How it works
Technology and terminology explained from the body that defines it: cells and chemistries, platforms, charging, drivetrains, assistance levels, and what a line on a spec sheet means.
October 19, 2026
The EU battery passport: a QR-linked digital record for EV batteries, due 18 February 2027
From 18 February 2027, according to the European Commission's pages, a digital battery passport becomes mandatory in the EU for relevant battery categories, including electric vehicle, light-means-of-transport and industrial batteries, placed on the EU market. Here is what the passport is, what information it carries, who holds the obligation, and how the indicative timeline is set out - with the caveat that the Commission marks it as indicative and subject to publication requirements.
October 17, 2026
ACEA's 2026 plants map: 260 automobile plants in the EU and UK, 127 of them building battery-electric vehicles
The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association updated its interactive map of European production plants on 28 June 2026. It counts 260 automobile assembly, engine and battery plants in the EU and UK, including 127 that assemble battery-electric vehicles, and names what the overview leaves out: automotive suppliers, many smaller-sized manufacturers, custom bodybuilders and transmission, body shell and other vehicle part plants.
October 10, 2026 · updated October 11, 2026
When the EPA makes carmakers relabel: a history of fuel economy window sticker corrections in the US, from Hyundai to Nissan
The US EPA keeps an official record of the times it required manufacturers to lower MPG values on fuel economy labels: Hyundai and Kia (model years 2012-2013), Ford's hybrids (2013-2014), BMW's Mini Cooper (2014), Mercedes C300 4-matic, the 2013-2017 Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen gasoline vehicles, and several Nissan models from 2017 through 2025. Here is how the corrections happened, and how the agency says it catches inflated sticker values.
October 10, 2026
MG's UK range, sorted by starting price: what the manufacturer's own pages listed on 10 October 2026
A price-sorted reference on MG Motor UK's on-sale line-up, using the UK on-the-road 'from' prices as the manufacturer published them on its website, captured 10 October 2026. Fifteen models, UK market only, from £17,995 to £55,245, plus the registration-window APR offers attached to those prices.
October 9, 2026
UK ZEV Mandate review, 2026: three dated SMMT statements trace the arc from June warning to consultation
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders published three dated statements in 2026 on the UK's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate review: a 30 June warning that regulatory targets run ahead of demand, a 14 August welcome for the government consultation, and a 27 August van-sector reaction naming the consultation deadline and manufacturer responses. What each statement says, in the trade body's own words.
October 7, 2026
Germany's i-Kfz and the digital vehicle registration document: what the KBA's own pages say
Internet-based vehicle registration in Germany rests on the Central Vehicle Register receiving general inspection data, according to the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt's English pages. The digital registration certificate (DFZ) works in the i-Kfz app but has documented limits: it is valid only in Germany, cannot be printed, and the paper certificate is still required abroad and at the general inspection.
October 3, 2026
UK vehicle tax for electric cars, vans and motorcycles: what the DVLA guidance says for the year from 1 April 2026
Electric and zero-emission vehicles in the UK no longer pay nothing. DVLA guidance lists the rates now due and the £50,000 list-price supplement.
October 3, 2026
EV battery deployment reached 1.2 TWh in 2025, up almost 30%: the IEA's regional figures at a glance
The International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook 2026 puts electric vehicle battery deployment at 1.2 TWh in 2025, an increase of almost 30% on 2024. The chapter names regional shares — China 60% of the global total, the European Union almost 15%, the United States 10% and stagnant, and emerging markets and developing economies 6% — and documents the fastest growth in electric trucks, where battery demand more than doubled on sharp sales growth in China. It also records average battery sizes by market: European Union battery electric cars close to 70 kWh, China below 60 kWh and the United States 90 kWh.
September 30, 2026 · updated October 5, 2026
What the UK MOT test checks — and what it doesn't
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes an item-by-item guide to the annual MOT test for England, Scotland and Wales. It covers body and structure, brakes, tires, lights, seatbelts, steering and more — and it is explicit about what the test leaves out, including the condition of the engine, clutch and gearbox. What the DVSA's checklist covers, and how to look up a vehicle's test history.
September 30, 2026 · updated October 4, 2026
LFP overtakes: what three IEA documents record about the shift in battery chemistry — and who refines what
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries reached close to half the global electric car market, according to the IEA's Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, and passed half of EV batteries by 2025 per an IEA commentary dated 13 February 2026. Their supply chains — from cathode material to battery-grade phosphoric acid and manganese sulfate — remain heavily concentrated in China. Here is what the documents, with their dates, record; the piece holds no driving impression, no measurement of ours and no reliability verdict.
September 27, 2026 · updated October 3, 2026
Seven connectors, five million public chargers: how the IEA documents EV charging on paper
The International Energy Agency's Breakthrough Agenda Report 2025 lists seven major connector types for electric cars, and the Global EV Outlook 2025 puts the global public charging stock at more than 5 million points after 1.3 million were added in 2024. A files-style read of what the two documents say, market by market, and how to check the numbers yourself.
September 26, 2026
Sorted by EPA combined MPG(e): fueleconomy.gov's all-years Top Ten, from the 146 MPG(e) Lucid Air Pure down to 134 — US market
A comparison sorted by one criterion: the EPA combined city/highway rating as published on fueleconomy.gov's all-years Top Ten list for the US market. Every figure below is the agency's own published number, with the model year, trim and wheel size attached. This piece holds no driving impression, no measurement of ours and no reliability verdict.
September 24, 2026
Why quiet hybrid and electric cars must make noise in the US: FMVSS No. 141 explained
A standing reference to the US rule that requires hybrid and electric vehicles to emit alert sounds at low speeds: where it came from, what it requires, which speed ranges it covers, and what changed in 2018 and 2022.
September 24, 2026
How the EPA measures electric-car range and MPGe, according to the agency's own FAQ
A look at how the US EPA arrives at the range and MPGe figures on its fuel economy labels: laboratory test cycles run by manufacturers, EPA re-testing of a share of models, weighting of cycle distances into an overall range, and why electricity is measured at the charge source. Based on the fueleconomy.gov FAQ.
September 17, 2026
UK car, van and engine production in 2023: the numbers as SMMT's Motor Industry Facts 2024 published them
A standing reference entry on UK automotive manufacturing in 2023, drawn from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' Motor Industry Facts 2024, dated 2 Jul 2024. It sets out the UK-market production, turnover, employment and export figures the industry body carries, and how readers can check them.
September 17, 2026
EU new car registrations rose 5.7% in the first half of 2026, with battery-electric cars at 20.7% of the market
ACEA's press release of 23 July 2026 reports that new EU car registrations grew 5.7% year-to-date in the first half of 2026. Battery-electric cars reached a 20.7% share of the EU market, up from 15.6% a year earlier, while hybrids led at 37.3% and combined petrol and diesel fell to 29.7%. All figures apply to the EU market as ACEA defines it.
September 16, 2026 · updated September 30, 2026
Sorted by WLTP range: what Polestar's own global pages publish for the Polestar 2 and Polestar 3
A comparison of manufacturer-certified WLTP range figures for five powertrains across two Polestar models, sorted by one criterion: published range. All numbers come from Polestar's own global model pages, with the test cycle named. The piece holds no driving impression, no measurement of ours and no reliability verdict.
September 15, 2026
Zeekr 7X opens for order in the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway: the manufacturer's own launch figures
Zeekr's December 16, 2024 launch release for Europe names launch prices of €52,990 in the Netherlands, 579,000 SEK in Sweden and 539,900 NOK in Norway, an 'around 615km' Long Range figure flagged as subject to WLTP homologation, 480kW DC charging capability, and a 5+5 year warranty structure. Here is what the manufacturer's own document says, market by market, and where the gaps are.
September 15, 2026
How UK new-car disputes are meant to be resolved: The Motor Ombudsman's four codes, as SMMT publishes them
When a new-car purchase, sale, warranty product or repair goes wrong in the UK, the industry's self-regulatory route runs through The Motor Ombudsman and its four Chartered Trading Standards Institute-approved codes of practice. We set out what each code covers, the documented history of the scheme, and how a driver can check the coverage themselves.
September 13, 2026
XPENG P7+ makes its European debut at the Brussels Motor Show: 25 markets, April 2026 deliveries, Graz production and a €43,990 starting price
XPENG unveiled the P7+ fastback for European audiences at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show on 9 January 2026. The company says deliveries begin in April 2026 across 25 European markets, that the car is assembled at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, and that a reference starting price is €43,990 for the RWD Standard Range in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Battery, charging, dimension and delivery figures below are manufacturer claims; no test cycle is named in the release for the battery and charging figures.
September 12, 2026
What the SMMT's Guiding Principles say about marketing automated and assisted driving in the UK
The UK motor industry body's own page sets out five principles for describing automated and assisted driving features, approved by the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles and the Committee of Advertising Practice. Here is what they require, and why the automated-versus-assisted distinction matters for UK buyers.
September 12, 2026
MG S5 EV: the published figures, as MG Motor UK's model page carried them
A standing reference for the UK-market MGS5 EV, compiled from MG Motor UK's own model page as captured on 12 September 2026: three variants from £28,995, 125kW and 170kW motor options, up to 298 miles WLTP combined range, 10-80% DC charging in 28 minutes or less under standardized test conditions, and seven airbags as standard. No driving impression, measurement or reliability verdict is offered here.
September 11, 2026 · updated September 29, 2026
NIO ET7: what the manufacturer's own documents say about the 150 kWh battery and the 1,000 km claim
A files-style reference on the NIO ET7 as documented on the manufacturer's global model page: the 150 kWh ultra-long-range battery pack, the over-1,000 km range figure and the test cycle behind it, published dimensions and aerodynamics, and the battery-swap terms. All figures are NIO's own, tied to the CLTC cycle; no WLTP or EPA figure appears in the manufacturer's documentation read for this piece.
September 11, 2026 · updated September 12, 2026
MG S6 EV: the published figures, as MG Motor UK's model page carried them
A files entry for the MG S6 EV in the UK market: 329 miles WLTP combined range on SE and Trophy Long Range variants, a 77 kWh battery on the Modular Scalable Platform, 10–80% charging in 38 minutes on a 150 kW charger under standardised test conditions, and UK pricing from £37,995 — all as printed on MG Motor UK's model page as captured on 11 September 2026. The page carries no publication date, so this is a record of the page as read, not a launch story. It holds no driving impression, no measurement of ours and no reliability verdict.
September 11, 2026
NIO's Battery Swap Network in Europe: A Files Reference
A standing reference on NIO's Power Swap Stations in Europe, assembled from three NIO press releases: 30 stations across five markets as of November 30, 2023; the third-generation PSS 3.0 specifications announced in December 2023; and the September 2024 plans to use the stations as decentralized energy storage. All figures are manufacturer-stated and dated.
September 11, 2026
UK new car registrations rise 13.7% in August 2026, with BEV share above prior Augusts back to 2023 ahead of the '76 plate change
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported on 4 September 2026 that UK new car registrations rose 13.7% year on year to 94,236 units in August 2026, the market's ninth consecutive month of growth. Battery electric vehicles took 29.8% of the month's registrations, a share the SMMT itself attributes partly to August's low volumes; that share tops the prior Augusts the SMMT lists back to 2023. Year to date, BEV share stands at 25.6% against the UK mandate's 33% headline target. All figures are UK-market only.