The Brief Brief Electric Vehicles
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Electric Vehicles — briefly, then briefly again · tbb.ceo
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#003 ·26 JUN 2026 ·FRIDAY ·5 MIN READ ·10 STORIES + 11 EXTRAS

The week the floor dropped and the ceiling rose

A fatal crash forced Tesla to confirm FSD was active in a fatality for the first time, Polestar got kicked out of America, and affordable EVs from Slate and Subaru redrew the price map. The bottom line: electrification is accelerating almost everywhere it is not being actively sabotaged by policy — Europe hit 24% BEV share in May while US sales are forecast to fall 19% this year, making national regulation, not technology, the primary variable in adoption speed.

01 / The Ten

The week, ranked

10

Tesla confirms FSD was active in fatal Texas crash, triggering federal probe and EU pushback

A Tesla Model 3 running Full Self-Driving killed a 76-year-old woman in Katy, Texas on June 19. Tesla acknowledged FSD was engaged — its first such confirmation in a fatality — while blaming the driver for overriding the system at 73 mph. NHTSA opened a formal investigation, and Sweden moved to block EU type-approval for FSD over its willingness to exceed posted speed limits on driver request.

Why it mattersThe convergence of a confirmed FSD fatality, a federal probe, and a potential EU-wide ban creates the most serious regulatory threat Tesla autonomy programme has faced to date.
01 electrek.co↗

US bans Polestar under connected-vehicle security rule

The US government denied Polestar market access under a new rule targeting Chinese-manufactured networking components, making the Swedish-branded, Geely-owned automaker the first major EV marque expelled from America on national security grounds.

Why it mattersThis sets the precedent for which EV brands with Chinese ties can remain in the US market — and the answer appears to be very few.
02 electrek.co↗

European BEV sales jump 39% in May, hit 24% market share

Close to 275,000 battery-electric vehicles were registered across Europe in May, pushing BEV share to 24% — a 39% year-on-year increase. Germany alone hit a record 33.7% BEV share, led by the Skoda Elroq rather than a Tesla.

Why it mattersEurope is now tracking well ahead of the trajectory needed for its 2035 ICE phaseout, weakening the political case for softening CO2 targets.
03 cleantechnica.com↗

Slate Auto prices its electric pickup at $24,950 — cheapest new car in America

Slate Auto revealed a bare-bones electric pickup with 205 miles of range and NACS charging compatibility at $24,950, making it the least expensive new vehicle on sale in the US. Deliveries expected late 2026.

Why it mattersThis is the first credible test of whether an affordable EV format can find mass-market US demand without relying on subsidies or lease arbitrage.
04 electrek.co↗

Subaru $35K EV with 300-mile range becomes the brand top seller

Subaru latest battery-electric SUV, priced at $35,000 with over 300 miles of EPA range, has become the brand best-selling vehicle in America. First time an EV has held that position for any mainstream Japanese automaker.

Why it mattersA trusted mainstream brand hitting top-seller status with a $35K, 300-mile EV is the mass-market crossover the industry has been promising — and finally delivering.
05 electrek.co↗

BYD Great Tang launches with 590-mile range and five-minute charging

BYD flagship SUV went on sale in China after 150,000 preorders, claiming 950 km of CLTC range and a 1,000V architecture that refills from 10% to 70% in five minutes.

Why it mattersThe specifications reframe what Chinese luxury EVs can credibly deliver and set a benchmark European and American makers will struggle to match on any near-term timeline.
06 electrek.co↗

Battery strategy splits: GM picks silicon anode, Honda bets on QuantumScape, CATL says solid-state is years away

GM committed to silicon anode cells rather than waiting for solid-state. Honda formalised a solid-state partnership with QuantumScape. CATL chairman said solid-state sits at level 4 of 9 on its internal maturity scale.

Why it mattersThe industry three largest battery bets are now publicly diverging, which means the next generation of EVs will ship on fundamentally different chemistries depending on who makes them.
07 electrek.co↗

Congress proposes $130 annual federal fee for EV owners

The BUILD America 250 Act would charge EV drivers $130 per year and plug-in hybrid drivers $35 per year to replace gas-tax revenue lost to the Highway Trust Fund. The bill has bipartisan support and a genuine path to passage.

Why it mattersThis is the most direct hit to EV ownership costs currently moving through Congress — and it arrives just as affordable EVs are finally reaching the market.
08 landline.media↗

Volkswagen Group launches vehicle-to-grid charging for mainstream buyers

Volkswagen and its energy subsidiary Elli rolled out V2G bidirectional charging for volume-market European customers, allowing compatible VW and Audi EVs to sell electricity back to the grid.

Why it mattersThe largest European automaker commercialising V2G for regular buyers marks the transition from EVs-as-transport to EVs-as-distributed-grid-assets.
09 cleantechnica.com↗

EU prepares tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrids, closing the loophole

The European Commission is drafting measures to extend tariff coverage to plug-in hybrids imported from China, closing the gap left by existing BEV-only duties.

Why it mattersEvery time Chinese brands find a regulatory gap, the EU moves to close it — raising the cost and uncertainty of any China-to-Europe export strategy.
10 cleantechnica.com↗
02 / Also

Worth knowing

11
Lucid cuts 18% of staff — second purge in four months
Lucid eliminated roughly 1,500 US jobs, scrapped its second production shift in Arizona, and removed the COO role.
electrek.co ↗
CATL and Octopus Energy launch European truck battery-swap network
The joint venture will deploy standardised modular battery-swapping stations across Europe targeting commercial trucks.
electrek.co ↗
Kia PV5 van rationed abroad as PV7 sibling is unveiled
Kia electric cargo van has become supply-constrained in overseas markets, with Australia capped at 50 units per month.
electrek.co ↗
Ford claims its new platform undercuts Chinese competitors below $35K
Ford executives argued their Universal Electric Vehicle platform gives it a structural cost edge over Chinese imports in the affordable segment.
electrek.co ↗
Honda Super N: a sub-19K electric hot hatch weighing 1,097 kg
Honda UK launched the Super N at 18,995 GBP — 128 miles of range, 93 hp in Boost Mode, and lighter than most ICE superminis.
electrek.co ↗
Toyota scraps Lexus flagship EV, immediately approves a successor
Toyota cancelled the LF-ZC and simultaneously greenlighted a replacement.
electrek.co ↗
Tesla cameras now pre-deploy airbags before impact is detected
A software update uses Tesla camera array to begin airbag pre-deployment in the milliseconds before traditional impact sensors register a collision.
insideevs.com ↗
Maserati Folgore gains 85 km of range through software alone
Updated energy management and an AWD disconnect pushed the GranTurismo Folgore past 540 km WLTP, up from 455 km.
stellantis.com ↗
Rivian discontinues entry-level R1 trims ahead of R2 launch
Rivian is dropping its most affordable R1T and R1S configurations, narrowing the range to higher-margin variants.
insideevs.com ↗
BloombergNEF: EVs to top 25% of global sales in 2026 as US market falls 19%
Global EV share is projected to exceed 25% of new car sales this year while US EV sales are forecast to drop 19%.
electrek.co ↗
Hyundai slashes EV prices up to $10K across US and Australia
Permanent Australian price cuts of $8,000 AUD on Kona Electric and IONIQ 5, plus US discounts of up to $10,000.
electrek.co ↗
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#008The Surge, the Exit, and the Robot in London#007The Combustion Engine's Worst Week#006Prices Down, Margins Down, Honda Out#005Two million in a month#004BYD pulls away, legacy retreats#003The week the floor dropped and the ceiling rose#00263 Percent and Counting#001BYD vs Everyone, Again
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