It's EV News Briefly for Saturday 07 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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VW SHOWS WORKERS NINTH-GEN GOLF PLAN
Volkswagen has given Wolfsburg workers a first look at the ninth-generation Golf, expected to carry the ID Golf name and built on VW Group's new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). From summer 2027, current combustion-engine Golf production shifts to Mexico, freeing Wolfsburg to retool for the ID Golf and an electric VW T-Roc successor.

STELLANTIS CUTS ELECTRIC VAN PRICES TO DIESEL LEVEL
Stellantis Pro One is running a European campaign until end of June that matches the purchase price of eight battery-electric vans to their diesel equivalents across compact and mid-size segments. The offer directly closes gaps such as the €7,150 difference between the Opel Combo Cargo Electric and its diesel counterpart, testing whether price parity alone will push fleets to commit.

TESLA EYES 400-STALL SUPERCHARGER SITE IN YERMO
Tesla is planning a 400-stall V4 Supercharger station in Yermo, California on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, which would more than double the current record of 164 stalls. The site would be built in six phases as part of a wider retail hub called Eddie World 2, with Phase 1 delivering 72 stalls breaking ground in 2026.

UBER BACKS POD HOME CHARGING SUBSCRIPTION FOR DRIVERS
Uber has partnered with Pod in the UK to offer drivers a home EV charger subscription for £25 per month over three years, with no upfront cost, a lifetime warranty, and potential cash rewards of up to £170 a year through smart charging. The offer arrives as Uber expands its Uber Electric category to eight new UK cities including Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.

BYD SURGES IN GERMANY AND UK
BYD registrations surged 1,550% year-on-year in Germany in February to 3,053 vehicles, while also rising 83% in the UK to 2,154 units and tripling in Spain to 3,003 registrations. The gains come as BYD ramps up its first European plant in Hungary, built partly to sidestep EU tariffs on Chinese-imported EVs imposed in October 2024.

NIO SHIFTS EUROPE TO DISTRIBUTORS
Nio is overhauling its European operations by switching from direct sales to a distributor-led model in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, while retaining direct sales only in Norway. The restructure, moving from a country-led to a function-led organisation, has already seen Nio Germany general manager David Sultzer step down.

MILENCE OPENS 400 KW TRUCK CHARGING HUB IN GHENT
Milence, backed by Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and Traton, has opened a 400 kW HGV charging hub at the Volvo Trucks plant in Ghent, its fourth Belgian site, positioned on the TEN-T North Sea–Mediterranean freight corridor. A second phase will add Megawatt Charging System infrastructure, targeting charge times of 30 to 45 minutes for large HGV batteries.

UK ADDED TO EU PLANS FOR EV PRODUCTION LIMITS
The European Commission's Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) will open EU manufacturing subsidies to up to 40 "trusted partner" nations including the UK and Japan, following lobbying by UK business secretary Peter Kyle after fears that Nissan's Sunderland plant could close under earlier exclusionary proposals. The IAA also targets lifting manufacturing's share of EU GDP from 14.3% to 20% by 2035, though US firms are expected to be excluded due to American public procurement restrictions.

ETHIOPIA'S EV IMPORT SHARE JUMPS AFTER ICE BAN
After Ethiopia banned ICE vehicle imports in 2024 and cut EV import duties, EVs rose from under 1% to around 6% of all vehicle imports, surpassing the reported global average of roughly 4%. The government is driving electrification as energy sovereignty, aided by low electricity costs of around $0.10 per kWh and a tiered tariff structure that exempts domestically assembled EV kits from import tax entirely.

ORBÁN'S BATTERY BET HITS A DOWNTURN
Hungary has attracted approximately €26 billion in foreign EV battery investment, mainly from South Korean and Chinese manufacturers, but battery output has fallen during a prolonged sector downturn weeks before the April 12 national election. The strategy faces additional political pressure after a news investigation into health and safety violations at Samsung SDI's factory undermined the narrative around foreign-capital-led industrialisation.

QUEENSLAND PUSHES UNDER-16 BAN FOR E-MOBILITY
A Queensland parliamentary inquiry has tabled 28 recommendations including a ban on under-16s riding e-bikes and personal mobility devices, prompted by 12 e-mobility deaths and over 6,300 emergency department presentations in the state last year. Key proposals also include requiring at least a learner car licence to ride, cutting footpath speed limits to 10 km/h, and reclassifying any device capable of exceeding 25 km/h as a motorcycle.