ev.news Briefly: Rivian, VW, Hyundai & more | 07 Sep 2026
Sep 08, 02:44 PM
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➤ RIVIAN OS 2 REACHES BOTH R1 GENERATIONS
➤ REPORTED ID. POLO ORDERS TOP 30,000 BEFORE LAUNCH
➤ HYUNDAI OPENS STARIA ELECTRIC ORDERS IN EUROPE
➤ ELECTRIC VEHICLES OUTSELL PETROL CARS IN AUSTRALIA
➤ UK ELECTRIC VAN SHARE HITS RECORD 16.3%
➤ US DIESEL AVERAGE REACHES $5.85 A GALLON
➤ BYD OFFERS UK DISCOUNTS OF UP TO £2,500
➤ SPD BACKS EU TARIFFS ON CHINESE PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
➤ BC2BC LAUNCHES WEST COAST TRUCK CHARGING CORRIDOR
➤ TESLA AND BYD DRIVE KOREAN IMPORT GROWTH
➤ STELLANTIS OFFERS REFURBISHED BATTERIES FOR MOST EV MODELS
It's ev.news Briefly for Monday 07 September 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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RIVIAN OS 2 REACHES BOTH R1 GENERATIONS
Rivian began rolling out update 2026.31 on Friday, extending RivianOS 2 to R1T and R1S models from both R1 generations alongside R2, adding a vertical status bar, quick controls and media player placeable on either side of the centre display, a rebuilt Settings 2 app with universal search, Real-Time Route Alerts for speed cameras and police presence in Google Maps navigation, and Rivian Unified Intelligence behind a "Hey Rivian" assistant that can control vehicle functions. Hardware still divides the platform: R2 and second-generation R1 vehicles run Unreal Engine 5 for real-time 3D visualisations while first-generation R1s stay on Unreal Engine 4 to preserve screen responsiveness, reflecting the first-gen's 17 electronic control units against the 2024 second-gen's seven-unit zonal architecture, dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processors and roughly ten times the processing power.
Rivian began rolling out update 2026.31 on Friday, extending RivianOS 2 to R1T and R1S models from both R1 generations alongside R2, adding a vertical status bar, quick controls and media player placeable on either side of the centre display, a rebuilt Settings 2 app with universal search, Real-Time Route Alerts for speed cameras and police presence in Google Maps navigation, and Rivian Unified Intelligence behind a "Hey Rivian" assistant that can control vehicle functions. Hardware still divides the platform: R2 and second-generation R1 vehicles run Unreal Engine 5 for real-time 3D visualisations while first-generation R1s stay on Unreal Engine 4 to preserve screen responsiveness, reflecting the first-gen's 17 electronic control units against the 2024 second-gen's seven-unit zonal architecture, dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processors and roughly ten times the processing power.
REPORTED ID. POLO ORDERS TOP 30,000 BEFORE LAUNCH
More than 30,000 orders for Volkswagen's ID. Polo, priced from €24,995 (about $29,000), have reportedly been placed across Europe before the hatchback's official sales launch, with pre-sales open since late April, demand strongest in Germany and most buyers ordering without having seen or driven the car. A major VW dealer group says the range is effectively sold out with waits of at least ten months, while Volkswagen attributes the delays to strong demand and capacity planned in advance at its Martorell plant in Spain, where it is progressively increasing production.
More than 30,000 orders for Volkswagen's ID. Polo, priced from €24,995 (about $29,000), have reportedly been placed across Europe before the hatchback's official sales launch, with pre-sales open since late April, demand strongest in Germany and most buyers ordering without having seen or driven the car. A major VW dealer group says the range is effectively sold out with waits of at least ten months, while Volkswagen attributes the delays to strong demand and capacity planned in advance at its Martorell plant in Spain, where it is progressively increasing production.
HYUNDAI OPENS STARIA ELECTRIC ORDERS IN EUROPE
Hyundai has opened European orders for the Staria Electric from €57,450 (about $66,800) for the German Trend nine-seater, using an 84 kWh battery, a 160 kW (218 hp) front motor, up to 430 km (267 miles) WLTP range and an 800V architecture that charges 10-80% in about 20 minutes at 350 kW, plus internal and external 16-amp V2L. At 5,253 mm it is 200 mm longer than the IONIQ 9 and larger than the Kia PV5 and VW ID. Buzz, with up to 1,303 litres of luggage space in nine-seat form, a Prime version adding electric sliding doors, powered tailgate, Highway Assistant 1.5 and a 230V socket, and a Calligraphy seven-seater from €66,950 ($77,800) with Nappa leather, BOSE audio and reclining second-row seats.
Hyundai has opened European orders for the Staria Electric from €57,450 (about $66,800) for the German Trend nine-seater, using an 84 kWh battery, a 160 kW (218 hp) front motor, up to 430 km (267 miles) WLTP range and an 800V architecture that charges 10-80% in about 20 minutes at 350 kW, plus internal and external 16-amp V2L. At 5,253 mm it is 200 mm longer than the IONIQ 9 and larger than the Kia PV5 and VW ID. Buzz, with up to 1,303 litres of luggage space in nine-seat form, a Prime version adding electric sliding doors, powered tailgate, Highway Assistant 1.5 and a 230V socket, and a Calligraphy seven-seater from €66,950 ($77,800) with Nappa leather, BOSE audio and reclining second-row seats.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES OUTSELL PETROL CARS IN AUSTRALIA
Fully electric vehicles outsold petrol cars in Australia for the first time last month, with 27,078 EVs registered against 25,824 petrol and 23,608 diesel vehicles, taking one in four new-car sales. Including plug-in hybrids, battery-powered vehicles reached 36% of the market while petrol and diesel together fell below 50%, a shift BYD's Paul Ellis put down to falling reluctance and an influx of cheaper Chinese models, leaving public charging capacity as the open question.
Fully electric vehicles outsold petrol cars in Australia for the first time last month, with 27,078 EVs registered against 25,824 petrol and 23,608 diesel vehicles, taking one in four new-car sales. Including plug-in hybrids, battery-powered vehicles reached 36% of the market while petrol and diesel together fell below 50%, a shift BYD's Paul Ellis put down to falling reluctance and an influx of cheaper Chinese models, leaving public charging capacity as the open question.
UK ELECTRIC VAN SHARE HITS RECORD 16.3%
UK electric van registrations rose 25.9% to 2,395 units in August, a record 16.3% share of the light commercial vehicle market, with battery-electric vans at 11.0% of new LCV registrations in the year to August. August is traditionally a low-volume month ahead of September's numberplate change, so the share gain may overstate the trend and September will be the clearer test of sustained fleet demand.
UK electric van registrations rose 25.9% to 2,395 units in August, a record 16.3% share of the light commercial vehicle market, with battery-electric vans at 11.0% of new LCV registrations in the year to August. August is traditionally a low-volume month ahead of September's numberplate change, so the share gain may overstate the trend and September will be the clearer test of sustained fleet demand.
US DIESEL AVERAGE REACHES $5.85 A GALLON
US diesel hit a record national average of $5.85 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA data cited by the New York Times, 55% above the level at the start of the US war against Iran in late February and above the previous peak set in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Diesel powers heavy-duty pickups, commercial fleets and farming, so the rise feeds through to supermarket prices, landing weeks before the midterms in a political climate hostile to EVs despite the household cost relief that switching away from the pumps could deliver.
US diesel hit a record national average of $5.85 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA data cited by the New York Times, 55% above the level at the start of the US war against Iran in late February and above the previous peak set in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Diesel powers heavy-duty pickups, commercial fleets and farming, so the rise feeds through to supermarket prices, landing weeks before the midterms in a political climate hostile to EVs despite the household cost relief that switching away from the pumps could deliver.
BYD OFFERS UK DISCOUNTS OF UP TO £2,500
BYD will cut UK prices by up to £2,500 ($3,300) across its DM-i plug-in and electric range from 10 to 21 September in what it calls its biggest-ever sales event, covering the Dolphin Surf, Dolphin, Sealion 07, Seal U DM-i and Atto 2 DM-i, as the UK's record 25.6% BEV share for the first eight months of 2026 still sits below the 33% mandate. The brand has registered more than 110,000 UK vehicles since March 2023, with registrations up 98% to over 48,000 through August and market share rising to 3.48% from 1.92%, and the Europe-specific Dolphin G DM-i arrives this month from £250 ($330) a month.
BYD will cut UK prices by up to £2,500 ($3,300) across its DM-i plug-in and electric range from 10 to 21 September in what it calls its biggest-ever sales event, covering the Dolphin Surf, Dolphin, Sealion 07, Seal U DM-i and Atto 2 DM-i, as the UK's record 25.6% BEV share for the first eight months of 2026 still sits below the 33% mandate. The brand has registered more than 110,000 UK vehicles since March 2023, with registrations up 98% to over 48,000 through August and market share rising to 3.48% from 1.92%, and the Europe-specific Dolphin G DM-i arrives this month from £250 ($330) a month.
SPD BACKS EU TARIFFS ON CHINESE PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
Germany's Social Democratic Party has backed extending EU tariffs to Chinese plug-in hybrids, closing a gap in measures that levy up to 45% on Chinese-built electric vehicles but leave hybrids untouched, setting out the position in an economic-policy paper calling for more resolute protection against "unfair practices". The stance is a notable shift for the CDU's junior coalition partner, given Germany opposed the 2024 EV tariffs and has long resisted tough measures on China for fear of retaliation against key industries.
Germany's Social Democratic Party has backed extending EU tariffs to Chinese plug-in hybrids, closing a gap in measures that levy up to 45% on Chinese-built electric vehicles but leave hybrids untouched, setting out the position in an economic-policy paper calling for more resolute protection against "unfair practices". The stance is a notable shift for the CDU's junior coalition partner, given Germany opposed the 2024 EV tariffs and has long resisted tough measures on China for fear of retaliation against key industries.
BC2BC LAUNCHES WEST COAST TRUCK CHARGING CORRIDOR
The British Columbia to Baja California ZEV Corridor, or BC2BC, has launched along the I-5, linking California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Baja California with an initial deployment of 20 EV charging stations and three hydrogen fuelling stations for the estimated 10,000 trucks using the route daily. CalSTA, CALSTART/Drive to Zero and UC Davis's Institute of Transportation Studies are coordinating planning and investment, with Volvo Group North America, Southern California Edison, Tesla, EV Realty and King Fio Trucking represented at the Port of Long Beach launch.
The British Columbia to Baja California ZEV Corridor, or BC2BC, has launched along the I-5, linking California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Baja California with an initial deployment of 20 EV charging stations and three hydrogen fuelling stations for the estimated 10,000 trucks using the route daily. CalSTA, CALSTART/Drive to Zero and UC Davis's Institute of Transportation Studies are coordinating planning and investment, with Volvo Group North America, Southern California Edison, Tesla, EV Realty and King Fio Trucking represented at the Port of Long Beach launch.
TESLA AND BYD DRIVE KOREAN IMPORT GROWTH
Imported vehicle sales in Korea rose 9.2% year on year to 29,817 units in August, driven largely by Tesla and BYD, while all five domestic carmakers recorded declines. Union walkouts from July into August lasted around 60 hours and were estimated to have cost about 55,000 vehicles of production, contributing alongside fewer summer holiday production days to a 7.6% fall at Kia, and growth in a market long led by BMW and Mercedes-Benz came mainly from lower-priced EVs.
Imported vehicle sales in Korea rose 9.2% year on year to 29,817 units in August, driven largely by Tesla and BYD, while all five domestic carmakers recorded declines. Union walkouts from July into August lasted around 60 hours and were estimated to have cost about 55,000 vehicles of production, contributing alongside fewer summer holiday production days to a 7.6% fall at Kia, and growth in a market long led by BMW and Mercedes-Benz came mainly from lower-priced EVs.
STELLANTIS OFFERS REFURBISHED BATTERIES FOR MOST EV MODELS
Stellantis is making refurbished high-voltage batteries available for most battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models across its brands, remanufactured to OEM specification with the same performance characteristics and warranty terms as MOPAR original parts. The company says the approach extends product life and prevents waste, saving up to 80% of raw materials and up to 40% of CO2 emissions against new parts, building on its earlier supply of refurbished EV batteries for stationary storage including at Rome Airport.
Stellantis is making refurbished high-voltage batteries available for most battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models across its brands, remanufactured to OEM specification with the same performance characteristics and warranty terms as MOPAR original parts. The company says the approach extends product life and prevents waste, saving up to 80% of raw materials and up to 40% of CO2 emissions against new parts, building on its earlier supply of refurbished EV batteries for stationary storage including at Rome Airport.