ev.news Briefly: Falling Petrol Sales, Superchargers, LMR Batteries & more | 03 Oct 2026

It's ev.news Briefly for Saturday 03 October 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

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GASOLINE CARS LOSE THEIR GLOBAL MAJORITY

Pure petrol cars fell below half of global new-car sales for the first time in the first half of 2026, dropping 10% year on year to 20.25 million vehicles and a 49% market share. EVs reached 6.87 million sales and 17% share, so this is not an EV takeover but a milestone showing the global market fragmenting across battery-electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and other powertrains.

TESLA SUPERCHARGERS PASS 85,000 — AND GET BUSIER

Tesla’s Supercharger network has passed 85,000 stalls across more than 9,000 sites worldwide, while third-quarter charging sessions rose 29% year on year to 69 million and delivered around 2.4 TWh of electricity. Tesla is also introducing factory-assembled Supercharger designs to accelerate deployment, but rising utilisation suggests the network’s economics are increasingly being driven by how intensively existing chargers are used, not simply how many are installed.

TESLA'S CHEAPER MODEL 3 GAINS IN CANADA

Tesla’s Shanghai-built Model 3 is gaining sales in Canada after the country reopened limited imports of Chinese-made EVs under a 49,000-vehicle annual quota carrying a 6.1% tariff instead of the previous 100% surtax. Despite being ineligible for Canada’s federal EV incentive, the Model 3’s lower Chinese manufacturing costs have enabled aggressive pricing, potentially providing an early indication of how competitive Chinese-built EVs from Tesla and forthcoming brands such as BYD, Chery and Changan could be in North America.

GM BETS ON LMR AS ITS NEXT EV BATTERY

GM and LG Energy Solution plan to convert their Spring Hill, Tennessee battery plant to produce lithium-manganese-rich cells from 2028, betting that LMR can provide around 33% more energy density than LFP at roughly similar cost. GM sees the chemistry as particularly attractive for electric pickups and large SUVs and potentially important enough to displace LFP from its future EV portfolio, although durability, capacity retention and fast-charging performance remain unresolved.

BMW STARTS NEUE KLASSE BATTERY RAMP EARLY

BMW has started series production of sixth-generation Neue Klasse battery packs at its €1 billion Irlbach-Straßkirchen plant in Bavaria earlier than planned, initially supplying the new i3 from Munich. The factory is part of BMW’s strategy of assembling batteries close to vehicle plants worldwide, and its early ramp-up shows Neue Klasse moving beyond launch into large-scale industrial production.

VOLVO EV SALES RISE AS COMPANY WARNS ON PROFITS

Volvo Cars has withdrawn its annual guidance and warned of weaker earnings and cash flow after third-quarter deliveries fell 11%, with difficult conditions in China and a slower-than-expected US premium-market recovery weighing on the business. Its EV sales nevertheless rose 29% and reached almost one-third of total deliveries, showing that Volvo’s electrification is progressing even as broader market weakness and pricing pressure damage profitability.

ELECTRIC G-CLASS GETS NACS AND MORE EPA RANGE

Mercedes-Benz has given the 2027 G 580 Electric native NACS fast-charging access in the US, increased EPA range from 239 to 249 miles and cut its claimed 10–80% charging time from 32 to 29 minutes while retaining a 200 kW peak charging rate. The changes improve usability, particularly through easier Tesla Supercharger access, but do not resolve the larger question of weak demand for the electric G-Class compared with its combustion counterpart.

MERCEDES BRINGS SIX SHOW PREMIERES TO PARIS

Mercedes-Benz will bring six major models to the Paris Motor Show on 12 October, including the GLA, electric VLE, GLE, S-Class, AMG CLA 45 and AMG GT 4-Door Coupé, although these are show premieres rather than six new world debuts. The electric VLE, with seating for up to eight and more than 700 km of claimed WLTP range, will be one of the main EV attractions alongside electric versions of the C-Class and GLC as Mercedes demonstrates the breadth of its current product renewal.