It's EV News Briefly for Friday 17 April 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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MERCEDES PREVIEWS ELECTRIC C-CLASS CABIN
Mercedes-Benz has revealed the interior of its first all-electric C-Class ahead of a full reveal on 20 April, showcasing a screen-dominated cabin featuring either a standard Superscreen or an optional 39.1-inch Hyperscreen spanning nearly the full dashboard width, with 10 colour schemes and matrix backlighting using nearly 10 million pixels. The EV platform frees up more interior space than any previous C-Class, and the car adds a new multi-source heat pump that heats the cabin twice as fast as combustion models while using roughly half the energy, alongside Vegan Society-certified upholstery, electropneumatic lumbar seats with massage and ventilation, an optional Burmester 4D system with seat exciters, and an optional Sky Control roof with 162 illuminated stars.

MUSK COMPANIES PROPPED UP CYBERTRUCK Q4
SpaceX purchased 1,279 Cybertrucks in Q4 2025, accounting for nearly 20% of all US Cybertruck registrations in the period, with Musk-owned entities including xAI, The Boring Company, and Neuralink collectively taking 1,339 units out of 7,071 total US registrations. Analysts estimated that without these affiliated-company purchases, Cybertruck registrations would have fallen more than 50% year-over-year, and Musk-linked companies continued buying in early 2026 with 158 units in January and 67 in February.

MAZDA6E UK PRICED FROM £38,995
Mazda will launch the all-electric Mazda6e in the UK this summer with orders open now, priced from £38,995 for the Takumi trim and £39,995 for the Takumi Plus, featuring a 78kWh LFP battery with up to 348 miles of WLTP range and a 10–80% DC fast charge time of just 24 minutes. Unlike mainland European versions, the UK model gets a single-battery setup, paired with a rear-mounted motor doing 0–62mph in 7.9 seconds, a five-door hatchback body, a 14.6-inch touchscreen, and an augmented reality head-up display.

BMW ADDS CONTRACT-FREE PLUG & CHARGE IN GERMANY
BMW Group has launched a contract-free Plug & Charge service in Germany, allowing drivers of compatible BMW and MINI EVs to authenticate at public DC charging points simply by plugging in, with billing going directly to the credit card stored on their BMW or MINI account. The first rollout covers over 1,400 charging points across Germany and Austria via partner Mer Germany using Hubject's system, and is the first time Plug & Charge has been extended to drivers without an existing charging contract, including tourists and fleet users.

BYD ADDS TWO SHARK 6 VARIANTS
BYD has expanded its Shark 6 ute range in Australia from one model to three, adding the Shark 6 Dynamic Cab-Chassis (from A$55,900) and the Shark 6 Performance (from A$62,900) alongside the existing Shark 6 Premium. All variants use BYD's Dual Mode Off-Road plug-in hybrid system combining a turbocharged petrol engine with front and rear electric motors and a Blade battery, with the Performance variant boosting towing capacity to 3,500kg and adding a dedicated Crawl Mode for off-road use.

ALLEGO ADDS SMART OVERNIGHT CHARGING IN DUTCH MARKET
Allego has launched a smart overnight charging scheme in the Netherlands using Deftpower technology, offering drivers a choice from 6 PM between immediate and smart charging, with the latter shifting sessions to off-peak hours to reduce grid strain during evening peaks. Drivers who opt in receive cashback rewards of up to 5% of charging costs, and Allego plans to expand the model from its initial rollout to around 9,000 charging points in the Netherlands before extending it to Belgium.

FUEL SPIKE PUSHES DRIVERS TOWARDS EVS
A survey by Electrifying.com of over 1,000 visitors found that more than 70% of non-EV drivers said rising fuel prices — spiked by US-Israel air attacks on Iran and disruption to oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz — are making them more actively consider switching to electric. Electrifying.com founder Ginny Buckley reported a near-50% week-on-week surge in site traffic since the start of the US-Iran conflict, while analyst Tom Barnard noted some used EVs priced under £5,000 can pay for themselves within a few years through fuel savings alone.

RIVIAN MAKES FOUR RAN SITES NACS-ONLY
Rivian has converted four California-based Rivian Adventure Network charging sites to NACS-only, removing CCS1 connectors entirely in a first for the network, a move likely driven by the ramp-up of the R2 and the 2026 R1S and R1T, all of which ship with NACS as standard. Owners of older CCS1 Rivians and other non-NACS EVs will need a NACS-to-CCS1 adapter to use these four sites, with the switch also simplifying site logistics as NACS-equipped Rivians grow in number.

HONDA SUPER-N SET FOR UK JULY LAUNCH
Honda has revealed the Super-N, an all-electric kei-inspired hatchback measuring 3.4 metres in length, due on sale in the UK from July at under £20,000, directly rivalling the Dacia Spring and Hyundai Inster. Power comes from a compact e-axle producing 47 kW (rising to 70 kW in BOOST Mode), with Honda quoting a UK urban range of 199 miles and a combined range of 128 miles, though battery and charging specifications have not yet been disclosed.

MAV SYSTEMS LAUNCHES BAYIQ FOR EV BAYS
UK-based MAV Systems has launched BayiQ, an ANPR camera system designed to help parking operators, councils, and transport authorities tackle overstaying, ICEing, and poor turnover at EV charging bays. A single BayiQ unit can monitor multiple adjacent bays simultaneously, unlike conventional ANPR systems that require one camera per bay, reducing installation costs and civil works for operators managing busy charging locations.