electric

BYD’s plan so that charging your electric car takes the same time as stopping for gas

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In recent years we have seen how Chinese brands have begun to conquer Europe with the accelerator pressed, with BYD as the main protagonist. However, let us remember that BYD is not only a manufacturer of cars: it is also a manufacturer of batteries and charging technology. That is why he is going to bring out all the heavy artillery in Europe as well, with a plan of 2,000 million euros to plague the region of ultra fast chargersthose that charge their cars in five minutes and that the brand itself showed us during the presentation of the Denza Z9GT. Breaking down obstacles. Charging has historically been the Achilles heel of the electric car. Not so much because of the capacity of the batteries, but because of how long it takes to charge the batteries compared to a brief refueling in a combustion car. BYD aims directly at this psychological brake with its own infrastructure that equates recharging an electric car to filling the tank of a combustion car. If it manages to impose its infrastructure, it would eliminate one of the great barriers of those who are skeptical about the electric car. Technology. The system Flash Charging It uses chargers with up to 1,500 kW of power, three times more than the most modern Tesla Superchargers, which are around 500 kW. To make the most of it, the car must equip the second generation of the BYD Blade Batteryspecifically designed to withstand these extreme loads. With that combination, going from 10% to 70% battery takes five minutes. The first European model with this capacity is the Denza Z9GT, which we were already able to try first-hand last April and which has a starting price of 115,000 euros in its electric version, acting as a technological showcase for the brand. Already in the presentation we were also able to see how the car, in fact, only took about five minutes to reach 70% of its charge, although the infrastructure that the brand must put in place to reach those figures is no small feat. Numbers. The plan involves adding about 3,000 stations in Europe before the end of 2027, of which 600 correspond to the United Kingdom, where BYD has already inaugurated its first ultra-fast charging point. On the other hand, the manufacturer told us at the time that the idea in Spain is to start with about 200 or 300 chargers. “It’s a lot of money, with each charging point costing almost half a million pounds,” counted Stella Li, the group’s top international executive, told the Financial Times. How they avoid saturating the electrical grid. One of the technical challenges of very high-power chargers is the impact on the electrical infrastructure. BYD solves this with a system of stationary batteries installed at each charging point, which are recharged during hours of lower demand (normally early morning) and act as an energy reserve when a user connects their vehicle. Thus, the peak demand on the network is much lower. The real bottleneck. Curiously, the main obstacle is neither technical nor economic. Bono Ge, head of BYD in the United Kingdom, counted to the FT that “the challenge does not lie in the infrastructure, but in the speed with which the town councils can give their authorization. We can implement it very quickly.” Technological showcase. The move is very reminiscent of Tesla’s Supercharger network, which was key in its commercial expansion by minimizing that recurring thought of having to recharge the car on long trips. Europe already has extensive networks, in fact Tesla has about 20,000 points on the continent, but BYD is betting on fewer and much more powerful stations. The idea is to continue expanding its technology, and make it so that other vehicles can also use their chargers, regardless of the manufacturer. BYD’s market share in the EU has already risen from 0.8% to 1.9% in the first four months of 2026, according to data from the European automobile association ACEA, and in the United Kingdom it reaches 3.4%, above Renault and Volvo. In Xataka | The best electric car chargers 2026: Which one to buy and six recommended models

Europe’s secret weapon to win the electric battery war is not in the mines: it is in the garbage

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The race for European energy sovereignty is being fought far from the large open pit mines. The new battlefield is located in a much more unexpected place: the garbage heap. The companies Vianode and Cylib they have forged an alliance to convert old batteries from scrapyards into high-performance components for new vehicles, the continent’s latest attempt to achieve supply chain independence. However, this scientific advance collides head-on with a real political earthquake. As anticipated at the time Reutersthe European Commission is evaluating whether to reverse or delay its star measure for five or more years: the ban on selling combustion cars from 2035. While technology shows that stopping dependence on foreign powers is possible, economic fear makes Brussels hesitate. The “unsung hero” at the bottom of the landfill. To understand the magnitude of the project, you have to look at a specific material. How do you define it? Aqua Metals, This is the “unsung hero” of lithium-ion batteries: graphite. This material is essential to create the anode (the negative pole of the battery) that allows energy to be stored and released efficiently. Although it is light compared to metals such as cobalt, graphite represents between 10% and 20% of the total weight of a cell. The underlying problem is geopolitical. Global demand for this mineral has skyrocketed, but Europe depends almost entirely on imports of virgin material controlled by external markets. The situation became critical when China, the world’s largest producer, announced severe restrictions for export. The answer to this vulnerability lies in what the industry knows as “black mass,” the dark dust that results from crushing discarded batteries. In this mixture, graphite can account for up to 50% of the content. Recycling has ceased to be a simple green initiative and has become a matter of industrial survival. Urban water-based mining. How exactly is that scrap metal transformed into cutting-edge components? The German company Cylib has developed its own technology based on water, named OLiC. This system is capable of recovering 90% of critical metals (lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt and manganese) from spent batteries, reducing carbon emissions by 80% compared to traditional mining extraction. This development is not an improvised promise. By mid-2025, Cylib has already marked a milestone together with the Syensqo firm by producing high purity lithium hydroxide directly from this black mass using a proprietary selective solvent (CYANEX 936P). This achievement allowed different battery chemistries to be processed in a single operational line, preparing to more than comply with EU regulation, which will require recovering 80% of lithium by 2031. With the new alliance signed, the graphite recovered by Cylib will be delivered to the Norwegian firm Vianode, which will integrate it into the formulation of its advanced synthetic anodes. Its goal for 2030 is radical: emitting just 1.0 kg of CO2 for every kilo of graphite produced. As Dr. Lilian Schwich, co-founder of Cylib, summarized: “Circular does not mean making concessions. It means a competitive advantage for Europe.” The fracture of the industry in the mirror of 2035. Although recyclers demonstrate that material autonomy is technically viable, pressure from traditional manufacturers has fractured the automotive sector. Giants like Volkswagen or Stellantis They argue that the current goals They are not viable because consumers are reluctant to pay the extra cost of the electric vehicle and the charging infrastructure remains poor. Ford CEO Jim Farley himself publicly admitted that EU demands “are not a sustainable reality in Europe today,” pushing to save combustion engines through the use of synthetic biofuels. But this position is not unanimous. Purely electrical firms see this possible political delay as a strategic error that will give the market to China. Michael Lohscheller, CEO of the electric brand Polestar, was blunt in the face of regulatory uncertainty: “The technology is ready, the charging infrastructure is ready and consumers are ready. So what are we waiting for?” The great European paradox. Europe holds the key to its energy future in its own scrapyards. This year’s pilot plants and commercial agreements demonstrate that the circular ecosystem is a mature reality. The great paradox that remains in the air is evident: What will be the point of building the most advanced battery recycling technology on the planet if, out of fear of competition from foreign markets, Brussels decides to artificially extend the life of the exhaust pipe? European automotive independence may have been born in the trash, but it risks dying in the offices. Image | Pexels Xataka | Keeping combustion engines alive in 2035 leaves us with clear winners. Some called BMW, Porsche and Ferrari

“My biggest fear was that everyone would switch to electric. I feel very alone”

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That Akio Toyoda presides over a company with which he practically shares a name is no coincidence. The president of Toyota is the grandson of Sakichi Toyoda, founder of a Toyoda Automatic Loom Worksa machine-made loom company. That company opened its car division in the 1930s with Kiichiro Toyoda in front. The eldest son built an empire that Akio Toyoda now presides over. It is also no coincidence that Akio Toyoda has had a passion for automobiles since he was a child. And that, now, completely defines his position at the head of the company. “I feel very alone”. “I’m the only one who does it. I feel very alone.” Those are the words that Akio Toyoda has responded to Auto Expressan English media outlet that has been able to have a conversation with the president of Toyota regarding the steps the company is taking. What Akio Toyoda is talking about is your defense of the combustion engine. “Three or four years ago, he was the only one saying he loves the smell of it, he loves the sound of it, he loves the engines and he wanted to keep the engine suppliers’ jobs.” Toyoda assures that he feels very alone in this defense. The greatest fear. Asked what his worst fear is in the automobile industry, Toyoda is clear: “that everyone was switching to electric cars was my biggest fear.” And the reason, he assures, has nothing to do with being late to technology or that the path taken by Toyota was not the correct one. “If I only seek to balance the accounts and achieve profitability or if I only seek carbon neutrality… that is not interesting,” Toyoda defended. “If someone tells me, ‘hey, you’re too late, you should have gone electric sooner,’ well, we’re people who love cars and those people, including myself, have to fight within companies“he stressed. The Toyota electric. Toyota’s relationship with the electric car is nothing short of tumultuous. The leaders have always defended that the electric car it will not be the future of the automobile. Or at least will not be the dominant position in all marketswhich has marked its line of business until now. And it is that he Toyota Bz4X It was until very recently the company’s only car. It also arrived with manufacturing problems and a price that was too high, which buried its possibilities in the market. With an updatethe company has managed to skyrocket its sales and the electric Toyota C-HR also seeks to give a good boost to this part of its technology. Furthermore, the company has been announcing new releases for the coming years and has a clearly marked roadmap for the production of solid state batteries. Decisions that seem to go against what was said by its own president and that explain those statements in which he says that he himself has to fight within his company. To each market, its own. Toyota’s decision has a lot to do with practicality. When the European Union announced a roadmap to ban combustion engines, many of its manufacturers threw themselves into the arms of the electric car and announced that They stopped the development of these engines. Toyota, on the contrary, continued to bet on hybrids, aware that they would continue to be very important in the future. Time has proven them right in part because the European Union has slightly opened its hand but, above all, because our market is a very small part of global automobile sales. For Toyota, the United States remains a gigantic market where last year it sold 2.5 million cars. It is the same market that has paralyzed the promotion of the electric car. Only in Japan does it sell the same cars as in all of Europe. And in China, although he has tried to go on his owncontinues to have the obligation to associate with a local brand, so the performance of the electric cars launched there is lower. An alternative. Toyota defends that the electric car will not exceed 30% market share. We don’t know if Akio Toyoda has changed his perception since he made that statement, but he has always made it clear that solid-state batteries are the ones that can truly change the game. Until then, and like other Japanese brandsToyota continues to investigate new alternatives. Of them, hydrogen is said to be the most interesting. For now, your Toyota Mirai (the fuel cell car) remains exceptional in Europe and in US faces lawsuits over false advertising. The high cost of transporting hydrogen safely to a service station and, first, producing it makes the product too expensive, which still has no clear advantages. But Toyota has found another way to continue studying: burn hydrogen. This, they claim, allows a combustion engine to operate without expelling CO2 (although other polluting substances such as NOx) and at the same time maintain the sound and sensations typical of this type of propellant. Although It is even less efficient than the hydrogen fuel cellthat doesn’t seem to matter to Toyoda. a defense. And at this point, I’m going to make a defense of Akio Toyoda. The president of Toyota, a company that invented a new way of working and that perfected the just in time and with them their profits, he is right when it comes to defending that not everything should be done with profitability in mind. Toyota has become one of the few brands that continues to launch purely passionate cars without any specific objective. There is no car like it Toyota GR Yaris in the market, years ago they took advantage of their collaboration with Subaru to launch the Toyota GT86 (then GR86) and invested together with BMW to launch the new Toyota Supra. In recent months we have learned that they are launching a new and spectacular racing car adapted for the street, the Toyota GR GT. A few days ago they presented a radically sporty special edition of the Toyota Corolla that … Read more

“Investing in the development of full electric cars would be an expensive hobby”

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something like It happened to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo It has happened to Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini. He did not want to say but he said when asked about the new Ferrari Luce and all the controversy that has surrounded the Italian company’s first all-electric launch. And Lamborghini, unlike those from Maranello, canceled its all-electric project a long time ago. And both positions have their reason for being. “The right way”. It is the one they have taken at Lamborghini, according to Stephan Winkelmann. Those three words are part of the answers he has given to CNBC in relation to the new Ferrari Luce. Although Winkelmann assures that “each brand, each company has to decide for itself,” he has not hesitated to defend his position. And the head of Lamborghini considers that canceling its first fully electric car has been “the right path.” According to their internal reports, they claim that interest in a completely electric car from Lamborghini had slowed down and that is why they decided to stay with plug-in hybridization. “An expensive hobby”. This is how resounding Winkelmann himself was a few months ago when he confirmed that the project for Lamborghini’s first electric car had been cancelled: Investing heavily in the development of full electric vehicles when the market and customer base are not ready would be an expensive and financially irresponsible hobby towards shareholders, customers and towards our employees and their families. The words were collected by media such as Motorpassion and they emphasize the purchase intentions of Lamborghini customers, who They still prefer the company’s V8 and V12 engines. The company, however, has used its research on the electric car to carry out the Lamborghini Revueltoits first plug-in hybrid. Because?. As we told you during our introduction to the Lamborghini Revueltothe company was always very clear that electricity had to be a means to increase the sensations on board and improve dynamics, not aiming for a more language ecofriendly. This decision, like that of canceling its first electric car, has its own internal logic within a company like Lamborghini, which clearly opts for hypermuscular and hypermasculine cars where sportiness is almost its only reason for being. The only concession they have made is the Lamborghini Urus and its creation falls within the Volkswagen Group’s logic of cost utilization. a lot of sense. If the approach proposed by Lamborghini was that of an electric supercar, the truth is that there does not seem to be a market for this type of car. Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac and creator of, perhaps, the sportiest electric car in the world, complained that political pressures to jump to electric cars They were precisely slowing down the potential sales of their electric cars. Beyond the fact that the customer may miss the sound of a V12 engine and the feel of a gearbox, the truth is that if the average driver is forced to skip the electric car, driving a combustion supercar will be even more elitist. It is very likely that more electric supercars will arrive but right now the context is against them. The public for this type of car seems to be revolting against the regulations that, supposedly, force them to jump to electric cars. By pure physics, the electric car needs to be much heavier than a combustion car right now. And finally, obviously lacks that sensory part which can only be associated with the sound and smell of a combustion engine. And the Ferrari Luce? It is logical that Lamborghini defends its position and claims that its customers are not looking for an electric car, but the public profile is different between Lamborghini and Ferrari. Or, what is certain, Ferrari is trying to catch a different audience. The Ferrari Luce is not an electric supercar, it is not an aggressive and aerodynamic sculpture on wheels as has been the norm in its history. It is a car designed to send the message that whoever has it is up to date and embraces innovation and groundbreaking products. Since we saw the interior of the car it is something that seems more than evident. The fact that the car was shown in a light blue color and without a trace of moving videos underlines that we are looking at the launch of a car as a fashion accessory for walking comfortably through the center of any city without the discomforts typical of a supercar. Click on the image to go to the original tweet A little pull. Although Stephan Winkelmann says he does not mean to say, the truth is that he says a lot with his response. Despite not wanting to get into controversy, his defense that Lamborghini customers do not opt ​​for this type of car is a way to distinguish the two types of customers. A reaffirmation of Lamborghini’s identity. It adds up Lamborghini’s social media post coinciding with the launch of the Luce, which reads “proud to keep you dreaming” or “proud to keep your dreams” and four attached images of a Lamborghini Revuelto in a tone of blue very similar to that used by Ferrari for the presentation of its Luce. Photos | Lamborghini In Xataka | If the Ferrari Luce breaks with the entire history of Ferrari it is for a very simple reason: new rich

Ukraine has been left without thousands of drones. An error classified them as electric cars, and the Treasury has fried them with taxes

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During World War II, the United States Army created entire systems classification and emergency purchases because normal bureaucracy was too slow to keep up with the pace of war. Eight decades later, Ukraine has discovered the same problem from the opposite side. Drone warfare crashes into bureaucracy. Ukraine has been transforming the front into a war laboratory automated where ground drones have become essential to transport ammunition, evacuate wounded or attack Russian positions without exposing soldiers. The problem is that, while kyiv was trying to accelerate this military revolution, the bureaucracy has ended up mistakenly classifying these unmanned vehicles within the same tax category than electric cars. When an old exemption for EVs expired on January 1, drones began paying a 20% VAT. The result has been devastating: according to the industry, the army could have bought some 5,000 additional drones only in the first half of 2026 if that tax had not come into force. Thousands of drones lost at the worst moment. They counted on Insider that the impact has been especially serious because it has arrived at a critical phase of the war. Ukraine is increasingly relying on autonomous systems to compensate for human and material attrition against Russia, to the point that Zelensky claimed that his forces carried out more than 22,000 missions with ground drones in just three months. kyiv wanted to acquire 50,000 units this year, but the new VAT skyrocketed costs, froze public contracts and left manufacturers whole for months. no state orders. Some companies drastically reduced production to survive, while others tried to reclassify their robots as armored vehicles to avoid the tax burden. A trapped military industry. The chaos also reflects how the military technological revolution is advancing faster than the laws themselves. Ground drones were so new within European and Ukrainian commercial standards that they did not even there was a category clear to classify them. When a former tax exemption for electric vehicles expired, the system automatically absorbed these military robots into the same regulations. The Ministry of Defense suddenly found itself with insufficient budgets and paralyzed purchasing processes because, technically, essential weapons for the front had no longer been considered. exempt military equipment tax. Manufacturers like Tencorecreator of the popular TermIT dronethey spent up to five months without public contracts and had to survive thanks to volunteer organizations that directly supply military units. In a war economy where many companies literally live from order to order, three months without state purchases is equivalent to little less than a heart attack industrial. The big problem is not just making weapons. The episode reveals something deeper about the evolution of modern warfare. For years, drones, artificial intelligence and automation have been talked about as the future of combat, but Ukraine is discovering that the bottleneck is not always in the technology. Sometimes it is in the administrationin legislation or in bureaucratic systems designed for peacetime. Russia and Ukraine are immersed in a race of constant adaptation where every month counts and where losing half a year due to tax procedures can have direct effects on the front. The sector itself calculates that the tax exemption would save about 200 million dollarsa gigantic figure for an industry that still depends on precarious financing and accelerated production. The problem is that even if Parliament now corrects the law, the damage has already been done: delayed contracts, lost capacity and thousands of drones that never made it to the battlefield when they were needed most. The paradox of the war of the future. The story perfectly summarizes one of the great contradictions of this war. Ukraine has become the country that has integrated autonomous systems the fastest in real combat and has built an ecosystem with more than 280 companies and 550 models different from ground drones. However, that same ecosystem remains dependent on sluggish state structures, legacy regulations, and legal frameworks unable to keep pace with military innovation. While the front is filled with robots that transport ammunition, evacuate wounded or attack Russian trenches without a human driver, the State continued to administratively treat them as if they were simple electric cars. The irony could not be more brutal: one of the most technologically advanced wars of the century lost thousands of combat machines not due to lack of industrial capacity or due to Russian attacks, but because the Treasury decided to apply the same tax treatment than to a civil electric vehicle. Image | x In Xataka | A Ukrainian stork has managed to outwit a Russian drone in flight. The video is the best clue about who will win the war In Xataka | Ukraine has been terrorizing Russian soldiers with its heavy drones for years. Now they are literally giving it back.

The Ferrari Luce is a game of lies. And that says a lot about the problems that all electric supercars have.

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Unless you’ve been lost on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific for the last 36 hours, there’s a good chance you’ve had a little inkling of what’s happened to Ferrari. The brand of Il Cavallino has presented its first electric car, the Ferrari Luce. And no, I didn’t like it. The vehicle designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson has had an almost unanimous response. Undoubtedly, it has not been saved from criticism on social networks. But he has also received them from figures such as Luca Cordero di Montezemolowho led the company for more than a decade. The former president of the Italians has made statements as harsh as that Ferrari is running the risk of “destroying its myth.” But there are reasons to understand why the new Ferrari Luce is unlike anything we’ve seen from Ferrari before. It is not that we defend its aesthetics, we point out why the company seems to have wanted to completely separate this new electric line from its more sporty image. Everything seems to indicate that They are doing everything possible to find a new audience. Ferrari has preferred to put aside its intention to create a completely electric supercar. At the moment, that market does seem completely deserted in terms of potential clients. The Porsche Taycan is stuck. The Rimac Refrigerator does not sell. Brands like Lamborghini have distanced themselves from the pool when they realized that it most likely lacks water. And the electric supercar is faster than a gasoline one. Its acceleration is unmatched. Well executed, it can have a faster and more spectacular cornering than any thermal rival. But in this life not everything is numbers. And when you sell experiences, that’s a problem. It’s not perfect, it’s better than that There is something disturbing about perfection: the absence of soul. Human beings feel pleasure through the senses and enjoy experiences. He likes the tactile, he delights in sound, he tastes and smells with pleasure. And that is difficult to overcome. Even though the substitute product is more efficient and more effective. Cleaner and odorless. A Tesla Model 3 Performance is faster than most sports cars of the moment. Its 3.1 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h was impossible to match for any mass vehicle, a figure within the reach of the best. Cars worth hundreds of thousands of euros. But saying that it is a better sports car than a naturally aspirated V12 is like equating a paella made with care and love over an orange wood fire with a pill manufactured by a pharmaceutical company in seconds at a ridiculous price. Both can provide the same nutrients but I am clear about which one provides more pleasure. The same thing happens with supercars. With any sports car, in fact. And that is a problem for the electric car. Let alone for a brand like Ferrari. When someone buys a Ferrari, buy an experience. Just like when you buy a Lamborghini, a Porsche or, much simpler, a Mazda MX-5. The car is, in most cases, an object of mobility. The electric car is the best and maximum expression of that. Especially in the city. But a sports car is not only about cornering and acceleration that glues you to your seat. Guillermo García Alfonsín explains well why the electric Mini JCW is fun: because it’s not tuned well on purpose. Imperfection attracts us. A Miata isn’t especially fast, but the driving experience is one of the best. The characteristic sound of an engine, whether it is a V6, V12 or an inline five-cylinder. A precise and manual gearbox. Its metallic sound of an H shift in classic supercars. Cabin vibrations. The smell of gasoline while you refuel. All of these are unmatched experiences for an electric car. All things being equal, they are faster and more effective. But the brands are aware that their customers have enormous reluctance to this clean and odorless experience when Mercedes installs an artificial sound in the new Mercedes-AMG GT, the electric that comes to replace the roar of its V8. In their Ferrari Luce, the Italians have chosen a different path. In its press release, the brand refers to the, undoubtedly, very high performance of a car capable of developing more than 1,000 HP of power. To the innovations used to carry out our own development with more than 60 patents. The truth is that, despite everything, a Tesla Model S Plaid that costs cost Five times less is faster. But in its text, Ferrari has tried to value the experiential nature of the proposal. For example, the explanation of how sound works: The Ferrari Luce’s approach to sound is based on the key principle that it must be authentic and functional, generated from the car’s own mechanics and at the service of the driving experience. A precision accelerometer located in the center of the shaft captures the dynamic texture and vibration of rotating components while sound waves are in motion. Developed in-house and patented, this system filters, equalizes and amplifies the signal similar to how an electric guitar does, but only when functional to the driving experience. The sound will depend on the driving mode chosen but also on the use of the paddles, to simulate an experience similar to what would be changing gears with a combustion engine. Cams for a car without gear change. Lie upon lie to build an identity It must be said that Ferrari is by no means the only company that opts for these trompe-l’oeil games. We have mentioned the case of Mercedes but the speakers to filter the sound inside the cabin and comply with the noise limits outside have been on the market for years. Toyota has patents for simulate gear changes in electric cars without gear changes. Honda does exactly the same with its new Prelude. The engineering behind the automobile has been an art since its birth. An art based on engineering and product development that, … Read more

Five years ago, they said that Volkswagen was “the new Nokia.” Today it is the leader in electric vehicles in Europe while Tesla stagnates

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The era of traditional car manufacturers is over. We have to avoid being a new Nokia It was January 2020 and we were not very aware of what was coming our way when Herbert Diess, then CEO of the Volkswagen Group, pointed to another apocalypse. Specifically, that of traditional manufacturers in the face of the emergence of the electric car. Tesla was the reference when the top leader of the German firm spoke about his own company as if it were about to fall into ostracism. Today, six years later, the Volkswagen Group sells one in four electric cars in Europe. Two other companies have already passed Tesla. And a China looms on the horizon. How we have changed. IF you want to understand how much and how the electric car has grown in Europe you just have to take a look at how was the market five years ago. In 2020the best-selling electric car was the Renault Zoe, which reached close to 100,000 units on the market. It was followed by the Tesla Model 3, which was close to 88,000 units and already had a 6% market share. By then, the Tesla Model Y, which would soon become the best-selling electric car in Europe and the world (even including combustion ones), had not yet arrived. Of the 10 best-selling electric vehicles, the Volkswagen Group had three classifieds that barely added up 9% market share. In those days, Tesla seemed like the benchmark. A brand with a single model had managed to sneak into the top 10 best-selling electric cars. The first large mass electric SUV had not arrived. And even the leaders of Volkswagen feared for the future of their own company. The new Nokia. “The era of the classic car manufacturers is over. This is probably the most difficult challenge that Volkswagen has ever faced,” said Herbert Diess in January 2020 in statements reported by Reuters. And he put the finishing touch, if Volkswagen did not advance quickly it would become “the new Nokia.” The company embarked on a launch plan to put electric cars on the market at full speed. Along the way he started a questionable plan in which it was reached develop a single platform for two cars that arrived with enormous delay. And Cariad, which should have been a company of key software development for the brand, was unable to give them software up to par. In the years to come, Tesla ate up much of the European market although its relevance plummeted since last year. In 2022 Its market share among electric vehicles remained at 13%. In 2023 shot up to 18% and in 2024 it remained at 17%. The big fall came with 2025 in which it remained at just 8%. And things aren’t looking better this year. Overcome. In the first quarter of 2026, Tesla appears to have remained somewhat stagnant as more and more companies begin to add electric vehicles to the market. The Tesla Model Y continues to lead sales and the Tesla Model 3 is the third best-selling electric car in Europe. But electric sales have skyrocketed in Europe and Elon Musk’s people are not taking full advantage. In the first quarter of the year, have been sold in the European Union 546,937 electric cars, 32% more than in the same period in 2025. And the market share now almost reaches 20%, some four points above the figures from twelve months ago. In that period, Tesla has increased its overall market share from 1.3% to 2.0% and among electrics it has risen to just above 10%. However, traditional companies are pushing hard. The Volkswagen Group, which has added the arrival of more affordable cars like the Skoda Elroq (among the three best sellers in Europe) and has renewed a large part of the fleet it already had under its own brand sales have skyrocketed. And Stellantis or Hyundai/Kia threaten to overtake Tesla. BYD is also among the best sellers in Europe. Carefully. When taking European sales data, some care must be taken and it is preferable to make readings by quarter. And Tesla continues to have an enormous dependence on registrations in the last month of each quarter. The transition from March to April is a good example of this. And, as we said, in March Tesla marked a 10% market share among electric vehicles but in April there are already records (in the absence of those from ACEA) that lThey leave you at 8.9%. These fluctuations are more than common but they show that Tesla continues to be irregular in its month-to-month growth. The same as almost always. Despite the fluctuations, the truth is that Tesla has not managed to capitalize on the increase in electric sales as expected. Elon Musk himself anticipated global sales of 20 million units impossible things that seem very difficult to achieve, if not impossible. The company has been working to put smaller and more accessible models of the Model Y and Model 3 on the market with which to face the arrival of new launches from traditional brands. That has not happened and along the way they are being eaten up by those companies that were said to be “the new Nokia.” Furthermore, they have to face the arrival of a BYD that has burst in force. The Chinese company is already among the 10 manufacturers that sell the most electric vehicles in Europe and its deployment is in full takeoff ramp. Additionally, their success with plug-in hybrids is helping them raise awareness of the brand. For example (and although their plug-in hybrids are taken into account here), in the first quarter they sold 50,646 units in Europe, compared to 18,782 units in the same period of 2025. Photo | Carter Baran and Aidan Hancock In Xataka | Tesla wanted to make 20 million cars in 2030. The reality in 2025 is that Tesla has crashed and BYD is already leading

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

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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

In its leap to electric cars, Europe fears total dependence on China. Your solutions arrive (quite) late

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The rope tightens. This time it is Europe that pulls to its side. Or, at least, that is what he wants according to what is stated in Financial Timeswhere we read that the European Union wants to force car manufacturers to reduce their level of dependence on China. Now, forcing them to buy fewer components from their suppliers. A new goal. It is, according to Financial Timeswhat the European Union wants to impose on companies in key sectors such as automobiles, industrial machinery or the chemical sector. In the newspaper’s information we read that European institutions are looking for tools to put pressure on their own companies. In the information, which is attributed to two European officials familiar with this project, the objective is to put a limit on the percentage of components that can be supplied to a single country. That is, if a company wants to manufacture a product in Europe, it could not buy all of its components (or the vast majority) from China. To distribute the purchases. If the project goes ahead as we read in the British media, a company could only buy between 30 and 40% of its components from the same country. It is sought that, at least, the origin of the parts that, in this case, make up a car is from three suppliers and from at least three different countries. This would not be much of a problem if it were not for the fact that the 30-40% barrier could not be overcome. “Gradually dependent”. “In many areas we are gradually becoming dependent on China’s exports,” the words are from a senior European Union official consulted by the newspaper. According to Financial Timesthe organizations are very aware of the extent to which a stoppage of Chinese factories or exports can damage the European economy. In fact, last summer some factories had to stop or saw their production compromised after China put greater impediments to export of products in which rare earths are used such as the magnets in electric car motors. Just a few months later, The Nexperia crisis once again set off the alarms of possible interruptions in the supply chain since a good part of the chips used by the European industry uses components from this company. They are not key products for its operation but without them, a car cannot be sold because They are essential for auxiliary but basic functions How to raise and lower the car window. 1 billion. That is what, according to Financial Timesthey calculate in the European Union that we lose to China. 1,000 million euros of deficit in the trade balance. 1,000 million. Diaries. The figure has been floating for two years now. and the automotive industry is one of those that has suffered the most. According to the European Union, they have achieved this with a doped industry, which has led to the lifting of tariffs on electric cars arriving from China. And the Chinese manufacturers have wanted to land abroad on our continent but also the Europeans have wanted to manufacture in China because it was cheaper. Spain? According to Anfac dataIn Spain we have a deficit in our trade balance of 5,000 million euros annually if we talk about components. As the second largest car producer in Europe, our auxiliary fabric is not enough and we need to buy components worth 16,893 million euros when exports exceed 11,525 million euros. There is no data on the origin of these imported components but we do know that The second country that exports the most cars to Spain is China. Last year, 9.2% of cars purchased in our country from outside our borders arrived from China. Very far, yes, from the German 26%. The problem is that despite importing cars worth almost 2.7 billion euros, China does not appear among the 10 countries to which we export the most cars and we barely place 658 million euros in exports to all of Asia. The game of balance. Yet the European Union is discovering that perhaps it has arrived late to the trade battle. Yes, it has lifted tariffs on electric cars sold from China but the country’s tentacles reach deep into vehicles made in Europe, producing all kinds of cheap components but also producing key technology such as semiconductors or batteries of electric cars. China is aware that it can squeeze European industry but it also needs our trade to export all the cars that are already surplus there. It is no coincidence that Europe has not imposed tariffs on cars arrived with combustion engines and? have negotiated with China the possibility of lifting trade barriers to electric cars. The Band-Aid. Until now, a very important part of the components used in European cars had their origin within the borders of the European Union itself. However, China’s weight has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2024, China has already become the main exporter of cars to Europe and the weight of its components within the cars manufactured here is increasingly greater, which reduces the competitiveness of our exports, according to this report BBVA. This imbalance is doubly worrying because the European Union is trying to reduce Chinese dependence now that it is seeking to make the definitive leap to the electric car, a technology where the Asian country dominates the supply chain. In recent months, Europe has tried to curb dependence promoting mineral mining on our soil or battery production but Chinese dependence remains evident. Photo | Michael Fourset and Sou Jest In Xataka | Japan has been charging a 0% tariff on foreign cars for half a century. It will be very difficult for you to find one on the street.

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

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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

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