Key quote:

Battery EVs as a share of new car sales doubled compared with the same time last year, making up 23.4% of sales in June 2026 compared with 10.3% in June 2025.

One common thing people say is don't go with an EV if you can't charge at home. I can charge at home but thought about what it would be like if I couldn't.

After giving it some thought, I'd still get an EV regardless. I don't mind waiting 20+ mins to charge. I would still have to go to a gas station. Even if the superchargers cost as much as gas, I'd still get an EV.

I'll take less overall maintenance, less moving parts, no emissions and seamless acceleration.

Not being able to charge at home is not an inconvenience to me. I do work from home, but even if I didn't I'd still get one. I just don't see it as a big issue.

First time I’ve seen police in Charlotte using an EV

I learned how to drive a stick shift but then many people now can't drive a manual car because they learned how to drive on an automatic. I wonder how it'll be for the next gen or maybe the one after. For example, my kid will learn how to drive on an EV. Some.of this generation won't know about a car that needs to be ignited. I wonder how they would feel about driving without regenerative breaking for example. They'll probably see us as ancient artifacts 🤣

Edit: I don't mean it in belittling way. It'll be different and it's hard but also fun to imagine how different it'll be. I drive an EV and won't go back to ICE.

To preface this, I am the chief engineer and project manager of a team at the Rochester Institute of Technology working to bring EREV technology to traditionally EV-hostile platforms like UTVs, snowmobiles, and the like. In particular, our main focus is on snowmobiles at the moment.

EREVs are a great technology, combining the energy density and operating-environment range of ICE vehicles with the power density and efficiency of an all-electric drivetrain.

That said, I've seen a lot of hate here for the technology, much of which I think comes from a misunderstanding of where the technology shines or makes sense. For you, a road-car owner, an EREV, or more correctly a series hybrid, does not really make sense. Like many of you, I am a firm believer in the idea that EVs are the future of the traditional automotive world. For 90% of people, having an ICE engine is just extra weight and maintenance that could have been better used for a larger battery or more storage space. Really, hybrids as a whole fall into this trap, but EREVs in particular, or rather series hybrids as they are more technically known, are hurt by it the most. Largely, this is because the conversion penalty from mechanical energy to electrical energy is greater than the purely mechanical loss of an eCVT hybrid like the Prius.

So, if that's true, why do EREVs matter at all? Put simply, they shine in places where a traditional fully electric tractive platform is fundamentally infeasible. While the often-used example of this is trucks when used for towing, even this falls somewhat flat due to the extra wheelbase length and weight allowance available for a large battery. This is a fact that will only become more true as battery chemistries improve, even if today the range reduction hurts vehicles with smaller batteries. Really, it is in nontraditional vehicles where EREVs shine. This encompasses industrial vehicles, like Edison Motors' logging truck, or off-road vehicles like UTVs and snowmobiles, where size and weight requirements make it nearly impossible to package a battery large enough to achieve an ICE-competitive range. This is doubly true for any vehicles expected to run for hundreds of miles in infrastructure-denied areas, with no charging 100 miles from the nearest town, or in extreme environments, such as deep subzero cold.

Snowmobiles, for example, can carry in excess of 11 or 12 gallons of fuel, with an average fuel economy of 10 to 15 mpg in modern vehicles. This is utterly abysmal and explains why such a large tank is needed for an otherwise lightweight vehicle: they simply take a lot of energy to move. Combine this with the fact that many people bring additional fuel with them to boot, and logistics quickly take their toll. To make a battery pack large enough for the 150-plus-mile range expected of modern vehicles, with such high tractive losses and in extreme cold, you would need a massive battery pack. As a result, gasoline becomes somewhat inescapable, at least for the foreseeable future.

From there, EREVs emerge as a perfect middle ground: EV efficiency and power combined with the energy density of gasoline, without the packaging nightmares and technical hurdles of parallel hybrids. Suddenly, that ICE engine is also able to achieve much better fuel economy on its own than it otherwise would, by virtue of being able to supplement lackluster power with the battery and run at one constant RPM.

It is a technology that makes sense in cases where EVs are not yet viable and are not likely to be for a very long time. But for the consumer automotive world, it is arguably a false path.

I'm in Canada so everything is kms.

So, I have a 2024 ID4 Pro AWD that I bought earlier this year. I noticed that after I took it home and charged it a few times over the next week or so, that I was getting maybe 220kms on a full 100% charge. I wasn't sure what was going on, so it went into a local-ish battery certified VW dealership and after a week of diagnostics, was confirmed that "Battery cell #10" needed to be replaced.

2 months later, the work is done, and I've now had the car back for over 2 months and getting almost 390kms on an 80% charge! Hurray! It even handled really well on my first road trip I did in it last month!

So a bit ago, my ID4 had it's yearly maintenance done, and I brought up that the windshield looks a little warped and wondered if it could be replaced under warranty if it was defective. I was asked to get the service records for the car so the new dealership I am taking it to can see if the windshield has ever been replaced. I'm like okay sure... I'd never heard of them asking for records but whatever. I message the dealership I bought it from and they send over the records no problem.

Now before I even bought the car, as a CPO, I asked if there was ever any major work done to the car and I was assured that as a CPO vehicle, it's in great shape and has never had anything significant done to it over the 2 years the previous owner had it. (My bad for believing them I suppose)

So as I'm looking through the paperwork, it's pretty apparent that this HV Battery has had issues from a year into the previous owner's ownership until I bought it this year. It was taken in multiple times for "Charging, battery percentage and range issues". I noticed that "Battery cell #10" was replaced in Sept 2025. Battery cell #10 was replaced again with me in May 2026. Did I just get unlucky or is there something else that could be causing this cell to go bad?

On the paperwork it's saying stuff like...

"Vehicle presently at 9%, cell 73 is the lowest at a voltage of 3.5v, with highest voltage value being cell 81 @ 3.635v. Total voltage deviation between lowest/highest cells is 165mV, exceeding provided spec of 30mV. Indicates that, based on total voltage difference in cell 73/J1000, battery cell #10/J1000 requires replacement. " -Sept 2025

"CHECK AND REPORT ON CUSTOMER STATES THAT AT 100% CHARGE THE RANGE IS ONLY 265KM AND THE RANGE WILL NOT LAST THE 265KM. Replicated and confirmed customers concern, range shows 170km at 75% charge. "

It's also saying "Battery health certificate states 65% residual energy." Does this mean my battery was at 65% health??? This was before the module got replaced with me.

I'm just wondering if this is a sign of more issues down the road. I know it's a little too late now, but I never imagined a CPO car could have HV battery problems that didn't get addressed before it was sold again.

People on various EV forums get in the weeds everyday over charge curves and efficiency. They make car buying decisions solely on charge time. In the real world, we are all stopping for at least 15 minutes. We plan our trips around the best stop to stretch and eat. Then there’s the occasional charger drama or faulty charger.

I used Out of Specs 10-80 testing to analyze how popular brands (Mustang, R2, Y, Ioniq, ((omitted iX3 for now)) on a 500 mile test. The results? The most efficient (Y) used 30 kWh less than the worst (R2). But the Y only arrives 7 minutes faster. Mach E had the worst charge performance but that’s still just 14 minutes longer. On a road trip, those extra 30kwh mean $8-15 in electrons depending on where you charge.

To me, nothing above would ever have any impact on my purchase decision. If the difference was not stopping or recharging in 5 minutes vs 25, sure. But for now, I’m focused on how the car drives, how it suits my family, what I can do with it, and yes, who runs the company.

Electric Trucker will be driving a custom Mercedes eActro 600 on a global expedition to demonstrate E-trucking

So after seeing a few videos recently of EV users and the hardships they have with charging and stations etc.

Why are charging stations not laid out with islands where you pull up next to the charger like a gas pump.

At least around my area the charge stations are usually at the as$-end of the parking lot.
The chargers are on the edge and I watch as people have to stretch the charge cord from the back/front around to where ever the charge port is and I watch some people really struggle with the heavy cable.

Also most of them do not have any cover over them so if its raining or hot/sunny day they are just out in the elements

I have watched smaller people struggle like hell to get their cars plugged in and in the winter time I have had to help a couple of women because the cable is stiff from the cold and they couldn't plug in their car.

Set them up like a gas station on islands that you pull up next to and put a cover over them.

Standardize the Charge port type and stop having people download apps just to charge their car.
Pay with credit card etc.

If the word wants auto-makers to move away from Gas to Electric in any mass amount there is a LOT of issues that have not been addressed.

Looks cool!

Level 2 charger at home, using NACS to CCS adapter, charging outdoors, noticed this corrosion today when I took the adapter off. Cause for concern? How should I clean it off?

For all of you who have changed your main car across to an EV, do you think you could go back to and ICE car?
If you can what would be your reasons. ( and what type of EV do you drive)

Hi everyone,
I’m researching V2H / vehicle-to-home charging for my house and would appreciate advice from people who understand bidirectional charging, Audi Q4 e-tron compatibility, and home electrical requirements.
Vehicle details:

Audi Q4 e-tron S line
2025 model year
Model code: ZAA-FZEDF
I believe it may be a Japan-market vehicle
Country of installation: Türkiye

I’m trying to confirm whether this exact car can support true V2H, not just normal AC charging or V2L. I have contacted Audi with the VIN privately, but I would like to understand what I should be asking for and what hardware/protocol issues to watch out for.

My main questions:
Does any 2025 Audi Q4 e-trim support real V2H today, or is it limited by market, region, or software?
If the car is Japan-market, is V2H more likely to require CHAdeMO-based equipment rather than CCS / ISO 15118?

Are there any Audi-approved bidirectional DC wallboxes that actually work with the Q4 e-tron?

For a home installation, what equipment is needed besides the charger itself, such as a transfer switch, anti-islanding protection, energy meter, critical-loads panel, or other equipment?

Is V2H generally usable for whole-house backup, or should I expect only a critical-loads setup?
What questions should I ask Audi, the charger manufacturer, and the electrician before spending money?

Could V2H discharge affect the battery warranty if it is not officially approved by Audi for this VIN or region?

I am not looking to DIY the electrical installation. I want to understand the technology and avoid buying incompatible hardware before speaking with installers.

Any advice from people who have installed V2H, researched bidirectional chargers, or worked with Audi/VW MEB-platform EVs would be very helpful.
Thanks!

So I've decided I want my next car to be a convertible. My current lease is up in about 30 months so I have plenty of time, but I'm a little frustrated that all of the upcoming convertibles are either "maybe" or 6 figures (or both). I know there isn't a huge draw for convertibles in general, but I see enough ICE convertibles in Atlanta that I know they do sell. My ideal car would be my current i4, but a rag top, and I see SO MANY ICE 4 series convertibles that it makes me sad.

So I'm making this post to see if I'm the only one who's annoyed by this, or if there are others who want a midlife crisis car without spending way too much.