EDITOR'S PICK

Ford Is A Bellwether: Electric Vehicles Are Coming, Despite Policy Shifts By Oil Bought-Off American Presidency

25 Aug 2025 | Synopsis

Despite Trump's rollback of EV incentives and emissions rules, Ford is doubling down on electrification. It announced a $5B investment in a modular EV platform and a sub-$30K electric pickup by 2027. Driven more by Chinese competition than U.S. politics, Ford aims to streamline production and stay globally competitive. EV sales remain strong outside Tesla, and legacy automakers are shifting toward affordable models and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

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An EV Road User Charge Is Looming. Could It Slam The Brakes On Australia's Clean Car Transition?

25 Aug 2025 | Synopsis

As Australia's electric vehicle fleet grows, the government is considering a road user charge to replace dwindling fuel excise revenue. A proposal from New South Wales suggests a fee of 2.97 cents per kilometre for battery EVs, with collection potentially based on distance driven. Critics worry this will hinder the clean transport transition, arguing the charge should apply to all vehicles, not just EVs.

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Rivian R4 And R5 Will Be Lower-Cost 'Siblings' Than R2 And R3, CEO Says

25 Aug 2025 | Synopsis

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe reveals R4 & R5 EVs in early concept stage as "sibling set" sharing new platform, priced lower than upcoming R2/R3 models ($45K starting). While Tesla's Musk calls cheap EVs "pointless" without autonomy, Rivian pursues full-line automaker strategy with mainstream affordable EVs. No engineering teams assigned yet - purely conceptual stage.

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Charted: Global EV Adoption (2019 vs. 2025)

24 Aug 2025 | Synopsis

Global sales of electrified vehicles (EVs) soared from just 9% of the market in 2019 to 43% in the first quarter of 2025. This dramatic increase is largely propelled by China, which accounts for 57% of global battery-electric vehicle registrations. Consequently, the market share of traditional combustion engine vehicles has fallen from 91.2% to 56.7% in the same period, highlighting a rapid shift in consumer preference toward electric and hybrid options.

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Electric Vehicle Taxes by State, 2025

24 Aug 2025 | Synopsis

As EV adoption grows, states face declining gas tax revenue and are responding with varied policies. Forty states now impose higher annual registration fees on EVs - ranging from $50 to $260 - to offset lost fuel taxes. Seventeen states offer purchase incentives, while some also tax EV charging. A few states have launched per-mile VMT programs to better link road use to funding. The landscape reflects tension between promoting EVs and maintaining infrastructure budgets

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