ev.news Briefly: Walmart, Hyundai. Polestar & more | 25 Aug 2026
Aug 26, 12:49 AM
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➤ WALMART OPENS 100TH FAST-CHARGING STATION
➤ HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ V PRE-SALES IN CHINA
➤ POLSTAR CLAIMS UNEQUAL US TREATMENT
➤ DUTCH PLUG-IN MARKET FAVOURS RICH HOUSEHOLDS
➤ MERCEDES CLA ELECTRIC COVERS 385 MILES AT 70 MPH
➤ OPEL SETS 2028 DATE FOR ELECTRIC CORSA
➤ ROME BACKS ELECTRIC AND HYDROGEN BUSES
➤ SUZUKI PLANS VISION E-SKY EUROPE EXPORT
➤ MEXICO ELECTRIFIED SALES RISE AS PRODUCTION FALLS
➤ ELECTRIC MOTORHOME USES EVOLVE PLATFORM
It's ev.news Briefly for Tuesday 25 August 2026, only today’s headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.
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WALMART OPENS 100TH FAST-CHARGING STATION
Walmart has opened its 100th branded EV fast-charging station at its Monument, Colorado Supercenter, extending a network that now covers 20 states — up from 17 a month earlier — despite the retailer having no branded chargers less than two years ago. The four-stall site uses ABB Mobility all-in-one dispensers delivering up to 400 kW with NACS and CCS1 connectors and app-only payment, part of a rollout that added 612 stalls in the first half of 2026 and ranked second only to Tesla for new ports energised in Q2, at an average $0.43 per kWh with 10% off for Walmart+ members.
Walmart has opened its 100th branded EV fast-charging station at its Monument, Colorado Supercenter, extending a network that now covers 20 states — up from 17 a month earlier — despite the retailer having no branded chargers less than two years ago. The four-stall site uses ABB Mobility all-in-one dispensers delivering up to 400 kW with NACS and CCS1 connectors and app-only payment, part of a rollout that added 612 stalls in the first half of 2026 and ranked second only to Tesla for new ports energised in Q2, at an average $0.43 per kWh with 10% off for Walmart+ members.
HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ V PRE-SALES IN CHINA
Beijing Hyundai has begun pre-sales of the Ioniq V at the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show ahead of a September launch, priced from 119,900 yuan (about $17,300) to 139,900 yuan across three versions, with up to 650 km of CLTC range, an 800-volt E-GMP architecture, CATL LFP batteries of 53.5 or 66.8 kWh and single motors of 140 or 168 kW. It is the first production Ioniq developed in China, using a 27-inch 4K Snapdragon 8295 screen, Momenta highway L2+ assistance and Baidu and ByteDance AI infotainment, as Hyundai targets 20 electrified models and 500,000 annual Chinese sales by 2030.
Beijing Hyundai has begun pre-sales of the Ioniq V at the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show ahead of a September launch, priced from 119,900 yuan (about $17,300) to 139,900 yuan across three versions, with up to 650 km of CLTC range, an 800-volt E-GMP architecture, CATL LFP batteries of 53.5 or 66.8 kWh and single motors of 140 or 168 kW. It is the first production Ioniq developed in China, using a 27-inch 4K Snapdragon 8295 screen, Momenta highway L2+ assistance and Baidu and ByteDance AI infotainment, as Hyundai targets 20 electrified models and 500,000 annual Chinese sales by 2030.
POLESTAR CLAIMS UNEQUAL US TREATMENT
Polestar has accused the US Commerce Department of "disparate treatment" after a June 24 denial blocked its American sales from model year 2027, noting that Volvo — which shares Chinese majority owner Geely and builds the Polestar 3 on the same South Carolina line — was authorised earlier in 2026. In an Aug. 18 letter, Peter Wexler said the 13-month review dismissed mitigation offers including audits, cybersecurity reviews and removal of China links from data management, despite officials indicating in January and April that approval was likely; dealers have called the outcome devastating, with a New Jersey group suing for $25 million over an allegedly concealed US withdrawal.
Polestar has accused the US Commerce Department of "disparate treatment" after a June 24 denial blocked its American sales from model year 2027, noting that Volvo — which shares Chinese majority owner Geely and builds the Polestar 3 on the same South Carolina line — was authorised earlier in 2026. In an Aug. 18 letter, Peter Wexler said the 13-month review dismissed mitigation offers including audits, cybersecurity reviews and removal of China links from data management, despite officials indicating in January and April that approval was likely; dealers have called the outcome devastating, with a New Jersey group suing for $25 million over an allegedly concealed US withdrawal.
DUTCH PLUG-IN MARKET FAVOURS RICH HOUSEHOLDS
Statistics agency CBS found that the Netherlands' shift to electric cars has mainly benefited wealthy households, with the top-earning 10% buying almost 75,000 of the roughly 259,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars traded in 2025 and the top 20% accounting for nearly half. The lowest-earning 10% bought about 6,000, or 2%, and two-thirds of cars bought by the poorest fifth were over a decade old, prompting a €52 million, three-year subsidy scheme from the final quarter of 2026 for lower- and middle-income buyers of second-hand EVs who scrap older petrol or diesel vehicles.
Statistics agency CBS found that the Netherlands' shift to electric cars has mainly benefited wealthy households, with the top-earning 10% buying almost 75,000 of the roughly 259,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars traded in 2025 and the top 20% accounting for nearly half. The lowest-earning 10% bought about 6,000, or 2%, and two-thirds of cars bought by the poorest fifth were over a decade old, prompting a €52 million, three-year subsidy scheme from the final quarter of 2026 for lower- and middle-income buyers of second-hand EVs who scrap older petrol or diesel vehicles.
MERCEDES CLA ELECTRIC COVERS 385 MILES AT 70 MPH
The dual-motor 2027 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4MATIC Electric covered 385 miles in a constant-speed 70 mph range test on 19-inch wheels, exceeding its 312-mile EPA Combined rating by 73 miles, or 23%, with 2 miles remaining at 0% charge. Consumption of 225 Wh per mile implied 86.6 kWh used against an 85-kWh net battery, with the result credited to the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Architecture and a two-speed rear-motor transmission of the type that has also helped Porsche and Audi models beat their ratings.
The dual-motor 2027 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4MATIC Electric covered 385 miles in a constant-speed 70 mph range test on 19-inch wheels, exceeding its 312-mile EPA Combined rating by 73 miles, or 23%, with 2 miles remaining at 0% charge. Consumption of 225 Wh per mile implied 86.6 kWh used against an 85-kWh net battery, with the result credited to the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Architecture and a two-speed rear-motor transmission of the type that has also helped Porsche and Audi models beat their ratings.
OPEL SETS 2028 DATE FOR ELECTRIC CORSA
Opel CEO Florian Huettl has pushed the all-electric Corsa successor from 2027 to 2028, moving the brand's best-seller onto Stellantis' STLA Small platform as a battery-electric-only model with bigger batteries, more range and prices from €25,000, against the current e-CMP Corsa Electric's 46-49 kWh battery, 429 km claim and €30,440 starting price. Huettl cited improving range, charging and fuel costs rather than any fixed date to end combustion engines, and Opel will still deliver the e-CMP-based Corsa GSE, capable of 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds, to dealers this year.
Opel CEO Florian Huettl has pushed the all-electric Corsa successor from 2027 to 2028, moving the brand's best-seller onto Stellantis' STLA Small platform as a battery-electric-only model with bigger batteries, more range and prices from €25,000, against the current e-CMP Corsa Electric's 46-49 kWh battery, 429 km claim and €30,440 starting price. Huettl cited improving range, charging and fuel costs rather than any fixed date to end combustion engines, and Opel will still deliver the e-CMP-based Corsa GSE, capable of 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds, to dealers this year.
ROME BACKS ELECTRIC AND HYDROGEN BUSES
Rome will spend €117 million from Italy's infrastructure ministry on new buses through operator ATAC, split between €83.6 million for hydrogen models and €27.1 million for battery-electric ones plus depot upgrades, though neither quantities nor manufacturers have been named. A further €6 million in European funding will build a green hydrogen hub using local electrolysis at ATAC's Acilia site, complementing a charge introduced in July 2026 for EVs entering a restricted central zone that takes about 50,000 cars a day against a designed capacity of 20,000.
Rome will spend €117 million from Italy's infrastructure ministry on new buses through operator ATAC, split between €83.6 million for hydrogen models and €27.1 million for battery-electric ones plus depot upgrades, though neither quantities nor manufacturers have been named. A further €6 million in European funding will build a green hydrogen hub using local electrolysis at ATAC's Acilia site, complementing a charge introduced in July 2026 for EVs entering a restricted central zone that takes about 50,000 cars a day against a designed capacity of 20,000.
SUZUKI PLANS VISION E-SKY EUROPE EXPORT
Suzuki intends to export its Vision e-Sky electric microcar from Japan, with Europe possible in 2027 and the UK and Italy under review at an expected UK price below £20,000, ahead of a Japanese world premiere in autumn and production at a plant southwest of Tokyo. Based on Japan's kei-car class and targeting 310 km of range with likely LFP cells from BYD's corporate network, it would be Suzuki's first battery-electric kei car and reportedly the first exported almost unchanged, offering growth potential after European sales fell 15% to 187,000 in the year to March.
Suzuki intends to export its Vision e-Sky electric microcar from Japan, with Europe possible in 2027 and the UK and Italy under review at an expected UK price below £20,000, ahead of a Japanese world premiere in autumn and production at a plant southwest of Tokyo. Based on Japan's kei-car class and targeting 310 km of range with likely LFP cells from BYD's corporate network, it would be Suzuki's first battery-electric kei car and reportedly the first exported almost unchanged, offering growth potential after European sales fell 15% to 187,000 in the year to March.
MEXICO ELECTRIFIED SALES RISE AS PRODUCTION FALLS
Mexico sold 95,037 electrified vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 44% year on year for a 12.6% market share, led by Toyota in conventional hybrids and boosted by expanding Chinese brands, while charging points reached 60,934 and 170 electrified models are now offered. Production moved the other way, falling to 47,411 units from 110,002 a year earlier as weaker US demand cut Equinox output by 81.6% and Blazer output by 80%, prompting the Electro Mobility Association to call for policies supporting both electrification and domestic manufacturing.
Mexico sold 95,037 electrified vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 44% year on year for a 12.6% market share, led by Toyota in conventional hybrids and boosted by expanding Chinese brands, while charging points reached 60,934 and 170 electrified models are now offered. Production moved the other way, falling to 47,411 units from 110,002 a year earlier as weaker US demand cut Equinox output by 81.6% and Blazer output by 80%, prompting the Electro Mobility Association to call for policies supporting both electrification and domestic manufacturing.
ELECTRIC MOTORHOME USES EVOLVE PLATFORM
CityFreighter, Vöhringer and Motive Development have unveiled an electric motorhome demonstrator for Europe's 4.25-tonne Class B category, built on CityFreighter's Evolve skateboard with a Vöhringer AIRPLY lightweight interior and coming in under 3.5 tonnes complete with kitchen, bathroom and heat pump, leaving about 750 kg of payload. Its 128-kWh battery gives roughly 400 km of range, supports vehicle-to-load and charges from 10-80% in about 20 minutes at up to 200 kW, while independent battery replacement and upgrades are pitched as protecting residual value in vehicles that often stay in service for decades.
CityFreighter, Vöhringer and Motive Development have unveiled an electric motorhome demonstrator for Europe's 4.25-tonne Class B category, built on CityFreighter's Evolve skateboard with a Vöhringer AIRPLY lightweight interior and coming in under 3.5 tonnes complete with kitchen, bathroom and heat pump, leaving about 750 kg of payload. Its 128-kWh battery gives roughly 400 km of range, supports vehicle-to-load and charges from 10-80% in about 20 minutes at up to 200 kW, while independent battery replacement and upgrades are pitched as protecting residual value in vehicles that often stay in service for decades.