Electric Vehicles In The News
- kathrynrygg
- May 15
- 6 min read
Updated: May 23
Igor Orlovich and Ravi Mehta follow the news about Electric Vehicles and have curated items for fans and those thinking about going electric for their next car, SUV, or truck.
May 2025
Governor Hochul announced $30M is now available for consumers to lease or purchase new EVs through the State’s Drive Clean Rebate program, which provides point-of-sale rebates, up to $2,000 for more than 60 new EVs. In addition, incentives for EV chargers through the Charge Ready NY 2.0 program have been updated to expand consumer access to convenient, easy charging at multifamily buildings and workplaces, including hotels.
From the Automakers:
Toyota is launching the C-HR in the US. With nearly 300 miles of range, it will also be equipped with an NACS port to access Tesla’s Supercharger network. Using DC fast charging, the electric SUV can recharge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.
Kia unveiled the all-new 2026 EV4 sedan at the NY International Auto Show. The compact EV4 effectively strengthens Kia’s electrified vehicle portfolio and aims to broaden widespread EV appeal and adoption.
Slate Auto officially emerged from stealth mode late Thursday evening to debut its compact electric pickup truck. The company, which is partially backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, says it will sell the most basic version of its EV truck for about $25,000. That’s $5,000 less than the cheapest EVs on sale now in the US, none of which are pickups.
Subaru revealed the 2026 Solterra. DC fast charging is now a touch faster at 150kW thanks to improved battery preconditioning. The EV also now uses the NACS standard charging port pioneered by Tesla in the US. Subaru also unveiled their Trailseeker.
Hyundai Motor America has launched the 2026 IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV designed for modern families. This vehicle, assembled at Hyundai’s new Metaplant in Georgia, starts at $58,955 and offers over 300 miles of EPA-estimated range across all trims.
Despite encouragement from the federal government, GM says it will continue production of its EVs in Mexico. GM has exclusively produced electric cars at its plant in Mexico since last year and has created some 5,000 new jobs in the area. Those cars – including the Chevy Equinox EV and Honda Prologue – have been hugely popular.
Volkswagen of America is recalling nearly 5,700 2025 VW ID Buzz vans because the NHTSA says the third-row bench seat is physically wide enough for three people, but it’s only designed to hold two, so it’s only equipped with two seat belts. That mismatch violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It simply makes it too easy to squeeze that third person in the back “just that once” without a seatbelt, and that’s inviting trouble. As always, the recall repair will be free.
Volvo isn't off to a good start in 2025. After posting record sales and profits last year, global vehicle sales dropped by 6%. Volvo is kicking off massive cost-cutting efforts totaling $1.87 billion. The cuts will include layoffs and a larger decrease in investment than originally planned.
Rivian is receiving $16 million in state incentives to help construct a new 1.2 million-square foot supplier park near its EV manufacturing plant in Illinois. As part of the deal, Rivian will invest nearly $120 million towards the project, which is expected to directly create about 100 new jobs.
Rivian Automotive has launched its first national advertising campaign in an effort to boost awareness of its electric trucks and SUVs among mainstream consumers. The California-based startup, is aiming to expand its reach with a brand initiative that leans on owner experiences and cinematic storytelling.
Charging News:
There are four DC Fast Chargers (DCFC) coming soon to Webster's Towne Center shopping plaza. This is a great location for road trippers! They are tucked in behind some bushes near Barnes & Noble and Panera - excellent spots to kill 30 minutes!
KIA EV6, EV9 and Niro owners now have access to over 21,500 Tesla Superchargers. 2025 model year Kia EV6 and 2026 model year EV9 come standard with NACS charging ports.
NY announces EV charging grants for Dundee, Farmington, Waterloo, Palmyra, and Interlaken. New York awarded $1.5M+ to Finger Lakes communities for electric vehicle charger expansion in 2025:
Ontario County – 14 Level 2 chargers and 2 DC fast chargers
Village of Brockport – 10 Level 2 chargers and 1 DC fast charger
Town of Farmington – 24 Level 2 chargers and 1 DC fast charger
Village of Waterloo – 12 Level 2 chargers
Village of Palmyra – 2 DC fast chargers
Village of Interlaken – 1 DC fast charger
Village of Warsaw – 1 DC fast charger
Town of Huron – 4 Level 2 chargers
Village of Le Roy – 4 Level 2 chargers
Village of Dundee – 4 Level 2 chargers
Village of Oakfield – 4 Level 2 chargers
The Swedes are setting out to build a permanent e-motorway. The road will charge electric vehicles while they're on the move, mitigating the need for a longer break to charge up.
British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger at Canadian C-store chain, On The Run and for a limited time, these chargers are FREE! They’re planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season.
Walmart is building out their own EV Charging Network: Charge Better.
They plan to install thousands of 400 kW fast chargers by 2030 - within ten miles of your home. Walmart will monitor utilization, and the sites will be designed to easily add more chargers when needed to prevent customer queuing.
New Technology:
CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, teased the innovations at an event in Shanghai timed to precede the city’s auto show.
Ultra fast charging: 323 miles of range from just five minutes of charging time. Even at 14 degrees F, when charging speeds tend to slow, CATL’s Shenxing battery can go from 5 percent to 80 percent in just 15 minutes.
New sodium-ion battery: Sodium is seen by some as an improvement over lithium, both in terms of availability and stability.
Ultra long range: a new dual-power battery offers a maximum range of 932 mi on a single charge. The system has a regular fast-charging cell combined with a separate auxiliary pack for enhanced performance and range.
Other Electric Vehicles:
LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand launched a new line tailored for law enforcement and security use. They are designed for urban patrol duties, security, and events where agility and low operational noise are critical. Advantages: lower maintenance needs, near-silent operation, and quick acceleration.
HelloFresh, which sells home delivery meal kits, says it has reached a milestone of saving over 200 tons of carbon emissions thanks to the EVs. The electric portion of their fleet has travelled an estimated 250,000 miles since the start of the partnership. The majority of the vans are used for last-mile delivery, with HelloFresh transit hubs located close to major city centers.
Blue Bird, one of the largest electric school bus makers, has announced an all-electric medium duty Class 5-6 truck chassis.
For the first time since the company started building its own chassis in 1952, Blue Bird is making a serious effort to move out to other types of vehicles.
Meet the ‘world’s largest’ 100% electric ship: The over-420-foot EV monstrosity, can carry up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles and will run from Buenos Aires to Uruguay.
The 100% electric-powered vessel is equipped with over 250 tons of batteries, “four times larger than any previous maritime installation in the world.”
The British postal service is testing out two 19-tonne electric heavy goods vehicles to assess their performance compared to Royal Mail's existing fleet of traditional trucks. The service is already set to deploy over 7000 small and medium-sized electric vans by 2027, but this will be the first time that it tests out larger electric vehicles.
American company Mack Trucks will add a third electric model to its portfolio, and this time it’s a direct competitor to the Tesla Semi. The battery-powered Mack Pioneer will go on sale next year with a maximum estimated driving range of over 300 miles.
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