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.
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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 location, traffic, age, pricing or reliability, it shows correlation rather than causation, it promotes an architecture Kempower already sells as its MORE Plugs system, and its 100 kW benchmark falls short of the NEVI rule requiring each port on an Alternative Fuel Corridor to deliver up to 150 kW simultaneously.
US EV RENTERS FACE CHARGING COST PENALTY
US EV drivers in rented or multifamily homes can pay up to six times more to charge than those on standard residential electricity, a "renter's penalty" worsened because utility assistance programmes typically tie benefits to a household meter. A playbook from GRID Alternatives and the Smart Electric Power Alliance proposes driver-focused measures such as account-linked discounts or prepaid charging cards for income-qualified owners, combined with location-focused steps like reduced-price charging at utility-owned public stations and multifamily sites in priority communities.
BYD ADDS CANADA 'COMING SOON' PAGE
BYD has put a "Coming Soon" message on its Canadian website and listed eleven management vacancies, eight of them posted by BYD North America and based in Toronto or the wider Greater Toronto Area, covering head of sales, marketing, network development, infrastructure business development, operations planning, legal counsel and HR, with one sales role tasked with leading market entry, nationwide sales and a dealer network for passenger vehicles. No models, prices, dealers, ordering function or launch date have been published, and while Canada reopened to Chinese-made EVs on 1 March 2026 by replacing the 100% surtax with a 49,000-vehicle annual quota at a 6.1% tariff, shipment-specific permits and Transport Canada compliance still apply.
GERMAN SUPPLIERS LOOK BEYOND CARS AS ELECTRIC VEHICLES RESHAPE INDUSTRY
Electrification is redrawing the network of parts, skills and factories behind the car, illustrated by Nuremberg-area family firm Sembach, whose output of small automotive parts has fallen from about 600 million to 400 million a year and which set a 2023 target of cutting automotive revenue from 80 to 40 per cent by 2033. The VDA says around 100,000 German automotive jobs have gone since 2019 and another 125,000 could follow by 2035, with many replacement roles created abroad, while Bosch, on €91 billion of revenue last year, is pivoting to sensors, robotics, software-defined mobility and electrification even as it plans to cut more than 20,000 German automotive jobs by 2030.
SOLENT ELECTRIC BOAT CHARGING NETWORK EXPANDS
The Electric Seaway, a £3.2m project backed by the Department for Transport's UK SHORE programme, has since 2023 built a chain of CCS DC fast-charging points along the south coast using 400V-class technology similar to car rapid chargers, though Aqua superPower COO Karen Gill says uptake has come mainly from commercial workboats rather than leisure yachts. Range remains the constraint for weekenders, with Grand Soleil's 33ft Blue claiming 30 nautical miles at 5 knots from its 6kW ePropulsion pod and 8kWh battery, or 60 with a second battery and a diesel option still offered, while Yamaha's 2024 acquisition of Torqeedo signals that the largest outboard manufacturer is taking electric marine propulsion seriously.
