Electrek

The US electric vehicle market delivered its strongest performance in a year in the third quarter. Here are the top 10 most popular so far this year.

Tesla told a Quebec court that car fires are “generally” caused by misuse or vandalism. The judge didn’t buy it, and Tesla Canada now has to cover the C$161,700 an insurer paid out for a Model X that burned in Montreal.

An expert report traced the fire to an electrical failure in the dashboard of the 2020 Model X, which was still under Tesla’s warranty. Tesla offered no data to support its theory, and the court called it out for that.

We’re kicking off this week’s Green Deals with a bunch of ongoing savings from last week’s big event alongside some newer deals. Leading the group is Segway’s GT3 Electric SuperScooter down at its $1,400 low for the rest of the week, not to mention the other models in the sale. We also have an exclusive bundle for Anker’s expanded 6,144Wh SOLIX F3000 Portable Power Station with an expansion battery and FREE home integration kit ($100 value) down at $2,118, as well as the Autel MaxiCharger AC Pro 80A Level 2 EV Charger back at its $909 low, the Greenworks 80V 20-inch Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer kit at a new $243 2026 low, and GoTrax’s MK2 Electric Mini Motorbike for kids at a new $280 low – plus, several ongoing sales/deals from last week’s Prime Day event. You can also find the hangover deals from last week collected together in our latest Electrified Weekly roundup edition here.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Shortly after launching, Volkswagen said its new Electric Urban Car Family is proving “highly popular,” with nearly 150,000 orders to date.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent over half a billion dollars on anti-EV political campaigns so far, with $276 million spent in just the last 3 months.

Even Tesla acknowledges that these campaigns have harmed its business, costing it billions, and has taken the extraordinary measure of asking its CEO to stop – yet he’s only accelerated his anti-EV influence in response.

It’s about the size of the Kia PV5 and VW ID. Buzz. As “a real alternative to SUVs and saloons,” Renault’s E-Space Concept makes you want to love minivans again.

Smart is back in the two-seater business. The Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture unveiled the all-electric Smart #2 at the Paris Motor Show today, with a 35.8 kWh LFP battery, up to 290 km (180 miles) of WLTP range, and a starting price of €19,990.

That’s more than double the range of the last Smart EQ Fortwo, which never got DC fast charging. Early orders open in Europe tomorrow, and deliveries start in 2027.

AITO will start selling cars in Europe in the fall of 2027. The Chinese luxury SUV brand, built by Seres with Huawei’s technology, confirmed the timing at the Paris Motor Show today, where it showed the AITO 9, 8, 7, and 6.

AITO sold 426,000 vehicles in 2025, more than any other Chinese luxury brand. Now it has a date for Europe. But you won’t find the word “Huawei” anywhere in its Paris press kit.

French electric marine motor manufacturer TEMO is bringing its latest electric propulsion system to North America, offering sailboat owners an interesting middle ground between a conventional outboard and a permanently installed pod drive.

The flagship seven-seater is BYD’s first vehicle in Europe to feature its second-generation batteries and Flash Charging tech, delivering over 400 miles of range.

A new defect petition accuses Tesla’s Robotaxis of speeding through active school zones, and NHTSA has opened a file to decide whether to investigate. The agency puts the affected fleet at about 1,000 vehicles, Model Y and Cybercab.

It’s the third federal action aimed at Tesla’s driverless fleet in about five weeks, after an audit query and a Special Order over how the Cybercab was certified.

Electric work trucks are earning their keep at one of Canada’s busiest container terminals, where Peterbilt’s battery-powered box vans are keeping cargo moving without the air pollution of diesel and propane. And now, they’re getting recognized for it.

The Hunter WOLF military robot is one of six private-sector projects chosen for US Army’s Infantry Last Tactical Mile (ILTM) initiative – an advanced research initiative designed to modernize infantry support for soldiers on the battlefield.

Brazilian electric motorcycle and battery-swapping company Vammo is hitting several major milestones as it prepares to take its model beyond its home of São Paulo, including reaching EBITDA profitability, surpassing 10 million battery swaps, and growing to more than 10,000 active riders.

Citroën has unveiled a concept electric version of its classic 2CV, aiming to bring the vehicle to market in 2028 for just €15,000.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey about whether our Electrek believed there might be some silver lining to the record-breaking fuel prices following the start of the war in Iran. After nearly 2,000 responses, here’s what you told us.

For a lot of fleet managers, whether or not electrified equipment assets will lead to real world savings that are worth the higher up-front costs might feel theoretical, but early adopters Groupe Bellemare have been operating battery-powered heavy equipment for years – and their real-world results are real impressive.

As record-breaking diesel prices drive demand for electric big rigs, so, too is the demand for commercial truck charging climbing. To meet that demand, EV Realty as announced a new, Inland Empire site for its next electric semi truck charging hub.

Mitusbishi’s North American dealers have been trudging along with an aging, badge-engineered model line for years – but overseas? It’s a different story, and the 459 hp all-wheel drive ASX VR-e electric hot hatch shown here is plug-in proof.

The BYD Q3 battery-electric semi truck shown here marked a major production milestone this week, becoming the 150,000th new energy commercial vehicle to roll off the assembly line at BYD’s truck plant in Huai’an, Jiangsu province.

While oil prices and range anxiety dominate Western EV headlines, Nio’s battery-swap system in China keeps reaching new milestones that prove the technology can rival a traditional refueling infrastructure at scale, performing 1.2 million battery swaps over the holiday.

A 450-megawatt (MW) solar farm with a massive battery system is now under construction in Arizona – and Tesla has already lined up about 90% of its expected electricity output.

Hyundai’s electric SUVs are even more tempting this month with a 10% discount, or up to $7,000 in total savings.

Most Americans say 75 miles of range would be more than enough for their daily drive, but when it comes to choosing an EV, a fair number want a much bigger cushion.