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Against the extreme heat, the Civil Guard agents want to choose between the motorcycle or the car. And don’t let your bosses decide

June 9, 2026 by usatoday24

It has arrived and has placed itself at the center of the debate. The heat and what to do to remedy it is one of the hot topics every year. Whether or not to apply new measures against a summer that increasingly arrives earlier and leaves later is beginning to be a recurring part of the general conversation. From the classrooms and the children to the Civil Guard agents. The heat. Suffocating and sustained. The same one that gives very few breaks between May and September, if not October. We live in a country that is getting hot and what to do to cope with it in the best possible way is something that we repeat to ourselves starting in the month of May. The misfortunes, in fact, seem to have been the only reason that has made us reflect. One of the last major debates revolves around the how hot it is in schools. He’s not the only one. Weather alerts They have already modified the schedules of the most exposed workers, like sweepers or workers. And there is a group that already defends that it is in the same situation: the Civil Guard agents. What do they claim? The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) is claiming to the higher commands to allow the agents who monitor traffic to decide whether or not to get on the motorcycle or, on the contrary, prefer to patrol by car. The reason is obvious: the heat. Furthermore, this association demands that they not be forced to wear the vest with an airbag when the temperature exceeds 32ºC, claiming that it is a garment that makes heat evacuation difficult. Why all this? These claims have once again gained strength because the AUGC has met with the Head of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard to send them their requests. And the latter is in charge of deciding the technical criteria to take into account to decide how to work. But the conflict, our colleagues explain Motorpassion Motorcycle comes from behind In July 2025, the PSI-08-25-OPCM report from the Civil Guard Prevention Service indicated that it was advisable not to wear the airbag vest above 32ºC. Later, in December, in the Plenary Session of the Civil Guard Council it was decided that the use of this vest and the decision to take the motorcycle or use the car would fall to the agent “according to his own professional criteria, without the need for authorization or any impediment,” according to the AUGC. And they emphasize that the Operations Command promised to put this in writing. Which have moved again from this association to the Headquarters of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard is that this commitment never materialized and that, on the contrary, a circular from May once again emphasized that the airbag vest was mandatory up to 35ºC and that It is the Operations Command that ultimately decides whether the agent gets on the motorcycle or not, instead of the latter’s criteria prevailing. The risks. The officers’ claims are based on the extreme heat to which they are subjected on the motorcycle when temperatures far exceed 30ºC. It must be taken into account that a motorcyclist faces environmental heat but is also exposed to the heat generated by the motorcycle itself and the use of safety equipment. The risks riding the motorcycle in extreme heat are evident: greater fatigue, proliferation of headaches or possible dizziness. Photo | In Xataka | “With our heads, we would all ride 20 HP motorcycles”: there is a debate brewing about how much power is too much power for a motorcycle

Nissan has been giving a second life to its car batteries for years. In Melilla they use them as an anti-blackout system

June 7, 2026 by usatoday24

Nissan has once again focused its attention on one of its most unique Spanish projects. And it is that in a recent press releasethe company recovered the case of Melilla as an example of how it is promoting the “second life” of its electric car batteries. The installation It has been operating in the city for several years now.but the project remains one of Nissan’s central arguments to defend that a battery that is no longer useful to power a car still has a lot to contribute to the electrical grid. What exactly is it about? The project is called Second Life and was born from an alliance between Nissan, the energy group Enel (through its Spanish subsidiary Endesa) and the Italian company Loccioni, specialized in measurement and control systems. The idea is to take advantage of Nissan LEAF batteries that have finished their time in the car to set up a stationary energy storage system. According to advertisement When the company itself made the project public, the installation combines 48 used LEAF batteries with 30 new ones, for a total of 78 units. Why Melilla and not another city. Melilla is an unusual case within the electrical system in Spain, since it is isolated, is not connected to the national distribution network and depends entirely on a single thermal power plant operated by Endesa. In other words, if that plant falls, the entire city is left without electricity. And precisely that point makes the city the ideal setting to test backup systems like Nissan’s. How it works in practice. The battery pack acts as an emergency generator. It has a power of 4 MW and a capacity of up to 1.7 MWh of stored energy. If the plant is disconnected, the system can inject electricity into the Melilla grid for about 15 minutes. It may not seem like much, but it is the margin that is considered sufficient to reactivate the plant and restore the supply without the population noticing a prolonged outage. Come on, it serves as a cushion to avoid blackouts and keep the network stable (although it is not shockproof. such problematic blackouts like April 2025). An interesting technical detail. The system does not disassemble the batteries cell by cell. According to explains The company, when each pack is removed from a vehicle, is placed directly into the storage system just as it was mounted in the car. It is a way to reuse the assembly without a complex dismantling process, something that makes reuse cheaper and simpler. Strategy. The brand frames Second Life within its concept of the “4Rs”: reuse, remanufacture, resell and recycle. It is a circular economy logic, since a battery that loses performance in a car still retains a good part of its capacity, sufficient for uses where it is not required as much, such as fixed energy storage. Soufiane Elkhomri, Director of Nissan Energy Services for the AMIEO region, counted Furthermore, the collaboration with Enel allowed them to create “a model for the second life of a battery, which can be applied to many other use cases.” A first step. Melilla is just one piece in a broader commitment than Nissan replicate in other placessuch as the LEAF batteries that support the Fiumicino airport in Rome or some of its facilities in Japan. The idea is interesting, especially in terms of reusing a component as critical as a car battery. It remains to be seen, in any case, to what extent this type of solution becomes widespread as millions of electric vehicle batteries reach the end of their first life in the coming years. Cover image | Christelle Hayek and Giovanni Della Checa In Xataka | A ‘shitty plan’ to save the countryside: Europe turns to manure to tackle the fertilizer crisis

Western brands are looking for the perfect car. Their way of achieving this is to sell us renowned Chinese cars

June 3, 2026 by usatoday24

There was a day when China lured Europe with the promise of vacant land and cheap labor. Today those days are over. Today the automobile industry has taken the road back. Today, more and more Western manufacturers are partnering with Chinese companies. And the reason is obvious: to sell you a rebuilt Chinese car as your own. What is happening? That traditional manufacturers are assuming Chinese technology to simply sell their product to you cheaper. A product that has little of its own and a lot of Chinese, for better and for worse. The reasons They are different: Pressure to jump to the electric car Complications in making that leap (either due to monetary issues or internal difficulties) Duty A Chinese technology that is above Brands that are on the verge of bankruptcy For some of these reasons (or the sum of several), more and more traditional manufacturers are intertwining with Chinese companies to advance their products. Products that, as we say, are sometimes pure Chinese cars “disguised” as Western. The Stellantis case It is the most recent but far from unique. It is also probably the most complex. The automobile conglomerate has faced serious financial complications in recent years. The cost reduction in many of its models led to the PureTech scandal. With the obligation to manage 14 brands, some of them have lost all types of identity. And their partnership with Leapmotor has shown them that they can get a lot of juice out of the Chinese electric car. During the presentation of its latest strategic plan, the company confirmed that they have reached an agreement of 1,000 million euros with the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng to produce Peugeot and Jeep cars in China. They will be New Energy cars (NEV). This is what they call electric cars and plug-in hybrids in China. At the moment, not many more details have been given but a key detail does seem confirmed: These are cars designed to be sold in China and exported. That is, they are not cars manufactured in China whose main market is Europe. This suggests that they will probably be entirely Chinese cars that adopt the design language of these two Western brands. Chinese production is not the only one that is compromised. The agreement opens the possibility for European plants to produce Dongfeng cars, specifically the Voyah brand. This allows Stellantis to keep the work committed in its plants (specifically, the Rennes plant in France is targeted) and Dongfeng could sell these electric cars without paying tariffs, as is happening right now. But in addition to this latest news, China has become more and more rooted in the bowels of Stellantis. Since 2023, this automobile conglomerate manages the distribution and sale of Leapmotor outside China. This company is one of those that seems to have greater potential when it comes to selling electric cars at a low price. For now, Stellantis has already confirmed that some of these cheap cars will be produced in Europe. Specifically, Figueruelas (Zaragoza) has been one of the chosen locations. This plant, therefore, will carry out small electric cars from Peugeot, Citroën and Opel and, in parallel, those from Leapmotor because they do not share a platform. However, the latter has already begun to be debated. Tianshu Xin, director of Leapmotor International, pointed out a few weeks ago that “Leapmotor vs Stellantis They are two independent manufacturers and have their own platforms. However, one of the strategic objectives of this alliance is to generate synergies, which could include platforms and their components. “About 65% of Leapmotor components are manufactured in-house, and there are synergies that would allow Stellantis to use Leapmotor parts in its future platforms,” in words reported by forumelectriccars. A few days ago Stellantis presented its STLA Onethe new modular platform that will replace STLA Small for segments B, C and D. This leaves the door for the smallest size, that of segment A, just where the new Citroën 2 CV will arrive, which has fueled rumors about a greater presence of Chinese components or software in the car. To this we must add that A new Opel electric car from 2028 will have Leapmotor technology but German dress. And the relationship between Stellantis and China does not seem to end here. In recent days the rumor has gained strength that the automobile conglomerate could look to JAC for a collaboration to move Maserati forward. The Italian sports car firm has already thrown away billions of euros in its jump to the electric car and JAC manufactures luxury cars together with Huawei in China. Producing them would allow Stellantis to put an electric Maserati on the street without taking more risks. Are you sure it’s western? That a car uses Chinese technology and is re-bodied like a Western one does not have to be bad in itself. In fact, automotive conglomerates such as Stellantis or the Volkswagen Group have made their synergies between brands one of the keys to building their success. However, in some cases yes it can be a problem. When a brand boasts of being different and unique, it has a problem if it only uses a “disguise” to camouflage that what is under its body comes from outside its factories. This is what can happen to Maserati and what Mazda is playing with. Until now, the Maserati customer has bought Maserati because, quite simply, their product was a Maserati. Italian elegance with a heart inherited from Ferrari to conquer a public that preferred its cars to, for example, Porsche. When you buy this type of car, not only buy numbersbuys an aesthetic and a sound and boasts of going against the grain compared to the majority German options such as Porsche or Mercedes. Just give up the engines ferraristas It was a serious problem for his image.. The Mazda 6e and CX-6e have a Chinese heart and soul despite the fact that the brand defends the Japanese philosophy in both cars If Maserati only … Read more

ideal for the terrace or car

May 26, 2026 by usatoday24

Lidl is like a box of surprises: you go in to do your weekly shopping and you can even take an electric guitar, a sound bar or a projector. The supermarket has a fairly extensive product catalog and it is renewed very frequently. This same Friday, May 28, a Kärcher KHD 3 that beyond standing out for how useful it can be, it does so above all for its price: Lidl will bring it on sale for 79.99 euros instead of 129.95 euros. If you prefer, Amazon currently has a similar one available in two versions: Kärcher K 2 Premium without home kit by 119.95 euros. Kärcher K 2 Premium with home kit by 149.95 euros. In this case it includes a surface cleaner and “Patio & Deck” detergent. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A pressure washer to clean the terrace, garden and car Lidl pressure washer. The Kärcher KHD 3 that we can find at Lidl (the one on Amazon is very similar) is a pressure washer that includes a high pressure gun that allows you to clean from the terrace to the car or certain garden furniture. And the good thing is that it includes a good assortment of accessories. First of all, one of the most useful is the rotating nozzlewhich allows you to adjust the water pressure to adapt it to the surface we want to clean. It also comes with a high-pressure hose that is four meters long for convenient cleaning. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the Kärcher KHD 3 offers a power of 1.6 kW and is aimed, above all, at eliminating certain stains that are difficult to remove. It is more for occasional use and not so much for regular use.. In addition, it is also important to note that the pressure washer comes with wheels to be able to transport it more comfortably. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: pressure washer offer ✅ THE BEST The price: Pressure washers usually have much higher prices, so it is appreciated to have much cheaper models. Its rotating nozzlewhich allows you to adjust the water jet to clean different surfaces. ❌ THE WORST Yesin availability online: While it is already available in different physical stores, it is not yet available in the Lidl online store. 💡 BUY IT IF… You want to have a pressure washer to remove stubborn stains from the car, but especially from the garden or terrace, which tend to accumulate more frequently. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You do not have a garden or terrace and you cannot use the pressure washer with the car, since you will not use it. You may also be interested Kärcher Universal Detergent RM 555, multi-purpose cleaning detergent for Kärcher pressure washers, 5 L The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kärcher K 5 Power Control pressure washer, pressure: 145 Bar, flow rate: 500 l/h, Performance: 40 m²/h, Weight: 13 kg, Hose and High pressure gun included The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Lidl and Compradicción (header), Kärcher In Xataka | Safety, organization and entertainment gadgets and accessories for cars on long trips In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes

1,050 HP, design by Jony Ive and a very different idea of an electric car

May 26, 2026 by usatoday24

Ferrari could do many things with his first electricbut it could hardly be allowed to go unnoticed. The Luce arrives after years of waiting and with an obvious symbolic charge: we are not just talking about changing gasoline for a battery, but about checking how far Maranello is willing to move the limits of its own tradition. The brand has revealed it in Rome today, May 25, 2026, a date chosen for its link with Ferrari’s first victory in 1947, when the 125 S won the Grand Prix di Rome. Before getting into the details, it is worth remembering where this model comes from. Ferrari presented at the Capital Markets Day 2022 a multi-energy strategy based on technological neutrality, a way of saying that electrification will coexist with other architectures within the brand. The Luce is the first fully electric result of that roadmap, but it is not proposed as a replacement for combustion or hybrid Ferraris. An electric Ferrari designed to change more than just the engine The first thing that catches your attention when seeing the Luce is its format. Ferrari had already crossed the four-door line with the Purosangue, but here it takes another step: for the first time it offers five seats in a series production car. The explanation lies in its specific electrical architecture, which allows the battery to be integrated under the floor and the rear seats, freeing up the cabin and eliminating the central tunnel. Ferrari maintains that this configuration would not have been possible with its traditional transaxle schemes, with a front-mid engine and rear gearbox. The other big change is in who has shaped the car. Ferrari entrusted the design of the Luce to LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by Jony Ive with Marc Newson in 2019, and the first name does not need much introduction for anyone following the recent history of technological design. It is an unusual decision for a brand with its own design center directed by Flavio Manzoni. According to Ferrari, this external look allowed us to introduce a new language that is not limited to the bodywork, but also reaches the interior and the interface. This approach is especially noticeable in the silhouette. Ferrari defines one of the main features of the Luce as a “glass house” with a clean, almost shell-like shape, which extends below the belt line to the ends of the car. Around it appear front and rear aerodynamic wings that appear to float above the main volume, as well as transparent light panels integrated into the surfaces. And then there are the halo-type rear lights, which Ferrari links to the 360 Modena and the 458 Italia: seeing them for the first time it is difficult not to feel a certain nostalgia in the midst of such a different design. One of the most recognizable decisions of the project appears in the cabin. Ferrari and LoveFrom have not followed the most obvious path in many current electric cars, where almost everything ends up inside a screen. The Luce combines physical aluminum controls, buttons, dials, switches and OLED screens developed by Samsung Display for this model, with the main information concentrated in front of the driver. The idea, according to Ferrari, is to unite the mechanical and the digital without one thing erasing the other. And that, in a car whose creative direction has gone through LoveFrom, is much more interesting than just another giant screen. The numbers, however, are inevitable. Ferrari declares a maximum power of 1,050 HP in Launch Control mode, four electric motors, one per wheel, and a 122 kWh battery with 800 V architecture. On paper, the Luce accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, reaches 0 to 200 km/h in 6.8 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 310 km/h. The estimated range is around 530 kilometers, although here it is worth maintaining the nuance: Ferrari indicates that this figure is still under homologation. In an electric Ferrari, sound is not a minor detail. The brand says it has worked five years and 40,000 kilometers of specific tests to develop a system that, according to Ferrari, does not generate a synthetic sound, but rather amplifies the real mechanical vibrations of the electric axles. That signal is processed in real time and changes depending on the e-Manettino mode and the use of the cams. In parallel, the four motors, the active suspension and the rear axle steering ensure that the Luce is not only fast in a straight line, but also capable of managing with great precision what happens at each wheel. And now it’s time to talk about more numbers. Reuters places its price above 500,000 euros, while the Ferrari page in Spain already allows it to be configured, although it still does not show the price or allow it to be purchased directly: the next step is to send the information to a dealer. The reasonable doubt, as always in a car so loaded with promises, remains for when we can see it on the road and not only in the figures offered by the company. Images | Ferrari In Xataka | If the EU’s strategy was to suffocate Chinese cars with tariffs, the 2026 figures leave a very clear conclusion

When the police investigated the crime of the founder of Mango, a motive had disappeared. Then they looked at their son’s car.

May 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Tuesday May 19, Jonathan Andic is ordered to go to prison. It has been ordered by the Judge of the Courts of Instance and Investigation of Martorell who are handling the case of the death of Isak Andic, founder of Mango and one of the richest people in Spain. The order arrives after evaluating the information provided by the Mossos d’Esquadra. A report that points to the poor relationship between father and son, “the obsession that Jonathan Andic has with money”, in the words of the judge, and “the emotional manipulation to achieve his economic goals” that the son would have used against the father. But there are also indications that point beyond mere personal relationships. The researchers They assure that the footprints collected on the path of the Monserrat mountain, next to Barcelona, where Isak Andic fell do not agree with a fortuitous slip. Nor are the version changes understood regarding the use that the founder of Mango would have made of his own mobile phone. And, as always, there is the matter of geolocation. But this time the Mossos d’Esquadra are not targeting the cell phone. They point to a much larger and more forceful object: one called Mercedes-AMG G63. Not just the mobile phone If the ubiquitous true crime podcasts or television series have taught us anything, it is that the mobile phone is a source of problems when it comes to murdering a person or disposing of a corpse. The persistent location of the telephone, either due to the use of the Internet or the search for antennas to connect to to access the mobile telephone network, has become one of the first threads to pull when studying one of these cases. In the case involving Isak Andic it has been no less. That is why the police report refers to the replacement of an iPhone 14 owned by the son of the founder of Mango with an iPhone 16 Pro after an alleged robbery during a lightning trip to Ecuador between March 24 and 26, 2025 when the media reported on the reopening of the investigations. The inherited content of the old phone was deleted and agents have found no evidence of such theft. However, this time it was not the location of the phone that made the agents suspicious. In their report they point out that they can prove that Jonathan went to the hiking route on up to three occasions in the days prior to the alleged murder. And for this they use their Mercedes-AMG G63. They point in three directions. The first is that the alleged visits coincide in days with the car entering and leaving the city of Barcelona, comparing the license plate with the surveillance system of the low emissions zone. Also because the traffic cameras of Collbató, the municipality where the natural enclave is located, also recorded the passage of the vehicle. And, also, by the IMEI of the car. What is the IMEI of our car? Connections to mobile networks on a data plan have their own serial number. Each phone has its own and information on when and where it connects to the Internet or telephone networks can be tracked by police officers. But not only phones are identified with a IMEI. Modern cars also have one if they are connected to the mobile networksince they have the modem that guarantees said connection. Nowadays it is common for a new car to come with a data plan and a SIM card with a duration stipulated by contract. The duration is usually years and, after the stipulated time, the client decides whether or not to renew the plan. This data plan is what allows, for example, to use the car navigator with real-time traffic directions. And it is also the one that in an electric car allows us to know the occupancy rate of the chargers or manage certain functions of the car, such as air conditioning or opening doors, from a mobile application. Just like a mobile phone, these recurring connections made by a car with an active SIM leave a digital trail. And that digital trace is associated with the IMEI with which each vehicle is identified. The result is clear: the police only need the operation of a car equipped with this service to detect where the vehicle moved and at what time. This system should not be confused with the eCall security service of our cars. Since 2018all new cars are required to be sold with the eCall system, a service that allows the driver contact emergency services in the event of an accident. This is activated automatically if a collision is detected but can also be started by the driver himself. At that moment, an attempt is made to establish a call but, whether there is coverage or not, the car also launches a geolocation signal using the European Galileo system so that the emergency services can have a clear idea of the location in the shortest possible time. This system, obviously, has its own IMEI but it is only activated when the system is started, either with automatic activation when the accident is detected or manual activation. Meanwhile, the system is inactive and therefore the car cannot be tracked. Besides, the European Union makes clear that the data saved is done so temporarily because the memory “will only be allowed to retain the last three locations of the vehicle to the extent strictly necessary to determine the current location of the vehicle and the direction of travel at the time of the event.” The regulations also make it clear that the information can only be delivered to third parties with the prior consent of the interested party and that no company can have access to the data if no emergency call occurs. Therefore, the IMEI referred to by the Mossos d’Esquadra refers to the car’s modem but they would not be able to access it if the car did not have … Read more

The Skoda Epiq is not the electric car with the most autonomy but it wants to beat us for its price

May 20, 2026 by usatoday24

Skoda already has its most anticipated electric car. The Czech company was chosen by the Volkswagen Group to champion the automobile conglomerate’s cheapest electric vehicles. He did it, like all brands, starting the house with the roof with the Enyaq iV. Later the Elroqa compact SUV that left us good feelings in our first impressions. But It is the Epiq that has raised the most interest. And the competition is increasing among smaller electric vehicles. The Skoda Epiq wants to be that “affordable” alternative for a European family that lives in an urban environment and makes few long trips a year. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? Technical data sheet of the Skoda Epiq Skoda Epiq Body type five-seater SUV Measurements and weight 4.17 meters long, 1.80 meters wide and 1.58 meters high. Wheelbase of 2.60 meters. Weight of 1,618 kg. Trunk 475 liters. Maximum power 155 kW (211 hp) WLTP consumption Only confirmed in the large battery version: Skoda Epiq 55: 13.7 kW/100 km. Autonomy of 440 km. DGT environmental distinctive Zero emissions. Driving aids (ADAS) Mandatory by the European Union. Adaptive cruise control with response to traffic lights. Parking assistance. Others 13-inch central screen with infotainment system built on Andorid. Compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Wireless charging and digital key on mobile phone. Heated seats, 10-speaker sound system and matrix lights. Electric hybrid. No. Plug-in hybrid. No. Electric Yeah. Skoda Epiq 35: battery with 37.0 useful kWh (38.5 kWh gross) and 116 HP Skoda Epiq 40: 37.0 kWh useful battery (38.5 kWh gross) and 135 HP Skoda Epiq 50: 51.7 kWh useful battery (55 kWh gross) and 211 HP Price and release Now available Skoda Epiq 35 and 40 to be confirmed Skoda Epiq 50: now available from 31,350 euros before aid From Pamplona to the world With the pillars and the roof on the house, it remained to lay the floor and the foundation. This is what Skoda does with the Epiq, a car that will serve as the gateway to the company’s electric range. The Epiq is an urban SUV4.17 meters long, which has the clear objective of positioning itself as the daily option for the car of an average European family that lives in an urban environment and wants to save on a daily basis. The car can even be positioned as the only vehicle at home as long as you are willing to make some sacrifices. Because the smallest option of the Czech electric cars comes with an input battery of just 37.0 useful kWh (38.5 kWh gross) of the LFP type, which condemns it to being a car born by and for the city. In this case you can opt for a power of 116 or 137 HP and in both cases a range of 310 km according to the WLTP cycle is announced. The substantial difference is that the version with the highest power reaches 90 kW of charging power while the most modest one remains at 50 kW. The one that could be interesting as the only car at home is the one that combines an NCM type battery and 51.7 useful kWh (55.0 gross kWh) of capacity. In this case it works with a 211 HP engine and the autonomy according to the WLTP cycle is 440 kilometers. This figure, on the road, is likely to slightly exceed the actual 300 kilometers, although to know this first-hand we would have to put the car to the test. The truth is that it is not an autonomy for traveling but with a recharge of 10 to 80% in 24 minutes (figures promised by the company) it can be an interesting alternative if you are looking for a family car for everyday use, easy to get around the city and you are only going to make one or two long trips a year in which you are willing to lose some time and comfort. To convince us that the Skoda Epiq is not only a cheap car and can be that “do-it-all” car, the electric car has a 475-liter trunk to which we must add another space in its front area of another 25 liters. Additionally, its central screen is 13 inches and the infotainment system is built on Android, which should make navigating the menus easier. As for its equipment, the car comes with the possibility of including all kinds of aids, driving assistance and comforts. From the heated seats to the matrix lights, as well as adaptive cruise control with lane centering and automatic stop at traffic lights. You can add a wireless charger for your mobile phone and turn it into a digital key. The higher versions have a sound system with 10 speakers and parking assistants. The car will be manufactured in Pamplona, at the Volkswagen group’s plant in Landaben. It is confirmation that the company is committed to our country for smaller and more affordable electric cars. Regarding the latter, only the price of the version with the large battery, the 55 kWh gross, has been revealed. Part of the 31,350 euros before state aid. Photos | Skoda In Xataka | The best time to buy a “cheap electric car” will be never: at least that’s what Skoda thinks

its second brand will go far beyond the electric car

May 19, 2026 by usatoday24

Xiaomi is here to stay in the automobile market. And given its evolution, it is very likely that it will be studied as one of the most striking success stories in history. No half measures. And it is that, As we have already explained in Xatakathe automobile industry is full of corpses of who could have been and stayed by the way. Although much has been said about the ease that the electric car offers so that brands completely unrelated to the world of motor take the leap into this new businessXiaomi has been one of the few companies to achieve this and, it seems, to expand its business beyond China. In just three yearsthe company went from announcing its first car to having two on the market and sweeping sales. A Xiaomi SU7 that stands up to the large electric sedans of the moment at a fraction of the price of the Tesla Model S or the Porsche Taycan and a Xiaomi YU7 that points even higher, to a slightly higher level of luxury. Since both models were revealed, there have been rumors about what would be the next step of the company, what type of car they would launch. Already during the launch of its electric SUV, it was put on the table that Xiaomi had the launch of a car with a combustion engine on its hands. And there seems to be some truth. Because, according to what we know, it will be Xiaomi’s second brand, Sky Nomad, that will be in charge of bringing this car with a combustion engine to the street. Sky Nomad, this we know about Xiaomi’s second brand Although the launch of a new Xiaomi car is something that has been rumored for months, the appearance of this new sub-brand is something that has not been talked about strongly enough. until a few days ago. And it is that chinese media They have echoed that Xiaomi has registered the SKYNOMAD name in English and xa tian in Chinese. The intention would be to have a second brand, positioned slightly below Xiaomi that serves to offer a slightly different product than the one we already know. It would be something like your Redmi for cars. The rumors of this new brand have gained even more strength with the publication of some spy photos of a first test mule that appeared in Autohome. The car, they say CarNewsChina It is a 5.30 meter long SUV with a 3.10 meter long wheelbase (approximate figures). But the interesting thing is in its technology. And everything indicates that the car will be an extended range electric car. That is, a car with a combustion engine that works with the touch of an electric one because these motors are the ones that always push the car, acting as the combustion engine, a 1.5T as we usually see in many other Chinese cars, which acts as a generator to produce electricity for the battery. With this technology, it is expected that the new car from the Xiaomi sub-brand can travel between 400 and 500 km in purely electric mode and that the total autonomy will reach 1,500 km. This movement is interesting because without state aid, the electric car market had slowed down in China and the public seems to have been more interested in cars that, as in this case, can rely on the help of a combustion engine. The intention is to position this brand one step below Xiaomi. That is, Skynomad would serve as an entry range to the brand’s cars, with a perspective of sub-family cars with plug-in technology but with a combustion engine. Above all, Xiaomi would remain the reference brand for high-performance electric cars. The project seems to be more than advanced. Chinese media suggest that the company internally names this car as Kunlun N3 and that will be the spearhead of a strategy that will seek to fight for quality-price and that targets new markets. According to CarNewsChinathe new release will seek to overshadow Li Auto and Aitothe two most recognized brands in China with extended range electric models. The media points out that Skynomad would be positioned in price below the 250,000 yuan (about 31,500 euros) at which this segment operates. But, in addition, they do not rule out that the company uses the car to attack new markets that are less evolved in terms of electric cars. It is a good opportunity for Xiaomi to begin to gain a foothold in markets where the charging network is less dense. In its strategy, Xiaomi would have already begun to diversify the purchase of batteries. They point in the middle 21 Business Herald that the company has started buying batteries at sunwoda and CALBand thus diversify the suppliers that, until now, focused on CATL and BYD. Sunwoda is also the company that more batteries sold for hybrid mechanics and CALB is the third largest battery supplier for the Chinese market, behind the two giants already mentioned. Photo | Xiaomi In Xataka | In its assault on the electric car, Xiaomi has a clear path: an all-star team of engineers from Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini

You bought an electric car to save. Here’s why you’re not doing it

May 14, 2026 by usatoday24

It’s 7:30 p.m. You get home, put away your coat, plug in the car and forget about it. You’ve done it like this every day since you bought the electric one. Until the electricity bill arrives and nothing adds up. The car doesn’t consume gasoline, yes, but something has gone wrong. That something has a name: you’ve been paying the most expensive electricity of the day to charge a battery that could have been filled for half the price while you were sleeping. It’s 7:30 p.m. You get home, put away your coat, plug in the car and forget about it. You’ve done it like this every day since you bought the electric one. Until the electricity bill arrives and nothing adds up. The car doesn’t consume gasoline, yes, but something has gone wrong. That something has a name: you’ve been paying the most expensive electricity of the day to charge a battery that could have been filled for half the price while you were sleeping. The 280 kWh error. Think of any family: apartment, refrigerator, washing machine, some heating. About 290 kWh per month. The day they park an electric car in the garage and start charging it at home, those 290 kWh become 570. The car adds about 280 kWh per month on its own, counting what is lost in the charging itself. If they plug it in in the middle of the afternoon, they are paying for that mass of energy at the most expensive price of the day. The same amount of kWh can cost twice as much depending only on the time at which it is consumed. The key is no longer just how much is consumed, but when it is consumed. The three traps. The first instinct when buying an electric car is to call the company and ask for more contracted power, for fear that the leads will trip if the car is connected with the washing machine running. Alejandro Diego Rosell, energy consultant and professoridentifies it as one of the most common and most expensive mistakes: oversizing the power means paying an unnecessary safety margin every month, even if you never use it. But the thing doesn’t stop there. Many users believe that the regulated market (PVPC) is the safest haven. According to Sergio Soto’s calculations, energy expert Roamsa model household with an electric car would pay about 101.67 euros per month in PVPC, penalized by hourly volatility and increases in prices in certain sections. Cheap when the price drops, yes. But unpredictable when it rises, and rises just when it is most consumed. And there remains the one that is most abundant in advertising and the one that deceives the most: EV rates. Rosell sums it up with a rule that should not be forgotten: “You are still saving 8 euros by charging the car and losing 15 in the rest of the house.” You have to look at the nightly price, but also what they charge during normal hours and what is in the fine print of the fixed term. Some EV rates offer a very cheap early morning to recover the margin the rest of the day. The name does not guarantee anything. The roadmap. For the electric car to be truly profitable, experts propose following these steps: Apply the exact power formula: Rosell proposes a simple account: Necessary power = simultaneous consumption of the house + charger power + safety margin. If at dawn you have a refrigerator, water heater and air heater consuming 1.5 kW and you charge the car at 3.7 kW, you need about 5.2 kW in total. With a safety margin, you would hire 5.75 kW, not 10. And there is a nuance that changes everything: a smart charger can automatically reduce the car’s power if it detects that the house is consuming more. The car waits. The leads don’t jump. Play two powers: Current legislation (2.0TD rates) allows contracting a lower power for the day and a higher power only for the night (valley). This way you don’t pay all day for a power that you only use while you sleep. Escape from commercial trends: Faced with the avalanche of so-called ‘EV Rates’ (specific for electric vehicles), Soto warns that the most economical option is usually a well-optimized classic rate with three-period time discrimination (DH3). In a practical case, this rate would lower the bill to 74.90 euros per month, representing a saving of 26.3% compared to the regulated market. EV rates are still competitive (about 77.50 euros), but they can be slightly more expensive than a good DH3. To compare without trusting advertising: the official comparator of the CNMC and the hourly prices of the PVPC published by Red Eléctrica in ESIOS are the reference tools. Install a smart charger. A conventional plug is slow and offers no control. A wallbox allows you to program the load so that it starts on its own during the cheapest hours and adjusts the energy so as not to exceed the contracted power. Rosell places the cost of the equipment between 400 and 800 euros; Soto, adding the complete installation, between 600 and 1,500 euros depending on the case. Important: the wallbox does not pay for itself only by the kWh saved, but also by the control, security and comfort it provides. And the investment is significantly cut with the Auto+ Plan, which subsidizes up to 70% of the installation for individuals and up to 80% in municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. What if we collapse the network? With an increase in plug-in vehicle registrations which exceeds 44%it is legitimate to wonder if there will be blackouts when we all charge at dawn. Soto calls for calm: the problem is not that everyone charges at night, but that everyone does it at the same time and at high powers. With smart charging and distributed management, the grid holds up. Rosell adds something more important for the long term: the “eternal cheap night” is … Read more

Germany is the European mecca of the combustion car. That Spain becomes the electricity supplier goes through Mérida and 800 million Chinese

May 9, 2026 by usatoday24

Hunan Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU already has its excavator blades in Mérida. The Chinese battery manufacturing company You already have the land and have obtained the building license from the town hall, so the preparation work on the ground has already been visible for a few days. The speed with which one of the strategic electric car factories is materializing is scandalous: in February we were talking of environmental approval and be careful because it is expected that be operational at the end of the year. That Hunan Yuneng has achieved it in such a short time says a lot about both parties involved. The factory is going from strength to strength. The plant will produce cathode materials for cells LFP batteriesmore specifically lithium iron phosphate, a technology that is emerging due to its lower cost, greater durability and better thermal resistance. As collects Badajoz Newsthis project involves an investment of close to 800 million, will have a productive capacity of up to 300,000 tons per year and will directly generate 500 jobs. According to MotorpasiónIn this first phase there will be an initial investment of about 116–125 million euros of investment and about 160 direct jobs. One of the most revealing developments about the real status of the project is the appearance of an auxiliary satellite industry: the Chinese company Jinhong Gas has constituted formally in Mérida the company ‘Jinhong Gas (Spain) SL’ to directly supply the Hunan Yuneng plant with nitrogen, an essential element for the manufacture of LFP cathode materials. Why is it important. Because it is one of the largest industrial investments captured by Extremadura and the first plant of this type in Europe, as explains the Junta de Extremadura. This makes Mérida strategic, a reference for the European automobile industry from the moment it is operational. LFP batteries are the key to cheap electric cars: they are more affordable because lithium and iron are cheaper than nickel or cobalt and they are also safer and resist charging cycles better, which makes them more durable. It is true that its energy density is lower than those of NMC chemicals, but due to longevity and cost they are ideal in the entry or medium segment, precisely where Europe needs it most compared to China. Furthermore, producing the cathode material on European soil is almost a necessity by law and a process that opens doors to aid such as Auto+ plan. Context: the lithium triangle. Extremadura has been gaining weight in the electric car supply chain for years. In Navalmoral de la Mata there is already a plant in the oven to produce complete batteries. It was initially intended for NMC batteries, but has pivoted to manufacture LFP accumulators. On the other hand, in the surroundings of Cáceres it is believed that there is one of the largest lithium deposits in Europealthough exploiting it is another story: is paralyzed after the neighborhood opposition and environmental platforms. However, the European Commission has mineral and rare earth exploitation projects in its portfolio. three located in Extremadura of the seven total in the Spanish state. Unblocking it would mean that the region could control extraction, cathode material production and battery assembly, all in the same territory: just what the Critical Raw Materials Act It has been encouraging for years without much success. The manufacturing of electric cars and their parts in Spain speaks Chinese. Chinese brands have understood that the way to avoid European tariffs on vehicles manufactured in China is that they have a shortcut to negotiations with Brussels: produce directly on European soil. Spain, which abstained from voting on those tariffshas become your favorite destination. Yes, but. The structural weak point that we have already reflected but that is worth remembering: the factory will produce lithium iron phosphate, but the lithium it needs to do so will not come from Extremadura, but probably from Australia, Chile or again China. According to the IEA report on critical minerals 2023China controls more than 60% of global lithium refining, so strategic sovereignty is relative. On the other hand, we also have to keep an eye on employment: the experience with other Chinese plants in Europe, such as lfrom CATL in Zaragozahas generated debate about what proportion of the initial qualified personnel comes from the investing country. It’s fine print that should be on the table and resolved before the machinery is operational. In Xataka | MG, BYD, Lynk&Co, Omoda: who’s who of Chinese car manufacturers in Spain In Xataka | China appears to dominate the global market for electric car batteries. He has an obvious Achilles heel Cover | Michael Fousert and Rafa Esteve

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