ev.news Briefly: Leapmotor, Volvo, ID.Buzz & More | 12 Sep 2026
Sep 15, 10:17 PM
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➤ LEAPMOTOR OPENS EUROPEAN B03X ORDERS FROM €24,900
➤ VOLVO FACELIFTS XC40, EX40 AND EC40
➤ VOLKSWAGEN PLANS IQ.DRIVE UPDATE TO ID.BUZZ
➤ NISSAN LEAF S IS CANADA'S LOWEST-PRICED EV
➤ JLR INVESTS £356 MILLION IN WOLVERHAMPTON EV PRODUCTION
➤ EVGO OPENS 20-PLUG LOS ANGELES FAST-CHARGING STATION
➤ SKODA APPROVES NEW KAROQ FOR 2027 OR 2028
➤ PENNDOT OPENS $11 MILLION CHARGER FUNDING ROUND
➤ TESLA CEO PROMOTES VIDEO OF DRIVER SAYING FSD IS ‘EYES OFF’
It's ev.news Briefly for Saturday 12 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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LEAPMOTOR OPENS EUROPEAN B03X ORDERS FROM €24,900
Stellantis has opened European orders for the Leapmotor B03X, a compact electric crossover starting at €24,900 (about $28,900), sold through the Chinese brand's joint venture with Stellantis and undercutting most European-built compact EVs. Two variants are offered — the Pro with a 39.8 kWh battery and 292 km WLTP range, and the ProMax with 53.0 kWh and 382 km — both with a 14.6-inch touchscreen, 8.8-inch cluster, Leap OS 4.0 Plus, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and standard Level 2 driver assistance using 14 sensors and cameras across 21 functions.
Stellantis has opened European orders for the Leapmotor B03X, a compact electric crossover starting at €24,900 (about $28,900), sold through the Chinese brand's joint venture with Stellantis and undercutting most European-built compact EVs. Two variants are offered — the Pro with a 39.8 kWh battery and 292 km WLTP range, and the ProMax with 53.0 kWh and 382 km — both with a 14.6-inch touchscreen, 8.8-inch cluster, Leap OS 4.0 Plus, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and standard Level 2 driver assistance using 14 sensors and cameras across 21 functions.
VOLVO FACELIFTS XC40, EX40 AND EC40
Volvo has given the XC40, EX40 and EC40 their first major styling revision in nearly nine years, with all-new bodywork ahead of the A-pillars and revised 'Thor's Hammer' matrix LED headlights that Volvo says cut glare, debuting on the model year 2028 XC40 now that matrix LEDs are legal in the United States. Powertrains are unchanged, but the cars gain an 11.2-inch touchscreen with Google Gemini voice assistance, plus added cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors supporting a smoother Pilot Assist with lane-change assist, a 3-D 360-degree camera view and an occupant alert for approaching cyclists before doors open.
Volvo has given the XC40, EX40 and EC40 their first major styling revision in nearly nine years, with all-new bodywork ahead of the A-pillars and revised 'Thor's Hammer' matrix LED headlights that Volvo says cut glare, debuting on the model year 2028 XC40 now that matrix LEDs are legal in the United States. Powertrains are unchanged, but the cars gain an 11.2-inch touchscreen with Google Gemini voice assistance, plus added cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors supporting a smoother Pilot Assist with lane-change assist, a 3-D 360-degree camera view and an occupant alert for approaching cyclists before doors open.
VOLKSWAGEN PLANS IQ.DRIVE UPDATE TO ID. BUZZ
Volkswagen will upgrade IQ.DRIVE functions on 2027 MEB vehicles, with the ID. Buzz receiving the fullest package including Road Experience Management, and Enhanced Travel Assist that can execute a driver-requested lane change above 45 mph using rear radar, waiting up to 12 seconds if traffic blocks the move while the driver stays responsible. The 2027 Buzz also reacts faster to posted speed-limit changes, notifying the driver before adjusting speed, slows near ramps and exits using navigation or turn-signal input, and uses crowd-sourced map data to supplement cameras where road markings are faded or weather is poor, bundled into In-Vehicle Premium with a one-year trial.
Volkswagen will upgrade IQ.DRIVE functions on 2027 MEB vehicles, with the ID. Buzz receiving the fullest package including Road Experience Management, and Enhanced Travel Assist that can execute a driver-requested lane change above 45 mph using rear radar, waiting up to 12 seconds if traffic blocks the move while the driver stays responsible. The 2027 Buzz also reacts faster to posted speed-limit changes, notifying the driver before adjusting speed, slows near ramps and exits using navigation or turn-signal input, and uses crowd-sourced map data to supplement cameras where road markings are faded or weather is poor, bundled into In-Vehicle Premium with a one-year trial.
NISSAN LEAF S IS CANADA'S LOWEST-PRICED EV
The 2027 Nissan Leaf S is Canada's cheapest electric vehicle at CA$34,998 (about US$25,250), nearly CA$2,000 below the Kia EV3 Light FWD and under CA$30,000 once the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program is applied. It uses a 53 kWh battery, a single 174 hp motor and up to 341 km of range, trailing the EV3 Light's 58.3 kWh, 201 hp and 356 km, and charging 10-80% in about 35 minutes against the Kia's 29, though both use an NACS port.
The 2027 Nissan Leaf S is Canada's cheapest electric vehicle at CA$34,998 (about US$25,250), nearly CA$2,000 below the Kia EV3 Light FWD and under CA$30,000 once the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program is applied. It uses a 53 kWh battery, a single 174 hp motor and up to 341 km of range, trailing the EV3 Light's 58.3 kWh, 201 hp and 356 km, and charging 10-80% in about 35 minutes against the Kia's 29, though both use an NACS port.
JLR INVESTS £356 MILLION IN WOLVERHAMPTON EV PRODUCTION
JLR has spent £356m converting its Wolverhampton propulsion plant, renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in 2024, to build electric drive units and assemble battery packs while continuing six-cylinder Ingenium engine production, giving it flexibility to flex output as the EV transition moves. The hall now making drive units for the Range Rover Electric, Range Rover GT, Jaguar Type 01 and smaller Defender 'Sport' previously built four-cylinder diesels on repurposed CNC machines, working to 80-micron tolerances against roughly 120 for combustion engines, with cells currently sourced from AESC in China and due to switch next year to Tata's Agratas plant in Somerset.
JLR has spent £356m converting its Wolverhampton propulsion plant, renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in 2024, to build electric drive units and assemble battery packs while continuing six-cylinder Ingenium engine production, giving it flexibility to flex output as the EV transition moves. The hall now making drive units for the Range Rover Electric, Range Rover GT, Jaguar Type 01 and smaller Defender 'Sport' previously built four-cylinder diesels on repurposed CNC machines, working to 80-micron tolerances against roughly 120 for combustion engines, with cells currently sourced from AESC in China and due to switch next year to Tata's Agratas plant in Somerset.
EVGO OPENS 20-PLUG LOS ANGELES FAST-CHARGING STATION
EVgo has opened what it calls the largest non-Tesla fast-charging station in the City of Los Angeles, a 10-stall, 20-plug site on S Robertson Blvd in Mid-City just off the Santa Monica Freeway. The site has two 100 kW stalls, three 200 kW and five 350 kW, with 18 CCS cables capable of up to 350 kW and two CHAdeMO ports at up to 100 kW that keep older EVs served, though there are no NACS cables and NACS vehicles must use adapters.
EVgo has opened what it calls the largest non-Tesla fast-charging station in the City of Los Angeles, a 10-stall, 20-plug site on S Robertson Blvd in Mid-City just off the Santa Monica Freeway. The site has two 100 kW stalls, three 200 kW and five 350 kW, with 18 CCS cables capable of up to 350 kW and two CHAdeMO ports at up to 100 kW that keep older EVs served, though there are no NACS cables and NACS vehicles must use adapters.
SKODA APPROVES NEW KAROQ FOR 2027 OR 2028
Skoda chief executive Klaus Zellmer has approved a second-generation Karoq for launch in 2027 or 2028 on the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, reversing a plan under which the electric Elroq — itself a late addition to the range and now Europe's second best-selling electric car — was to have taken the Karoq's place. Zellmer said powertrains will be very comparable to the Kodiaq's and pointed to strong plug-in hybrid demand and a 100 km-plus electric range as ideal for the model, though a PHEV remains possible rather than confirmed.
Skoda chief executive Klaus Zellmer has approved a second-generation Karoq for launch in 2027 or 2028 on the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, reversing a plan under which the electric Elroq — itself a late addition to the range and now Europe's second best-selling electric car — was to have taken the Karoq's place. Zellmer said powertrains will be very comparable to the Kodiaq's and pointed to strong plug-in hybrid demand and a 100 km-plus electric range as ideal for the model, though a PHEV remains possible rather than confirmed.
PENNDOT OPENS $11 MILLION CHARGER FUNDING ROUND
PennDOT has opened an $11 million round for EV charging infrastructure across 26 central Pennsylvania counties, with publicly accessible sites able to apply until 12 March 2027 under the third phase of the state's federally backed Community Charging scheme, which allocated $100 million in NEVI money from February to extend charging beyond Alternative Fuel Corridors. Local transportation planning agencies, not PennDOT, will set location priorities; the state says 50 NEVI-funded hubs have opened with 41 more planned or under construction, delivering over 146,000 charging sessions since December 2023 and avoiding more than 3,700 tonnes of CO2.
PennDOT has opened an $11 million round for EV charging infrastructure across 26 central Pennsylvania counties, with publicly accessible sites able to apply until 12 March 2027 under the third phase of the state's federally backed Community Charging scheme, which allocated $100 million in NEVI money from February to extend charging beyond Alternative Fuel Corridors. Local transportation planning agencies, not PennDOT, will set location priorities; the state says 50 NEVI-funded hubs have opened with 41 more planned or under construction, delivering over 146,000 charging sessions since December 2023 and avoiding more than 3,700 tonnes of CO2.
TESLA CEO PROMOTES VIDEO OF DRIVER SAYING FSD IS 'EYES OFF'
Elon Musk endorsed, with a heart emoji, a clip of Larry, a 98-year-old Model Y owner in Farmington, New Mexico, who says of FSD (Supervised) that he did not have to look at an intersection and does not want to, directly contradicting Tesla's disclaimer that the feature requires active driver supervision and does not make the car autonomous. The framing matters because Tesla's defence in Autopilot and FSD crash litigation rests on driver responsibility — a Florida jury already returned a $243 million judgment against the company, with up to $14.5 billion at stake across roughly two dozen cases — even as its lawyers have separately argued, successfully, that Musk's public statements should not be taken at face value.
Elon Musk endorsed, with a heart emoji, a clip of Larry, a 98-year-old Model Y owner in Farmington, New Mexico, who says of FSD (Supervised) that he did not have to look at an intersection and does not want to, directly contradicting Tesla's disclaimer that the feature requires active driver supervision and does not make the car autonomous. The framing matters because Tesla's defence in Autopilot and FSD crash litigation rests on driver responsibility — a Florida jury already returned a $243 million judgment against the company, with up to $14.5 billion at stake across roughly two dozen cases — even as its lawyers have separately argued, successfully, that Musk's public statements should not be taken at face value.