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/daily ·01 OCT 2026 ·THURSDAY ·3 MIN READ ·7 STORIES

EV Daily — Thursday, 1 October 2026

Q3 delivery season opens with a BMW threatening Tesla's range supremacy, Ford hedging its $30K pickup promises, and Chinese megawatt chargers already running at three times the speed the US won't see until next year.

01 / The Day

THURSDAY 01 OCT 2026, ranked

07

Tesla's China Model 3 gets V2L and 16-inch screen; US waits

Tesla upgraded China's entire Model 3 lineup with a 16-inch touchscreen and 2.2 kW vehicle-to-load capability, effective October 1. The US Model 3 remains on the older 15.4-inch panel with no V2L access, underscoring how differently Tesla is now managing its two largest markets.

  • 16-inch screen replaces the 15.4-inch unit across all China Model 3 trims
  • V2L exports up to 2.2 kW AC power; the US Model 3 lineup has no V2L capability at all
  • Launch bundled with 5,000 yuan (~$740) off; China base price now roughly $33,000
Why it mattersTesla is customising hardware by market to stay competitive in China, while US buyers fall further behind on features available elsewhere.
01 electrek.co↗

BMW's 2027 i3 arrives with 468 miles of range, starting at $61,500

BMW opened order books on the 2027 i3 sedan, pairing up to 468 miles of EPA-estimated range with an 800V platform that adds 191–208 miles in a 10-minute DC charge. At $61,500, the dual-motor xDrive 50 lands below every comparable Tesla long-range sedan.

  • Up to 468 miles EPA range; 400 kW DC fast charging adds 191–208 miles in 10 minutes
  • Starting at $61,500 for the i3 50 xDrive; sportier i3 60 xDrive to follow above $65K
  • Native NACS port, 17.9-inch central screen, and bidirectional V2H charging standard
Why it mattersThe first European executive sedan to crack 450 miles of range forces a direct pricing and range comparison with Tesla's Model S.
02 electrek.co↗

Ford CEO admits Fathom EV launch will be 'a heck of an effort'

Ford CEO Jim Farley publicly acknowledged that the Fathom compact electric pickup — targeted at $28,350 and Q1 2027 production — has not yet solved its mass-manufacturing challenges. He said Ford has not yet 'landed the plane' on scaling the Universal Electric Vehicle platform.

  • CEO stated 'We haven't landed the plane on mass production of UEV yet'
  • BYD's ~20% battery cost advantage forced a redesign of motors, gearboxes, and inverters
  • Ford targets 100,000 units in year one from a $5B Louisville plant investment
Why it mattersThe US market's most affordable planned EV pickup has a candid problem: its maker is not certain it can hit the price, on time.
03 electrek.co↗

China's megawatt chargers go live; the US is still planning 750 kW

Geely's 2,250 kW charging system went operational in five Chinese cities within a week of launch, promising sub-5-minute fills once compatible vehicles arrive. The US's fastest planned public charger — EVgo's 750 kW unit — is not due until 2027.

  • Geely's 1,500V/1,500A system is live in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Jiaxing, and Xi'an
  • 15,000 Geely charging sites planned for deployment across China by end of 2027
  • US fast chargers currently peak at 350–400 kW; no production car yet accepts 750 kW
Why it mattersThe charging speed gap between China and the US is no longer theoretical — it is now measured in deployed, operational hardware.
04 electrek.co↗

Range Rover Sport EV orders open: ~$150K, 378-mile WLTP range

Land Rover opened UK order books on the electric Range Rover Sport at £110,000 (~$146,000), backed by a 118.5 kWh 800V battery delivering 378 miles WLTP and 542 horsepower. US buyers face a 2028 model-year wait, with pricing likely between $120,000 and $130,000.

  • 118.5 kWh 800V battery; 350 kW DC charging adds 136 miles in 22 minutes
  • 542 hp dual-motor AWD; 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds in Dynamic Launch Mode
  • US deliveries expected as 2028 model year, estimated at $120K–$130K
Why it mattersLand Rover enters the electric performance-SUV space occupied by the Lucid Gravity and Porsche Cayenne EV, signalling the premium segment is fully contested.
05 electrek.co↗

Rivian R2 LiDAR: employees get it in 2026, buyers wait until 2027

Rivian confirmed that the LiDAR-equipped R2 will enter employee test fleets by the end of 2026, with retail deliveries of the hardware-enabled variant pushed to 2027. Buyers taking early Launch Edition R2s will receive the standard sensor suite with the included Autonomy+ package.

  • LiDAR-equipped R2 enters Rivian employee test fleet in late 2026
  • Launch Edition buyers receive standard camera and radar sensors plus the Autonomy+ package
  • LiDAR enables Level 2+ features not achievable with the standard sensor configuration
Why it mattersR2 reservation holders expecting hands-free autonomy hardware from day one now have a clear — and later than hoped — timeline.
06 electrek.co↗

NIO Q3 delivers 109K EVs overall, but ONVO brand falls 26%

NIO group reported 109,178 deliveries in Q3 2026, up 25.4% year-on-year, but the headline masks a 26.4% decline at its mass-market ONVO sub-brand. Monthly growth decelerated sharply through the quarter: +71% in July, +14.5% in August, +7.7% in September.

  • NIO group Q3 2026 deliveries: 109,178 EVs, up 25.4% year-on-year
  • ONVO brand Q3 deliveries fell 26.4% year-on-year to 27,728 units
  • Quarter growth decelerated from +71% in July to +14.5% August to +7.7% September
Why it mattersNIO's headline growth conceals a sharp ONVO decline, suggesting the mass-market segment where it competes directly with BYD is not going to plan.
07 electrek.co↗
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The Daily Archive

/THU 01 OCTEV Daily — Thursday, 1 October 2026/WED 30 SEPTTesla bets $30B on AI; EVgo scales to 750 kW/TUE 29 SEPTStandards finalised, bestseller electrified, count incoming/MON 28 SEPTBattery Swap Goes Mainstream and FSD Speeds in Brussels/SUN 27 SEPTCAFE rollback, 5-minute charging, and a rare-earth supply break/SAT 26 SEPTSemis move, Waymo proves itself, Europe breaks 29%/THU 24 SEPTThe Corolla goes electric, Bentley enters, VW cuts ICE/WED 23 SEPTTesla Semi's Record Order, 4-Minute Charges, and the Robotaxi Pivot/TUE 22 SEPTThe Four-Minute Car/MON 21 SEPTTesla's Roadster gets a date, diesel hits $10, and flash charging arrives/SAT 19 SEPTWireless in Zuffenhausen, Worried in Seoul/FRI 18 SEPTFrom Singapore to open-source semis/THU 17 SEPTThe Price Floor Drops Again/WED 16 SEPTTesla's Regulatory Reckoning, CATL's Megawatt Truck, and the $20K BYD/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)