TEN 555 | GM Kills BrightDrop, Africa’s Boda Bodas Go Electric, Yangwang U9 Shreds The Ring!

From Transport Evolved.

On today’s show, GM kills BrightDrop and stops production of all variants at the CAMI production facility, two African electric motorcycle startups get important funding to expand their services, and the Yangwang U9 Xtreme claims a new sub-7-minute record for production EVs on the NΓΌrburgring Nordschleife.

Find full show notes and script at: https://www.transportevolved.com/2025/10/25/ten-555-gm-kills-brightdrop-africas-boda-bodas-go-electric-yangwang-u9-shreds-the-ring/

β€”

*πŸ‘₯ Today’s Sponsors*
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association – https://www.myeva.org
⚑ EnergySage – https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262
β€”
✊ Get Involved πŸ—³οΈ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
❀️ Support the Show
πŸ“° https://www.transportevolved.com
πŸ”₯ https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved
β˜• https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved
πŸ“Ί https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved
πŸ‘• https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/
πŸ›οΈ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm
β‚Ώ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
πŸ’¬ Join the Conversation
🐘 https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show
πŸ’¬ https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn
πŸŒ€ https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social
πŸ” Subscribe to our 2nd channel – https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2

—-

*⏱️ Episode Timeline & Sources*

00:00 – Intro & sponsor shout-outs πŸŽ™οΈ
00:28 – Welcome to the show πŸ‘‹
00:52 – Correction from last week ⚠️
01:32 – Rivian spinoff Also launches πŸš€
02:34 – GM ends BrightDrop production in Canada; CarPlay and Android Auto gone πŸš—
03:41 – Nissan switches COΒ² pooling from Renault to BYD 🌱
04:41 – Auto industry faces semiconductor crunch πŸ”Œ
05:47 – Ukraine EV sales soar amid war πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦
06:55 – UK tallies massive cable-theft losses πŸ’°
07:54 – Stellantis delays more EVs ⏳
08:51 – Kenya’s Arc Ride & Spiro win big EV funding πŸ”‹
10:03 – Rivian gets into the Halloween spirit πŸŽƒ
11:11 – $24 B in U.S. clean-energy programs scrapped; DOE axes battery projects πŸ›οΈ
12:21 – Energy Sage sponsor 🌞
13:50 – Lucid Air recalled for half-shaft issue πŸ› οΈ
14:09 – BYD recalls two models in China ⚠️
14:22 – Tesla recalls Model 3 & Y for battery defect πŸ”§
14:40 – Escalade IQ gets GM’s first eyes-off driving πŸ‘€
15:00 – Rivian cuts staff 😒
15:12 – GM & Posco pause QuΓ©bec cathode plant 🏭
15:25 – U.S. tweaks tariff exemptions πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
15:42 – Zeekr 001 and 7X upgrade to 900-V tech ⚑
15:56 – Leapmotor shows new D19 flagship SUV πŸš™
16:12 – Canary Islands boost EV & transit plans 🏝️
16:24 – CATL opens 700th swap station πŸ”„
16:37 – Volvo offers free home charging in Sweden 🏠
16:51 – Prague to ban rented e-scooters πŸ›΄
17:05 – Mercedes opens GLC orders in Europe πŸ“–
17:16 – AEM lands OEM deal for rare-earth-free motors 🀝
17:28 – Ε koda to build new trolleybuses for Ostrava 🚌
17:41 – Germany leads EU truck-charging buildout πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ
17:54 – BYD bringing megawatt chargers to South Africa πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦
18:07 – Moia & VW launch autonomous ID Buzz in Berlin πŸ€–
18:18 – Hyundai EO (pre-Elexio) pre-sale in China πŸ›οΈ
18:33 – DHL adds Mercedes eSprinters to U.S. fleet πŸ“¦
18:46 – Fastned posts strong growth πŸ“ˆ
18:59 – Porsche CEO replaced; Blume stays VW chief πŸ‘”
19:11 – Chery shows 600 Wh/kg solid-state battery πŸ”¬
19:25 – VW expands Polish e-Crafter plant πŸ—οΈ
19:37 – Amplify truck-cell JV delayed to 2028 πŸ•°οΈ
19:51 – Michigan funds electric school buses 🏫
20:03 – Maryland launches $5 M EV-charger program πŸ’΅
20:15 – GM to lease V2H systems πŸ”Œ
20:29 – Warsaw orders more Solaris e-buses 🚌
20:42 – Daimler Truck debuts Wattson Type D e-school bus 🚍
20:56 – Wallbox expands U.S. V2X pilot ↔️
21:10 – Korean Air to commercialize Archer eVTOL ✈️
21:24 – Volvo delivers first L90 electric loader πŸ—οΈ
21:40 – California ZEV sales hit 29.1 % in Q3 πŸ“Š
21:52 – Porsche reveals Macan GTS 🏎️
22:08 – Uber rebrands Green β†’ Electric ⚑
22:20 – Wind Power set to rebound in Q4 🌬️
22:38 – Nissan teases solar-roof Sakura EV β˜€οΈ
22:52 – YASA sets new motor power-density record πŸ’ͺ
23:07 – VW ID.4 & ID.5 now eligible for UK grants πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§
23:20 – China to double EV-charger deployment πŸ‡¨πŸ‡³
23:32 – Pony AI & Stellantis team on EU robotaxis πŸ€–
24:05 – Patreon sponsor segment πŸ“£
25:57 – Yangwang U9 obliterates NΓΌrburgring EV record 🏎️
27:05 – Kia Finland sells petrol-scented air freshener β›½
28:09 – Thanks & goodbye πŸ‘‹

—–

*πŸŽ™οΈ Credits:*

Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
Β© Transport Evolved LLC, 2025