+++ The high-voltage BATTERY pack of an electric vehicle is often the main weapon of choice for people who have never driven an electric vehicle but like to discredit the technology. “It won’t last more than a couple of years” is a sentence that I’ve heard time and time again when talking to petrol car enthusiasts about EVs. Despite the overwhelming amount of data that proves otherwise, there are still people out there who think a modern EV will conk out if you even look at it the wrong way. Well, now there’s even more data regarding battery health in the long run, and it’s good news for both current EV owners and those who are looking to get their first battery-powered car. According to Geotab, a United Kingdom company providing vehicle telematics, most EV batteries can last 20 years with minimal annual degradation. That’s 6 years more than the average car age in the United States. Over this generous timespan, EV batteries suffer from about 1.8% degradation per year. This means that you’ll lose 1.8% of the original range every year–not ideal, but certainly not a dealbreaker. After 20 years, if nothing goes catastrophically wrong, you can still enjoy 64% of an EV’s original range. The data comes from analyzing over 10.000 EVs. With all this being said, it’s worth noting that high-voltage EV batteries do fail, but the failure rate is statistically insignificant. According to one study, EVs made in the last decade have had a battery failure rate of less than 0.5%. Battery degradation isn’t linear, and it’s also location-dependent. The biggest hit comes in the first few years of a battery’s life, but it tapers out after that, before taking another hit toward its last legs. Hot climates also increase battery degradation, so keep your EV in the shade if possible, especially when charging it. Modern EVs have efficient cooling and heating systems to keep the battery’s temperature in check, but it’s always better to keep things cool instead of hot. This also leads to the issue of DC fast charging, which marginally increases the degradation rate compared to Level 1 and Level 2 slow charging. Keeping the state of charge between 20% and 80% on nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries is also a sure way to prolong battery life. On lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, this limitation generally doesn’t apply, but one study found that constantly topping off an LFP pack could potentially reduce its lifespan. Even if you follow all these easy recommendations, there’s no escaping the fact that batteries degrade over time, whether they’re used or not. Just as a gas car’s hoses and pumps will degrade if it’s sitting for years on end, a battery will lose some of its capacity over time. +++
+++ BYD the Chinese car maker whose Seal U was the United Kingdom’s top-selling plug-in hybrid in May, believes it is about to introduce more models more quickly than any car company ever has before. Speaking at the UK launch of the Dolphin Surf, Alfredo Altavilla, BYD’s special advisor for Europe (and former COO at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and chairman of ITA Airways) said: “I have zero problem in saying I don’t think there has ever been such a product offensive done in Europe as the one that BYD is doing. We have been launching 6 cars in less than a year. We are covering all of the most important segments of the European car market and the Dolphin Surf was the missing piece in the A/B-segment”. In addition to new models sold under the mainstream BYD brand, the company (already the biggest producer of EVs in the world) will add models from brands less well known in Europe. These include Denza, which targets premium German marques, and Yangwang, which is said to be a technology leader. When BYD introduces new tech, Denza and Yangwang will receive it first, with BYD models following later. “We’re going to get together again after the summer break for another important reveal, and through the end of the year, there will be others. All this is fundamentally building the image of a brand where technology never stops, and this is allowing a set of new cars to be available in Europe in really no time”, said Altavilla. The first Dolphin Surfs to go on sale in the UK have been built in China but production will begin before the end of the year at a new factory in Hungary, where BYD has its European base. The aim is not only to make cars for Europe locally but also to design and engineer them for Europe. The Dolphin Surf has arrived now, 18 months behind deliveries in China and South America, as a result of re-engineering the car to suit European tastes. “As we go forward into 2026, more and more of the BYD line-up will be specific to this region and this is a big step forward compared to the other Asian brands”, Altavilla said. “BYD top management has clearly seen that if you want to play big in Europe, you have to have a dedicated product line-up and this is what we will have”. BYD, which has taken a 2% market share in recent months in the UK, intends to be one of Europe’s top-selling car makers. “With the technology we have, coupled with the localisation of the production of the most important cars, we have everything we need to be one of the key players”, said Altavilla. “Whether it’s number one, one of the big three, one of the big five, it doesn’t matter, but BYD will be one of the big players in the region”. +++
+++ In EUROPE , Chinese car brands reach highest-ever market share at 5.4 percent. In a total market that grew 1.3 percent to 1.116.095 cars. Chinese automakers’ 85 percent growth took their market share in Europe to 5.4 percent, only the second time it has been above 5 percent. +++
+++ I was smitten by the Iconic SP nearly 2 years ago when MAZDA unveiled it at the Japan Mobility Show. However, once we stopped drooling over the coupe’s swoopy design, a question began to surface: Is this the next MX-5? It was a fair assumption. Mazda is still a relatively small company, and perhaps it can’t afford to sell two sports cars. The Zoom-Zoom brand even suggested it could shrink the vehicle down to the MX-5’s footprint. Thankfully, the Iconic SP isn’t a preview of the fifth-generation MX-5. Mazda Chief Technical Officer Ryuichi Umeshita told the rotary sports car will be a separate model positioned above the beloved roadster. He even said we “can expect Iconic SP will be a good successor for RX-7”, although he stopped short of confirming the return of the iconic nameplate. He did, however, deny that it would wear the Cosmo badge as a nod to the Wankel-powered lineage that began in the mid-1960s. So, how big is the Iconic SP anyway? It measures 4.180 millimeters in length, 1.850 millimeters in width and stands just 1.150 millimeters tall, riding on a 102-inch 2.590 millimeter wheelbase. That makes it 265 mm longer and 120 mm wider than the ND-generation Miata. At the same time, it sits 85 mm lower. Despite having a wheelbase 280 mm longer than the tossable roadster, it still has just 2 seats. Well, at least the concept did. The show car was relatively light, weighing 1.450 kg. For comparison, a MX-5 RF with a manual transmission is 330 kg lighter. As for power, the concept delivers 365 hp via an electric motor, with a dual-rotor combustion engine serving as a generator to recharge the battery. Since its debut, Mazda has confirmed plans for a dual-rotor setup in America, offering more muscle than the MX-30’s single-rotor range extender. While the crossover’s system didn’t meet U.S. regulations, the new hardware will be made compliant. Interestingly, Mazda is also considering a version where the rotary engine directly drives the wheels. This would be the first time since the RX-8 bowed out in 2012 with the Japan-exclusive Spirit R edition. A fully electric Iconic SP is technically possible, but Mazda says it won’t happen. No surprise there. The rotary sports car could arrive before the next Miata. Mazda’s global design chief, Masashi Nakayama, told that the current MX-5 will remain on sale for a few more years. When the replacement does arrive, it will inherit some styling cues from the Iconic SP. Power will probably come from the newly announced Skyactiv-Z engine, with Umeshita confirming the 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive and lightweight construction are all here to stay. It’s too early for Mazda to discuss pricing, but the rotary sports car will almost certainly carry a hefty premium over the MX-5. +++
+++ MG is poised to launch a new Tesla Model Y rival at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The brand posted a preview image to social media stating that “all will be revealed” about “the beginning of our next chapter” on 10 July, without giving further details. The image appears to show the IM6 crossover, suggesting that MG is poised to launch the more premium-focused brand in the UK, as it has done already in the Australian market. Given the Australian precedent and that the preview was posted by MG, it is possible that the IM brand – a joint-venture between MG owner SAIC, e-commerce firm Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, could sell its models in Europe under MG. Indeed, MG has already begun to push upmarket with the recent launches of the Cyberster sports car and Cyber X concept, as well as models such as the S5 EV, a more mainstream replacement for the value-focused ZS EV. IM models are due to be launched in Europe. In China, the IM6 SUV is offered with up to to 780 hp, with the most potent version achieving 0-100 kph in a claimed 3.5 seconds. The model also packs 800 Volt electricals, which enable it to charge at up to 396 kW and complete a 30-80% refill in just over 15 minutes. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN ’s range of all-electric ID-badged vehicles is going through something of a revolution with several new models being teased, but the firm hasn’t forgotten its existing line-up, because the ID.4 is set to be thoroughly revamped. In order for the SUV to stay competitive with the likes of the recently updated Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and the VW’s sibling, the Cupra Tavascan (not to mention the related Ford Capri), a hefty update for the ID.4 will be revealed towards the end of 2026 before sales start in 2027, according to a spokesperson from the company. A Volkswagen representative said the new ID.4 will be revealed in late 2026 and that in terms of design, “everything on the outside will be different. The swooping styling will be cleaner”, He also added: “the interior will be completely different as well”, we’re hoping that’ll extend to quality too given that the current ID.4 is slightly disappointing in this area where VW is usually so strong. Just as we saw with the ID.2 concept, physical buttons will appear in the updated Volkswagen ID.4 after features such as the touch-sensitive sliders for the climate controls and audio were widely criticised in the current model. The ID.4 is currently offered with 52 kWh and 77 kWh batteries, and either a single-motor rear-wheel-drive layout or dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up. Volkswagen says we’ll see new batteries and powertrains for the refreshed ID.4, but stopped short of detailing any capacities or power outputs. Volkswagen also said the total number of changes for the new ID.4 “will be like the change from Mk5 to Mk6 Golf”. Those 2 models used the same body and underpinnings, but the later edition was referred to as a new generation by Volkswagen. +++
+++ The VOLVO EX60 electric family SUV will arrive early next year, a spokesman has confirmed. The newcomer will be a crucial model in the Swedish firm’s electric push, given the popularity of its XC60 twin. Before the confirmation of the EX60’s arrival in a social media post on Tuesday, Volvo had previewed the car as an almost fully covered clay model during the launch of the ES90. Most notably, the electric SUV will be the first Volvo to use the advanced, highly scalable SPA3 platform, which is effectively a successor to the platform that underpins the EX90 and ES90. This new architecture will allow Volvo to add both smaller and larger cars to its line-up. As with those models, the EX60 will be designed around an advanced software stack, giving it the capability to accept over-the-air updates and extra features. Bosses have previously described the model as a “huge boost” in Volvo’s electrification push, given that it will serve as the electric sibling model to the firm’s best-seller. Tech chief Anders Bell called the SPA3 platform “100% electric and 100% Volvo Cars”, rather than a shared Geely group platform, such as the SEA platform used for the EX30. “Because it’s 100% electric, we’ve been able to remove all the old constraints of the combustion engine”, said Bell. “We very much took a first-principles approach to it. You will see the highest level of supremely well-integrated technology coming together in these products”. The EX60 is likely to broadly match the dimensions of the XC60 and will doubtless take styling cues from the EX30 and EX90. Bell said the SPA3 is “a big step from a mechanical perspective, but from a software electronics perspective, it’s a straight evolution”. He added: “All the work we’re putting into the EX90 will go directly into the SPA3 cars as well. It’s basically the same software stack. “SPA3 is designed from the beginning to be much more scalable, in size and price point and across regions, but also scalable in volume”. “It’s designed for scale in every dimension: when it comes to size, my job is to make sure that the company has optionality. We are designing the SPA3 to be scalable from B to F segments, to make sure that we have flexibility and that we can launch the products that markets decide they want when they want it”. Since all future new Volvo models will share the same basic tech stack, Bell added that it will allow for more focused and rapid development. “Because it’s all one technology stack, there’s no repeat of work”, he said. “It’s the same software stack, same basic electrical architecture. Yes, it’s scalable in size, price and capabilities, but it’s not spreading our products in different ecosystems. Everything we do gets married to the Volvo connected car cloud. If you look at successful tech companies, they’re all single tech stack companies where all their products are interlinked. Apple is a good example: hardware, software, telephones, laptops, they’re basically all interconnected with the same software. That’s one example of where we need to be converging as a technology company going forward. Our focal point is safety, sustainability and creating this fantastic customer experience, all wrapped in this Scandinavian design, on one tech stack”. As previously revealed by Autointernationaal.nl, the EX60 will also be the first Volvo designed to benefit from megacasting; a technology set to be introduced with the SPA3 that allows for entire sections of a car to be created as a single part rather than multiple elements. That, along with other changes and the more modular nature of the SPA3, will lower production costs. When it arrives, Volvo’s EV line-up will consist of the EX30, EC40, EX40, ES90 and EX90 in Europe, with the addition of the EM90 MPV in China. +++
