/daily ·29 AUG 2026 ·SATURDAY ·2 MIN READ ·6 STORIES

The Most Powerful Porsche Is Electric, BYD Prints Money Exporting, Underground Miners Go Electric

Saturday's EV news runs from supercars to copper mines — the technology works and the economics are catching up faster than the industry expected.

01 / The Day

SATURDAY 29 AUG 2026, ranked

Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV first drive: 1,100 hp, no apologies

Electrek published first-drive impressions of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV, finding it the most powerful production Porsche in history — 1,100 hp from a twin-motor 800V platform that delivers the performance numbers combustion Porsches always promised.

0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds; top speed 280 km/h; 800V architecture enabling 340 kW charge rates
Replaces the PHEV Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, trading plug-in range anxiety for full-BEV range and faster charging
First-drive consensus: the electric powertrain closes the emotional driving gap critics have raised against Porsche EVs since the Taycan

Why it mattersWhen Porsche's fastest production car is fully electric, the last credible premium-brand objection to EVs loses its footing.

01 electrek.co↗

BYD Q2 profit rises 30% — exports doing what China sales no longer can

BYD reported a 30% year-on-year Q2 profit increase, with international sales offsetting a softening Chinese domestic EV market where years of price competition have compressed margins for every manufacturer — including BYD itself.

Export growth is fastest in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and European markets where BYD has sidestepped tariff exposure
China's domestic EV market is absorbing the consequences of a multi-year price war BYD largely initiated — margins across the segment are thin
BYD's vertical integration — cells, chassis, software — gives it cost protection that pure assemblers lack when revenue per unit falls

Why it mattersBYD proving its model scales globally converts a competitive threat into a documented fact — competitors can no longer model it as a hypothetical.

02 electrek.co↗

Hyundai confirms electric SUV above IONIQ 5 — a new flagship tier

Hyundai confirmed it is developing an electric SUV positioned above the IONIQ 5 in its lineup, targeting a premium segment the Korean automaker has so far addressed only with the Genesis brand and leaving a visible gap at the $55-70K price point.

Based on the EGMP2 platform underpinning the Santa Fe EREV and Genesis GV90, with longer range and higher-output motors
Sits above the IONIQ 5''s roughly $45,000 base price, filling the gap in Hyundai''s own EV ladder before Genesis begins
Part of Hyundai''s 100-new-vehicle plan through 2030 spanning EREV, PHEV, and full-BEV across more price points simultaneously

Why it mattersHyundai filling the gap between IONIQ and Genesis is the most logical move in its portfolio — and signals the company is confident enough in EV demand to add a new tier rather than consolidate an existing one.

03 electrek.co↗

Volkswagen unveils the first electric California camper van

Volkswagen revealed the new California electric camper van based on the ID. Buzz platform — the first all-electric iteration of a nameplate that has spent four decades as the defining European campervan.

Built on the ID. Buzz long-wheelbase base, adding a pop-up roof, integrated kitchen, and sleeping platform in the extended rear section
Goes on sale 2027; pricing expected above the standard ID. Buzz LWB''s roughly €65,000 European entry point
Completes VW''s case that the ID. Buzz platform can carry the full Bus heritage — the last major California variant now runs on a battery

Why it mattersElectrifying the California ends the last gap in VW''s electric Bus argument — and puts a four-decade icon of freedom on a zero-emission platform.

04 electrek.co↗

Aptera solar EV generates 4.75 kWh per day in independent TÜV test

TÜV Rheinland independently confirmed Aptera''s three-wheeled solar EV captures 4.75 kWh of solar energy per day under controlled conditions — enough to cover the average US driver''s daily commute without any grid charging.

4.75 kWh/day represents approximately 40 miles of driving range from sunlight alone under standard test conditions
TÜV certification is the standard European and US type-approval regulators reference, converting a marketing claim into an engineering measurement
At 40 solar miles per day, the 37-mile US average daily commute falls within the panel''s output — grid charging becomes supplemental, not primary

Why it mattersAn independently verified solar figure removes Aptera''s key technical claim from the category of speculation — and puts solar self-sufficiency on the table as a real vehicle specification.

05 electrek.co↗

130-tonne electric trucks are now working 4,000 feet underground

A video report documents the deployment of 130-tonne all-electric haul trucks operating at depths of 4,000 feet in an underground hard-rock mine — a sector where diesel had previously been considered irreplaceable due to torque requirements and remote logistics.

Underground mines face acute diesel costs: each tonne combusted requires expensive mechanical ventilation to remove exhaust and heat from deep tunnels
Electrifying underground haulage eliminates ventilation requirements that can cost $1-3 million per tonne of diesel displaced at deep mine levels
130-tonne payload capacity is the heavy-duty benchmark; clearing it removes the last credible payload objection to electric mining equipment

Why it mattersIf electric works 4,000 feet underground in hard-rock mining, the sectors still claiming they need diesel for technical reasons are running low on arguments.

06 electrek.co↗

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Past days

The Daily Archive

/SAT 29 AUGThe Most Powerful Porsche Is Electric, BYD Prints Money Exporting, Underground Miners Go Electric /FRI 28 AUGKia Hits Price Parity, Ports Go Electric, Waymo Calls Out Tesla /THU 27 AUGThursday: Two Million BMWs and Nine-Minute BYDs /WED 26 AUGEurope's Quarter, Waymo's German Ambitions, and a Defender Delay /TUE 25 AUGCybercab Week Starts /MON 24 AUGGV90 arrives, Rivian teaches drivers to duck cops, and Hyundai's cheap EV skips the US /SUN 23 AUGBYD goes luxury, China hits 44% BEV, and solid-state gets honest /SAT 22 AUGSaturday Speedbump /FRI 21 AUGStep-change claims and a quiet funeral /THU 20 AUGComfort, range, and a recall /WED 19 AUGBollards, batteries, and half a million SU7s /TUE 18 AUGTuesday: Ten Of Five Thousand /MON 17 AUGThe Monday After Monterey /SAT 15 AUGCalifornia opens, China undercuts /FRI 14 AUGUnions, Pickups, and Flying Things /THU 13 AUGThe month global EVs grew and North America didn't /WED 12 AUGKia breaks $30K, Sinopec breaks with oil /TUE 11 AUGDenmark's Endgame /MON 10 AUGZoox takes money, hybrids lose the price war, and Pony.ai aims for six figures /SUN 09 AUGVW's electric reboot, Zoox goes commercial, NIO hits nine figures /FRI 07 AUGFord names its $28K truck; BMW clears Munich for EVs only