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BRIEFLY: Ford, BYD, Anti-EV Propaganda & more | 10 Mar 2026

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It's EV News Briefly for Tuesday 10 March 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

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FORD UPDATES PUMA GEN-E
Ford has updated the all-electric Puma Gen-E with a redesigned battery lifting WLTP range from 376 km to 417 km (260 miles), alongside new BlueCruise hands-free driving, audio, connectivity, and colour updates. BlueCruise can be bought outright or via subscription, with all capable Puma models receiving a free three-month trial.

BYD TO EXPORT FLASH CHARGING BY 2026
BYD plans to roll out its 1,500 kW Flash Charging network internationally before the end of 2026, starting with a push to 20,000 stations across China and then expanding to plants in Thailand, Brazil, and Hungary. The system charges second-gen LFP Blade Battery vehicles from 10% to 70% in five minutes, with each unit also functioning as an on-site 200–300 kWh battery pack to protect local grid infrastructure.

POLL FINDS EV KNOWLEDGE GAP
A YouGov poll for the ECIU found that over half of non-EV drivers scored two or fewer correct answers out of ten on basic EV facts, with nearly half wrongly believing EVs catch fire more often than petrol cars. A House of Lords committee described the situation as a "concerted campaign of misinformation," warning that false narratives and deliberate anti-EV propaganda by some in the media are a major barrier to EV uptake in the UK.

MOST UK BUYERS MISS EV GRANT
Carwow research found that 64% of in-market UK car buyers were unaware of the Government's EV grant, despite 73% of those who did know about it saying a full £3,750 discount would make them more likely to choose an EV. EVs now account for just under a quarter of new car sales, with only 8 of the 46 qualifying models eligible for the maximum grant amount.

MERCEDES SETS OUT 2026 GLA PLAN
Mercedes will launch the third-generation GLA later in 2026 on its MMA platform, offering hybrid and fully electric variants with an 800V system, a new vehicle supercomputer, and over-the-air update capability. The flagship GLA 250+ pairs an 85 kWh battery with a 262 bhp rear motor targeting up to 420 miles WLTP range, and the cabin features a 14.5-inch touchscreen with AI-powered MBUX voice recognition.

MG 4 EV URBAN SET FOR AUSTRALIA IN 2026
MG will bring the MG 4 EV Urban to Australia from April 2026, featuring LFP batteries in 43 kWh and 54 kWh options and a front-wheel-drive-only layout on the newer E3 platform. Pricing has not been confirmed, but UK figures suggest it could land closer to A$30,000, putting it in direct competition with BYD's Dolphin Essential at $29,990.

OCTOPUS EXPORTS PLUNGE PRICING EV CHARGING TO FRANCE
Octopus Energy is extending its dynamic Plunge Pricing public charging model to France via Electroverse, offering up to 50% discounts on charging costs when wholesale power prices fall due to high wind and solar output. The launch covers around 7,000 ultra-rapid Powerdot charge points, with Electroverse already connected via roaming to roughly 97% of France's 172,000 public charging points.

PORSCHE CONSIDERING TAYCAN PANAMERA MERGER
Porsche is exploring merging the Taycan and Panamera into a single model line offering petrol, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric variants, following €1.8 billion in write-downs tied to delayed SSP Sport platform development. The merged line could follow the Macan and Cayenne model, where parallel ICE and EV versions share a name despite using distinct platforms.

SK BATTERY AMERICA CUTS 958 GEORGIA JOBS
SK Battery America has cut 958 workers — 37% of its workforce — at its Commerce, Georgia plant, citing weak US EV market conditions. The plant had supplied cells for the Ford F-150 Lightning, Volkswagen ID.4, and Hyundai and Kia models, with Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff blaming the losses on the Trump administration's stance on EVs.

VOLVO EX60 BETS BIG ON CENTRAL SOFTWARE
Volvo has positioned the all-electric EX60, due for customer deliveries in September, as Europe's first "true" software-defined vehicle, combining in-house batteries, motors, core software, and the new SPA3 platform under one roof. The centralised software architecture replaces dozens of supplier ECUs and kilometres of wiring, with Volvo claiming the freed-up space gives the D-segment SUV cabin room comparable to older E-segment cars.

REDWOOD SHIFTS EV BATTERIES INTO SECOND-LIFE STORAGE
Redwood Materials is expanding into second-life battery energy storage after finding that incoming used EV packs are retaining more capacity and arriving in better condition than originally modelled. The strategy centres on a 12 MW/63 MWh second-life BESS project in Texas — claimed as the world's largest — with Redwood targeting GWh-scale deployments for data centres, renewables, and utility-scale installations.

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BRIEFLY: Ford, BYD, Anti-EV Propaganda & more | 10 Mar 2026

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EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVsBRIEFLY: Ford, BYD, Anti-EV Propaganda & more | 10 Mar 2026. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.

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It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now at chumbacasino.com. Sponsored by Jumpa Casino. No purchase necessary VGW group void for prohibited by law, 21-plus terms and conditions apply. It's EV news briefly for Tuesday 10th of March, everything EV in less than five minutes. If you haven't got time for the full podcast, let's get you up to speed. Ford is updating the all-electric Puma Gen E in Europe with the redesigned battery, lifting the range WLTP certified, and other 41 kilometers. That's a total of 260 miles of range now alongside adding blue crews, hands-free driving, better audio and more connectivity, and your color choices as well. Blue crews can be bought outright, or via subscription in Europe. KYD will roll out its 1500 kilowatt, that's 1.5 megawatt flash charging internationally before the end of this year. They'll start at home in China with 20,000 stations targeted by the end of the year. They have plants in Thailand, Brazil and Hungary, all looking

to make. The flash charging hardware that uses an LFP blade battery in the vehicles that will charge 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes, and do a 97 per cent charge in nine minutes. A new poll in the UK found that over half of non-EV drivers scored two or fewer correct answers on 10 basic EV facts, nearly half wrongly believing that EVs catch fire all the time. With our Parliament, the House of Lords Committee, describing the situation here as a concerted campaign of misinformation by some elements of the media and their anti-EV propaganda, you can only imagine why, or the money they're taking to do that from certain parts of the fossil fuel industry. Car Wow research found that 64 per cent of people buying a car here were unaware of the money available, the EV grant 73 per cent of those who did know about

it, saying that the almost 4,000 pounds off a new EV makes them more likely to choose an EV. Mercedes-Benz will launch the third generation GLA in 2026, sitting on the MMA platform using the same technology as the CLA. So 800 volts architecture, a new vehicle supercomputer over the year, updates 85 kilowatt hour battery pack targeting 420 miles WLTP MG bringing the MG for Urban. That's the one in China that you can get a semi-solid state pack in. We have it here as well. In right hand drive, now it's coming to Australia. That makes perfect sense because right hand drive market as well. And made in China, going on sale in April, LFP batteries, either 43 or 54 kilowatt hours, they're leaving the original MG for on sale in Australia as they did here, but simplifying the lineup getting rid of the long range battery. Octopus energy is extending its dynamic plunge pricing to France, offering 50 per cent discounts

on charging when it's windy or sunny. Porsche might merge Tycon and Panamera into a single model line offering both plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions, following recent write downs and Porsche trying to get a handle of where they are with their electrification journey. Now, SK in America has cut 958 workers from its Georgia plant, citing weaker marketing emissions in the United States. Georgia Senator John Ossoff blaming the losses on Trump's stance on renewables and EVs. Volvo has positioned the all-electric EX-60 as Europe's first software-defined vehicle customer delivery start in September. And they combine Volvo batteries, Volvo motors, Volvo software on the new SBA3 platform, which is just for Volvo's, they say, using this new software-defined architecture, deleting kilometers of wiring and freeing

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