Batteries Included

We talk with Francie from the Out of Spec Podcast about her experiences living with the VinFast VF8, the first vehicle from the young Vietnamese automaker to come to the US, and which probably received the worst critical reviews in recent history.

Monster episode this week! Besides talking with Ford's VP of Global EV programs about F-150 lightning, we're talking about driving the 2024 Mustang Mach-E GT and Mach-E Rally, driving Tesla Model 3 Performance, driving the Chevy Equinox EV. All that, and the reveals of the Cadillac Optiq and Jeep Wagoneer S!

We caught up with Joby Aviation Chief Product Officer (CPO) Eric Allison at #DriftX 2024 to bring us up to speed with the progress the company is making with its aircraft and its future role as an air taxi.

A few days ago, Tesla CEO fired the executive in charge of its Supercharger network and most of the people working for her, throwing the entire industry into a state of confusion. We talk about that decision and what we've learned about it since.We also talk about driving the Acura ZDX and other EV news of the week. But, mostly about the Tesla Supercharger network.

Tom and Martyn are back with three more listener emails to find them the perfect EV.

The team are back with three more listeners emails hoping to find themselves the perfect battery bargain.

Tune in and get up to speed with our Podcast crew and the top EV news of the week!

Dom, Tom and Martyn are back with three more listeners who need our help choosing their next EV purchase.

Catch up with our Podcast crew and the top EV news of the week!

We choose an EV for a viewer who wants something to drive up mountain trails, a Kia Soul EV owner considering on trading up to a Chevy Bolt EV, and a Canadian farmer who wants to replace his diesel truck for an electric one with good range that can tow.

Get up to speed with the top EV news of the week and the electric shenanigans of our podcast crew.

This week on Battery Bargains we help three more viewers find their perfect electric vehicle.Dom, Tom and Martyn advise one particular viewer who is interested in buying a Tesla, but is worried their 4680 cells are not up to the job for rapid charging. Should he be worried? Or do our team recommend one of those vehicles? 00:00:00 Intro00:00:12 Case 1: Patrick wants a plush riding electric vehicle for under $60,00000:07:56 Case 2: Growing family with a Golden looking for a spacious EV for under $45,00000:19:30 Case 3: Ryan P. is very interested in a Tesla Model Y, but is concerned about getting one with 4680 that charges slower

➤ Update on last weekend's cross country, 4-electric-pickup, "race"➤ Inside the deal that allowed Ford to adopt the Tesla charge connector and gain Supercharger access➤ Record-setting Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (and GT with Weissach package) unleashed.➤ Porsche Macan EV reservation "overwhelm" the automaker➤ Rivian R2 receives 68,000 pre-orders in initial 24 hours after review➤ Audi Q4 e-tron gets refreshed and features more power and range➤ Kyle rejoins us from the Tesla Cybertruck after connection issues, gives us a short tour and discussion➤ Fisker stock takes a huge hit after rumors of it talking with bankruptcy consultants➤ Viewer has news of CHAdeMO-to-CCS adaptor, which kicks off short discussion around NACS-to-CCS adaptor testing Tom is doing➤ Chevrolet Blazer EV back on sale, and at a reduced price➤ Hyundai Ioniq 5 N will have a price starting at $67,475➤ Volkswagen reveals (for Europe) ID. 3 GTX and ID. 7 Tourer GTX

Finding more battery bargains for our listeners.

Tom and Kyle race identical Ford F-150 Lightning pickup trucks 1,000 miles –from New Jersey to Florida – with one truck limited to using Tesla Superchargers, and the other using only CCS chargers, which turned out to be exclusively Electrify America stations.

Tune in at 9:30 AM Eastern to watch the show live!

If you're looking for your own Battery Bargain, drop us a line at [email protected] and tell us your usage and budget, and we'll see about featuring your case on an upcoming episode.

00:00:00 Intro00:02:24 EV News Daily Weekly Reporting Roundup00:07:06 Ford EV owners gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network00:45:01 Tom drive Polestar 3 on a lake in the Arctic Circle01:05:30 Kyle drives the 2024 Volkswagen ID. 401:21:09 Efficiency comparison between Kia EV9 RWD and AWD01:24:54 EVIQO EVIPOWER 48-AMP EV Smart Charger review

Finding more battery bargains for our listeners.

Tune in at 9:30 AM Eastern to catch the show live!

Finding more EV battery bargains for our listeners.

00:00:00 Intro 00:01:51 Refreshed Porsche Taycan debuts https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2024/products/02062024_The_new_2025-_Porsche_Taycan_models.html 00:29:16 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter launches https://media.mbusa.com/releases/release-f891765aa8baea491d32e240d746cdaa-first-fully-electric-van-from-mercedes-benz-the-all-new-esprinter-hits-the-road 00:51:49 Tom talks about the development of the NACS to CCS1 adapters being developed by A2Z and Lectron https://youtu.be/4Ghl2ujn1UA https://youtu.be/IHvZk8uwLhA 01:07:33 Rivian introduces two new battery options: Standard and Standard + https://insideevs.com/news/708015/rivian-r1t-r1s-get-more-range-options/ 01:14:57 Ford has a "skunkworks" team developing a low-cost platform https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/09/cars/ford-skunk-works-designing-a-cheap-ev/index.html 01:19:11 Toyota increases its North American EV investment by $1.3 billion https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2024/02/06/toyota-georgetown-kentucky-electric-vehicle-production 01:26:37 Zeekr, a Geely brand, will sell cars in Mexico, leading to speculation about possibly manufacturing there and shipping to US https://insideevs.com/news/707832/zeekr-mexico-plans-china-geely/

Finding more battery bargains for our podcast listeners.

00:00:00 Intro00:01:46 EV News Daily Weekly Reporting Roundup00:06:41 Tom's Emporia Energy home charger giveaway00:10:17 Refreshed Porsche Taycan charges curve is crazy!00:26:47 Kyle tells us about experiencing the Honda Prologue (but not driving impressions)00:29:49 leasing a Vinfast VF8 https://youtu.be/s90qmaYjcIw00:37:09 Kyle talks about leasing the Chevrolet Silverado EV from Hertz00:43:49 GM plans to add plug-in hybrid option to some vehicles https://www.autonews.com/manufacturin...01:19:45 Ford confirms fee NACS-to-CCS adapters for owners coming this spring https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/gm-reverses-course-plug-hybrids01:31:27 Volvo EX30 launch is delayed in Europe https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/volvo-software-issue-stalls-ex30-small-suv-deliveries

Case 1: Mike wants to replace his Toyota Prius with a Kia EV6, but has reliability concerns.Case 2: Adam's wife is considering swapping out her Toyota Prius for a very basic EV.Case 3: Thomas wants to replace his Honda Civic with an electric sedan or hatchback that's good for road tripping across Texas.

On this week's show, we're talking about: the global debut of the electric Porsche Macan Tom's visit to Lucid's newly expanded factory and the first teaser of its next product the new Tesla timeline for its next-generation, low-cost product and much, much more!

Finding more used EV bargains for our viewers and listeners.

Tune in at 9:30 AM Eastern to catch the show live!

Want To Replace Our Volkswagen eGolf SE With An AWD EV

If you're looking for your own Battery Bargain, email us a couple short paragraphs at [email protected] with "find my EV" in the subject line, and tell us about your use case and budget.