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Electric Vehicles — briefly, then briefly again · tbb.ceo
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/daily ·06 SEPT 2026 ·SUNDAY ·2 MIN READ ·6 STORIES

VW signs, Ford bets

Volkswagen made the restructuring official; Ford put a $30,000 truck and a 100,000-unit first-year target on the table.

01 / The Day

SUNDAY 06 SEPT 2026, ranked

06

VW board formally approves 100,000 jobs cut and EV plant review

Volkswagen's supervisory board has formally approved the restructuring plan, clearing the path to eliminate roughly 100,000 jobs and place up to four EV-focused plants — including Zwickau, the ID.3 and ID.4 hub — under review for closure or repurposing.

  • Board approval is the decisive legal step under German co-determination law — now binding
  • Zwickau, VW's primary EV assembly plant for the ID range, is among facilities under review
  • Workforce reductions scheduled across 2026-2028 pending union negotiations
Why it mattersVW's board committing to this scale of restructuring signals that Europe's largest automaker has concluded its EV cost structure is not viable without radical change.
01 cleantechnica.com↗

Ford Fathom targets 100,000 EV trucks in year one at $30,000

Ford has set a first-year sales target of 100,000 units for the Fathom electric truck at a $30,000 price point, positioning it against Chinese imports and the Tesla Cybercab launch narrative. The price undercuts most American EV trucks by $15,000-$20,000.

  • Year-one target of 100,000 units matches the ambition of the original Model 3 launch ramp
  • $30k price uses the BlueOval SK battery platform with North American cell sourcing
  • Fathom enters at a price tier no US-built electric truck has yet competed in
Why it mattersA credible $30,000 American EV truck would be the first of its kind and immediately shift the affordability conversation for the segment.
02 electrek.co↗

Uber launches autonomous passenger rides in London

Uber has opened its first UK commercial autonomous ride service in geofenced London boroughs, making it the first robotaxi operator to reach commercial scale in a major European city. The service runs on third-party AV technology integrated into the Uber app.

  • First commercial robotaxi service in a major European city, in selected London boroughs
  • Uses third-party AV technology, consistent with Uber's asset-light platform model
  • Launch timed as Tesla Cybercab faces US federal investigation, sharpening the contrast
Why it mattersLondon opening to commercial robotaxis sets a template for European regulatory frameworks; other cities will follow its lead.
03 electrek.co↗

PG&E expands V2X to Tesla, Volvo, Nissan with $17K incentives

Pacific Gas and Electric is scaling its vehicle-to-grid programme to include Tesla, Volvo, and Nissan alongside existing participants, with up to $17,000 in combined incentives for customers who enrol their EVs as grid resources.

  • $17K incentive combines state, federal, and PG&E contributions
  • Tesla, Volvo, and Nissan now join the compatible vehicle list
  • Programme dispatches EV batteries during peak demand periods to reduce grid strain
Why it mattersV2X incentives at this scale change the total cost-of-ownership calculation for EV buyers in PG&E territory in a material way.
04 electrek.co↗

Zeekr 7X gets a bigger battery, crosses 500 km range

Zeekr is rolling out a new battery variant for the 7X SUV that pushes WLTP range past 500 km while improving charge speed, cementing the model as one of the stronger Chinese mid-size EVs in European markets.

  • New variant exceeds 500 km WLTP range, up from the current 475 km top specification
  • Charging speed improvement announced but not yet quantified by Zeekr
  • 7X competes directly with the Model Y in European pricing tiers
Why it mattersIncremental range and charge upgrades are how Chinese OEMs continue narrowing the perception gap in markets where they are still earning trust.
05 thedriven.io↗

The used EV market has arrived: near-new from $20,000

The secondary EV market has matured enough that near-new battery-electrics are now consistently available in the $20,000-$30,000 band, driven by rapid model turnover and new-car incentives that accelerate depreciation into a buying opportunity for second-wave adopters.

  • First-gen Bolt, Leaf, and Model 3 now trade sub-$25k with healthy battery reports
  • New-car incentives have compressed used EV prices faster than conventional vehicles
  • Used EV adoption growing fastest among buyers who found new-vehicle pricing prohibitive
Why it mattersA functioning affordable used EV market is how the mass adoption phase actually begins — the first wave of buyers enabling the second.
06 thedriven.io↗
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Past days

The Daily Archive

/TUE 15 SEPTIAA and the Cybercab detour/MON 14 SEPTThe Drag Coefficient Race/SUN 13 SEPTWeekend Shift/FRI 11 SEPTDiverging Markets/THU 10 SEPTTrump's China EV Gambit/WED 09 SEPTBYD Breaks Records, PHEVs Fail Tests/TUE 08 SEPTSafety First (and Then Not)/MON 07 SEPTBYD goes global, Cybercab goes 24/7, Chinese brands ace NCAP/SUN 06 SEPTVW signs, Ford bets/SAT 05 SEPTElectric Vehicles — Saturday, Sep 5/FRI 04 SEPTLive Wires/THU 03 SEPTElectric September/WED 02 SEPTAffordable and Accountable/TUE 01 SEPTSafety, speed, and a deleted mandate/MON 31 AUGChina-First, Fleet-Forward/SUN 30 AUGThe 27 Percent Week/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