ev.news Briefly: ID.Buzz Camper, Mercedes-AMG, China & more | 28 Aug 2026
Aug 28, 08:53 PM
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➤ VOLKSWAGEN TURNS ID.BUZZ INTO CALIFORNIA CRUISE
➤ MERCEDES-AMG CLA 45 IS A DIFFERENT BEAST
➤ 51% OF U.S. CONSUMERS WOULD CONSIDER A CHINA-MADE VEHICLE
➤ ELECTRIFIED MODELS FILL JULY'S FASTEST-SELLING USED-CAR TOP 10
➤ TERRA CHARGE PLANS 2,500 NACS POINTS IN JAPAN
➤ DCBEL PLATFORM ADOPTED IN THREE V2X PILOTS
➤ KGM RAISES MUSSO EV AWD TOWING RATING
➤ PSW WINS ESTONIA FERRY MCS CONTRACT
➤ WAYMO SAYS L2 IS INSUFFICIENT FOR L4
It's ev.news Briefly for Friday 28 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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VOLKSWAGEN TURNS ID.BUZZ INTO CALIFORNIA CRUISE
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has unveiled the fully electric ID. California Cruise in Düsseldorf, offered in short- and long-wheelbase forms with 79 kWh and 86 kWh batteries respectively, sleeping accommodation for two, and first deliveries due in early 2027 from €60,761 (about $70,800). Standard kit includes the Interior Style and Comfort Packages plus the PowerSocket vehicle-to-load adapter, which delivers 2 kW continuous and 3.6 kW peak power, while California Mode keeps USB ports live and air conditioning running at sleeping temperature for up to 48 hours depending on charge and outside conditions.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has unveiled the fully electric ID. California Cruise in Düsseldorf, offered in short- and long-wheelbase forms with 79 kWh and 86 kWh batteries respectively, sleeping accommodation for two, and first deliveries due in early 2027 from €60,761 (about $70,800). Standard kit includes the Interior Style and Comfort Packages plus the PowerSocket vehicle-to-load adapter, which delivers 2 kW continuous and 3.6 kW peak power, while California Mode keeps USB ports live and air conditioning running at sleeping temperature for up to 48 hours depending on charge and outside conditions.
MERCEDES-AMG CLA 45 IS A DIFFERENT BEAST
The electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 saloon is on sale in the UK at £66,750 (about $90,660), matching the outgoing petrol car's price and undercutting the plug-in hybrid C63 by £34,000 for comparable output, with the Shooting Brake £1000 more and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N its nearest rival at £65,800. Three Yasa axial-flux motors produce 671bhp for a 3.0sec 0-62mph time in the 2.3-tonne saloon, with claimed ranges of 416 and 398 miles, 330kW charging giving 10-80% in 22 minutes, a rear-axle drift mode, and deliveries starting next year.
The electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 saloon is on sale in the UK at £66,750 (about $90,660), matching the outgoing petrol car's price and undercutting the plug-in hybrid C63 by £34,000 for comparable output, with the Shooting Brake £1000 more and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N its nearest rival at £65,800. Three Yasa axial-flux motors produce 671bhp for a 3.0sec 0-62mph time in the 2.3-tonne saloon, with claimed ranges of 416 and 398 miles, 330kW charging giving 10-80% in 22 minutes, a rear-axle drift mode, and deliveries starting next year.
51% OF U.S. CONSUMERS WOULD CONSIDER A CHINA-MADE VEHICLE
A Dave Cantin Group market outlook report found 51% of U.S. consumers would consider a China-made vehicle despite Chinese brands not being sold there, with willingness at 77% among under-35s versus 36% among those 55 and older, driven by affordability as average transaction prices sit near $50,000 and monthly payments run far above five-year-ago levels. Chinese brands have taken roughly 10% share in Europe and Mexico in under five years, a pace that took Japanese and Korean makers nearly two decades, and the resulting collapse in established automakers' China business, combined with the EV unwind and tariffs, is already reshaping product and production decisions with direct consequences for U.S. dealers.
A Dave Cantin Group market outlook report found 51% of U.S. consumers would consider a China-made vehicle despite Chinese brands not being sold there, with willingness at 77% among under-35s versus 36% among those 55 and older, driven by affordability as average transaction prices sit near $50,000 and monthly payments run far above five-year-ago levels. Chinese brands have taken roughly 10% share in Europe and Mexico in under five years, a pace that took Japanese and Korean makers nearly two decades, and the resulting collapse in established automakers' China business, combined with the EV unwind and tariffs, is already reshaping product and production decisions with direct consequences for U.S. dealers.
ELECTRIFIED MODELS FILL JULY'S FASTEST-SELLING USED-CAR TOP 10
For the first time since Autotrader UK began tracking the data, no petrol or diesel model appeared in July's 10 fastest-selling used cars, with eight BEVs and two hybrids from MG and Toyota filling the list, led by the hybrid MG ZS at 13 days, the Kia Niro at 15 and the Tesla Model 3 at 17. A year earlier BEVs held only four of the ten places, and July's slowest-selling used models were entirely petrol and diesel, with no BEV among them.
For the first time since Autotrader UK began tracking the data, no petrol or diesel model appeared in July's 10 fastest-selling used cars, with eight BEVs and two hybrids from MG and Toyota filling the list, led by the hybrid MG ZS at 13 days, the Kia Niro at 15 and the Tesla Model 3 at 17. A year earlier BEVs held only four of the ten places, and July's slowest-selling used models were entirely petrol and diesel, with no BEV among them.
TERRA CHARGE PLANS 2,500 NACS POINTS IN JAPAN
Japan's Terra Charge will begin adding NACS charging from 2028 at commercial sites, major transport routes and hotels, targeting 2,500 points by the end of 2033 and studying a NACS-based AC charger for hotels and apartment blocks, though no specifications or timeline have been disclosed. The move responds partly to Tesla driver demand reported by Nikkei Asia, but with only 1,323 registered NACS points against roughly 68,000 charging points nationally, most on CHAdeMO, and a government goal of 300,000 points by 2030, NACS will add connector variety rather than displace the incumbent standard.
Japan's Terra Charge will begin adding NACS charging from 2028 at commercial sites, major transport routes and hotels, targeting 2,500 points by the end of 2033 and studying a NACS-based AC charger for hotels and apartment blocks, though no specifications or timeline have been disclosed. The move responds partly to Tesla driver demand reported by Nikkei Asia, but with only 1,323 registered NACS points against roughly 68,000 charging points nationally, most on CHAdeMO, and a government goal of 300,000 points by 2030, NACS will add connector variety rather than displace the incumbent standard.
DCBEL PLATFORM ADOPTED IN THREE V2X PILOTS
Dcbel's bidirectional charging platform has been selected for three V2X pilots — California's REDWDS scheme, a PG&E programme and a MassCEC demonstration — offering drivers and fleets equipment funding, lower bills and payments of up to $3,200 per vehicle per year for exporting energy to the grid. The economics depend on vehicle-to-grid export, yet customers have so far opted for vehicle-to-home installations, dcbel had shipped nothing under the programmes at the time of reporting, and most jurisdictions still prohibit grid export altogether.
Dcbel's bidirectional charging platform has been selected for three V2X pilots — California's REDWDS scheme, a PG&E programme and a MassCEC demonstration — offering drivers and fleets equipment funding, lower bills and payments of up to $3,200 per vehicle per year for exporting energy to the grid. The economics depend on vehicle-to-grid export, yet customers have so far opted for vehicle-to-home installations, dcbel had shipped nothing under the programmes at the time of reporting, and most jurisdictions still prohibit grid export altogether.
KGM RAISES MUSSO EV AWD TOWING RATING
KGM has lifted the all-wheel-drive Musso EV dual-cab ute's braked towing rating from 1,800kg to 2,300kg, exceeding the 2,000kg rating of Toyota's AWD electric Hilux. The revision undercuts the claim made by former prime minister Scott Morrison during the 2019 Australian election that EVs could not tow a trailer or boat to a camping spot, an argument that became part of the climate culture war, though what any BEV can tow still rests on the rating its manufacturer assigns.
KGM has lifted the all-wheel-drive Musso EV dual-cab ute's braked towing rating from 1,800kg to 2,300kg, exceeding the 2,000kg rating of Toyota's AWD electric Hilux. The revision undercuts the claim made by former prime minister Scott Morrison during the 2019 Australian election that EVs could not tow a trailer or boat to a camping spot, an argument that became part of the climate culture war, though what any BEV can tow still rests on the rating its manufacturer assigns.
PSW WINS ESTONIA FERRY MCS CONTRACT
Norway's PSW Power & Automation will equip Estonia's Virtsu–Kuivastu route with a Megawatt Charging System of two charging points at each end, each rated up to 5 MW on a 1,500-volt architecture, to recharge the country's new battery-electric ferry during port stops before its scheduled completion by the end of 2028. The ferry will carry 380 passengers and either 110 cars or eight lorries, making it smaller than the incumbent Piret and Toll, while the charging system will also be open to other compatible vessels, drawing on PSW's Nordic record of more than 250 MW of shore power and over 100 MWh of battery storage.
Norway's PSW Power & Automation will equip Estonia's Virtsu–Kuivastu route with a Megawatt Charging System of two charging points at each end, each rated up to 5 MW on a 1,500-volt architecture, to recharge the country's new battery-electric ferry during port stops before its scheduled completion by the end of 2028. The ferry will carry 380 passengers and either 110 cars or eight lorries, making it smaller than the incumbent Piret and Toll, while the charging system will also be open to other compatible vessels, drawing on PSW's Nordic record of more than 250 MW of shore power and over 100 MWh of battery storage.
WAYMO SAYS L2 IS INSUFFICIENT FOR L4
Waymo has published 10 AI lessons drawn from over 200 million fully autonomous miles, arguing that incrementally improving a Level 2 driver-assistance system is a "false summit" that cannot safely reach Level 4, because neither billions of simulated miles nor millions of supervised miles replicate operating without a human backup. The company, which runs more than 500,000 paid driverless rides a week and targets a million by year-end, uses camera, lidar and radar redundancy and warns against black-box end-to-end networks, in contrast to Tesla's camera-only Tesla Vision, its end-to-end Full Self-Driving versions 14 and 15, and an Austin robotaxi service that has logged 380,000 unsupervised miles.
Waymo has published 10 AI lessons drawn from over 200 million fully autonomous miles, arguing that incrementally improving a Level 2 driver-assistance system is a "false summit" that cannot safely reach Level 4, because neither billions of simulated miles nor millions of supervised miles replicate operating without a human backup. The company, which runs more than 500,000 paid driverless rides a week and targets a million by year-end, uses camera, lidar and radar redundancy and warns against black-box end-to-end networks, in contrast to Tesla's camera-only Tesla Vision, its end-to-end Full Self-Driving versions 14 and 15, and an Austin robotaxi service that has logged 380,000 unsupervised miles.