’s going to be a wild year for Tesla. From Semi production ramp-up to the launch of the Cybercab and the potential demo of the Roadster, there’s a lot to live up to and lots that could go wrong.

As vehicles grow ever more connected, a new kind of security concern is taking shape. In Norway, public buses built by a Chinese manufacturer have become a focal point of that debate. Even thousands of miles from their country of origin, the company behind them reportedly has the capability to shut them down remotely.

More: Chinese-Made Car Slammed After Shocking Crash Test Failure, Gets Four Stars Anyway

The discovery comes out of Ruter, the nation’s largest public transport operator. It uncovered the potential security risk during a secret test inside of its own sealed facility.

Cyber Check or Cause for Alarm?

During that investigation, it tested a Dutch-built bus along with a Chinese one. Those from Yutong, a Chinese manufacturer, had Romanian SIM cards hidden inside the system.

According to Yutong, those SIM cards enable remote software updates and technical troubleshooting. While that may be true, the connection also gives Yutong the theoretical power to stop the buses or render them inoperable via a software update.

At this stage, Ruter has emphasized that it has found no evidence of malicious activity.

The tests were part of a broader cybersecurity audit designed to assess vulnerabilities in electric vehicles. Ruter CEO Bernt Reitan Jenssen emphasized that the agency is now “moving from concern to concrete knowledge,” implementing new safeguards and tightening procurement standards to ensure full local control.

Who Holds the Keys?

These measures include creating internal firewalls, isolating the buses from external cloud systems, and working with national authorities to strengthen cybersecurity protocols across the transport sector.

Norway’s Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård praised the initiative to NRK, stating the government is reviewing risk exposure from suppliers in nations outside Norway’s security alliances. “Together with players like Ruter, we will ensure that this sector is less exposed to risk,” he said.

The issue comes at a time when Norway is rapidly expanding its fleet of Chinese-built buses. Of the roughly 1,300 electric buses now in service nationwide, around 850 are made by Yutong. In Oslo and Akershus alone, about 300 operate daily.

While Ruter stresses that the likelihood of a shutdown is low, the test highlights a larger debate about foreign control over critical infrastructure. “It’s unlikely that these buses would ever be used in this way,” Jenssen said, “but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it very seriously.”

For the moment, Ruter is ensuring that each bus can continue to function independently by removing the SIM cards, effectively keeping operations local and offline.

Photos Ruter

Imagine a world where your electric car can charge its battery the same way some military planes do: on the go. That’s exactly what France just made a reality for some EV owners. Along a 1.5-kilometer (0.9-mile) stretch of the A10 highway, EVs can charge while driving via wireless technology embedded in the road.

More: Startup Drives Toyota For 1,200 Miles On Electric Power Alone Thanks To Wireless Charging Road

And not just any kind of charging, but the kind that nearly matches Tesla’s latest V4 Superchargers at 325 kW and even surpasses the V3’s 250 kW, completely cable-free, while traveling at full highway speed. That’s quite an impressive achievement.

Charging On The Move

The project is called “Charge as you Drive” and it’s led by VINCI Autoroutes, France’s largest toll road operator, in partnership with Electreon and others. The nation wants to build some 9,000 km, or nearly 6,000 miles, of electric roads by 2035, and this is the very first publicly accessible step toward that goal.

During the initial public trial, four modified electric vehicles, including a large semi-truck, a van, a passenger car, and a bus, all successfully managed to charge dynamically while traveling at highway speeds.

How Does It Work?

The inductive charging system transfers energy from coils buried under the asphalt to receivers mounted beneath each vehicle. Independent tests conducted by the Gustave Eiffel University confirmed that the system consistently delivered more than 200 kW of average power, with peaks above 300 kW.

In practical terms, that’s enough to keep a fully loaded heavy-duty truck moving at highway speeds twice over.

“This marks a pivotal moment in the global development of wireless roads,” said Electreon CEO Oren Ezer. “Our technology is the only one capable of delivering high-power, reliable dynamic charging. It not only meets but exceeds all the targets set by the French government.”

For freight operators, the implications could be enormous. Charging downtime remains one of the biggest headaches in electric transport, particularly for long-haul fleets. A system that allows continuous charging on the move could eliminate lengthy refueling stops altogether.

VINCI Autoroutes CEO Nicolas Notebaert said that the technology will “reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the freight and logistics sector” which currently accounts for more than 16 percent of France’s total emissions.

Where Else Is It Happening?

Electreon is developing similar projects in nine other countries, including the U.S., Israel and several European countries. As of this writing, there are already electric roads in Michigan and Utah here in the States.

In Tel Aviv, Electreon showcased high-speed wireless charging for city buses. The trial confirmed several key benefits: shorter service downtime for charging, increased operational uptime, and a dramatic cut in battery size thanks to on-route charging, from 400 kWh down to just 42 kWh, a reduction of nearly 90 percent.

More: Wireless EV Charging On The Move Is Being Tested In Germany, Michigan Next

In Sweden, Smartroad Gotland is converting a 1.6-kilometer (1-mile) stretch near Visby into a wireless charging test road. Led by Electreon, it will charge electric buses and trucks while moving to assess the viability of electrified highways.

If this technology works out, the complaints many have about charging times and infrastructure could be calmed down significantly, if not altogether nullified.

Even among high-end electric cars, the Cadillac Celestiq stands apart, an attempt to show how far American luxury can go when price isn’t part of the equation.

Some people doubted whether Cadillac’s all-electric Celestiq could ever justify its staggering price tag. For 2025, it started at around $340,000 before options, which made even luxury rivals look modest.

Yet despite the skepticism, Cadillac has already sold out of its 2025 allocation and is now taking orders for next year.

Also: Captain America’s Custom Cadillac Celestiq Is Dividing The Internet

For 2026, that figure climbs another 20 percent into the “low $400,000s,” again before you’ve had the chance to select anything bespoke.

Cadillac told Automotive News that the higher price reflects additional standard features, including eight years of connected service. Fair enough, if you’ve paid at least $400,000 for a high-tech machine, you wouldn’t expect to be billed again just to use its software.

As was the case for 2025MY sedans, the final price will depend entirely on the client’s level of curation. Essentially, each and every Celestiq is a bespoke creation unlike any of the others. That means the $400,000-plus price tag is just the starting point.

“The bespoke spirit of Celestiq extends to transaction price and will be determined by the client’s level of curation,” a Cadillac spokesperson told Autonews in a statement.

They’re all made by hand at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, at a pace of less than two per day and buyers work one-on-one with Cadillac’s concierge team to personalize the car.

The company capped production for 2025 at just 25 units. It’s unclear how many it’ll build in 2026, but it did say that there are no more available reservations for 2025 examples.

Interestingly, Cadillac says it’s streamlining the design process. For example, selecting interior colors outside the streamlined palette triggered individual cost adjustments for 2025 cars. For 2026, one price includes all interior color choices, including those outside the normal selection.

More: Cadillac Delivers The Very First Celestiq EV

The first Celestiq rolled of the production line went to its owner in June of this year. The brand is no doubt hard at work to get the rest of the 2025 model year cars to their respective owners. As time goes on, it’ll be fascinating to see if the Celestiq gains a true foothold in this ultra-rarefied segment or not.

Source: Autonews

Scout Motors’ upcoming Terra pickup and Traveler SUV aren’t in production yet, but the company already has a strong sense of who its buyers are. Interest is running high, and the early numbers hint at what might define the brand’s first chapter.

Read: Scout Is Scouting Laid Off Rivian Employees

According to CEO Scott Keogh, the vast majority of reservations are for the range-extended electric powertrain. As EV infrastructure aims to improve, these type of powertrains could prove supreme for the time being.

What Are Buyers Choosing?

“Look, the market has spoken,” Keogh told Bloomberg. “Over 80% of the reservations are for the range extender.”

That figure translates to at least 104,000 of the 130,000 customers who placed a reservation choosing the version that combines electric drive with a small gasoline engine functioning as a generator, suggesting that many Americans continue to favor long-distance flexibility over all-electric purity.

Both vehicles share a modular architecture capable of supporting either an all-electric powertrain or an EREV setup. The pure electric version will utilize a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery with a capacity of approximately 120 kWh, offering an estimated range of 350 miles (563 km).

How the Systems Differ

The range-extended models, on the other hand, use a smaller lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack with about half that capacity for roughly 150 miles (241 km) of battery-only driving.

When the charge runs low on the EREV, a small gas-powered on-board generator will kick in and provide power to the battery. As such, the EREV will offer around 500 miles of range.

Keogh hinted that Scout could prioritize the EREV at launch due to its high demand: “In general, in life, you like to meet the market… we would probably lean with the EREV, but nothing we’ve announced yet.”

Both versions will roll off the line at Scout’s new $2.3 billion factory in Blythewood, South Carolina, that’s set to begin production in late 2027. Interestingly, Keogh thinks EVs will still end up being the future.

“The world is still heading electric,” he said. “The technology is there, the innovation is there. We want to make sure Scout is prepared for the next 100 years. We’re not building a two-year brand.”

It will be worth watching how advances between now and 2027 shape Scout’s approach, and whether early demand for flexibility gives way to full electrification once the infrastructure finally keeps pace.

The 2025 SEMA Show is coming up soon, and Hyundai is bringing something big – literally.The automaker has teamed up with the YouTube duo BigTime to showcase a project that blurs the line between tech showcase and trail rig.

Automotive personalities Jeremiah Burton and Zach Jobe helped Hyundai create what you see here, the Ioniq 9 Off-Road Concept. Think of it as a junction between EV luxury and off-roading prowess.

Set for display inside SEMA’s Future Tech Studio, this Hyundai concept makes an immediate impression. It features bright yellow paint, a lifted suspension, unique wheels, and knobby all-terrain tires. Hyundai’s largest electric SUV doesn’t look bad with what appears to be a trail-ready stance.

More: Hemi V8 Ram And Purple Charger Team Up For Stellantis’ SEMA Spectacle

A custom light bar and auxiliary lighting boost nighttime visibility and provide a bit more functionality to a vehicle clearly intended for the trail.

Underneath all of this is an Ioniq 9 Calligraphy. It features dual motors, all-wheel drive, 422 horsepower (315 kW), and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. Notably, Hyundai hasn’t said if there are any mechanical modifications.

“This concept takes IONIQ 9 into new off-road terrain it has yet to explore,” said Sean Gilpin, Chief Marketing Officer for Hyundai Motor North America. “Its aggressive lift, all-terrain tires, and rugged design inspire both innovation and customization—the hallmarks of any successful SEMA concept.”

For Burton and Jobe, who rose to fame through their fun, informative automotive builds, the collaboration marks a fresh spin on the EV world.

“EVs have come a long way, so getting a chance to put our own spin on an off-road-themed IONIQ 9 is pretty cool,” said Burton. “We themed this IONIQ 9 off of our 1977 vintage cabover we call Bud. This new-tech-meets-vintage look gives it character and capability.”

BigTime will highlight the SUV across its social media channels. Fans will get the chance to see behind-the-scenes footage of the build.

The partnership highlights how Hyundai is willing to be very flexible when it comes to marketing a luxurious flagship electric SUV. It doesn’t have to be all champagne and leather. Sometimes it can be dirt and light bars.

Look around the EV landscape, and one thing stands out: these cars are heavy. Even relatively compact models like the Kia EV6 tip the scales at more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg).

British startup Longbow, founded by two former Tesla engineers, Daniel Davy and Mark Tapscott, together with the ex-CEO of an electric boat company and a few others who joined later, wants to change that in the name of performance.

Read: Ex-Tesla Alums Debut New Electric Roadster Named To Taunt Elon Musk

Taking guidance from Colin Chapman’s ethos of “simplify and add lightness,” the Longbow Speedster and and its upcoming closed-top sibling that cheekily, and perhaps not coincidentally, called the Roadster, aim to offer blistering performance without being overweight.

Now, just six months after announcing the two cars, the company has developed its first dynamic demonstrator based on the roofless and windowless Speedster.

Pursuing Lightness

Longbow calls this the first-ever “Featherweight Electric Vehicle” (FEV) – a name that’s fully justified as the Speedster weighs just 895 kg (1,973 lbs). The production version will sprint from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds and still offer 275 miles of range (per WLTP).

Pricing for the Speedster will start at £84,995, or $111,732 at current exchange rates (incl. VAT), while for those preferring a roof, the upcoming Roadster will follow with a lower £64,995 ($85,438) base price.

Built From Scratch

Those are attractive stats considering that they’re basically unmatched (as a group) in the EV world. The Speedster rides on a unique aluminum chassis with a light, compact electric motor and “module-to-chassis” battery design aimed at maximizing stiffness and minimizing weight.

Longbow states the car was engineered entirely from a clean sheet, representing a “spiritual successor” to icons like the Lotus Elise and Jaguar E-Type.

Co-founder and CEO Daniel Davey said the Speedster “seems to have struck a chord with enthusiasts,” adding that its creation was “no truer illustration of our Speed of Lightness approach.”

The prototype, called an Aesthetic Dynamic Demonstrator, was revealed in London to a crowd of early customers and collaborators, with first deliveries planned for 2026.

Weight is a huge issue for any car with high-performance goals. Longbow highlighted that when it announced that it would build this car. “Weight invites complexity, blunts agility, and dulls the senses,” it said.

More: Ex-McLaren And Alpine Bosses Join Ex-Tesla Alums To Build EV Roadster Before Tesla Does

The dynamic demonstrator will be a major piece of development as the brand aims to deliver production cars next year. If it pulls it off, it could really dampen the part Tesla says it’s throwing for the (extremely delayed) Roadster later this year, especially if the latter doesn’t enter production until 2027.

Adding some extra weight to its ambitions, Longbow hasn’t been shy about stacking its deck with industry veterans. Former McLaren boss Mike Flewitt, ex-Lotus Europe chief Dan Balmer, and Michael van der Sande, whose CV meanders through Lucid Europe, JLR’s skunkworks, and the top job at Alpine, now sit on its advisory board.

Structural adhesive is incredibly powerful, but using it correctly requires very specific steps. When those steps aren’t followed, the adhesive can turn out to be practically useless, as Cybertruck owners are finding out the hard way.

In fact, as of this writing, Tesla knows of at least 600 of them who have had their glued-on light bar come loose. As a result, it is recalling almost 6,200 trucks.

More: Tesla Just Realized Its Cybertruck Might Be Blinding Other Drivers

According to a new filing with the NHTSA, the optional LED light bar affixed to some Cybertrucks could be problematic.

We’ve covered how technicians install these things in the past, and it’s not with nuts, bolts, or screws, but an adhesive that requires a primer to go on before the light bar. If this job gets done wrong, the light bar could fly off in traffic.

Over 600 Warranty Claims

Tesla told regulators that it knows of 619 warranty claims surrounding this issue. It also knows of one field report where this primer and adhesive situation might be to blame. Thankfully, as far as it knows, it hasn’t led to any accidents or injuries.

The automaker says it comes down to technicians inadvertently swapping between two adhesive primers, BetaSeal and BetaPrime, during installation. Despite multiple service bulletins and manual updates, the mix-ups kept happening.

The remedy sounds as if Tesla is going to keep things simple. Service centers will inspect the light bar and either retrofit or replace it with one secured by a “positive mechanical attachment” along with adhesive tape.

Based on that, it sounds like they’re going back to real nuts and bolts to help ensure this won’t be a problem again. We couldn’t find any diagrams of the remedy, but that’s not too surprising given how fresh this recall is.

Owner notifications won’t even go out until the day after Christmas, according to Tesla. Between now and then, it seems wise to check your light bar if you happen to have a Cybertruck with one.

Slate Auto is already treading water after its launch earlier this year. The removal of tax incentives makes its debut offering far less financially appealing than it would’ve otherwise been., and that’s a pretty big deal for a model that is build around it’s affordable pricing.

While it can’t control subsidies, the EV startup, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, can control how easy it is to own one of its vehicles. To that end, it’s just announced that it’ll give customers access to the Tesla Supercharger network and some 4,000 service locations on day one.

More: This Is Who’s Actually Reserving Slate’s New EV

Like many other EV companies, Slate will sell directly to consumers. Without dealers, the brand would need to build and staff its own service locations. Now, a deal with RepairPal allows it to offer a network of roughly 4,000 independent repair shops across the USA for maintenance and repairs as needed.

According to Slate, these independent shops will handle everything from routine maintenance to accessory installations and even high-voltage repairs. Each one will get Slate-specific training, too.

Also: Would You Really Pay $28K For A Crank Window EV With No Speakers?

In addition, the company is launching its long-promised Slate University, an online and app-based hub for tutorials, repair videos, and owner education. The platform will cater to both customers and service technicians.

Slate expects it to offer an evolving library of how-to guides and even some certification courses. “We want owners to feel confident before they even arrive at a service appointment,” CEO Chris Barman told Newsweek.

Supercharging the Experience

Charging is another area where Slate doesn’t want to over complicate things. Its product offerings will use the North American Charging Standard (NACS), giving drivers direct access to Tesla’s Supercharger network that consists of over 25,000 fast chargers nationwide and is widely regarded as the most reliable.

Essentially, Slate owners should have no issue going coast to coast so long as they’re okay with frequent stops due to the truck’s modest maximum range of 240 miles.

Also: Slate May Be About To Price Itself Out Of The EV Market

Production is set to begin late next year in Warsaw, Indiana, and Slate says that it already has over 100,000 reservations.

While we wait to see how many of those will actually convert to sales, it’s nice to see a new car company thinking ahead about the ownership experience. 

Sources: Slate, Newsweek

The automotive industry never stays still for long. While electric vehicles are growing in popularity around the globe, they’re facing serious headwinds in the US.

The federal government is no longer subsidizing them, gas cars are no longer facing harsh penalties for missing economy regulations, and their pricing is still higher on average than that of an ICE car. Despite all that, Ford’s former CEO, Mark Fields, believes EV adoption will continue to steadily climb.

Is Growth Still Coming?

Speaking with CNBC on Friday, Fields said he expects “gradual growth” in all-electric vehicle demand after the Trump administration’s September decision to end the $7,500 new and $4,000 used EV tax credits.

The former Ford chief, who led the company from 2014 to 2017, believes long-term adoption remains inevitable as consumers increasingly shift toward renewable energy sources.

Read: Kia’s Coming After The Golf R With Nothing But Electricity

“You’re going to see these grow over time, but it’s not going to be at the pace that the automakers thought,” Fields said. “That’s why you’re seeing these big impairment charges that both Ford and GM and others have taken.”

GM announced that it’s taking a $1.6 billion charge associated with ‘strategic realignment’ of its EV game plan.

Ford’s current CEO, Jim Farley, also said earlier this month that the loss of tax credits could halve US EV sales in the near term. Like Fields, Farley believes adoption rates will continue to climb as more affordable models show up.

The former said that automakers “went full bore” into EVs without fully understanding customer demand. “You’re going to see more [charges] going forward as the industry adjusts to a new demand curve,” he commented.

More: EV Sales Will Collapse 60% In October, J.D. Power Forecasts

That said, not everybody agrees that cutting subsidies will affect adoption as strongly as anticipated.

Former Tesla global sales chief Jon McNeill told CNBC earlier this month that European markets continued to grow despite similar subsidy rollbacks. It’s thus plausible that the US market could pick back up once buyers adjust to the new prices. 

There was no getting around the fact that EV sales would take a massive blow without government subsidies. $7,500 is no small amount of cash, and tacking it onto the price of a car will make most vehicles way less appealing.

If J.D. Power is right, the loss of that credit has had an even larger impact on the EV market than many in the industry expected.

How Deep Is The Dip?

The research firm, working with GlobalData, predicts 54,673 EV retail sales for October. If that figure holds, it represents a 43.1 percent decline compared with October 2024, when 96,085 electric vehicles were sold. That would also mean a slide in market share from 8.5 percent to just 5.2 percent.

More: Germany Brings Back EV Incentives To Save Its Auto Industry

That’s a massive drop from the way September went. EVs hit a record 12.9 percent of the market that month, yet if October’s projected 54,673 EV sales come true, it would mark a 59.9 percent drop from September’s 136,211 units.

“The automotive industry is experiencing a significant recalibration in the electric vehicle segment,” said J.D. Power data analyst Tyson Jominy. “The recent EV market correction underscores a critical lesson: Consumers prefer having access to a range of powertrain options.”

Perhaps the wildest bit of this entire thing is that it could’ve been even worse for EVs. Many brands, including Hyundai, GM, and Tesla, rolled out different methods to ease the pain of losing the federal tax credit.

Had they not done those things, like cutting total costs, rolling out new cheaper models, and more… the hit would’ve no doubt been even harder.

Sales & SAAR Comparison

¹ Figures for Oct 2025 are forecasts based on the first 16 selling days of the month.
² October 2025 has 27 selling days, the same as October 2024.

Automotive executives also believe the EV market will stabilize and continue to grow over time. Both Ford’s current CEO and former CEO agreed on that point recently. Obviously, only time will tell.

Rising Prices, Fewer Discounts

Another interesting find is that average transaction prices are climbing as the EV share drops. The typical new-vehicle sold in October is expected to hit $46,057, about $1,000 higher than last year. Incentive spending has slipped to $2,674 per vehicle, roughly five percent of MSRP.

Analysts say the pullback in incentives largely stems from fewer EV sales. “EVs usually carry far steeper discounts,” noted one researcher. Average EV discounts rose to $13,161 as brands tried to offset lost tax credits, while non-EV discounts fell to $2,423, helping boost overall profitability despite softer EV demand.

Time flies. Believe it or not, it’s been eight whole years since Tesla first unveiled the second-generation Roadster. Back then, the all-electric sports car was pitched as a new benchmark for EV performance, a car that would silence skeptics and rewrite the rulebook.

Since then, though, plenty of other brands have done the rewriting themselves.

Over the years, the brand has launched the Cybertruck, refreshed the Model 3 and Model Y, and promised real Full Self-Driving several times, while the Roadster feels like its been surpassed at best, vaporware wortse.

According to Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, however, it’s not dead, it’s simply fashionably late.

More: 8 Years Later, Tesla’s Still Taking $50K Roadster Reservations Musk Promised For 2020

Speaking on the Ride the Lightning podcast, von Holzhausen was asked if the long-promised “most epic demo ever” that Elon Musk teased earlier this year is still happening in 2025, he said “We are planning on this year,” suggesting Tesla still aims to showcase the car before the year’s end.

However, with roughly 10 weeks left until New Year’s Day, time is running out. 

Pressed further about when customers might actually take delivery, von Holzhausen replied: “Definitely within two years.” That would put first deliveries somewhere around the end of 2027, assuming nothing slips, which, given Tesla’s track record with timelines, is far from guaranteed. 

When it arrives, Tesla claims the Roadster will be capable of hitting 60 mph in under two seconds, reaching a top speed north of 250 mph, and have up to 620 miles of range, with talk of rocket-style thrusters for good measure.

Those are very lofty numbers, but until someone sees one outside of a studio light, they are just that: numbers.

Read: Ex-Tesla Alums Debut New Electric Roadster Named To Taunt Elon Musk

It’s worth remembering (as if anyone forgot) that Tesla might be as well known for over-promising and under-delivering as it is for actual automotive innovation. The Cybertruck famously showed up late with less range and a higher price than initially promised – and that’s but one example among many.

Right now, von Holzhausen insists the final product will be worth the wait. But as the years go by, the Roadster’s story feels less like a promising sequel and more like a project Tesla simply can’t afford to get wrong. 

The autonomous driving space is always shifting, and today General Motors revealed that buyers of the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ will be able to drive without watching the road. That’s only one part of the automaker’s new announcements that also include Google Gemini and Vehicle-to-Grid power.

Moving Autonomy Forward

Eyes-off driving is something plenty of automakers have talked about, but few are even close to delivering. General Motors currently sells cars with Super Cruise, a Level 2 system that can accelerate, brake, and change lanes.

However, it can only do this on specific highways and the driver must maintain attention on the road at all times. That said, it’s Super Cruise that is laying the foundation for eyes-off driving.

More: I Tried Out GM’s Smarter Super Cruise And It Feels Promising

So far, GM says Super Cruise has accrued some five million miles without a single accident attributed to it. The car of the future won’t just let you drive without watching the road – it’ll also let you leverage Google‘s AI bot Gemini to do all sorts of things.

That includes changing settings in the car, but it goes further to the extent that it should be able to learn driver preferences. Think of it as a supercharged version of the memory button.

Rather than just remembering seating and mirror position, it could remap the media buttons, change the display layout, automatically pull up navigation to a routine destination, and more.

Launching next year, it’ll even give drivers guidance on one-pedal driving, monitor maintenance, and help with things like finding a place to eat.

Going Beyond Cars

GM isn’t stopping at AI and autonomous driving. It appears to be picking up some of the Tesla playbook as it says it’ll soon offer bidirectional EV charging, solar integration, and a stationary home battery.

In other words, owners will have the opportunity to sell some of their extra juice back to the grid and then purchase it again later when rates are lower.

Apparently, while electric vehicles might not be growing as rapidly as they used to, the technology around them continues to mature – and that can only be good news for consumers.

It’s no secret that Rivian has had its eye on e-bikes for quite some time. Patents and other leaks have popped up over the years, but now, we’re finally getting a look at the results of that interest. What you see here is the new TM-B, which made its debut today.

It’s the flagship product from Also, a new brand spun off from Rivian. It’s an intriguing new e-bike option coming to a road near you soon, assuming the company can convince buyers to take the plunge on such an unconventional two-wheeler.

What Exactly Is It?

Also’s TM-B is less a conventional bicycle or even ebike, and more of a modular compact vehicle on two wheels. The design centers on a chunky, weatherproof block at the bottom of the frame.

Inside that block, you’ll find the battery, a small generator, and the pedal system. Notably, the pedals do not directly power the rear wheel at all. Instead, pedal strokes power the generator and the pedal-by-wire drivetrain sends power to the rear wheel.

More: The Cheapest Electric Audi e-tron You Can Buy Comes With Pedals

Also offers three distinct riding profiles and a swappable seat system. Buyers begin by choosing if they want the small or large seat. From there, they can add more seat options including a cargo seat and a moto-style bench seat.

They can also choose between an All-Terrain package with knobby tires and two extra drive modes or a Street package with smoother tires. The AT package costs an extra $200 despite it appearing as though the only hardware changes are Kenda mountain bike tires.

A five-inch touchscreen cockpit with a rotatable bezel allows users to get important ride data along with GPS navigation. The bike features full suspension with 120mm of travel but Also doens’t say whether or not you can lock it out for climbing or flat roads.

The brakes are especially interesting as they feature regen technology to feed juice back to the battery and ABS. A special auto-lock system promises enhanced security as it locks the rear wheel, battery, and frame when engaged.

Also says it’ll sell bikes offering between 60 and 100 miles of range (roughly 97 to 161 kilometers) and up to 180 Nm (133 lb-ft) of torque. Payload tops out at 324 lbs (147 kilograms) on higher-spec models.

How Much Does It Cost?

The base TM-B will start at “under $4,000,” but the Launch Edition, available for order now, starts at $4,500 before options. That’s not a terrible price in this segment. No doubt, it’s aimed at people who are casually interested in two-wheeled travel. Hardcore cyclists will likely find it a bit lacking.

It may not replace a traditional bike, and it won’t appeal to every purist, but it does offer a refreshing reinterpretation of a form that’s been part of daily life for more than a century.

Every so often, an automaker decides to walk straight into the lion’s den. Chinese giant BYD is doing exactly that by taking on Japan in one of its most tightly held automotive arenas.

And it’s not with some brash performance car or luxury SUV, but with something much humbler, and far more symbolic: a kei car, the pint-sized machine that’s been a fixture of Japanese roads since the aftermath of World War II.

More: Nissan’s Tiny Kei Car Hides A Big Surprise Inside Its Boxy Little Body

The company has just released a teaser for its first-ever electric kei car, designed specifically for Japan’s uniquely regulated microcar segment. The tiny EV will debut, likely in production form, later this month at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Based on the side profile, BYD’s new city car embraces the classic Kei boxy proportions. This model has short overhangs, a tall roofline, and wheels at the extreme corners to help maximize cabin space.

Spy photos circulating on Chinese social media indicate that it’ll have sliding rear doors, further boosting its practicality. Inside, it features a floating digital gauge cluster, a larger infotainment screen, and double A-pillars for better visibility.

Early indications are that the mini BYD will have a 20 kWh battery with a range somewhere around 180 km (111 miles) (WLTC). It’ll likely have a heat pump for more comfort and efficiency, and should support up to 100 kW fast charging.

Why It Matters

By American standards, those figures might seem small, but they’re appropriate for this class and size of car in Japan. Pricing is expected to start around ¥2.5 million (approximately $17,000), putting it below rivals like the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X EV when not accounting for incentives.

BYD has already sold a few thousand cars in Japan, but this is a very different foray. It’s a car built specifically for the Japanese market. Since the Kei segment is unique to Japan, it’s dominated by domestic products.

A foreign EV contender, particularly from China, represents a major strategic step. It might be akin to BYD introducing a Cadillac Escalade contender in America (tariffs be damned) for $40,000.

The new BYD will test consumer appetite for Chinese-made cars in Japan. It’ll also shed some light on how successful BYD’s global ambitions can be. We don’t expect to see this model in other markets, and it won’t even arrive in Japan until 2026. That all said, it’s a fascinating development. 

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz was supposed to usher in an entirely new vibe for the brand. It leaned heavily on nostalgia, it came with outstanding packaging, and it drives better than it has any right to.

At the same time, it has less range than almost any other EV, and it’s so expensive that only wealthy people can afford it. Now, a new report says that VW isn’t just slowing production of the van but is halting it altogether. We’re not exactly shocked.

From October 20 through 24, Volkswagen will pause production of the ID. Buzz and its Multivan sibling at its Hanover, Germany, plant, according to Autonews.

The company told Germany’s DPA news agency that the move will allow it to “flexibly adapt production processes to changed market conditions.” In plain English: sales aren’t meeting expectations.

More: VW Denies Halting ID. Buzz Exports To US Over Tariffs

When the ID. Buzz was launched, VW claimed the Hanover factory could build up to 130,000 units annually, but reality never got close. The model managed around 30,000 global sales in each of the last two years.

Clearly, those totals fall well short of those early ambitions. Meanwhile, European EV demand has softened, Chinese competition is surging, and VW is trimming costs and hours across its German plants.

Priced Out Of Its Own Market?

Part of the problem is self-inflicted. The ID. Buzz starts at roughly $61,500 in the U.S., more than many three-row SUVs, and even higher trims crest past $70K.

That’s a far cry from the spirit of the original Microbus, which became iconic precisely because anyone could afford one. By aiming high, VW built a great electric van that few can justify buying.

The automaker says it’s stepping up marketing and incentives to boost interest in its light commercial lineup, but the challenge is steep. New rivals like the Kia PV5, which promises similar space, more range, and a lower price tag, are waiting in the wings.

Credit: Stephen Rivers

Electric cars have a lot of negative myths that swirl around about them but they often carry a kernel of truth. While there are potential risks around charging, it’s rare that they pop up in reality.

More: There Are More Public Charging Stations Than Ever, But That’s Still Not Enough, Study Finds

Yet, every so often, one of those outliers surfaces, and in this case, it happened in Canada, where a charging adapter was destroyed by a short circuit, and it was all caught on camera.

A Tesla driver was trying to charge his car at a non-Tesla commercial charging station in British Columbia. To do so, he used an A2Z adapter that allows the charging station to plug into the car.

What Actually Happened?

When he plugged the charger with the adapter connected to it into the Tesla, there was an arc flash explosion. Thankfully, the man was a few feet away from the connection when the explosion happened.

While he experienced minor scrapes and abrasions, the man escaped serious injury. His spouse, sitting in the front passenger seat, was unharmed. An investigation into the incident found that the charging adapter and the charger itself had issues that led to the explosion.

More: Chinese EV’s Fire Fix Shoots Battery Into Traffic And Makes It Their Problem

The adapter wasn’t certified for use in Canada because the standards hadn’t been created yet when the unit went on sale. In addition, the charger itself sent “abnormal voltage,” into the adapter. When that happened, the arc explosion took place and blew the adapter into multiple pieces.

Lessons From a Flash

Bob Porter, of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association told the Vancouver Sun that “There are risks with third-party things if they aren’t approved. They haven’t been tested for safety. You don’t jerk around with electricity.”

The Tesla owner mentioned that he’d used the same setup for two years without issue, which makes the event a reminder that even supposedly reliable gear can fail suddenly if it hasn’t been certified or tested under the right standards.

This clearly isn’t a major issue across the industry, but it’s a good reminder that when things go wrong, they can go seriously wrong in the blink of an eye.

Photos Technical Safety BC

The latest Leaf has arrived, and Nissan wants drivers to see it as something more than another electric hatchback. It represents years of accumulated know-how from across the brand’s lineup, from mainstream cars to the Z sports car’s precision DNA.

Now, Christian Spencer, Nissan’s senior manager of Marketability and a long-time engineer, explains to Carscoops how the new Leaf embodies what it means to drive a Nissan.

A Familiar Feel or Something New?

Spencer has worked across nearly every segment, including trucks, sedans, SUVs, and sports cars. In his view, making a car drive like a Nissan isn’t about one singular type of experience but rather an attitude that begins at the design phase.

Review: Nissan’s $29,990 Leaf Costs Less But Feels Like So Much More

“We have people who stick around this company for a very long time, and they really like it because it’s a hands-on company,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you make a Z drive like a LEAF, or a LEAF drive like a Pathfinder, but you carry the passion through and make sure the customer experience is right.”

Engineers applied Z-inspired strategies like steering precision and controllability to the Leaf, adapting them to an EV platform without overcomplicating the car.

“You can still enjoy driving the car even though it’s not a high-performance sports car,” Spencer said. “We want it to be enthusiastic, fun, and intuitive for the customer.”

Comfort and Quality Above the Segment

The 2026 LEAF’s rear multilink suspension comes from the larger Ariya, reducing impact stiffness by nearly 30%. Redesigned motor mounts soak up vibration, the floor is 80% stiffer, and the doors are better insulated, giving the EV a quieter, more refined ride.

More: Nissan Says We Made A Mistake With New Leaf’s Taillights

“It really was more luxurious with more refinement than [other options] at the price point it was,” Spencer said. This pursuit of comfort is intentional. The team focused on creating an accessible EV that feels high-quality without overcomplicating features.

“We wanted it to be simple, efficient, and around $30,000, with 300 miles of range,” he explained. “That was how we kept the costs down while still giving the customer a premium-feeling product.”

On top of that, the LEAF integrates both NACS and J1772 charge ports. In other words, owners can use both Tesla Superchargers and traditional home units. Spencer emphasized the importance of prioritizing what the customer actually needs over copying competitors.

“If we were going to bet on how you’re going to charge the car, our solution is probably going to be the best for you today as the customer.”

Now, the question is whether or not these big changes will lead to big sales. What’s unquestionable is that Nissan has taken a bold new tack in the design of this Leaf.