About this episode
It's EV News Briefly for Friday 13 March 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDailyRIVIAN REVEALS R2 PRICINGThe Rivian R2 launches in four trims, all sharing an 87.9 kWh usable battery, ranging from the $57,990 Performance AWD (656 hp, 330 miles) arriving this Spring to a ~$45,000 base RWD variant in late 2027 with 275+ miles of range. All trims charge 10–80% in 29 minutes via a native NACS port, with a $1,495 destination charge across the board.FORD CUTS EXPLORER ENTRY PRICE WITH LFP BATTERYFord has revised its European Explorer EV with a new LFP battery pack, growing usable capacity from 52 kWh to 58 kWh and boosting WLTP range 17% to 444 km (276 miles), while a stronger APP350 motor lifts output to 140 kW and cuts the 0–100 km/h time to 8.0 seconds. The updated model starts at €39,990 in Germany and adds vehicle-to-load charging, refreshed infotainment, expanded driver assistance features, and standard one-pedal driving, though peak DC charging drops from 145 kW to 110 kW.LUCID NAMES MIDSIZE SUVS COSMOS AND EARTHLucid revealed at Investor Day 2026 that its two upcoming midsize electric SUVs will be called Cosmos and Earth, targeting a ~$50,000 starting price and production before end of 2026. Both will use 800V architecture, bidirectional charging, the new in-house Atlas drive unit (23% lighter, 30% fewer parts), and Lucid claims just 69 kWh would be sufficient for 300 miles of range thanks to a 0.22 drag coefficient.LUCID GRAVITY ADDS CARPLAY AND ANDROID AUTOLucid has rolled out an OTA update (UX 3.5) bringing wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the Gravity SUV for North American owners now, with Europe and the Middle East to follow in late March. Both systems display on the Gravity's 6K Clearview Cockpit screen, addressing one of the most requested features from Lucid customers.JAECOO 8 UK SALES START IN MAYThe Jaecoo 8, a three-row flagship SUV, goes on sale in the UK in May priced from £45,500, using Chery's Super Hybrid System pairing a 1.5-litre turbo petrol with a three-speed auto for 422 bhp, 83 miles of electric-only range, and over 700 miles of combined range. Two trims are offered — Luxury (seven seats, £45,500) and Executive (six Nappa leather captain's chairs, £47,500) — with DC fast charging up to 40 kW for a 30–80% charge in about 20 minutes.EU EV PRICES FALL AS SMALL CARS RETURNAverage EU electric car prices dropped €1,800 to €42,700 in 2025 — the first decline since 2020 — driven by a surge in affordable B-segment BEVs like the Citroën ë-C3 and Renault 5, whose average seg
