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HYUNDAI STARTS IONIQ 3 PRODUCTION IN TURKEY https://evne.ws/ecxr1

HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ 3 ORDER BOOKS https://evne.ws/nmnlb

LUCID UNVEILS GRAVITY GT-S https://evne.ws/9rmyj

FRANCE TO BACK USED ELECTRIC VEHICLES https://evne.ws/y7y0y

PORSCHE REPORTS POINT TO TAYCAN PHASE-OUT https://evne.ws/aj913

TESLA ADDS V2L TO MODEL Y PREMIUM https://evne.ws/xbilb

TESLA LEASES POWERWALL BACKUP IN TEXAS https://evne.ws/pvqgl

CORVUS TO SUPPLY BATTERIES FOR BC FERRIES SUMMIT CLASS https://evne.ws/x809n

FERRARI LUCE SELLS FOR $40 MILLION https://evne.ws/4xbek

It's ev.news Briefly for Monday 17 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

HYUNDAI STARTS IONIQ 3 PRODUCTION IN TURKEY
Hyundai has begun building the IONIQ 3 at its Izmit plant in Turkey, the site's first EV, following a €250 million ($290 million) investment that modernised around half the facility. Initial output is 30,000 units a year, with Dutch prices from €27,995 ($32,000) and the next-generation BAYON and i20 to follow next year.

HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ 3 ORDER BOOKS
Hyundai Motor UK has opened orders for the IONIQ 3 compact hatchback from £22,245 on-the-road, positioning it against the Kia EV2, Renault 5 and VW ID Polo. Buyers choose a 42.2kWh battery with up to 213 miles or a 61kWh version with up to 308 miles, both charging 10-80% in about 30 minutes, and the car debuts Hyundai's Android Automotive-based PleOS Connect system. Grant eligibility is still pending.

LUCID UNVEILS GRAVITY GT-S
Lucid's 2027 Gravity GT-S produces 1,070hp from a dual-motor powertrain and hits 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds, priced from $127,750 — about $14,000 below the outgoing Dream Edition. It comes with rear-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension as standard, while a 926V architecture supports 400kW charging that Lucid says adds 200 miles in under 12 minutes.

FRANCE TO BACK USED ELECTRIC VEHICLES
From September, France will subsidise used EV purchases and leases through the Energy Savings Certificates scheme, funded by energy suppliers including EDF, Engie and TotalEnergies under the polluter-pays principle. Cars must have been first registered in France between 2017 and 2023 and retain at least 80% battery capacity, with buyers required to keep the vehicle three years and to purchase through a dealer rather than privately.

PORSCHE REPORTS POINT TO TAYCAN PHASE-OUT
Porsche is reported to have agreed in principle with employee representatives to end Taycan production by 2029 or 2030, closing a roughly decade-long run, though nothing has been formalised or confirmed. Output has collapsed from 39,397 cars in 2023 to 11,510 in 2025, with first-half 2026 deliveries down 25% and no successor named as Porsche appears set to prioritise the electric Macan and Cayenne.

TESLA ADDS V2L TO MODEL Y PREMIUM
Tesla has enabled vehicle-to-load for the Model Y Premium in the US and Puerto Rico, delivering 2.4kW at 120V via an $80 adapter that requires the Gen 3 Mobile Connector. Eligibility is narrower than the badge suggests, with reports indicating only newer Juniper-built cars from around May 2026 carry the necessary hardware, and Tesla still trails rivals offering up to 10.2kW.

TESLA LEASES POWERWALL BACKUP IN TEXAS
Tesla Electric is offering a whole-home Powerwall lease in selected Texas retail-choice areas for roughly $35 a month plus tax in year one, achieved by applying an $87 monthly credit to a two-unit lease costing about $122. The deal carries a 3% annual escalator, a $100 order fee, a 20% minimum backup reserve for virtual power plant dispatch, and credits that may not start until two billing cycles after installation and utility approval.

CORVUS TO SUPPLY BATTERIES FOR BC FERRIES SUMMIT CLASS
Corvus Energy will supply 40MWh of battery storage across four hybrid-electric Summit Class ferries for BC Ferries, each carrying 360 vehicles and 2,100 people and fitted with a 10MWh Dolphin NxtGen system. The hardware is scalable to 70MWh per vessel for near-zero-emission running once shore charging exists, with China Merchants' Weihai Shipyard delivering the first ship in 2029 and all four in service by 2031.

FERRARI LUCE SELLS FOR $40 MILLION
Chassis 0 of the Ferrari Luce, the marque's first EV and a one-off Tailor Made build designed by Sir Jony Ive's LoveFrom, sold for $40 million at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction, over 36 times its estimate and a record for a new car. The sale was offered without reserve and with no buyer's premium, sending the full amount to The Ferrari Foundation, with winning bidder Dr Herbert Wertheim taking delivery early next year.

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VOYAH LAUNCHES PASSION S SUV https://evne.ws/jyqlm

FREELANDER 8 OPENS CHINA PRE-SALES https://evne.ws/43mz9

BYD LAUNCHES QIN MAX IN CHINA https://evne.ws/u9f49

BYD SEAGULL REFRESH SHOWS NEW INTERIOR https://evne.ws/7fxje

SMART #2 INTERIOR EMERGES IN CHINA https://evne.ws/u9i4s

FARIZON OPENS INDONESIAN VAN ASSEMBLY PLANT https://evne.ws/ileyg

LYNK & CO LEAK COSTS EXECUTIVE BONUS https://evne.ws/7sodq

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon

You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog

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FORD SETS OUT UEV MODEL PLANS https://evne.ws/cnrcy

WEAKER EV TARGETS COULD RAISE OIL IMPORTS https://evne.ws/o4guz

BYD RACCO TAKES OVER 1,000 JAPAN ORDERS https://evne.ws/4oxe1

WEAKER EV TARGET COULD COST £3BN https://evne.ws/s5pje

CHECK BEFORE RECORDING https://evne.ws/ysit3

EV MANDATE FACES PRESSURE AS USED EV SALES RISE https://evne.ws/ysit3

CHECK BEFORE RECORDING https://evne.ws/ksboz

AVORE EX2S TARGETS INDIA’S COMMUTERS https://evne.ws/ksboz

HUNGARY CURBS EV CHARGING IN HEATWAVE https://evne.ws/salu6

BCP PLANS 1,128 ON-STREET EV SOCKETS https://evne.ws/1gz9g

PORTER FLAGS OFF 10,000TH ELECTRIC TRUCK https://evne.ws/farfh

COSTANOA TO HOST PEBBLE FLOW STAYS https://evne.ws/5y545

It's ev.news Briefly for Saturday 15 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

FORD SETS OUT UEV MODEL PLANS
Ford's Universal Electric Vehicle platform will underpin five models, beginning with the Fathom mid-size pickup in 2027 and an expected Escape revival in 2029, with the remaining launch dates undisclosed. The architecture supports up to eight body styles spanning B-segment cars, two- and three-row SUVs, sedans, a pickup and cargo and passenger vans, and launches with LFP cells while able to accept other chemistries.

WEAKER EV TARGETS COULD RAISE OIL IMPORTS
Carbon Brief analysis finds that weakening the UK's ZEV mandate — currently 33% BEV share in 2026, effectively 25% after flexibilities, rising to 80% by 2030 — could cost consumers up to £3bn ($4bn) a year, with a cut to 50% leaving 3m fewer BEVs on the road, adding 17m barrels of oil imports and lifting national emissions 2.5%. BEVs already cost around £1,100 ($1,485) a year less to run than petrol and beat rivals on total ownership cost by over £1,000 ($1,350), and while Energy UK and ChargeUK defend the mandate as the biggest single driver of emissions cuts, the SMMT argues natural demand falls short and reports suggest dilution is coming regardless.

BYD RACCO TAKES OVER 1,000 JAPAN ORDERS
BYD has logged more than 1,000 orders in two weeks for the Racco, its kei-class EV for Japan, and is targeting 10,000 sales by the end of 2026 in a market historically hostile to imports. Priced from £9,600 with a 22.4kWh battery and 130-mile range, most buyers are opting for the £11,500 35.8kWh version at 199 miles, comfortably ahead of the segment-leading Nissan Sakura's 112 miles.

AVORE EX2S TARGETS INDIA'S COMMUTERS
Indian startup Avore has launched the EX2S commuter motorcycle at ₹169,999 (about $1,800 / £1,330), using a 5kWh split-pack battery and a 10.5kW motor claiming 161 miles on the optimistic IDC cycle, 0-25mph in 2.8 seconds and a 70mph top speed. Onboard 1.5kW charging takes roughly two hours for 20-80% from a household socket, and features include a 7-inch TFT display, geo-fencing and a simulated four-speed SYFT mode, with no export plans announced.

HUNGARY CURBS EV CHARGING IN HEATWAVE
Heatwave and drought have cut Danube cooling water and left Hungary's only nuclear plant at Paks running at a fraction of capacity, forcing charging networks to curb evening peak demand. MOL has capped fast chargers at 100kW from 17:00-22:00, E.ON Drive Infrastructure has halved output at 300kW-plus sites to free up 10MW of grid capacity, Shell Recharge has limited stations to 150kW, Tesco and Metro have switched chargers off, and EV.app is instead pricing peak sessions at 420 forints (about €1.16) per kWh.

BCP PLANS 1,128 ON-STREET EV SOCKETS
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will install 564 on-street chargers providing 1,128 public sockets by March 2029, delivered by Connected Kerb and aimed mainly at residents without off-street parking. The mostly lower-speed AC units form part of a £16.5m Dorset-wide programme funded by the Department for Transport's LEVI fund and private investment.

PORTER'S 10,000TH ELECTRIC TRUCK
Indian intra-city freight marketplace Porter has flagged off its 10,000th electric truck in Delhi, running over 50,000 EVs monthly across 50 cities via 600,000 driver-partners and claiming 1.85bn km of empty running eliminated, worth ₹10bn ($105m) in avoided fuel imports. Utilisation rather than fleet size is the pitch — Porter wants daily trips up from 1.5 to 2.5 — with owner-drivers funding vehicles themselves at ₹400,000-500,000 and Omega Seiki Mobility supplying 5,000 three-wheelers for last-mile work.

COSTANOA TO HOST PEBBLE FLOW STAYS
Costanoa in Pescadero, California, becomes the first hospitality destination where guests can book an overnight stay in a Pebble Flow, the all-electric, software-defined travel trailer developed by Apple, Tesla, Rivian and Zoox alumni. Sleeping two adults and two children with rooftop solar, off-grid power, Starlink and climate control, rates start at $450 (£332 / €389) a night plus tax and a $10 conservation fee, with a two-night weekend minimum.