Podcasts about R2

RJ Scaringe is the founder and CEO of Rivian Automotive. Host Jeff Berman digs into how Scaringe thinks about competing with Tesla, the hard won lessons of building a company that makes both vehicles and software, and how the company is scaling to fuel the highly anticipated launch of its newest electric vehicle: The R2.This Masters of Scale Live event, sponsored by Atlassian, was recorded at Atlassian Team 2026 in Anaheim.Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#865: Neal and Toby talk about how inflation is heating up to the highest pace in three years. Plus, a whole bunch of FIFA World Cup news and how escorts are cashing in on the AI boom over in Silicon Valley. Hit TV shows are taking much longer in between seasons. Why Gen Z and Millennials looove waiting in lines for their trendy food spots. Finally, Rivian finally delivers its R2 model and the first trailer of the much-anticipated ‘The Social Reckoning' drops.  To learn more visit https://www.sage.com/morningbrew Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠  Watch Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow⁠ This is a paid advertisement. Today's episode of the Morning Brew Daily Show is brought to you by Sage — a trusted global provider and leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses. The following commentary reflects general information about Sage and its products. Specific features, capabilities, and availability may vary by product, region, and customer requirements. To find out more, visit sage.com/morningbrew. Paid endorsement. Brokerage services provided by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Advisory services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC-registered adviser.  Investing involves risk. Not investment advice. Agentic Brokerage is an AI-powered conversational tool that allows you to enter instructions for a set of self-directed, recurring transactions (your “Agent”) for your account. Outputs from Agentic Brokerage are provided for informational and illustrative purposes only, and should not be considered investment recommendations or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/disclosures. See terms of match program at https://public.com/disclosures/matchprogram. Matched funds must remain in your account for at least 5 years. Match rate and other terms are subject to change at any time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five years ago, electric vehicles were the talk of the market. But in the U.S., sales of electric vehicles are falling and competition is heating up. With that backdrop, Rivian has introduced the R2 and investors still think this will be a game-changer for the company. We discuss the vehicle and company's prospects, whether autonomy will be a tailwind, and get to hidden gems on our watchlist in this episode. Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss: - Rivian's R2 launch - The decline of EVs in the U.S. - Will autonomy be a value add for EV companies? - Hidden gems in the EV market Companies discussed: Rivian (RIVN), Tesla (TSLA), Quantumscape (QS), General Motors (GM), Lucid (LCID), Uber (UBER), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI). Host: Travis Hoium Guests: Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning's Daybreak covers global market movements as oil ticks up amid Middle East tensions and tech shares slump globally. Meanwhile, Apple prepares to unveil its overhauled Siri and new AI features at WWDC. Locally, Lauren Evanthia addresses a massive R2 billion South African hospital scandal, Tara Roos breaks down Johannesburg's R200 billion infrastructure backlog and weak financial controls, and Sakeliga's Russell Lamberti proposes an AGOA "off-ramp" to shield compliant businesses from Pretoria's policy fallout.

Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA -- Johnson Idesoh, group chief information and technology officer at Absa, says AI in all its forms – generative, agentic and the AI now being wielded by cybercriminals – is the single biggest topic on his desk, but cautions that it remains a tool that has to be tied directly to business strategy and customer outcomes to deliver value. Speaking on TechCentral's Meet the CIO podcast series, brought to you by NTT DATA, Idesoh said AI is maturing rapidly into heavily regulated industries such as financial services, and that banks must use the same technology to counter adversaries who are themselves deploying it. Idesoh has held senior technology leadership roles across several large organisations, including group CIO at Old Mutual and leadership positions at insurer Aviva and pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca, before joining Absa as group CTO. In the interview, Idesoh unpacks the thinking behind Absa's R2.4-billion software impairment in its 2025 financial year – a 13-fold increase on the prior year's write-off – explaining that it was driven not by a single large asset but by more than 100 smaller ones, and reflected three things: • A fundamental shift in group strategy under new group CEO Kenny Fihla towards a Pan-African, client-led model; • A changing regulatory regime; and • The accelerating pace of technological change in AI, data and cybersecurity. He also reflects on how banking technology has evolved – from the water-cooled mainframes of the 1990s to today's far smaller IBM z16 machines and the move towards cloud and service-based consumption – and why the real challenge is not the mainframe itself but the decades-old Cobol software paradigms still running on it. Listen to the interview Idesoh also discusses: • The noise around Anthropic's “Mythos” model and what AI-driven vulnerability discovery means for bank cybersecurity, arguing that organisations should not panic but must become adept at using AI to find and remediate vulnerabilities at speed; • Whether such models should be released to the public immediately or to large institutions first; the impact of AI on software development jobs, and his view that the traditional junior-to-senior developer pyramid may give way to apprenticeship-style models; • How Absa is encouraging its technology talent to keep pace through leadership, early-adopter advocates and gamified celebration of new skills; • The bank's deployment of agentic AI, including its customer-facing AI agent and an internal IT-support agent that has handled queries from 11 000 colleagues with a 90% resolution rate; and • His own path into technology, from an aspiring airline pilot who realised aircraft were becoming “flying computers” to a career that began on a BBC Micro. Don't miss any of the other great interviews on TechCentral's Meet the CIO. TechCentral

In this episode of Kilowatt, host Bodie breaks down Rivian's highly anticipated Q1 2026 earnings call, shifting the spotlight from raw financial data to the groundbreaking vehicle technology driving the brand forward. The headline milestone is the official start of saleable R2 production in Normal, Illinois, with early midsize SUVs already hitting the road as employee daily drivers. Listeners will discover how Rivian managed to cut the R2's bill of materials in half through massive structural die castings, an integrated high-voltage electronics enclosure, and a streamlined electrical architecture that strips out miles of heavy copper wiring. The episode also dives into Rivian's massive multi-billion dollar liquidity pipeline from the Department of Energy, Volkswagen, and Uber, which is funding a 50% capacity boost at its upcoming greenfield plant in Georgia. Finally, Bodie details CEO RJ Scaringe's progressive autonomy roadmap, charting the course from Autonomy Plus subscriptions to Level 4 "eyes-off" consumer vehicles and robotaxis hitting complex urban domains by 2028. Support the Show https://www.supportkilowatt.com/ Other Podcasts: Beyond the Post YouTube Beyond the Post Podcast Shuffle Playlist 918Digital Website News Links: Rivian Q1 2026 Earnings Webcast Registration *Show Art Created By Gemini Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's EV News Briefly for Sunday 17 May 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 OPENS R2 CONFIGURATOR EARLYRivian has opened the R2 configurator for reservation holders, with production already underway in Normal, Illinois and some areas seeing delivery windows as short as 1–6 weeks. Only the R2 Performance is currently available at $57,990, offering 656 hp, 330 miles of range, and a 3.6-second 0–60 time, with the R2 Premium and R2 Standard following later in 2026 and 2027 respectively.RIVIAN ASSISTANT REACHES R1 OWNERSRivian has rolled out its AI-powered voice assistant to existing R1T and R1S owners via firmware update 2026.15, replacing Amazon Alexa and activated by saying "Hey, Rivian" or through steering-wheel controls. The system handles navigation, HVAC, and media playback, requires a Connect+ subscription, works only in English, and processes voice recognition on-device to reduce latency.USED EV PRICES LEAD UK MARKETUsed EVs led the UK used car market for price growth in April 2026 for the first time this year, with prices rising 1.1% month on month — the strongest increase of any fuel type. Higher fuel costs and rising demand for alternative-fuel vehicles drove the surge, with used EV sales volumes up 33% in March and April combined compared to January and February.GREEN TECH NOW SHAPES HOME BUYINGResearch by E.On Next found that 93% of 1,000 prospective UK homebuyers want green energy features such as solar panels and EV charging in their next property, with 70% now considering energy technology non-negotiable. Rising energy costs are the main driver for 52% of respondents, and E.On Next's own sales reflect the trend, with solar and battery sales up 182% and heat pump sales up 129% since February 2026.GRIZZL-E CLUB HITS 10,000 MEMBERSCanada's Grizzl-E Club reached 10,000 members on May 14, 2026, doubling its membership in roughly two months since passing 5,000 in March. Run by United Chargers, the no-fee programme uses Clean Fuel Credits to fund free home charging hardware, lifetime warranties, and energy cashback, with members having received CA$300,000 in rewards to date.GERMAN TRIAL TURNS PARKED EVS INTO FERRY BATTERIESA German research project called BIDI-EL will test using parked EVs at a North Sea ferry terminal as temporary energy storage to help charge electric ferries when they return to port. Led by Osnabrück University and ferry operator Norden-Frisia, the €164,894-funded trial combines solar panels, existing fixed battery storage, and EV batteries to maximise renewable energy use, running until January 2027.RISING POWER BILLS HIT EV CHARGING SATISFACTIONThe J.D. Power 2026 U.S. EVX Home Charging Study found that rising electricity costs and poor owner education are reducing EV satisfaction, with Level 1 portable charger satisfaction dropping 12 points year-over-year to 569 out of 1,000. Only 12% of owners have enrolled in utility smart charging programmes despite 69% awareness, and just 20% of buyers received home charging guidance from their dealer.DISNEYLAND AUTOPIA GOES ELECTRIC IN 2027Disneyland will replace the petrol-powered cars on its iconic Autopia ride with electric vehicles in 2027 as part of Disney's goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2030, following a $56,000 settlement with the California Air Resources Board over emissions violations. Original Autopia car designer Bob Gurr, now 94, confirmed the new electric cars will keep the same dimensions and track layout, with upgraded lighting and sound effects added.

Tonight, we unpack the market movements at the closing bell with FNB Wealth and Investments, learn about the gazetted steel review with Itac, tackle the new plan for tracking counterfeit goods with the National Consumer Commission, examine the new R2.5 billion investment into e-hailing platform Yango with North-West University and, in our AgriFocus feature we examine the sugarcane production with the South African Canegrowers Association. SAfm Market Update - Podcasts and live stream

Tänane raadiosaade "Eesti Pops" on minu selle hooaja viimane. Trippiv tunnike sisaldab nii kohalike artistide uudisloomingut kui ka ajas tagasivaatamist. Sõidame suvele vastu täna kell 20 R2-s. Head kuulamist ja kohtumiseni sügisel!

Description: In this episode of Kilowatt, we dive into the EV news, starting with Aptera's massive milestone of assembling its first five production-intent validation models to prove the solar EV movement is very real. We also explore the newly live Rivian R2 configurator, breaking down the diverse trim options, initial pricing structures, and the agonizing wait for the brand's best colors. Tesla dominates much of our discussion as we dissect the unredacted NHTSA logs detailing 17 "Robotaxi" crashes, exposing what really happens behind the scenes with teleoperator interventions and minor collision data. Additionally, we analyze driver feedback on the controversial Tesla FSD 14.3.2 update to see if the system's performance is truly taking a step backward. Finally, we take a look at a massive Cybercab car wash being erected under the lights of Las Vegas, and share an inspiring story from an electric school bus driver who vows never to return to diesel. Support the Show https://www.supportkilowatt.com/ Other Podcasts: Beyond the Post YouTube Beyond the Post Podcast Shuffle Playlist 918Digital Website News Links: Wooshn YouTube Channel: Really How Bad Is Tesla's FSD 14.3.2 Update? InsideEVs: The Rivian R2 Configurator Is Live. But You'll Have To Wait Until 2027 For The Best Color Electrek: Rivian opens R2 configurator: here are all the options and pricing Electrek: Tesla finally reveals what happened in 17 ‘Robotaxi' crashes CleanTechnica: Electric School Bus Driver Will Not Go Back To Diesel Teslarati: Tesla is building a massive Cybercab car wash in Las Vegas Ars Technica Cars: Vaporware or not? Aptera assembles its first five validation models. *Show Art Created By Gemini Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week's episode, we discuss updates to Tesla Robotaxi, Rivian R2 configurator going live, China taking over EU factories, and more. Today's episode is sponsored by GM Energy. If you want to experience more resilience and control over your home energy, the GM Energy Home System adds stationary battery power for always-ready backup energy for your home, and the GM Energy PowerBank takes in energy from the grid and stores it for when you need it most. Learn more at gmenergy.gm.com The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek's YouTube channel. As a reminder, we'll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in. After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Pocket Casts Castro RSS We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming. Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast: Tesla postpones Model S/X Signature delivery event, leaving attendees holding the bag Tesla now forces drivers to give feedback when intervening on ‘Full Self-Driving' Tesla finally reveals what happened in 17 ‘Robotaxi' crashes Rivian opens R2 configurator: here are all the options and pricing Volkswagen reveals the first electric GTI, a 222 hp EV hot hatch for $45,000 [Images] XPeng in talks to buy a Volkswagen plant in Europe as exports surge 62% BYD eyes Stellantis EU plant takeover as EV demand spikes, confirms ‘other companies too' Volkswagen brings the ID. Buzz back for 2027, but now the ID.4 is on a brief hiatus Here's the live stream for today's episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET: https://www.youtube.com/live/FPPDerFbwSE

Hey everyone, Alex here

Ekurhuleni's R2,1 billion billing scandal exposed | 11 May by Radio Islam

Oreo & I summarize our favorite STAR WARS Trilogy: The Infinities Trilogy by Dark Horse Comics!   in this trilogy, they do an epic "What If?" take on all three original movies but was there a mild plot hole?   Why are Yoda, Han, R2 & even Lando FAR more involved in these alternate scenarios?   And why are they a solid blend of wit, edginess and epic quality?       MUSIC USED: "Night Skies" and "Into the Sewers" by Joel McNeely (from the Shadows of the Empire OST)

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week's episode, we discuss Tesla Semi, the 4680 battery cell, BMW iX3 price, Rivian R2 pickup, and more. Today's episode is sponsored by GM Energy. If you want to experience more resilience and control over your home energy, the GM Energy Home System adds stationary battery power for always-ready backup energy for your home, and the GM Energy PowerBank takes in energy from the grid and stores it for when you need it most. Learn more at gmenergy.gm.com We are also sponsored by NeuroHUD: Check out the NeuroHUD PRO featuring a true Tesla-focused HUD experience with navigation, blind-spot alerts, Autopilot status, and freely switchable display modes now on Kickstarter or Trantor Vision.com The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek's YouTube channel. As a reminder, we'll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in. After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Pocket Casts Castro RSS We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming. Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast: Tesla's 4680 battery cells are underperforming and frustrating buyers Tesla Semi battery sizes confirmed: 822 kWh and 548 kWh officially revealed Tesla files new Roadster trademarks with unique badge ahead of launch Rivian (RIVN) CEO hints at R2 pickup and R2X variants as production ramps BMW opens 2027 iX3 preorders starting at $61,500 with up to 434 miles of range The Lexus TZ is a 3-row luxury EV SUV with 300 mi range, but it's missing something [Images] The new Chevy Bolt EV delivers nearly 300 miles of real-world range for under $30,000 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Manthey Kit sets 6:55 Nürburgring EV record BYD's flagship electric SUV secures 100,000+ orders in 2 weeks, and it costs under $40K Here's the live stream for today's episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET: https://www.youtube.com/live/NfEmmAoaY0Y

John Endres and Nicholas Lorimer discuss the incredible theft of R2 billion from an unsecured Wi-Fi network in the East Rand. They also discuss the lack of accountability in dealing with Minister Tolashe, and they chat about the weak defences of the NHI by the SACP and ANC. Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

It's EV News Briefly for Tuesday 05 May 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/EVNewsDailyNORWAY BEV SHARE HITS 99% IN APRILNorway set a new monthly record in April 2026, with battery electric vehicles taking 98.6% of new passenger car registrations, up from the previous record of 98.4% in March. Of 11,103 new cars registered, 10,952 were fully electric, with diesel managing just 87 units and petrol a mere 31 units — making combustion-engine sales little more than a rounding error.TESLA CUTS MODEL 3 PRICES IN CANADATesla has slashed prices across its Canadian Model 3 line-up, introducing a new entry Premium RWD trim starting at C$39,490 — about 31% cheaper than the equivalent US price — after shifting production from its Fremont plant to its Shanghai factory to take advantage of Canada's new 6.1% Chinese-EV import tariff. The line-up now has just two trims after removing the Long Range mid-range, though Shanghai-built cars do not qualify for Canada's federal EVAP rebate of up to C$5,000.FACTORIAL BETS SOLID-STATE CAN BREAK CHINA'S LEADFactorial Energy, a Massachusetts-based startup backed by Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai/Kia, argues that solid-state batteries — which charge from 15% to 90% in 18 minutes and offer 20–50% more range than lithium-ion — are the West's best chance to leapfrog Chinese rivals rather than imitate them. The company plans to go public on Nasdaq in mid-2026 via a SPAC merger, and a Mercedes-Benz EQS prototype fitted with its cells drove 1,205 km non-stop in August 2025.IONIQ 5 SALES HOLD UP AFTER US TAX CREDIT LOSSHyundai's IONIQ 5 held fifth place among US EV sellers in 2025 despite losing the federal EV tax credit, while rivals like the Ford Mustang Mach-E saw sales collapse 60% year-on-year in Q1 2026. Domestic production at Hyundai Metaplant America in Savannah, Georgia was credited as a key factor in shielding the IONIQ 5 from the impact of Trump administration trade policy changes.VOLKSWAGEN RAISES RIVIAN STAKE TO 15.9%Volkswagen has lifted its stake in Rivian to 15.9% after completing a further $1 billion investment tranche, triggered by the RV Tech joint venture clearing its winter testing milestones, bringing its total investment to $3 billion of a committed $5.8 billion. Volkswagen gains access to Rivian's software stack and zonal architecture, while Rivian retains full ownership of its motors, batteries, chassis, and autonomy framework.VW TESTS 'GAMECHANGER' AT WOLFSBURGVolkswagen has launched a pilot production process codenamed Gamechanger at its Wolfsburg headquarters, aimed at cutting costs and enabling profitable EV manufacturing in Germany through techniques expected to include megacasting and parallel modular assembly streams. The plant is expected to eventually produce an electric Golf and an SUV counterpart on the next-generation SSP platform, potentially under the names ID. Golf and ID. Roc.TESLA LAUNCHES BASECHARGER FOR SEMI DEPOTSTesla has unveiled the Basecharger, a depot-focused DC fast charger for the Tesla Semi that tops out at 125 kW and can charge a truck from low to 60% in around four hours, using a 6-metre cable to accommodate yard layouts. The unit starts at $20,000, supports the open MCS (Megawatt Charging System) standard, and up to three units can share a single breaker — potentially serving future MCS-compatible trucks from Daimler, Volvo, and Scania.MFG EV POWER ADDS PLUG&CHARGEMotor Fuel Group has integrated its MFG EV Power network of around 2,000 rapid and ultra-rapid UK charging points with Hubject's Plug&Charge infrastructure, going live on 1 May 2026 after over a year of technical development. Compatible EVs can now begin charging automatically the moment they plug in, eliminating the need for RFID cards or apps.ALLEGO APP ADDS EUROPE-WIDE CHARGING ROAMINGAllego has transformed its app into a pan-European roaming platform, giving drivers access to roughly one million charging points from competing networks under a single account with no additional roaming fees. The app also includes a Smart Route Planner to help EV drivers plan charging stops across longer cross-border journeys.NEW AI VOICE ASSISTANTS FOR RIVIAN, POLESTAR AND VOLVO EVSRivian's AI voice assistant — first unveiled at its December 2025 Autonomy & AI Day — is now expected to reach customers in the coming weeks after slipping roughly four months behind its original early-2026 target, and will roll out to both R1 and R2 vehicles. Separately, Google has begun rolling out Gemini to Polestar and Volvo cars running Android Automotive OS, enabling conversational AI with multi-turn dialogue, trip planning, and a continuous hands-free mode called Gemini Live — with Volvo saying models dating back to 2020 are eligible for the upgrade.

May the Fourth Be With you, because today is Star Wars Day! For nearly 50 years, the Star Wars franchise has captured the hearts of SO MANY sci-fi and fantasy fans. And for a lot of people, it’s all about the droids… R2-D2 and C-3PO, to be precise. This past weekend, that love of droids was on full display at both the Museum of Flight, and at Barnes & Noble in Northgate, where we caught up with James Adams of the Pacific Northwest R2 Builders Club. He and his fellow club members build and demonstrate life-sized replicas of the beloved droids. Some of them can be driven around using remote control. The R2 unit James brought to Northgate looks and sounds just like what you see on the screen. It’s a hit with kids who fawn over it. "Seeing the kids really light up – and it’s a type of character that is very easy for people to kind of let their imagination fill in the little bit of blank. So when you have a little kid come up, and you just see their eyes light up. They can’t see that there’s somebody remote controlling the device, so to speak, but instead to them it’s just R2-D2, the little guy from the movie that they like. And just seeing that, it’s like, it is them genuinely meeting the character and not standing next to an object, it never, it never gets tiring." Speaking of kids, droid builders say it’s a great opportunity to get people excited and involved with STEM projects. For this Star Wars Day, we wanted to learn more about the craft and dedication that goes into making these droids, so we’re speaking with Dr. Scott Ransom! He’s got a lot of expertise in robots. That’s because he’s a Director of a research center at Northwestern University that researches and develops robotic hands. GUEST: Dr. Scott Ransom is Director of Industry and Innovation at the Center for Human Augmentation via Dexterity at Northwestern University RELATED LINKS: Astromech.net R2Northwest: Pacific Northwest R2 Builders Club For R2-D2 builders in the Seattle area, ‘it’s a joy to see this thing bring so much happiness’ Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's EV News Briefly for Thursday 30 April 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/EVNewsDailyVOLKSWAGEN OPENS ID POLO ORDERS IN EUROPEVolkswagen has opened order books for the ID Polo, an all-electric small car starting at €24,995, built on the upgraded MEB+ platform to compete with Chinese EVs in Europe's mass market. It offers three power outputs, two battery options (37 kWh LFP and 52 kWh NMC) with up to 455 km WLTP range, a 13-inch touchscreen, 441 litres of boot space, and vehicle-to-load capability.BMW IX3 RANGE TARGET RISES TO 434 MILESBMW has raised its projected EPA range estimate for the U.S.-spec iX3 xDrive50 to 434 miles, an 8.5% increase over earlier guidance, though final EPA certification is still pending. Priced from around $60,000, the iX3 is launching in the U.S. in May 2026, with customer deliveries expected in late September or early October after mass production begins in early September.FORD MODEL E STILL BURNS CASHFord's electric car division Model e lost $777 million in Q1 2026, roughly $23,000 per EV sold, despite a $72 million year-on-year improvement and a 10% rise in volumes to around 34,000 units. Ford's near-term focus is improving margins on existing EVs while developing next-generation models on its Universal EV platform and expanding into battery storage through the newly launched Ford Energy.CITROËN PLOTS SUB-€15,000 CITY EVCitroën CEO Xavier Chardon has confirmed plans for a sub-€15,000 A-segment electric city car, positioning it as a modern equivalent of the 2CV to help restore European car buying, which remains three million buyers per year below pre-pandemic levels. A concept is expected at the Paris motor show in October, with a production version to follow within a couple of years at a price well below the current ë-C3.JEEP AVENGER GETS FIRST FACELIFTJeep has given the Avenger its first major update since its 2023 launch, debuting the revised model in Rio de Janeiro with a redesigned seven-slot grille that lights up at night and brings it visually closer to the newer Jeep Compass. A dedicated European launch is planned later in 2026, significant given the Avenger won the 2023 European Car of the Year and has been central to Jeep's European recovery.RIVIAN SIGNALS SECOND R2 SHIFTRivian appears to be quietly staffing a second production shift for the R2 at its Normal, Illinois plant, with a LinkedIn post from a newly promoted R2 Group Leader confirming he is "ramping production on night shift." Volume R2 production began on April 22, with early units going to employees for several months of real-world software data collection ahead of external customer deliveries.MG 07 TO GET MOMENTA R7 SYSTEMSAIC's MG has confirmed the upcoming MG 07 fastback sedan will be among the first vehicles to feature Momenta's R7 autonomous driving system, unveiled at Beijing Auto Show as a direct rival to Tesla's FSD v14. Momenta's R7 supports weekly over-the-air updates, targets a deployed fleet of 200,000 vehicles by end-2026, and plans European robotaxi deployments later this year through a partnership with Uber.UK EV FLEET TOPS TWO MILLIONThe UK's zero-emission vehicle fleet reached 2 million registrations at the end of 2025, representing 4.8% of all licensed vehicles, with 528,000 newly registered in 2025 alone and electric cars taking 23.4% of new car sales. The government's Electric Car Grant, offering up to £3,750 off qualifying EVs, has already been used by over 100,000 buyers and has driven a 10% rise in electric car demand.SWEDEN EV SHARE HITS 64.9% IN Q1Plugin EVs captured 64.9% of Sweden's auto market in Q1 2026, up from 58.0% a year earlier, with BEVs alone reaching 40.7% market share on a 21% volume increase despite the overall market shrinking 2%. A new BEV incentive scheme targeting lower-income rural households helped sustain momentum, while the Volvo EX40 held the top BEV sales spot for the third consecutive quarter.LGES 46-SERIES ORDERS TOP 440 GWHLG Energy Solution secured over 100 GWh of new orders for its 46-series cylindrical cells in Q1 2026, pushing its total backlog above 440 GWh, with the new business widely attributed to a reported ten-year BMW Group contract worth approximately €5.8 billion. The deal is said to cover both 4695 and 46120 cell formats linked to BMW's Neue Klasse platform, and would mark LGES's first time supplying cells for BMW battery-electric vehicles.ROLLS-ROYCE TESTS SECOND ELECTRIC VEHICLESpy photos have revealed Rolls-Royce testing an unnamed electric utility vehicle that closely matches the proportions and silhouette of the Cullinan, the brand's most popular model since its 2018 launch. Reports suggest this is not a next-generation Cullinan replacement but rather a separate new product alongside it.

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1331: Lawmakers push to block Chinese autos amid affordability and security concerns, Rivian reshapes its Georgia plant strategy while betting big on the R2, and California moves to hold autonomous vehicles accountable with new enforcement rules.Show Notes with links:A bipartisan push led by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) aims to shut the door on Chinese vehicles and parts entering the U.S., citing national security concerns as affordability pressures rise for consumers.The proposed bill would ban Chinese-made vehicles, parts, and software from entering the U.S. market.Moreno and Slotkin want to expand existing rules and “seal” the entire automotive supply chain from foreign adversaries.The effort comes ahead of a planned Trump-Xi meeting and growing political pressure to act.Support from UAW and GM highlights industry concern over competition and data security risks.“People are really, really pressed right now… people are looking for cheaper cars… but as leaders, we have a responsibility to say, ‘Look, this is a driving surveillance package, it's like TikTok on wheels,”” Slotkin said.Rivian is trimming its Georgia factory ambitions but accelerating its timeline. A smaller federal loan means reduced capacity, but earlier access to funds could help fast-track production of its highly anticipated, more affordable R2 lineup.Rivian cut planned capacity from 400,000 to 300,000 vehicles annually as its federal loan shrinks to $4.5B.The upside: funds will be available sooner, allowing a single-phase build instead of two stages.The plant, opening in 2028, will produce the R2 and future models aimed at broader affordability.Rivian's Q1 showed progress with losses narrowing 23% and deliveries up 20% year-over-year.“R2 provides the opportunity to expand the Rivian brand to millions of drivers,” said CEO RJ Scaringe.California is putting autonomous vehicles on notice, literally. Starting July 1, AV companies can be cited for traffic violations committed by their driverless cars, marking a major shift in how regulators handle robotaxi behavior and public safety.Law enforcement can now issue “notices of AV noncompliance” for violations like running red lights or ignoring school buses.The move follows years of viral mishaps and ongoing investigations into systems like Tesla's Full Self-Driving.AV companies must respond to first responders within 30 seconds and comply with emergency geofencing to avoid active scenes.New rules also open the door for testing heavy-duty autonomous trucks and set training requirements for remote operators.Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast  as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

Today on the IC-DISC Show we're talking with John, Clive, and Kelly Hess from CompuCycle in Houston. John started in the metals business in South Africa back in 1966, came to the US in 1986 to run a brass and copper distribution company, and spun off a small scrap division that eventually became CompuCycle. Clive joined in 1996 fresh out of U of H. Kelly came aboard in 2013 from the nonprofit world and now runs the company as CEO. Three decades later they're processing 40,000 pounds a day and hold more certifications than any other electronics recycler in Texas. In this conversation, the Hess family talks about the moment the Basel Accord shut down their entire plastics market overnight, why they think scrap metal companies handling electronics is now a liability risk for corporate customers, and how they built their own plastic washing line to solve a problem the rest of the industry was still struggling with. Kelly also shares a partnership they've built with Pearland ISD that turns scrap dismantling into job training for autistic students ages 18 to 22. Whether you're in recycling or not, the Hess family's thinking on running a multigenerational business, earning certifications most competitors won't bother with, and treating customer problems as a moat instead of a cost is worth your time.     SHOW HIGHLIGHTS How John Hess went from manufacturing copper ingot in South Africa in 1966 to building Houston's largest electronics recycler Why being R2 certified isn't enough, and what Compu-Cycle did after watching certified downstreams still send material to landfills The day the Basel Accord shut down their entire plastics market overnight, and how they engineered their way out Why scrap metal companies handling electronics has become a liability risk for their corporate customers The partnership with Pearland ISD that turns scrap dismantling into job training for autistic students What changed when Kelly came in from the nonprofit world and the family started hiring people smarter than themselves   Contact Details LinkedIn - Gordon Driscoll LINKS Show NotesBe a Guest About IC-DISC AllianceAbout CompuCycle   John HessAbout John Kelly HessAbout Kelly Clive HessAbout Clive TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Well good morning. So this is my first time. I've had three guests on the podcast at one time. We have John Hess, we have Kelly Hess, and we have Clive Hess. So where are you all, calling into from today? what part of the world are you all in? Where now? John: We, I'm a responder. We're in Houston, Texas. Dave: Okay. And so am I. So that's, that is good. what I wanna talk about, and the reason we're doing the three person interview is the company Compus Cycle has been in business a little over 30 years, is that right? Kelly: 30 years to this? 2026 is our 30th anniversary, so we're really excited. Dave: That is awesome. and so what I wanna do, I want to go to the far origin of comp cycle, which really starts with John. So what I'd like to do is just start off with a little background on John and his entrance and experience in the scrap metal industry. So John, where are you? What part of the world do you hail from? John: Originally South Africa and have been in the metal business all my life. started in, at the age of 23 in 1966. Go back a long way. Dave: Okay. And, and then you're in the metals business, Ferris, non Ferris, John: right? we, I was, we were ingot manufacturers. We manufactured copper and aluminum based ingot for the foundry industry. And, got into the. Computer business, way back in about 1975 when we imported a, a machine for stripping cables and Okay. This machine also had the capability of shredding,computers of the old mainframe computers. Of course, there were no PCs at that time. Yes, of course. So that was my introduction to computers. Dave: Okay. So you're,you're getting into the computer, so we're talking if I'm doing my math right, that was about 50 years ago that you're involved in the shredding, chopping cable, shredding mainframe computer components. Is that about right? John: That's about right. Yep. Dave: Okay. And then how did we get from there to Compu cycle? John: Well, in 19. In 1966, I was offered an opportunity to come to, sorry, I'm getting myself messed up. It was 1986 that I had an opportunity to come to the United States to manage a company that distributed bras and copper bars and rods. Dave: okay. John: And we, while whilst there, I started a scrap division and that scrap division eventually became Compus Cycle. Okay. Right. Dave: Okay. So did, so was Compus Cycle like a literal spinoff from that company or was, did the idea come to you while you were there and you started a completely separate company? John: Well, we started it as a spinoff of that original company and, after a few years of running that business, I decided to leave the parent business and, get comp cycle going on its own. comp cycle started in the 1990s, as, A computer processing facility. Dave: Okay. And what does the name mean? John: What, what would the, what does the name mean? Dave: Yeah, I'm guessing it, it's like computer recycling that they John: kinda, yeah, computer cycle. we were largely in the scrap processing business at that time, but occasionally found product that was resalable and. okay. We actually repaired that and resold it. and that is how comp cycle began its existence, and it become a whole lot more sophisticated, over the years. Dave: Okay. Now, when you launched it, were Clive and Kelly involved at that time? John: Clive became involved. Clive, I can't remember the year. When was it? Dave: Yeah. Clive: I was involved, Kelly in 1996, I believe I was involved. Yes. And Kelly became involved in 2013. Was it 2013? Kelly: It's in 14 years. Believe it or not. Clive: Yeah, Kelly: 14 years. Dave: yeah, Kelly couldn't have, obviously Kelly couldn't have been involved from the beginning because she would've been in elementary school 30 years ago. Kelly: Well, no, I was that when he said, John said 50 years. I was like, okay, well that's exactly my whole life livelihood. And then, but yeah, no, Clive, I think, funny enough, we were dating when you were involved in Compu Cycle, but It was great though because Clive graduated. Well, you tell your story. You graduated from U of H and then jumped in. Clive: Yeah, I graduated, got involved and, we were, as my dad mentioned, primarily doing electronic scrap. and it evolved. it was really interesting. Back then there were very few companies doing what we were doing. And so not really knowing how to do what we were doing, we could survive and, we, we were scrapping mostly for the metal and precious metal recovery. Okay. Dave: And Clive: evolved into harvesting components, reselling the components, and then the refurbishing of equipment. On a very basic level, reselling it. And,as mentioned today, we are far more sophisticated than what we used to be 30 or 25 years ago. so it, it's, it, it grew from a very small business into a, today we're, we are a very. nice mid-size company. In our industry, John: we like to think of ourselves as the most dominant computer processing facility in, certainly in Houston and probably in Texas. Dave: Okay, so Clive, when you joined. I'm guessing it was a cushy job. You're the boss's son. You probably just sat at a desk with your feet on the desk, smoking a cigar all day, I'm guessing. Is that, was that about right? Is that kind of how it worked out? Clive: I would love to agree. family businesses are very unique, Dave, and, it, it, I'm very blessed. I'm very grateful for what I have. but it, that, I wish that was the case. No, we were certainly, yeah. Very involved and very entrenched. And, and,it's been a, it's been wonderful working with my dad and, it's been. more wonderful working with my wife. Kelly: He's just trying to be nice. That's a whole other podcast, Dave. Dave: Sure. Yeah. And obviously, and oh, and obviously I was joking with you, Clive, because usually the story is that when you're the boss's son, it's hard. Your life is harder because you're held to a different standard. Sometimes your dad has to go the opposite way and be even harder on you than the other employees. Clive: Yeah, he was actually,I will say,very easy with me. and,but it's, it, I was working for John: him getting clever aboard. Definitely took us to a higher level than we were when I was here on my own. And getting Kelly aboard gave us, a further injection to the extent that we've over the last 13 years since Kelly's arrival com cycle has matured enormously, it's become from simply another scrap, another computer scrapping business. To a sophisticated computer, refurbishing and scrapping as well. our scrap division has grown enormously with the addition of a shredding plant for computers and more recently a shredding plan for plastics, which, makes us unique in terms of having abilities that others simply do not have. Dave: Okay. No, that I get that. What, so I'm a chronological thinker. I'm an accountant. And so what I'd like to do is let's go back 30 years. You touched on it, John. Let's think about like the big milestones. So it, the company started in 96, if I'm doing my math right, in 1996. And what year did you join Clive? Clive: in 96 I was Dave: Okay, so the same time. Clive: Yeah. Dave: So as you think back, what was like maybe the first significant milestone? If we're thinking like in five year kind of impli or increments, like any major things that happened in those first five years that were, meaningful to where we got to today? Clive: If, gosh, going back 30 years, I can't go back three years, but,it's, bringing on. Large accounts. I think the first large account that I recall bringing on, would be Texas Children's Hospital. Okay. And,when we, that was a significant account that we brought on recycling the electronics, I think I, that would be a, certainly a milestone. and then going back to 2000,this is further ahead by 2010. We became the first certified electronics recycling company in Houston. And that was certainly a very large milestone because we were the only,for quite a few years, and that brought on additional accounts. what does takes life? Yeah. What Dave: I'm, I don't mean to interrupt. what does certified mean? Clive: So in, in our industry, there was no benchmark or there was no qualifications that one would have, one could have to identify themselves as a responsible electronics recycling company. Okay. And, corporations were familiar with the ISO certifications and Yeah. In 2008, the EPA. Stakeholders, created a certification called the R two, which stands for Responsible Recycling Practices Certification. Okay. And in order to achieve that, companies had to, follow a certain practices. Had to be certified just like companies who are ISO certified. Okay. We through the process of becoming certified, and it, it takes about, six months to a year to achieve that certification where you are, monitored. you have to recycle materials in a certain manner. you have to, adhere to the practices. You cannot just export products overseas anywhere to anybody without any, okay. Standards. And so we achieved that certification, which was,at that time extremely difficult, especially, a small company that did not have, Processes, policies, procedures that were documented in a sure professional manner. So that was, I think our, a very large step, moving in the right direction. and David, today we have the most certifications of any electronics recycling company in Texas. okay. So we, we have, I think seven certifications. Which would be the ISO 9,001, 14,001, 45,001, 27,001 certification. Then R two certification. E Steward certification, na AAA certification. so we have certifications, that, the scrap metal companies have zero. so scrap metal companies recycling electronics, is actually a. it is a,a liability risk, to corporations who may be sending the electronics to scrap metal companies for recycling because they don't adhere to any certifications. where we, we have seven that we have to adhere to. So when you're recycling with compute cycle,your products are handled in a very professional and, Very secured manner, especially today with where we are compared to back then. Dave: Yeah, I can, no, thank you for pointing that out. Because I can tell you, so I've been fortunate enough to be a, a donator of computers to your company through the years. I suspect I'm not your largest account. but of course my biggest concern was the confidentiality of the data. Okay. Because, I'm not a computer expert. I don't really know how to wipe a hard drive. And even if you wipe a hard drive, somebody who really knows what they're doing can still, I'm told, can still recover data some way. So I was looking for a way that I could just give you guys my laptop and be confident that data was never going to find a home elsewhere. Clive: Yeah. Dave: so is that the biggest concern of like your large corporate. providers or customers. Clive: Yeah, it's, and, let me just, one other milestone I'll say Okay. That I want to throw in was certainly, Kelly joining Comp Cycle. And, it's, over the years I've delegated, responsibilities or responsibilities have been removed from me and, Kelly is the CEO of comp cycle. And truly, Kelly is, an incredible leader of comp compute cycle. I'm, I, I always tell people that, and I've mentioned earlier that I'm truly, I'm blessed and, Kelly is phenomenal. And working with Kelly,is extremely rewarding for me, because of what we've accomplished. and we continue and we have the most amazing team at Compu Cycle. Company culture in this at Compute Cycle is extraordinary and it's because of Kelly and the team. So I think I'm gonna bow out now and I'm gonna pass. Okay. Kelly: Yeah. No, but hold on. Because they don't give themselves enough credit in the sense of where we've gotten to. where I came in about 2012 was our kids had, I came up from the nonprofit world. That was my life after graduation. And,I did a public relations psychology communications degree. Okay. Fell in love with nonprofit world and the fundraising of it and development directors of various different nonprofits. And, almost 25 years ago, October, Clive and I got married and Oh wow. Had, our two beautiful daughters. When I was working, I decided to stay home and raise the girls, but was doing some marketing and communications that really wasn't existent at the time for comp cycle while I was working at home. And, it was an amazing company for me because both John and Clive created this company that was really green before it was even cool to be green. And, wanted to really try to see how we could maximize what we were doing because the growth had been. Flat and we were, they were doing well, but we needed some type of growth in business development. So that's where I decided I was gonna come in for a couple years and try to just build clients, try to find new business. Okay. And we were, very blessed and lucky that we did, where we were able to get some very large accounts. And a lot of these accounts we were working with were saying, we don't understand why you're not a women-owned business. Okay. Like this there, obviously in this world, in this niche of the business we're doing, there's not a lot of women-owned businesses, okay. And what a growth possibility or opportunity it might be if you become women-owned. Okay? that is where it all started. And so 10 years ago I signed the dotted line and decided to see, okay, I'm really gonna see what we can do and build with Compus Cycle. but. I would definitely say yes, I've been able to grow the business with business development and accounts, but where the growth has really come is getting the right people on our team. It has been the strength of the,our management team. the actual managers of our company are, we have about a hundred employees right now. And Oh, wow. Yeah. And all of them are so dedicated. They're loyal. We've had some with great tenure with us, but it was really us realizing we had to start hiring people smarter than us. And that if we wanted to really grow, Dave: and Clive was the first one that made that hire. When he brought Kelly: Well, and then I've had to make, and then as a team, we've definitely hired a few more of those, which, has really been what has got us to this next level. and It's exciting to see, but I think what I'm most proud of with Compi Cycle as our company and what we've been able to create is, I am so proud to say when it comes if to looking for the most responsible, the most secure, the most sustainable and circular solution, you cannot do better than Compe Cycle. And we have such great differentiators of especially being here in Houston. I mean it when I say it, David, there is you. No reason why any company in Houston should not be using Comp Cycle. 'cause we are the only one that can truly show and guarantee responsible recycling because we're not only that recycler, most recyclers are sorters. They're going through the equipment. What can they reuse and what can they resell? Sure. And being a certified company, we are so proud to be dual certified with that R two and E Steward certification. But in my opinion, being certified is not enough because certified companies have to use certified downstreams. But being in the business for 30 years, we have unfortunately learned the hard way. And it's those Downstreams certified or not. Which is unfortunately where a lot of the landfill, the exporting and finding your three things on eBay happens. Okay? So we said as a team, no more, and we put in our processing facility next door and a multimillion dollar shredder where we're now, everything that comes to us, if we're not able to reuse and resell, which we're gonna give value back to our customer if we can resell it. But if not, it's gonna go next door to that processing plant and it's gonna turn directly into its raw materials. The steel, the plastic boards, aluminum, copper, and it goes directly to the mills smelters and refineries to be recycled. So that's like the biggest difference where, you know anyone, any company that uses us can sleep at night knowing that it's being done the right way and things aren't leading comfy cycle. And that is like what I am most proud of. And then we took it to the next level with putting in the plastics plant because epl, most electronics are made about 60% plastic and the EPL is dirty. So we created a sink float system where really the plastic gets about four different bath. And we're able to separate the plastic and then as well as separate it with an electrostatic machine that breaks. Its down to its A, B, S, and PS form. So we can create domestic solution now for the plastic. So that's where we Dave: got Kelly: the most circular. But what's really been amazing is us being able to see how Compi cycle is really that last piece of having an effective cybersecurity plan. If a company's gonna put all this money in protecting themselves from with the cybersecurity. But at the very end, they're not taking care of their equipment in the disposal, then it means nothing. So we've really tried to pose ourselves as like really the most critical, essential piece to the end of that plan because we wanna make sure things are done the right way. Dave: No, that. That is great. So by the way, I just wanted to clarify something with Clive. So one thing you and I share, Clive, is we both married way over our head and we're both married to rockstar wives. So when I say that. you married someone smarter than you. I can say that being that I'm in the same boat. So I'm just letting you know, I'm not really picking on you. I'm more, commiserating with you that we,we really, got way over our head with our spouse, selection. Clive: David. I agree. we certainly did. And, I, I have three women in my life and believeing me, they're all smarter than I. but I wanted to just, add on what Kelly mentioned. for me, my, my goal with Compute Cycle was to have a solution to our clients that was a completely secured solution. And where chain of custody remains with Compus Cycle. So when we, and we invite our clients, we've, we invite all prospective, clients to visit Compute Cycle. To see the process. To understand the process. once you see it, it's very easy to understand it and any questions that, or concerns that you may have. You mentioned earlier you wanted to make sure that if you drop off your product at Compute Cycle, you are mostly concerned about your data and how do you know? That it's gonna be handled correctly. So when we bring clients into our facility and our facilities, our access controlled facilities, we have security on site. So it is very secure. But when you go through the facility and we show you, we walk you through where it arrives and how it's processed. Any questions, concerns? we have companies that will audit us. We have their security departments, visiting compute cycle. we have cameras in our shreds where you can see the product being shredded. we, we show people how it's been done and it is absolutely a closed loop solution, which is exactly what I've always wanted. And we have that process today to offer to our clients, which is a major, we talk about, what would be the milestones, that is a milestone that we've actually achieved today where there is nobody. There's no other electronics processor in Houston. We are the third or fourth largest,city in the United States, and we are the exclusive processor in Houston. very proud of doing that. And in Texas, we're the exclusive electronics processor separating plastics into single polymer plastics. Okay, if clients are always concerned about data. Cybersecurity. We are the only electronics processor in Texas that's ISO 27,001 certified. so we can check the cybersecurity just through that certification. But we do these things because we wanna be a leader in the industry and we also want to protect our clients throughout the entire process. Dave: Yeah. So let's So by the way Kelly: Yeah. The right way. Dave: Oh yeah. How long has it been since you moved across the street to your current facility? Like three years ago, but I'm pretty sure it's been longer than that. Clive: 20, 20 18 we moved into. This facility and in 2019 we opened up the processing facility. Kelly: But I think it's important to note that in 2018, that facility was 40,000 square feet. When we moved here, it was 80,000 square feet, so we doubled our size and that next year we bought next door for our processing plant, which is now another 50,000 square feet. Yeah. So truly tripled our size. In one year. And so the good news is we have capacity, we to do more, which we'd love. In our processing plant, we do about 40,000 pounds a day of processing. Oh wow. But we could do 60. and I would love to get us to two shifts. we'd love to always get more customers and we'd love to be able to show prospects and customers to tour our facility. We're so proud of what we're doing and how we do it, and we're very transparent, so we encourage any prospect to schedule a tour with us. And something off also that we offer just more is less a community service, but also because it's the right thing to do is residents can bring their equipment to us five days a week and drop off, and we'll be happy to recycle it free of charge, destroy all their hard drives, so residents don't have to worry about their data. Dave: that is great. It sounds like I'm overdue for a tour because it's been, it was probably 2020 that I was last there. It was probably right after the Shrider got started. Yes. Certainly I've not seen the plastics recycling. So talk to me to the extent that you're comfortable discussing in general terms, because you made the comment that depending on the value you can extract from the machine, some of that value may go back to your customers. Can you gimme just a general sense, like let's take some company that. Recycles a thousand computers a year. What's the general process? Do they deliver 'em to you? Do they have a big container? Do you go pick 'em up? Like why don't we just start at the beginning? How does it work, Kelly? Kelly: Yeah, no, and I'll let Clive go into more of the pricing. He's the pricing guru for us. But really what you know, what's so great is that we can accept material. We have 3 24 foot box trucks driving. I call 'em my walking bill, driving billboards. They're going around the city all day long, picking up equipment. And so we bring stuff here directly to us, but also companies can ship things directly to us. Dave: Okay. Kelly: And or if there's locations outside of Houston and they want us to either white glove service to pack it and or we can ship it. We have our own logistics where we can bring and a arrange. So really from anywhere in the United States, we can handle collections. But what's the process really is once a customer is in our system, Clive or myself are the only ones that are able to develop a contract for that company, and it gives us the exact instructions of what they want. Some companies need everything destroyed. Some things will allow us to give value. So depending on the contract, we have specific instructions. But what we're also so proud of is all the data bearing devices come in and we put our own asset tag on that equipment. Okay. So we'll be able to track that equipment as it comes into Compu cycle and we can see exactly what happens to it, where it goes, where it is in the process. But our customers can also, so they can, oh wow. Serial number of a machine. They can be able to see exactly when it was recycled. This online portal holds our certificates of data destruction, certificate of recycling. So all of these things our customers can access at any time. But when it comes to value, usually our baseline is anything five years and younger, and that has this working condition. But I'm gonna let Clive take over at this point. Clive: Yeah, it's, so where we can. Refurbished product for reuse, we give value back to the customers. Okay? So typically if product's five years old or younger, we gotta give value back to the customers. We are gonna destroy the data. we sanitize the data using Department of Defense Compliance Software, our reporting, we will report the mate model, serial number, capacity, of the hard drive and include in the report. The parent's serial number that the drive,belongs to. So very detailed reporting, drives that fail the process. We physically shred. we have some clients, as Kelly mentioned, we have some clients where a hundred percent of the equipment coming in here has to be shredded. We have camera surveillance throughout the entire facility, so you can witness the,the process in person, or you can witness the process via camera. but where we can repurpose and reuse, we give value back. our sales channels, we sell to various verticals, depending on the age of the equipment. so we sell product domestically. We sell product internationally. we actually, have launched and we, David, I think we are the only company in our industry. we have online sales where our customers. Can actually witness the sale of their products and see the value that we actually are getting for their products. So we are Oh wow. Truly transparent, where our clients can see what the value of the product is. We have a lot of clients that ask us how do we know we getting the maximum value? So we now have a way for them to see what the value is, and then we are selling that on a revenue share basis. Where based on what we sell, they'll get X and we'll get Y. Okay. So we are trying to maximize the value, for our clients and whatever we cannot resell. We process through the shredding plans. Kelly: Ooh. I have to mention, I love also that one of our biggest buyers too is ISDs across the country. Dave: Oh, really? Kelly: Okay. We can buy three systems for the price of one, and we sell with warranties. So I'm so proud that we're able to provide school districts across the country with the affordable equipment for the students. Dave: No, I, I like that. So I'm curious,you're the only, computer recycling, client we have and so I'm more familiar with a traditional yard, so like a scenario where there's like a manufacturing facility. And they have like turnings and scrap metal that comes from the processing facility that's clean. Now, my understanding is that type of material, the recycler is actually paying for that material. Now, I would imagine in the computer world it might be different if a client wants everything destroyed. Are they, do they tend to pay you or are you still paying them because of the scrap value? Clive: it's both. so yes, we do give scrap value. but there, there are items where there is a cost for us to, it's not like a scrap metal company where you're bringing in clean aluminum, dirty aluminum, steel, copper, et cetera, et cetera. TVs for example, when we are processing TVs, inside the TVs, there's products that there's a cost for us to disposal. If it's the lamps, the glass, the panels where there is a cost for us to process and dispose of that. So if, a company just had cable and we brought in the cable, yes. We'll give them cable value, just like the scrap metal companies we'll pay for For that product. So it's a combination of both. that,and, depending on the volumes, we will price it that way. So we do have manufacturers, that need their products shredded and we will then,there's a cost for us to process and there's value that we give for that material too, and we will. we will, we'll share that, certainly the value with them as well. Kelly: And David too. What I think is so important is that we also provide incredible environmental scorecards and sustainability reports for our customers. Okay? So we're actually able to show them what has been diverted from landfill. What is the reduction of carbon footprint? And especially having that processor next door, we can actually break it even down to the actual metals of what, what it is that's been recycled. What's been reused, what has been resold, so we can provide all that data to them to make them be able to show their corporate sustainability departments what difference they're able to make by using a company like Comfy Cycle. Dave: Okay. So and so your customers, are they like across industries? I'm guessing you guess some oil companies as clients. Kelly: Healthcare. The healthcare and oil and gas here in Houston obviously are very heavy, but we handle companies of all sizes, all industries. And, what's Dave: the minimum size that it makes sense for them to have a conversation with you? do they need like, a hundred employees or thousand employees or Clive: Yeah, the, the, so companies can, they can deliver their product to us. Dave: Okay. Clive: or we can, so small companies,there, there are very small companies that will bring their product to country Cycle to. To be processed. Dave: like the way my company does it. Clive: Yeah. Dave: we just drop it off. We don't pay you anything. You don't pay us anything. You just take care of it. Clive: Correct. so yeah, it's, it really is any size, most importantly,is how we process the material. And that is not going to a landfill, that we are not exporting it, overseas to. any to a downstream that is, that, that is not to third world countries that cannot recycle the product correctly. we have to adhere to very strict regulations and, hence we open up our processing plants where we can shred into the raw materials. and so we are not exporting. Products overseas. We process, we processing it domestically. And what we do export is the raw material. So yes, we can, well, the steel we sell domestically, but the aluminum and the copper and the boards and the plastics, we can sell that domestically or we can sell internationally as the raw material. Dave: Okay. Clive: Yeah. Dave: So talk to me about the plastics recycling. Before you started doing that, was that product just going to the landfill? Clive: No, so the plastics industry, the plastics, the plastics were being shipped to Malaysia. the Malaysia is the largest plastics market for,I'm going to for low grade plastics material and John: Okay. Clive: In. appro approximately five years ago, the Basel Action Network. so the Basel Accord passed a law regarding recycling of plastics and certain low grade plastics, had to be,recycled in accordance with the Basel action. John: okay. Clive: Accord and really what that came down to with electronics, plastics is that you could not, Malaysia, which is, which ratified the Basel action Accord, was not allowed to import mixed e-waste plastics. Okay, because the United States has not ratified the Basel Action Network. It was not illegal to export other United States, but it was illegal for them to import into Malaysia. Okay? And so the Basel Action Network put a lot of emphasis on monitoring what was leaving the US and what was going into Malaysia. so it basically went from plastics. All the e scrap guys selling plastics to Malaysia, to, there's no market to sell the plastics. There's no value in the plastics, and what do you do? And that became a massive problem in our industry. Fortunately, we decided many because we were shredding electronics and were generating the plastics. We wanted to further process plastics and we wanted to extract the metals, excuse me, from the plastics. So we added on to our processing line, a plastic washing and sorting system so we could remove the metals, have clean plastics, and get more value for the plastics. And the timing was just, it was wonderful because we just happen to do this at the right time. So today we have a solution for the plastics. We can sell plastics domestically. Or we can sell plastics internationally. In order to sell it internationally, you have to separate the A, b, S and PS plastics, which we can do, or we can sell it domestically mixed. So we have a plastic solution. the plastics, I'm grateful. We not in the, we, we always tell our clients we're not in the plastics business. We don't want to be in the plastics business. we just happen to generate plastics. The plastics markets. at the moment are very depressed markets. Kelly: so I always say it's sustainability over profitability, but it's Dave: okay. Clive: Yeah. Sorry. and that's why we are very grateful. We are not in the plastics business, but it is a,today the virgin plastics actually,are it's the recycled plastics. The virgin plastics prices are so low right now that the recycled plastics is not a needed plastic. in Europe, they are mandated to use a certain percent of recycled plastics, the manufacturing of equipment that does not exist in the United States. So there's a much stronger demand for the plastics internationally than there is domestically. hence we can sell the plastics internationally. but it's a wonderful, it's wonderful that we can offer this to our clients. it has opened many more doors to compute cycle because clients who are concerned about the environments, who do want to do the right thing, who wanna make a difference and wanna make an impact. they are using compute cycle because of our capabilities. Dave: Okay. Clive: Yeah. Dave: Well, I, I just looked at the clock, man. Time flies when you're having fun. as we're rounding the home stretch, I just have a few more questions. so Kelly, so you and Clive and John have done a great job of explaining it. Why? Comp is uniquely positioned to serve companies, especially in Houston and Texas. but I'd like to flip the question. Can you share a customer story or two as far as what your customers tell you that they love about comp? Can you think of like a couple. A couple examples, like where somebody had a different solution that was problematic, then they found compus and Compus, really made a big difference. Can you think of a couple examples? And you don't need to mention the company's by name if it's Kelly: not Yeah,no. I think one of the things I'm most proud of with, Compus Cycle is that we are not a cookie cutter approach. We really create tailored solutions for all of our companies because working with companies of all sizes, all industries, all of the needs are different. So we've really been able to tailor solutions to what their needs are. But I really think what's amazing is John, Clive and myself, what pride we put into our customers. And they're able to see that as owners of the business, that we actually, how much we're involved and how much we care. I give every potential customer and customer my cell phone. If there is ever a concern, a problem, an issue that they're having, they can call me directly. We have a great sales team, but if they're not getting what they need or if there's a problem, I want to know so they can call me directly. And we really work on having the personal relationship with our customers of, and again, of all sizes. okay. Every customer we have means something to us. And I think like that's one of our great selling points, and something that's important to us. But I also think too that, we love to grow. We're all about continuous improvement. So we challenge our customers that if they have projects or different types of equipment, that they're not sure if it's something that we can process or do. Send us a picture. Tell us what your project is, let us see if we can do it. If we can grow our services, because that's what, how we grow as a company, and then we can offer more to our other customers. Okay. So we really challenge them to see what else can we do to help them. Clive: Yeah. I, Dave, let me add that, the feedback that I get from a lot of our customers is how responsive we are. If you email compute cycle within 24 hours, you'll have a response. you need something done, we get to it. they are amazed at how efficient we are at what we do. large corporations where typically they're waiting three or four or five days, we get back to them immediately and then their pain points. We had a client a week ago that, it's a very large client. They're international clients that needed a solution for, certain hard drives and certain devices,that are very,important devices that they do not want to leave their facility. They want to be able to, just wipe these devices individually themselves. we are very easy. They use our license, they wipe the device and they send the device to us. So we can electronically do that, where they can just log in through the portal, click a button, and it will erase the data from the device. Dave: oh Clive: wow. It's, we have solutions. We work with our clients to make their lives easy. We make their lives so simple. we have a team that does data center decommissioning. So we go on site, we decommission the data center Kelly: all over the Clive: country. We do that all over the country. Oh, wow. And it's a very experienced team. And the feedback that we get is. You guys can do it in a week. The last company that we used, it took them three weeks. So we are very efficient, and we are very transparent. I mentioned when we selling your product that you can see the value that we selling your product. It's just we are so good at what we do and when we can prove that to our clients. We never lose clients. once you come on board with Compus Cycle, the experience is unbelievable. And, we truly are the expert in our industry, because this is exactly what we do. And yes, we have much larger competitors, but we are very streamlined, we are very efficient, we are very nimble and we get things done very well. and so we are so excited 'cause we are growing. We really are growing within this industry and our capabilities are unbelievable and we continue to improve. right now, we focusing on data, we focusing on ai, we focusing on how do we become more efficient at what we doing. within these two facilities, we are processing the same amount of material, 50%. More efficient than where we were two years ago. So really Dave: That's Clive: amazing. we need to move into another facility today. Kelly: today we just need more equipment. Clive: Yeah. it's just incredible. So we continuously, we set goals and we continuously, achieve those goals. and,we're, we are growing and we're. Kelly: But really to be a family owned business, which we are, and what John, started for all of us is what is, what's amazing is that we still haven't lost that We can now do what all the big boys do and our processes and procedures and services, but we also are still very much. A family owned business in the sense of I hope our customers realize how much we care and that we're available to them and our team cares. And I just hope that says something that we haven't lost that. Clive: Yeah, we're not a mom and pop organization, but we are, we treat our clients with the same respect as we would like to be treated and we treat our employees. Like they are, family to us. we, and our facility is clean. Our facility is dust free, our facility is safe. Our employees have the the PPE that is required. we are always looking out for employees. I was actually at a facility yesterday. that I, yesterday I came home to Kelly and I said, I've never seen something so dusty. And disgusting and how they would allow the employees to be in that environment. When I left that facility for an hour, I was copying and it was just, it was awful. And we would, it's just not who we are. And this is an international company. I could not believe it. And we will never treat our employees. wow. in that regard. Dave: So it really sounds like the philosophy that your relationship with your customers is more than just a vendor, customer, that it's truly a partnership. Kelly: Absolutely. Dave: Right. and that you are, you work together, you're always, trying to improve things. And then it also sounds like the relationship with your employees is somewhat similar, that it's a partnership. Y'all are in this together and you play different roles, but everybody's important and, Does that kind of summarize that? Kelly: Yeah, no, we definitely know, see people for their strengths and and maximize them to what they're good at and what they have a passion for. And it's worked. It's an Dave: equation works. So I have one more question and it's for each of you this, so it's the same question to each of you and you can't copy one another's answers. Okay. Okay. I'm gonna start with John. So John, at this point. In your career, in the evolution of Compus Cycle, what do you enjoy the most as far as your role these days with the company and with Clive and Kelly? what brings you the most enjoyment? John: Okay. So I'm at the stage of my career, right at the end stage of my career. what I enjoy most. Is watching the success of Kelly and Clive, which I find so remarkable. And the, when I look at the company now and relate where it's at to where it was when, they came on board, the differences like chalk and cheese, the difference is massive. volumes of business that we doing. the relationship with employees, the relationship with customers, all of these things has metastasized into so much more than it used to be. Okay? So that is what I'm proud of, and that's what I enjoy most. Dave: Yeah, that, that answer doesn't surprise me. I. I see you more frequently, socially than I do Kelly and Clive, and I've always had that sense that pride, in just the how gratifying you found, you find that you started this thing and that Clive and Kelly have really just taken it to a whole new level. So that, that makes Kelly: sense. But don't let him pull you. He's here every single day. And a door is always open. And really a consultant of consultants when it comes in helping us with our scrap metal side still of the business and everything. So he's here every day. Dave: Well, that, that is great. I'll go to Clive next. So in your current capacity, what do you enjoy the most? What gives you the most satisfaction? Clive: Yeah. I, Dave, I enjoy. also watching the growth and the success of country cycle. But I think what's, I enjoy doing things that make me happy, where I used to have to do everything. I now can focus more on establishing partnerships, focus more on, working on the business,instead of the nitty gritty little things that I used to be so bogged down on. I don't have that anymore. So it's helping salespeople be successful. putting quotes together that are,very difficult, because of the experience that I have. So it's, it's that's,it's, that's what I enjoy. Yeah. Dave: Awesome. Kelly last stop Clive: and watching loves. Kelly: Yeah. So I have to say, I can this answer, I can finally give you confidently. 'cause I probably, if you asked me the last few years, I wouldn't be able to say so confidently. because now by having a sales team, I'm not always having to focus on finding the new business. And also being able to not be in the nitty gritty as much and be more at a higher view. But I have finally gotten my nonprofit life back and been able Oh John: yeah. Kelly: Yes. And combine both. So there's two things I have to tell you that we're doing that I'm just Dave: sure Kelly: beyond proud of. The first thing just happened recently and we've been trying for years to make this happen, but we have a partnership with Goodwill Houston. Dave: Oh, you do? Okay. Kelly: Yes. And so Goodwill Houston, you know their mission is to empower lives by work. And to employ people by work. And the way they do that is by having all of these donation centers, people donate and then they're able Put their money into the career development. Well, we wanted to be able to have a place where people could donate or to give their equipment. So when Goodwill accepts electronics, if they can't sell those electronics, we're gonna take them, and then we're gonna pay them for the scrap value. Oh Clive: wow. So Kelly: we're one responsibly handling all the stuff they can't sell. And two, be able to provide money back to them where they can put it into their programs. So I'm very proud that's a partnership we have here in Houston and that's developed just recently. And then we also have a partnership working right now with Pearland ISD that we're trying to now replicate within other ISDs. And I have to give Clive credit for this because he's the one that really created a training facility for individuals at school that are, That I No, that no. That have,the gift, like really the children that are on the spectrum of autism. So they have, from 18 to 22 years old at schools, those students that have somewhat graduated high school but still need time to develop, we've created a job track, a training facility where they're able to dismantle the equipment. Oh wow. John: We Kelly: to then pay, it's the equipment that they're dismantling is their school's equipment. We're then picking it up as scrap. We're paying them for that scrap so they can keep the program sustainable. As well as pay some of their students as interns. They're getting job training, which I can now bring over to Goodwill. Have them go into the job piece of work. Wow, that's amazing. Not only are we circular solution and recycling, but my goal is to create a circular solution and community impact. Dave: That is awesome. That is awesome. That's what Kelly: I'm excited about. Dave: That is awesome. Kelly: So it's doing things like that, that I'm really hope that as we grow, that we continue just how can we collaborate and make more impact in the community as well as the responsible sustainable recycling. Dave: No, that is awesome. Congratulations. Goodwill is my paternal grandmother worked at, Goodwill for like 40 years in, Sioux City, Iowa. Kelly: You're kidding. Dave: Nope. 'cause I know you're from Iowa, Kelly: right? You get my whole family, my mom's side. Yes. All, oh, the plow. Dave: Yeah. so Goodwill, they started a church at the Goodwill Facility. And anyway, so I'm a big fan of Goodwill, so I appreciate, I That's strange, that connection. John: Yes. Dave: so I can't tell you. So I want to thank you all for two things. One, I want to thank all three of you for taking the time to come on and tell the story. I really appreciate it. And secondly, more personally, I just wanna tell you how much I appreciate having had the chance to serve you all,on our services. the team always tells me that they always enjoy working with your team. And it's been fun to watch the, from our end to watch the progress of the company over time. So thank you for having that opportunity to be your partner in the tax services that we do. Kelly: No, we appreciate everything you do for us, David. Thank you. We enjoy working with you. Dave: Well, thank you. Well, you all have a great day and we'll talk soon. Kelly: Great. John: Thank you David. Kelly: Thank you. John: Bye. Special Guests: Clive Hess, John Hess, and Kelly Hess.

The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, which means it's time to sort the winners from the losers in IDP dynasty leagues. Which IDPs drew the best situations? And who got buried on a depth chart? Josh, Adam, and Bobby were joined by Jon Macri LIVE in-person in the Sode Shack to break it all down.We covered good and bad IDP rookie landing spots across linebackers, edge rushers, and safeties, from CJ Allen stepping into the most linebacker-needy team in the league, to Rueben Bain Jr. landing in a Buccaneers front that gives him a clear path to snaps from day one, to Jacob Rodriguez drawing the short straw in Miami. Plus, quick hitters on big names and a few sleepers worth knowing, a recap of our BG weekend, and the plans moving forward as The IDP Show transitions into the "Macri era."On that note, this is the last regularly scheduled episode with Josh, Adam, and Bobby as the hosts. We poured our hearts out last week during the announcement video, so we'll simply end with this: thank you. It's been an honor talking IDP with you for seven years. We'll see y'all around.0:00 Welcome to BG, Jon!9:46 BEST: CJ Allen, Colts (Pick 53, R2)17:33 WORST: Jacob Rodriguez, Dolphins (Pick 43, R2)22:50 BEST: Rueben Bain Jr., Buccaneers (Pick 15, R1)28:51 BEST: Dillon Thieneman, Bears (Pick 25, R1)37:09 WORST: Akeem Mesidor, Chargers (Pick 22, R1)43:47 BEST: Derrick Moore, Lions (Pick 44, R2)49:53 WORST: Jake Golday, Vikings (Pick 51, R2)1:02:48 BEST: AJ Haulcy, Colts (Pick 78, R3)1:08:06 Caleb Downs, Cowboys (Pick 11, R1)1:08:06 Sonny Styles, Commanders (Pick 7, R1)1:12:21 Keldric Faulk, Titans (Pick 31, R1)1:16:07 Arvell Reese, Giants (Pick 5, R1)1:18:39 Malachi Lawrence, Cowboys (Pick 23, R1) + R. Mason Thomas, Chiefs (Pick 40, R2)1:23:52 Wade Woodaz, Texans (Pick 123, R4) + Harold Perkins Jr., Falcons (Pick 215, R6)1:30:15 What's coming up from The IDP ShowCheck out our free IDP trade calculator, powered by Adam's dynasty rankings: https://idptradecalculator.com/Subscribe to our YouTube channel for our other shows, The IDP After Show and All IDP.If you'd like to support the show, you can do so for just $5/month over at ⁠theIDPshow.com⁠. We've got some premium features for paid supporters that we know you'll enjoy. Follow us on Twitter ⁠@theidpshow⁠. Thanks for listening!

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week's episode, we discuss Tesla's disaster earnings, the Beijing Auto Show being absolutely insane, and a plethora of new EVs unveiled this week. The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek's YouTube channel. As a reminder, we'll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in. After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Pocket Casts Castro RSS We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming. Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast: Tesla (TSLA) releases Q1 2026 financial results: slight beat on earnings Tesla seems to say Robotaxi launch will be pushed back in 5 US cities Tesla (TSLA) pulled questionable levers to make Q1 2026 financials look good Elon Musk pushes unsupervised FSD for consumer Teslas — again Tesla will build factories just to retrofit millions of HW3 cars it said could do FSD Tesla confirms Cybercab production has started despite delays in unsupervised driving Tesla announces HW4 Plus with doubled memory — will HW4 follow HW3 to the grave? Tesla (TSLA) quietly discloses $2 billion AI hardware company acquisition buried in filing Tesla Model YL prototype spotted on US roads for the first time Porsche Cayenne Coupe Electric is an off-road capable, 2.4s 0-60mph beauty and beast BMW unveils the new i7 with nearly 450 miles of range and Neue Klasse style [Images] XPeng unveils GX flagship SUV with 750 km range, L4-ready hardware for $58,000 Hyundai unveils sleek new IONIQ V: a production car that looks like a concept Hyundai unveils the IONIQ 3 with class-leading range and a new infotainment [Images] CATL is launching sodium-ion batteries in EVs in 2026, aiming for 370+ miles range Rivian (RIVN) starts R2 production days after tornado hit factory, deliveries this spring Xpeng is actually building this electric flying car — I visited the factory Here's the live stream for today's episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET: https://www.youtube.com/live/A7NTG5vjRuM

It's EV News Briefly for Wednesday 22 April 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/EVNewsDailyBMW GIVES I7 MORE RANGE AND SCREEN SPACEBMW has revealed what it calls the most extensive refresh ever applied to a BMW, with the updated electric i7 arriving first in September 2026 and plug-in hybrids to follow, with pricing expected to rise from the current £105,000 starting point. The new i7 swaps its old 105.7kWh battery for a 112.5kWh pack using Gen6 cylindrical cells, pushing maximum range from 387 miles to 452 miles and DC charging speed from 195kW to 250kW, while adaptive dampers and active rear steering become standard across the whole range.The styling adopts BMW's Neue Klasse design language with slimmer crystal-embedded headlights, a horizontal-slat grille, 22-inch alloys as standard, and up to 500 exterior colour combinations including a new two-tone option. Inside, the i7 becomes the first BMW to offer a front-passenger touchscreen (14.6 inches), gains a 17.9-inch central display and a sweeping 43.3-inch Panoramic iDrive dashboard, while rear passengers keep their 31.3-inch 8K cinema screen and 35-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system.***RIVIAN STARTS R2 PRODUCTION IN ILLINOISRivian has begun production of the R2 at its Normal, Illinois plant, with CFO Claire McDonough confirming the start in a Reuters interview and first customer deliveries expected later this spring. Reservation holders will receive configuration invitations in June, with the $57,990 Launch Edition shipping first, followed by the $53,990 Premium later in 2026 and the more affordable Standard and entry variants arriving through 2027.Rivian expects R2 to cost less than half of what an R1 costs to build once higher volumes are reached in 2027, and the vehicle also underpins the company's broader ambitions including the $2,500 Autonomy+ self-driving package and an Uber robotaxi partnership worth up to $1.25 billion across 25 cities.***GM SAYS NO DELAY TO ELECTRIC TRUCK PROGRAMMEGM publicly denied cancelling any electric trucks after Crain's Detroit Business — citing three anonymous sources — reported that the automaker had indefinitely delayed its next-generation electric truck programme, which had been targeting a 2028 production start for refreshed versions of the Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Hummer, and Escalade IQ. GM told Motor1 that "EVs remain the end game" and confirmed no impact to current electric truck production, though the company gave no timeline for when the next-generation programme might resume.Supplier executives and analysts told Crain's they do not expect a new generation of GM's all-electric truck line until 2030 or beyond, suggesting the delay is substantial even if GM stops short of calling it a cancellation.***SMART #2 SETS UP FORTWO RETURNSmart has unveiled the Smart #2 concept, a two-door, two-seat electric city car that revives the spirit of the original Fortwo, with a production model expected to launch in October 2026. Built on the Electric Compact Architecture platform, it offers an estimated 186-mile range — a dramatic leap over the old EQ Fortwo's 58-mile range — along with a 10–80% charge time of under 20 minutes and vehicle-to-load capability.Expected to measure around 106 inches (2.7 metres) long, the Smart #2 would be smaller than the Dacia Spring and Renault Twingo, placing it among Europe's smallest new EVs at launch.***ID. BUZZ ADDS AWD AND NEW TECHVolkswagen Commercial Vehicles is rolling out a 2026 model year update for the ID. Buzz this summer, headlined by the new Pro 4MOTION variant that pairs a 210kW rear motor with a front motor for a combined 250kW and raises towing capacity to 1.8 tonnes on the standard wheelbase. The update also brings one-pedal driving capable of bringing the vehicle to a full stop, a new Innovision infotainment system with an integrated app store, traffic-light-responsive Connected Travel Assist, a welcome return to physical steering wheel buttons, and optional vehicle-to-load capability at up to 2.0kW.***CHARGEPOINT LAUNCHES 600KW EXPRESS SOLOChargePoint has unveiled the Express Solo, a standalone DC fast charger capable of delivering up to 600kW, which the company says sets a new benchmark for public charging in the US. The unit supports two simultaneous sessions, accepts direct DC input for integration with on-site battery storage, enables bidirectional charging, and uses an Omni Port combining CCS1 and NACS connectors — all at a claimed 30% lower purchase and operating cost than comparable high-power chargers.***FRANCE SETS 2035 ROAD CHARGING PLANFrance's government has published a national strategy to deploy around 30,000 EV charging points on motorways and national roads by 2035, targeting corridors that carry roughly one third of all traffic despite representing just 2% of total road length. The plan includes approximately 22,000 fast chargers at around 150kW for light vehicles across 900 service areas — a fivefold capacity increase — plus 8,000 heavy-duty charging points across 560 locations.***COKE CANADA ADDS VOLVO ELECTRIC TRUCKSCoca-Cola Canada Bottling is expanding its electric fleet to nearly 40 vehicles by adding Volvo VNR Electric trucks in Quebec City and the Vancouver area, building on a 2023 pilot programme that tested six of the trucks in real-world conditions. Each VNR Electric uses a six-battery configuration with a range of up to 440km, and the expansion is supported by a new 180kW Heliox Flex charging station in Quebec City and two additional chargers in Vancouver.***PG&E ADDS CYBERTRUCK TO V2G PILOTPG&E and Tesla have added the Cybertruck to PG&E's residential vehicle-to-grid programme, using Tesla's Powershare Gateway and Universal Wall Connector in what is the first AC-based V2G application approved for California customers. Participants can receive up to $4,500 in incentives for bidirectional charging equipment and earn additional compensation for exporting electricity back to the grid during peak demand events.***VOLKSWAGEN SETS GERMAN V2G LAUNCH FOR 2026Volkswagen and its energy subsidiary Elli plan to launch a fully integrated vehicle-to-grid service for private customers in Germany in Q4 2026, with pre-registration opening in June, promising annual earnings of €700–€900 under favourable conditions. Elli will manage the full stack — dynamic tariff, DC bidirectional charger, smart meter integration, and a control app — backed by around one million bidirectional-capable MEB-platform EVs already on European roads.

Rivian’s new R2 model has begun rolling off the manufacturing floor in Normal, Illinois, despite damage to the factory from a tornado over the weekend. The smaller, more affordable SUV is seen as crucial to driving profitability for the electric vehicle maker. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe joins Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on "Bloomberg Tech."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rivian Automotive's stock soared by more than 8% in premarket trading on Thursday, after Uber announced it would invest up to $1.25 billion in the electric vehicle maker—whose shares have plummeted in a years-long rout—to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis across the U.S. by the next decade. Key Facts Shares of Rivan jumped 8.2% in premarket trading on Thursday, marking what would be a slight rebound for the stock after stumbling by more than 14% this year. Uber said Thursday it would invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, with plans to purchase 10,000 of Rivian's upcoming R2 vehicle and an option to buy an additional 40,000 robotaxis in 2030. An initial $300 million investment from Uber to Rivian is expected shortly after the deal's signing and is subject to regulatory approval, Uber said. The R2 robotaxis are expected to be available through Uber in 25 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe, with San Francisco and Miami as the launching sites in 2028, the companies said.  Uber's Robotaxi Expansion: From Rivian To Nvidia Uber has announced several partnerships over the last year as it competes with the Alphabet-backed Waymo in the robotaxi market. The company announced a strategic partnership with the Amazon-backed Zoox last week, with plans for Zoox's robotaxis to be made available through Uber by 2027. In October, Stellantis announced a joint project with Uber, Nvidia and Foxconn, with plans for Uber to deploy robotaxis from the automotive conglomerate—spanning Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and more—in the U.S. That same day, Nvidia said it was partnering with Uber to increase Uber's autonomous vehicle fleet to 100,000, starting in 2027. Lucid, in September 2025, announced a $300 million investment from Uber, which said it would later deploy Lucid's robotaxis. Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/03/19/rivian-shares-rally-8-after-uber-invests-up-to-125-billion-in-robotaxi-deal/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

East Coast Radio's chief news editor, says the US Israeli war against Iran is only temporarily suspended and questions whether the ceasefire will last. He notes that optimism on Friday after messages suggesting Iran had opened the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump thanking them reversed over the weekend, with renewed threats to close the strait and Trump warning he could destroy Iran's power infrastructure. Brent crude is trading around $95 a barrel, implying petrol could rise about R2.50 in May, though a possible continued R3 levy reduction could keep petrol flat; diesel is expected to rise about R8 per litre, or about R5 if the levy continues. Webpage

Pour la première émission dédié à son album "Sombre Mélodie", Landy invite Genezio, R2, HMZ, Venant, Mous-K et Pistach sur Planète Rap ! Landy est l'invité de Fred Musa toute la semaine pour présenter son nouveau projet "Sombre mélodie", dont la sortie est prévue le 24 avril 2026 ! Il est venu retourner Planète Rap pour fêter la sortie de son nouvel album ! L'auteur de "Médusa", "Muerte" ou encore plus récemment "Ronnie Kray" en feat avec Tiakola n'est clairement pas là pour faire de la figuration et le prouve toute la semaine

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.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/EVNewsDailyMERCEDES PREVIEWS ELECTRIC C-CLASS CABINMercedes-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 Q4SpaceX 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 £38,995Mazda 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 GERMANYBMW 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 VARIANTSBYD 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 MARKETAllego 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 EVSA 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-ONLYRivian 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 LAUNCHHonda 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 BAYSUK-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.

Episode Summary In this episode of Practical Cybersecurity, we dive into the complex world of HITRUST certification. Often called the "gold standard" for healthcare security, HITRUST can be a daunting mountain to climb for small and large organizations alike. Jen Stone and experts Peter Briel (Privaxi) and Lee Pierce (SecurityMetrics) break down why scoping is your best friend, why screenshots aren't enough, and why you should never try to "button things down" before talking to an expert.Key Discussion Points:What is HITRUST? Unlike HIPAA, which lacks a formal certification, HITRUST integrates multiple standards (NIST, ISO, etc.) into a "beefy" framework. It provides a definitive answer to security and compliance inquiries in the healthcare space.The Three Levels of HITRUST:E1: The entry-level, static 44-control assessment.I1: The "leading practices" assessment with roughly 180+ controls.R2: The risk-based, "gold standard" that requires heavy factoring and scoping.The "House Alarm" Analogy: You can't protect a house if you don't know how many windows and doors it has. Asset management is the foundation of security; if you don't know what hardware and software you have, you can't secure the perimeter.Common Pitfalls in Certification:Overscoping: Fear often leads companies to include too much in their audit, driving up costs and timelines unnecessarily.Weak Evidence: Assessors need a "story," not just a screenshot. Evidence must be consistent, repeatable, and include clear date/time stamps.The "Never Happened" Trap: Even if you haven't fired anyone or had a breach in years, you must have a documented, tested process for how you would handle those events.The Importance of Readiness: The "separation of duties" means your auditor can't also be your consultant. Engaging a readiness team early helps you build the foundation correctly the first time, rather than tearing down finished work to meet compliance standards later.Expert Tips for Success"Don't build it and then do readiness afterwards." — Lee Pierce Start the conversation while you are still building your solutions or migrating to the cloud to ensure encryption and segmentation meet the standard from day one."Don't rush... it's not a check-the-box exercise." — Peter Briel  Focus on building a solid foundation. HITRUST isn't just about the certificate; it's about actually protecting the environment.Resources MentionedSecurity Metrics Website: Visit for a quick HITRUST cost assessment and to connect with the readiness and audit teams. https://www.securitymetrics.com/hitrustFactoring Tools: Resources to help determine whether you need an E1, I1, or R2 assessment.A note from Jen: We built Practical Cybersecurity because we were tired of the fear-mongering in this industry. Security shouldn't be a secret club.If you're trying to figure out PCI compliance or need a pen test, my team at SecurityMetrics can help you out: https://www.securitymetrics.com/contact/lets-get-you-to-the-right-place But if you just want to learn how to protect yourself for free, start here:  https://academy.securitymetrics.com/ 

In this episode of the Turn Down For Watt Podcast, we break down the Q1 EV sales data and the reality of today's EV market. The numbers don't lie — demand is soft, many models are down big year over year, and the gap between Tesla and everyone else is still massive.That leads to the big question: Can the Rivian R2 save 2026?We're joined by special guests including Jose from Rivian Tracker, Zak from the Bay Area Rivian Club, and Travis Ketchum to dig into:

Nicholas Lorimer and Dr. John Endres discuss the incredible world of South Africa's over 40 murky transformation funds. They also discuss Value For Money and the R2 billion spent on a leadership school in Gauteng, and lastly, they chat about the president's long-delayed lifestyle audits. Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1310: The market squeeze is real as affordability reshapes buying behavior across the board. Tesla feels the EV slowdown while Rivian pivots toward value, and new data shows Gen Z shoppers aren't impulsive, just taking their time.As costs stack up across the ownership lifecycle, automakers are getting real about affordability and how it affects product strategy, pricing, and what actually moves on the lot.Subaru is leaning into efficiency and practicality as gas prices rise. “We're not making V-8 engines…we've got four-cylinders, hybrids and electrics. when gas is getting up to $4 and $5, and those things that are sucking gas like crazy, that's not Subaru.” said marketing head Alan Bethke.That shift is showing up in shopper behavior, with Subaru seeing “a lot more movement on our lower trim levels” as buyers hunt for value.Across the board, consumers are trading down and prioritizing fuel economy, pushing brands to rethink mix and messaging.Even growth brands are leaning into affordability through electrification—Kia reported hybrid sales up 73% as buyers look for cost relief at the pump.At Stellantis, CEO Antonio Filosa is tying their turnaround directly to demand alignment: the strategy is working by “delivering the products our customers want and love.Tesla's Q1 deliveries came in lighter than expected with U.S. deliveries estimated down 4.6%, showing continued pressure on EV demand as incentives fade and global performance varies.Tesla delivered 358,023 vehicles globally, missing expectations and marking its weakest quarter in a year despite a 6.3% YoY increase.Rivian offered a contrast, with deliveries up 20% year-over-year—but that growth comes off a weaker base and still represents just over 10,000 units for the quarter.Rivian is holding steady on its 2026 outlook (62K–67K units) and launching its lower-priced R2, signaling a clear shift toward more accessible EVs.Wedbush's Dan Ives called Tesla's results “underwhelming,” but “not a shock…given the current EV backdrop,” as the company bets on future plays like robotaxis and AI.New data shows younger buyers aren't rushing purchases. They're researching more, delaying decisions, and blending online and in-store shopping in ways that challenge old assumptions.Half of Gen Z shoppers sit on purchases for two+ days, more than double the rate of boomers, signaling a longer, more deliberate buying cycle.Only 40% of shoppers come in knowing what they want—most are browsing, comparing, and figuring it out in real time.Even digital-first buyers aren't fully online—53% of Gen Z still go in-store to browse before buying.Despite the hesitation, younger buyers are more willing to spend long-term, with Gen Z and millennials 50% more likely to increase spending in the future.“Marketers can no longer rely on broad assumptions…brands must…out-maneuvJoin Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast  as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

Stephen Grootes speaks to Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service about the revenue service surpassing the R2 trillion mark in net tax collections for the first time, reaching R2.01 trillion in the 2025/26 financial year. The milestone comes despite a challenging economic backdrop, including sluggish growth, load shedding and global uncertainty, and reflects stronger compliance efforts, improved administrative efficiency and support from key tax categories such as VAT and PAYE. In other interviews, Raksha Darji, Principal economist at the Competition Commission talks about the latest Cost of Living Report, which shows that despite inflation easing, South African households remain under sustained pressure from persistently high prices for essential goods and services. The findings highlight how costs for electricity, water, food and education have risen far faster than headline inflation in recent years, with utilities alone increasing sharply and continuing to drive household expenses. The Money Show is a podcast hosted by well-known journalist and radio presenter, Stephen Grootes. He explores the latest economic trends, business developments, investment opportunities, and personal finance strategies. Each episode features engaging conversations with top newsmakers, industry experts, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, and politicians, offering you thought-provoking insights to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape.    Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Money Show Listen live Primedia+ weekdays from 18:00 to 20:00 (SA Time) to The Money Show with Stephen Grootes broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show, go to https://buff.ly/7QpH0jY or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/PlhvUVe Subscribe to The Money Show Daily Newsletter and the Weekly Business Wrap here https://buff.ly/v5mfetc The Money Show is brought to you by Absa     Follow us on social media   702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702   CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/Radio702 CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Cybersecurity at Vibe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Shreesh Bhattarai, Director of HITRUST at A-LIGN, for a candid and practical conversation about one of the most misunderstood topics in healthcare cybersecurity. With nearly a decade of experience building one of the highest-volume HITRUST assessment practices in the market, Shreesh breaks down the difference between checking a compliance box and actually being secure, walks through the three levels of HITRUST certification, and shares what organizations need to do right now to prepare for an AI-driven future. Whether you are just starting your compliance journey or managing nine certifications with a team of five, this episode has something for you. In this episode, they talk about: Compliance is the baseline, not the finish line, and treating it as a once-a-year exercise is a serious mistake The biggest risk in compliance is not failing the audit, but passing it while still being insecure HITRUST has three certification levels: E1 (crawl), I1 (walk), and R2 (marathon) Organizations should choose the certification that matches their risk profile, not just go for the biggest one The best audits are boring because everything is already embedded in day-to-day operations HITRUST's "audit once, report multiple times" approach eliminates duplicative work across frameworks AI governance plans are no longer optional; shadow AI is a real and growing risk HITRUST now offers an AI cybersecurity assessment to help organizations put guardrails around AI use A Little About Shreesh: Shreesh Bhattarai is Director and HITRUST Practice Lead at A-LIGN, where he works at the intersection of cybersecurity assurance, regulatory pressure, and business growth. Since 2017, he has led more than 500 HITRUST certifications and assessments across healthcare, digital health, and high-growth technology organizations. Shreesh partners directly with CEOs, CISOs, and executive teams navigating increasing scrutiny from regulators, customers, and third parties. He is known for challenging the “check-the-box” compliance mindset and reframing HITRUST as a strategic trust mechanism — one that strengthens security posture, accelerates enterprise sales, and reduces third-party risk friction. He leads a national team of security professionals within A-LIGN's HITRUST practice and regularly speaks on the evolution of compliance in healthcare at forums including ViVE, Health and HITRUST Collaborate. Prior to A-LIGN, he was part of the audit practice at Ernst & Young, focusing on SOX 404 and SOC engagements.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tell delegates at the Sixth South African Investment Conference this Tuesday morning that he plans to raise R2 trillion in news fixed investment over the next three years. Or five years, depending on which articles you read on the Presidency website. Peter Bruce argues in this Podcast from the Edge monologue that Ramaphosa deliberately sets himself soft targets ,he knows he can reach. And R2 trillion doesn't come close the to 25% of GDP in fixed investment per year the economy needs to grow fast enough to make a real dent in unemployment. So let's not get too excited. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

durée : 01:01:44 - par : Kymra, DJ Serom - Le Wake-Up Mix, c'est tous les jours dès 07h sur Mouv' !! Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

This week on America on the Road, hosts Jack Nerad and Chris Teague test the 2026 Volvo XC90 and Kia K4 Hatchback. In the news, they unpack climbing gas prices tied to global tensions, which are driving an uptick in searches for electrified vehicles, and cover the upcoming 2027 Infiniti QX65 fastback luxury crossover, the updated 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, and sweeping safety recalls affecting Hyundai Palisade and Ford vehicles. They'll also discuss ambitious plans from Rivian and Lucid to reach mainstream buyers as consumer interest in battery-electric vehicles wanes.

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1297: The EV world is getting hit from all sides — punishing fee proposals, $50 billion in industry write-downs, and a bold $1.25 billion Uber-Rivian robotaxi bet.A growing wave of state and federal EV fee proposals would charge electric vehicle owners two to three times what the average gas car driver pays in federal fuel tax.House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves introduced a federal $200 annual EV fee — more than double the ~$95 average gas car driver pays in federal fuel tax each year.The fee is a flat charge with no connection to actual road usage, meaning a grandmother driving 3,000 miles pays the same as a daily commuter logging 25,000.36 states already impose EV fees that result in EV owners paying more than gas drivers contribute through fuel taxes, with Texas charging $400 upfront plus $200 annually.Automakers are unwinding EV bets at a combined cost approaching $50 billion, a stark reminder of how aggressively the industry moved, and how quickly the market shifted beneath them.Ford leads the charge with roughly $20.9 billion in EV-related write-downs through 2027, including the cancellation of the F-150 Lightning and a pair of three-row electric crossovers.Stellantis previewed €22 billion in charges — the largest single write-down — covering canceled vehicle programs, EV supply chain restructuring, and the end of a battery joint venture in Canada.GM and Honda round out the list, with GM topping $7 billion in 2025 EV charges and Honda projecting $1.9 billion by March — including winding down the Prologue and Acura ZDX programs.As iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer put it, “There's just been an overinvestment and, certainly, obviously too aggressive of a timeline”Uber is betting $1.25 billion on Rivian to power its next robotaxi push, with plans to deploy up to 50,000 autonomous R2s across 25 cities by 2031.The deal includes an initial $300 million investment and commitments to purchase 10,000 autonomous R2s, with options for 40,000 more starting in 2030.Rivian's R2 robotaxis will launch exclusively on Uber's platform, starting in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, then expanding across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.The deal follows Rivian's $5.8 billion Volkswagen software partnership and adds to Uber's growing roster of AV deals with Lucid, Zoox, Stellantis, and Nvidia.Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: "That vertical integration, combined with data from their growing consumer vehicle base and experience managing the complexities of commercial fleets, gives us conviction to set these ambitious but achievable targets."Today's show is brought to you by HeyGreenlight. HeyGreenlight's Wingman gives your sales and BDC team live, real-time guidance so they consistently say the right things, at the right time, on every call.Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast  as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

Nintendo surged 18% in 2 weeks thanks to 30-year old Pokemon… and it hates AI.Quince just hit a valuation twice as good as Skims… thanks to caviar, candles, and caviar?Rivian is taking orders for the R2… which has to disrupt Rivian, and save Rivian.And the Academy Awards have a shocking plan for last night's Red Carpet… Destroy it.$NTDOY $RIVN $DUPEBuy tickets to The IPO Tour (our In-Person Offering) TODAYNew York, NY (4/8): https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0000637AE43ED0C2Los Angeles, CA (6/3): SOLD OUTGet your TBOY Yeti Doll gift here: https://tboypod.com/shop/product/economic-support-yeti-doll NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today's top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rivian announces pricing for the hotly anticipated R2. Plus: the Model Y L comes to another market (no, it's not the US…yet), Tesla files a patent for some interesting new seats on the next-gen Tesla Roadster, and more! If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier! Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752. INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla. P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RPMRTL for 5-10% off your next purchase. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.

Episode 281-Don’t be a Dingus about the Dingus Law Also Available OnSearchable Podcast Transcript Gun Lawyer — Episode Transcript Page – 1 – of 12 Gun Lawyer — Episode 281 Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS New Jersey gun law, accidental discharge, Fifth Amendment rights, criminal charges, licensing revocation, public health safety, misdemeanor offense, felony conviction, reckless conduct, gun safety, legal advice, jury trial, Second Amendment rights, gun ownership, legal protections. SPEAKERS Teddy Nappen, Evan Nappen, Speaker 2 Evan Nappen 00:16 I’m Evan Nappen. Teddy Nappen 00:17 And I’m Teddy Nappen, Evan Nappen 00:19 And welcome to Gun Lawyer. Say, Teddy, I see you sent me something interesting that you found online. Teddy Nappen 00:26 Well, I always like to check on the Reddit retards to see what they’re saying. Evan Nappen 00:32 Oh, my God. And yeah, you did find some stuff that is very much of concern here, because I don’t want to see any of our people have a problem or get into trouble. And it made it clear to me just how important this Accidental Discharge (AD), the Dingus Law, in New Jersey, is. It is having a tremendous effect, and folks have got to know about it. They’ve got to understand that this is genuine. Teddy Nappen 00:59 And also to be clear, not everyone on Reddit is retarded, but everyone who’s retarded is on Reddit just saying. Evan Nappen 01:06 Ah, okay. Well, I’m glad to know the rules here. But what I want to do is go through the commentary to a certain degree. It is extremely important that individuals don’t make this mistake, because this change is dramatic to New Jersey’s law. And then it instantly has put forward Fifth Amendment rights that must be utilized by gun owners in New Jersey in order to protect themselves. Because the ramifications here are not just criminal, not just potential exposure to a year and a half in State Prison for a mere accident, but also loss of your Second Amendment rights. And not just loss of your rights from becoming a Page – 2 – of 12 convicted felon. Even if criminal charges are not pursued, you’re still going to face potential licensing revocation, pulling you in under the disqualifier of public health, safety, and welfare, what I call the all-inclusive miscellaneous weasel clause that they will use to further disarm you. Evan Nappen 02:19 I’ve encountered case after case after case after case of this. I’ve been, you know, practicing New Jersey gun law now for 40 years. I’ve seen what accidental discharges cause to the individual. I’m not making this up. This is real, and it is a real concern. And they’ve just poured gasoline on the fire by passing this new law that essentially criminalizes this to a degree that it has never been criminalized before. So, our rights become even more critical, and I want to make sure that folks understand this law. So, I’m going to review it and talk about some of the misinformation and such that is out there. And how, again, the anti-Second Amendment, the gun rights oppressionists, how they have structured this law to get it through. To make it have a facial appearance, and yet its effect is hidden until it pounds you, the unsuspecting gun owner. I understand how this system works, and I’ve seen what they do. So, they pass these laws, and in effect, they’re sneaky as all hell. This is a sneaky law that is there to disenfranchise gun owners. Teddy Nappen 03:57 Also the fact that anyone who thinks, oh, this will never happen to me. Oh, I’m a very responsible gun owner. They hate you. That is why they’re laying these traps. And anyone who thinks that this can’t happen to you, tell yourself, oh, I’ve never been in a car accident before. Anyone has ever thought that until it happens. Evan Nappen 04:19 Man, I cannot tell you how many times in the practice of gun law in New Jersey, I’ve had the client say, man, I never thought I’d be calling you. I’ve heard that uncountable numbers of times. I never thought I’d be calling you. Yet here I am. And, frankly, I want the word out so people understand this, and I’m going to deal more with that very fact and the reality of that in some of the commentary that’s here, because it also deserves to be addressed. I’m going to do that. Evan Nappen 04:53 So, first, let’s take a look at the law so you can really understand what the traps are. They’re sneaky tricks. How they passed this, and they know what they’re doing. They know what they’re doing. And they fool the public and create the ability here for the oppressionists to go after the unsuspecting folks that are thinking they’re doing the right thing. So, New Jersey, as you may or may not know, has utterly criminalized accidental discharge, and it is now in law, signed by Murphy. (https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/A5000/4976_R2.PDF) Evan Nappen 05:36 The law begins by talking about “recklessly”, and saying, oh yeah, recklessly has the same meaning found in the criminal law. It’s what reckless has always meant, and we will review that in a minute. Then it goes on to define what a structure is. And it says. “‘Structure’ means any building, room, ship, vessel, car, vehicle, or airplane, and also means any place adapted for overnight accommodation of persons or for carrying business therein.” Okay, that’s about as broad as you can get. It’s almost everywhere, Page – 3 – of 12 right? Almost everywhere. So, why is that important? Because it’s that “structure” trick, that “structure” trap, that they weave into the law here. So that if you have an accidental discharge, even though they’re selling this law, look, a person commits a disorderly person’s offense. That’s the New Jersey level of misdemeanor. It’s just a DP. It’s not a felony, just a disorderly person’s offense. Evan Nappen 06:37 “. . . by recklessly discharging a firearm using live ammunition rounds unlawfully or without a lawful purpose . . .” And there you go. It’s so freaking reasonable. It’s so reasonable. No, it is outrageously unreasonable. And here’s why. Because when you actually are going to face this, here’s what’s going to hit you in the face, folks. Here’s what it’s going to be. Number one, oh yeah, it’s a disorderly person’s offense. So, hey, at least it’s not a felony. I’m not going to become a convicted felon, right? Well, if you go down a little bit in the law, it says. A person who commits a violation of this section shall be charged with a crime of one degree higher than what would ordinarily be charged if the violation occurs within 100 yards of an occupied structure. Wait a minute! That occupied structure was any building, room, ship, vessel, car, airplane, or any other place that’s adopted for overnight accommodation or for carrying on business. Oh, you mean, basically, everywhere! Evan Nappen 07:46 Oh, so, wait a minute. It’s one degree higher for just about everything. Unless you’re in the middle of the woods and have an AD with the trees, that’s about it, you know. Short of that, you’re just about guaranteed to be within a structure, the way they’ve written, “within 100 yards of a structure”. It’s one degree higher. Well, what’s one degree higher than a disorderly persons offense? Felony level, fourth degree crime. Felony level. A year and a half in State Prison, folks. Okay? What does that mean? It means that is a disqualifier for the entire United States if you become convicted of that AD charge. Even if you don’t get a day in jail, it’s a fourth degree felony. You’re officially a convicted felon and a prohibited person, disenfranchised of your gun rights for the entire United States. So, that’s what an AD now means in New Jersey. Felony conviction. It would be the rarest of exception if it wasn’t charged as at least a fourth degree felony in New Jersey. So get that through your head first, straight away. Evan Nappen 09:10 Now, what about this reckless, recklessly, reckless. Okay. So, here going into Reddit.com and looking at the discussion and what have you. Okay, that’s all good. One of the folks there said they don’t agree with me, but I’m not a lawyer, and no sense taking a risk. You don’t need to. But then they go and quote, “recklessly” discharge. You can emphasize reckless, and then pull the legal definition of reckless, which is fine. You may recall, we actually even in the show. We discussed it. We reviewed reckless. Let’s take another look so we can fully understand what reckless means in New Jersey and how it interweaves to this new law. So, recklessly, a person, now this is the definition in New Jersey law of just recklessly. A person acts recklessly with respect to a material element of an offense, when he consciously disregards a substantial risk, a substantial and unjustifiable risk, that the material element exists or will result from his conduct. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that considering the nature and purpose of the actor’s conduct and the circumstances known to him, its disregard involves a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the actor’s situation. Page – 4 – of 12 Evan Nappen 10:50 Okay. I know that’s confusing or sounds like a lot of legal mumbo jumbo. It’s not, and let me show you where the pressure points come in, where the gotchas are there for New Jersey citizens. In reality, in the reality of the practice of law here, conscious disregard. Again, what? There is a consciously disregard substantial and unjustifiable risk that the material element exists. What’s the material element existing in the AD? That a gun will fire. Okay? Material element. You’re disregarding that a gun will fire. And why would a gun fire? Well, if the actor’s conduct and circumstance is known to him. Do you have a gun in your hand? Is that known to you? Yes, it is. Do you know that guns fire when the trigger is pulled? Yes, you do. Gross deviation from the standard of conduct. Well, everyone knows the basic rules of safety, right? Make sure your gun is unloaded. Make sure your gun is unloaded. Did you just grossly deviate from standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe? And that’s it. You betcha you did. You bet you that they can. Evan Nappen 12:11 And I’ll tell you what. You may say, no, no, it was an honest mistake, an accident. I didn’t realize, for whatever reason. A reasonable person. Who is a reasonable person? What is a reasonable person? How is reasonable person determined? And I’ll tell you how it’s determined. By 12 people who aren’t smart enough to avoid jury duty. That’s who’s going to determine your level of reasonableness when handling a gun. That you know goes bang. That you know can discharge, and there happened to somehow, while it was in your control, end up with a round that went bang. Do you want that in front of a jury in New Jersey? Do you think that’s fine? You can just say I didn’t consciously disregard it. Yeah, do you see where we’re going? Evan Nappen 13:05 And wait. Now it gets worse. Now it gets way worse. It gets way worse because of how they wrote this law itself. Let’s go back to the law itself. It says a person commits a disorderly person’s offense, which we already talked about, is automatically getting upgraded to felony, by recklessly discharging a firearm using live ammunition rounds unlawfully or without lawful purpose. You tell me what accidental discharge has a lawful purpose. Obviously, there’s no lawful purpose because it’s an accidental discharge. So, every accidental discharge becomes one without lawful purpose. And a jury is going to be thinking about this law and saying, well, reckless. He had a gun. It was loaded, and he didn’t have a lawful purpose because it went off without a reason. And boom, there you go. There you go. Evan Nappen 14:06 You instantly, now, on an accidental discharge, have Fifth Amendment protections, a right against self incrimination, and you need to stand on those rights. If you self-report, if you do that, you are incriminating yourself. You are giving up your Fifth Amendment rights when it comes to an AD. And I say, do not do that. You have a Constitutional right against doing that. If you choose to give up your Fifth Amendment right, what will happen? Your Fourth Amendment rights are going to be brought in because they’re going to want to search and seize, take your guns, and that is routinely what happens. Then you’re going to face the criminal charge, and then you’re going to face the licensing, disenfranchisement of your Second Amendment rights and the forfeiture of your firearms. This is the escalation that I’ve seen occur over and over and over again. And that’s without the enhancement that New Jersey has just dumped on Dingus, okay? Page – 5 – of 12 Teddy Nappen 15:22 It actually reminds me. You know what it reminds me of Dad? Evan Nappen 15:26 What? Teddy Nappen 15:26 When you deal with guns, you do so at your peril. Evan Nappen 15:30 100 percent, Teddy. Teddy Nappen 15:32 If they’re going to go into that courtroom. Evan Nappen 15:34 And that is actual case law in New Jersey. When dealing with guns, you do so at your peril. That is New Jersey court case law, folks. Case law, not just a slogan. It’s actually how they look at it. And so here I am. I’m trying to warn folks. To tell folks. It’s my calling in life. This is what I do. It’s what I believe in, from the bottom my heart. Fighting for our Second Amendment rights. Making the education of these traps out there so that you can protect yourself. And then there’s this kind of comment in Reddit that just makes me go, you know what? Unbelievable. Here. Keep in mind that Nappen sells books, event tickets, legal insurance and legal services. The guy has incentives to scream, the sky is falling, and he’s been doing so for decades. Parentheses, he’s more right than wrong, though. Well, thanks for that little he’s more right than wrong. Evan Nappen 16:39 Let me just tell you something, man. If you think that that’s my objective here, to freaking sell books. The books are a labor of love. I can make more money working at McDonald’s than selling books. And event tickets? Event tickets, are you kidding me? Ten bucks and you get it back when you attend it, if you’re even charged. Legal insurance? It’s not insurance. It’s a member program. I’m the Independent Program Attorney for them. That’s not my program. I’m just an attorney for them, because I want to defend people in that. My incentive to scream to the sky is not that the sky is falling, but that it has fallen. That New Jersey is out to screw gun owners left and right. I deal with it on a daily basis and seeing it. And my mission here is to educate the people I care about, you guys and gals. To be warned, to realize the traps, to realize what it’s like trying to live as a law-abiding gun owner in this God forsaken state that constantly tries to oppress us. That’s what it’s about. That’s what it’s about. Evan Nappen 17:56 It is kind of annoying to see that kind of a statement made, because a person is clueless, clueless. And even if you think about it, if I was really about that, if I was really about making the money, why would I warn anybody? Hey, the more accidental discharges, the more criminal charges, the more licensing revocations and forfeitures, that means more work for me. Why would I want to tell anyone about it? Page – 6 – of 12 Let’s just let the system keep crunching people, destroying people, and I’ll make even more money, right? But I don’t do that. Do I? No, I try to make it so you don’t have to become a client of Evan Nappen’s. Just the opposite, pal. Just the opposite. So, keep it in mind. I’m here trying to protect people. I’m here trying to educate people. I’m here fighting for our rights, one gun law victim at a time that I would rather never have seen become a victim of New Jersey gun laws. Teddy Nappen 19:10 What I look at Dad is, remember when Shaneen Allen? When all of that, everything had broken through with that? It was, what was it? 100 pending cases? Of the exact same charge that had to be changed because of the ruling of that case. Evan Nappen 19:27 By fighting there and changing it, we succeeded, Teddy. Right! Right at that moment even, of saving 100 pending cases. Hey, that would have been a ton more work for me, and I could have made a lot of money. Why would you do that? Why would you educate? Why would you go out there and try to make these changes? Why would you fight for rights? I mean, hell, it’s like saying I’m a cancer doctor and I want more cancer so I can make more money. Really? Seriously? Do you really think that’s what it’s about? Well, it isn’t, folks. Because you don’t dedicate your life to what you believe in for that. You’d know it! Come on. It’s crazy, crazy stuff. I’m here. I want you to protect yourself. Beware of the Dingus law, and I’m happy to say that since we’ve been talking about this, I’ve had less Dingus cases, substantially less. And that’s very interesting. I think the word’s out. I think people are learning this is how you have to be. It’s good. And those that have called and have followed the advice. We’ve been able to save them. We’ve been able to not have them become the supplier of their own rope to hang themselves with. So, this is critical and important. Teddy Nappen 20:46 It honestly reminds me of you. Do you remember that scene in Better Call Saul? Where it’s Kim? She’s the public defender, and I think she’s representing this guy. He’s about to get like, I think, maybe 10 years in prison, and she negotiates it down all the way to, essentially, like, it was three months community service and probation. Evan Nappen 21:08 Exactly. Teddy Nappen 21:09 She negotiates it down. She just turns something that would have been a 10 years jail sentence. He walks out with her, and the first thing out of his words, three months? Could you’ve done better? It’s the level of no appreciation for this shit that has gone down. Evan Nappen 21:29 Ungrateful clients. Yeah, we’ve, we’ve, heard of those. We’ve heard of such things as ungrateful clients. But the system is unbelievable when it comes to New Jersey’s oppression and the turning into criminals of law-abiding citizens. And if the actual lame stream media ever actually covered it, maybe they would finally quit doing it. But of course, they’re in cahoots with the same powers that be, because they hate Page – 7 – of 12 us just as much. So, this is why we’re here, doing Gun Lawyer, trying to educate. We want you to be protected. It’s the reason for the books to be out there. So that something’s out there explaining it, and you can hopefully protect yourself. It’s why we do it, and that’s really what it is. Evan Nappen 22:21 Look, folks, if I wanted to make money, I’d go be a personal injury attorney, right? Go do that kind of garbage. It’s not what I believe in. I do this because it’s what I believe in. That’s why we’re here, doing it. If we didn’t believe in it, there are plenty of ways to make a hell of a lot more money than by being a gun lawyer. But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about doing something for a cause, and feeling that your life has meaning because you’re doing that. Evan Nappen 22:48 And that is also why I want to mention our good friends at the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs. Because they have a cause, and their cause is fighting for our rights. They are the largest gun rights group in New Jersey. They’re the NRA affiliate. You need to be a member of anjrpc.org. Make sure you join, make sure you get the newsletter, make sure you get the email alerts, and stay in the fight. Be part of the solution. Join anjrpc.org. Evan Nappen 23:19 And also our really great, great friends at WeShoot. WeShoot is an indoor range in Lakewood, New Jersey. It’s where Teddy and I both shoot. It’s where we get our training. It’s where we got our certifications. They have a great pro shop, great guns. A lot of good toys there. They got a lot of great sales, good stuff going on. They treat their members and the shooters and their customers so well. Just like family. Everybody loves WeShoot. I know you will, too. They’re conveniently located right in Lakewood, close to the Parkway. They are a resource for Central New Jersey. You know, our ranges are critical. It’s important. You need a place to shoot. You need a place to practice. You need a place to gain your skills and keep them sharp. WeShoot is ideal for that. You can go to weshootusa.com and check out their website. Beautiful photography. They have top of the line firearms, and they can get you equipped, set up right. Whether you’re new at this idea of gun ownership or whether you’re just a grizzled old gun owning veteran like myself. And I don’t mean veteran in a military sense. I’m not a military veteran, but I mean a veteran of owning guns for many, many years, many, many, many, many, many, many years. Since I was a kid. And, you know, not everybody has had that experience, but luckily, Teddy, you have. I think you’ve shot a gun since you could shoot a gun. I don’t know. Do you know when? When did I first have you shoot a gun? Do you remember? Teddy Nappen 24:54 Well, if I remember, I think it was probably eight years old. Evan Nappen 24:58 Well, that would be an actual firearm. Teddy Nappen 25:02 When? When you actually let me shoot a gun? Page – 8 – of 12 Evan Nappen 25:07 Yeah, the actual firearm. But prior to that, you had BB guns. Air guns. Teddy Nappen 25:10 Oh, BB guns. Yeah, oh yeah, from the little cap guns. I remember the little popper cap gun that you could get where it had the it, you know, you would have to reload it with the little red caps and pop it in. Evan Nappen 25:22 And I taught you basic gun safety, loading things from toys, right? Teddy Nappen 25:31 That’s how it went. I had my little cowboy, the carol spinner that you got me. That I could actually learn how to spin. Evan Nappen 25:42 Spinning was fun, huh? Teddy Nappen 25:43 And the training video you gave me as well from the western. Evan Nappen 25:46 You got good at it, too, buddy? Yeah, right up there. You could, you could do the Doc Holiday scene? You know, with Ringo doing the gun spinning. Yeah, that’s good. Teddy Nappen 25:57 Wow. Johnny Ringo, exactly. Evan Nappen 26:04 Hmm, do I like him? Reminds me of me. Now I know I hate him. Teddy Nappen 26:09 Well, someone walked across your grave. Evan Nappen 26:11 Great stuff. Great stuff. Love the movie Tombstone. Okay. And I can’t forget to plug my book. My book that I make so much money selling. New Jersey Gun Law. Make sure you buy lots and lots and lots of copies. Please go to EvanNappen.com and get that book. It may even save your ass, believe it or not. And that’s why I wrote it. It’s 120 topics, all question and answer. It explains this insanity called New Jersey gun law. Get your copy today at EvanNappen.com. Teddy, what do you have for us today in Press Checks? Teddy Nappen 27:02 Well, as we know, Press Checks are always free. And speaking on standing on one’s rights, which lack thereof in the U.K. You know, I always wonder. At some point, is the U.K. ever just going to hit rock Page – 9 – of 12 bottom? And apparently not. They still keep going lower. As coming here out of, you know, I always enjoy, you know, browsing Breitbart. The British government plans to scrap jury trials. (https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/03/11/british-govt-plan-to-scrap-jury-trials-clears-first-hurdle/) It’s like, you know, what? You know, King George was right on a few things. That’s the level of insanity. So it’s right out of the article from Breitbart. The left wing government plans to scrap jury trials by Kurt Zindulka. Evan Nappen 27:53 Okay, wait a minute. They got rid of the Second Amendment protection. They have no First Amendment protection. Now they’re dumping their right to a grand jury that they don’t have. They never. They don’t have that right. We have that right. You can see how important the Bill of Rights is, and why our Founding Fathers, fighting the British, were so foresighted to get the guarantees of the Bill of Rights. Because look at what the UK does. Teddy Nappen 28:18 Yeah, and I love the idea of it’s cleared a major hurdle. Ah, yes, that’s how they view rights, a major hurdle. And it can write. Evan Nappen 28:28 A major hurdle. Worthy oppressors. Teddy Nappen 28:32 As the deeply controversial measure concocted by a Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy. Oh, a Lammy. A Lemmy or what are they? Sorry, what were the limies? It would upend a millennium, English legal tradition. It’s supposed to reduce the backlog of cases. Ah, that’s the problem. Need to reduce the backlog of cases. You know, those feeble rights. It eliminates juries for any case where a defendant is facing three years or less. Ah, that is where this is the insidious plan comes into play. Because it’s like, wait a second, three years. So, they are claiming, like, go into the records already 80 cases backlogged, upward of 200,000, by 2035. And their quote “to restore a swift and fair justice”, we are pulling every level available . . . Evan Nappen 29:31 Oh boy. You’ll be tried and hung very quickly. Teddy Nappen 29:34 You’ll have a fair trial and then be shot. Evan Nappen 29:40 Right! Round up the usual suspects Teddy Nappen 29:42 Exactly, exactly. Meanwhile, 3200 lawyers have written a letter calling the government to reverse course, arguing that the central pillar of this legislation that will reduce backlogs lacks actual evidence to actually reduce backlogs. So, the very thing that they are citing. But I love this. And by the way, this Page – 10 – of 12 isn’t a new thing. They’ve been pushing this all the way back in November of 20. I pulled this from The Guardian. The Guardian poll goes like the whole line of why they’re trying to justify it. We have to stop the criminals from gaming the system by choosing a trial by jury, to increase the chances of the proceedings collapse. That is there they’re worried about the criminals, the drug dealers and career criminals laughing at the docs, knowing that cases can take years to come to trial. And we got to do this. Oh, the poor cases of a court cases involving rape take over two years on average. So, it’s all about the rape cases, not the fact that you let mass migration in your country, where it goes from 12,000 rapes a year to 70,000 rapes a year. A mass majority committed by the illegals and immigrants that you have led into your country. But whatever. And that’s the crux of it, because, and that’s the insidious part, all of those cases will get a full trial. So, the immigrants and the illegals get the full trial when it comes to rape, but the hate speech laws, oh, two years just short. So, you get a politically appointed judge who already hates the idea of free speech now is going to crack down on. You know, I’ll give you the few highlights of that. U.K. free speech crackdown has seen 30 people a day arrested for petty offenses of retweets and cartoons that are deemed offensive. Evan Nappen 31:41 And then the cutoff is up to three years, right? So, you don’t get a jury trial, even though you could face three years in prison. You can be sentenced to three years with no jury trial. It’s outrageous. Teddy Nappen 31:54 Twelve thousand arrests a year under these hate speech laws. Evan Nappen 31:57 All right. So, let me tell you about in America and in New Jersey, how our right works and where the cut off is. So, particularly in New Jersey and in the U.S. for that matter, the cut off, my friends, is six months. So, if the penalty you face, if the potential incarceration, incarceration, that you face is six months or less, then you do not have a right to a jury trial. But if you face any penalty that is over six months where you could go to jail for six months and a day, then you have a right to a jury in America. So, this is why it’s structured in this way for New Jersey in the six months. Now, many states will have systems where, even though you have a right at six months, they will still have a misdemeanor lower court. New Hampshire is a good example, where you could face a year as a penalty. However, you can opt for it to be heard, and waive your jury right, in effect, for that max of the year. So, you can, by your own choice, decide to stay what’s called a bench trial. Evan Nappen 33:31 But essentially, the six month is the cut off. Anytime after that, you can, you have the right to demand the jury trial. That’s just how New Jersey functions. So, every disorderly persons offense in New Jersey is six months or less. Every matter heard in municipal court, in district court, the lower courts, they are six months or less. It’s also why you can be held in contempt, and the punishment is six months or less. You know, the right to that jury trial for contempt, even because the judge has that power up to six months. And by the way, if you were charged with 10 disorderly persons offenses, each carry up to six months in jail. In theory, you could be convicted of all 10 of those offenses and be given the maximum sentence of six months and have them all run consecutively. So, you could be forced to do 60 months Page – 11 – of 12 of jail with no jury trial, which would be the five years, theoretically, without having a right to a jury trial, even in America. Evan Nappen 34:49 But, of course, realistically, that isn’t what happens. There’s merger of all the different offenses. So, I’ve never heard of that happening. But in theory, in theory, that’s how. It’s a six month cut off on whatever offense it is here. Now the U.K. wants to make it three years. Think about that. You’re giving one judge, one political hack of a judge, imagine the power, to incarcerate for three years. Now, you know, if you face any charge that’s over a year, that’s a felony, and you lose your gun rights. Even in America, if the offense that you are end up found being found guilty of or pleading guilty to is a penalty that exceeds one year, which as federal law defines, believe it or not, as over two years. I know that’s confusing, but that’s the law. And so what happens is the. That’s for federal law purposes, okay? State law in New Jersey, anything that we talk about felony can still be over a year for state law, but talking federal law. But in the U.K. Now, if you look at it, three years is an option to have a bench trial with no right to a jury. That is crazy. That is absolute felony land, with no jury. There’s a reason our Founding Fathers put that in the Constitution, and it’s glaringly obvious why. Teddy Nappen 36:35 Well, it’s actually pretty funny as well, because I pulled the history of it. And there’s a reason the ropes, the Sixth Amendment and the Seventh Amendment to have the right to a jury, both for criminal and civil. The reason was the British crown, at the time, thanks to the Stamp Act, they were trying colonists through a special Admiralty court, quote, unquote. No jury. A single judge appointed by the Crown to decide cases. So, a foreign judge from across the pond who’s loyal to the King gets to decide the colonists’ fate when it came to that issue. It was a direct assault on fundamental rights, and that was why it was written and list, depriving us many cases of benefit of a trial by jury. That was in the Declaration of Independence. Evan Nappen 37:26 Well, and this is exactly why we also have the Fourth Amendment right. Because the British would have a general warrant, and they would just search under a “general warrant”. There’s a reason we have the Second Amendment. There’s what did with Gage, General Gage. What was it seizing the colonists’ arms. Okay? The reason for our Bill of Rights, for our rights, is what we experienced from the British, and they’re still at it now. Teddy Nappen 37:57 What’s funny is, it reminds me of that scene in “Turn”. The very opening scene is the colonists, the Tory there. And guess who comes running out? A British soldier for the whole amendment on storied soldiers right, quartering soldiers like, wow, really. Evan Nappen 38:20 There we go. Hey, that’s still an amendment that shows our right to privacy in a way, right? It demonstrates even their concerns and what we had to deal with. But hey, Teddy, let me tell you about this week’s GOFU. That’s the Gun Owner Fuck Up. Where you get to learn a valuable lesson that it was quite expensive for someone else to learn. These are all based on real cases. Real cases. This week’s Page – 12 – of 12 GOFU is real simple here, folks. Don’t leave your gun in a car and have somebody else use your car. It ends up being extremely problematic. Because, you know, we often will lock up our gun in a car, which is legal under the Carry Killer Bill. How you’re supposed to secure it. But what happens is, though, if it’s left there, and then somebody takes your car? Like your wife or your kids or someone, and now they’re driving around with a gun that isn’t theirs in the car. Evan Nappen 39:32 You have to be cognizant of where your gun is. Do not leave it locked in the car. Do not leave it. Because then these folks can inadvertently go to sensitive places. They can have other problems that lead to you having problems. And then you’re lucky if the problem is simply a licensing problem and not a criminal problem, as well. It can even be a criminal problem, arguably, for them, because they’re now, it could be argued, they’re in possession of your gun, and it just escalates. So, the GOFU is this. Know where your gun is. Don’t keep it in the car. Beware. If anyone uses your car, make sure your firearms are with you and not in the car when they take it. Evan Nappen 40:18 This is Evan Nappen and Teddy Nappen reminding you that gun laws don’t protect honest citizens from criminals. They protect criminals from honest citizens. Speaker 2 40:28 Gun Lawyer is a CounterThink Media production. The music used in this broadcast was managed by Cosmo Music, New York, New York. Reach us by emailing Evan@gun.lawyer. The information and opinions in this broadcast do not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state. Downloadable PDF TranscriptGun Lawyer S5 E281_Transcript About The HostEvan Nappen, Esq.Known as “America's Gun Lawyer,” Evan Nappen is above all a tireless defender of justice. Author of eight bestselling books and countless articles on firearms, knives, and weapons history and the law, a certified Firearms Instructor, and avid weapons collector and historian with a vast collection that spans almost five decades — it's no wonder he's become the trusted, go-to expert for local, industry and national media outlets. Regularly called on by radio, television and online news media for his commentary and expertise on breaking news Evan has appeared countless shows including Fox News – Judge Jeanine, CNN – Lou Dobbs, Court TV, Real Talk on WOR, It's Your Call with Lyn Doyle, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, and Cam & Company/NRA News. As a creative arts consultant, he also lends his weapons law and historical expertise to an elite, discerning cadre of movie and television producers and directors, and novelists. He also provides expert testimony and consultations for defense attorneys across America. Email Evan Your Comments and Questions  talkback@gun.lawyer Join Evan's InnerCircleHere's your chance to join an elite group of the Savviest gun and knife owners in America.  Membership is totally FREE and Strictly CONFIDENTIAL.  Just enter your email to start receiving insider news, tips, and other valuable membership benefits.   Email (required) *First Name *Select list(s) to subscribe toInnerCircle Membership Yes, I would like to receive emails from Gun Lawyer Podcast. (You can unsubscribe anytime)Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.var ajaxurl = "https://gun.lawyer/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php";

Rivian has spent four years and billions of dollars building electric vehicles that most people cannot afford. The R2 — a mid-size SUV that starts at $45,000 and tops out at $57,990 — is the company's answer to that problem. Full pricing and trim details dropped today, 12 March 2026, and deliveries of the first Performance variant begin this spring. If it works, Rivian becomes a proper carmaker. If it does not, the maths gets ugly fast.From Concept to ConcreteThe R2 platform was first announced in 2022, with production originally pencilled in for 2025 at a planned factory in Georgia. That changed in March 2024, when RJ Scaringe, Rivian's founder and chief executive, unveiled the production-ready R2 alongside the smaller R3 and R3X crossovers at a packed event at the Rivian Theater in Laguna Beach, California. Mr Scaringe also confirmed he was scrapping the Georgia plan — at least for now — and would build the R2 at the existing Normal, Illinois plant instead. That decision saved more than $2.25 billion in capital expenditure and, crucially, pulled the launch date forward.Within 24 hours of its unveiling, Rivian had taken more than 68,000 reservations at $100 apiece. By July 2024, the company's VP of manufacturing Tim Fallon said reservations had surpassed 100,000 and were still climbing. Rivian has not updated that figure publicly since.Production began in January 2026. Validation vehicles rolled off the Normal line first, and the factory is now ramping toward a target capacity of 155,000 R2 units per year — alongside the R1 models it already builds there. Each R2 takes roughly 15 hours to assemble, down from 18 hours for an R1.Why the R2 Matters More Than Any Vehicle Rivian Has BuiltThe R1T pickup and R1S SUV earned Rivian a devoted following and the top spot in Consumer Reports owner satisfaction surveys. They also bled money. Rivian posted a net loss of $3.65 billion in 2025, on top of a $4.75 billion loss in 2024. The R1S starts near $75,000 (around £59,000) — a price that limits the addressable market to a sliver of American buyers."R2 is really instrumental for driving the business to positive cash flow and overall profitability," Mr Scaringe told CNBC in February. He was not exaggerating. The bill of materials for the R2 is roughly half that of the R1. Rivian slashed the number of computing units from over 60 in a traditional vehicle to seven, and cut wiring length by about two miles (3.2 km). The result is what Mr Scaringe called "a dramatic reduction in the cost structure to build it."Rivian did scrape together a positive gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2025 — a milestone, though the margin was wafer-thin at around 2%, compared with Tesla's 17%. The R2, with its leaner architecture and lower price, is meant to close that gap at volume. Analysts expect around 15,000 R2 deliveries in 2026, though some believe Rivian could exceed that figure. By 2027, with three full shifts running, the Normal plant could produce roughly 155,000 R2s annually.Today's Pricing: What You GetThe lineup spans four trims, all sharing an 87.9 kWh usable battery and a $1,495 destination charge. Here is how they break down:The Performance trim arrives first, this spring, at $57,990 (around £46,000) including the Launch Package. It runs dual-motor all-wheel drive with 656 horsepower, 609 lb-ft (826 Nm) of torque and a 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of 3.6 seconds. Highway overtaking is savage: 50–70 mph (80–113 km/h) in 1.55 seconds. EPA-estimated range sits at up to 330 miles (531 km). The Launch Package bundles lifetime Autonomy+ access, a tow package rated at 4,400 lbs (1,996 kg) and an exclusive Launch Green paint option.The Premium trim follows in late 2026 at $53,990 (around £43,000). It shares the 330-mile range and dual-motor AWD layout but dials the power back to 450 hp and 537 lb-ft. Zero to 60 takes 4.6 seconds — hardly slow.The Standard RWD Long Range arrives in the first half of 2027 at $48,490 (around £38,500). A single rear motor delivers 350 hp and 355 lb-ft, reaching 60 in 5.9 seconds. Rivian estimates range at up to 345 miles (555 km) — the longest in the lineup, because rear-wheel drive is more efficient.Finally, the Standard RWD variant lands in late 2027 at approximately $45,000 (around £35,700). It uses a smaller battery pack and offers 275+ miles (443+ km) of estimated range. Rivian has shared few other details so far.All trims charge from 10% to 80% in 29 minutes via a native NACS port, which grants access to the Tesla Supercharger network. CCS adapters are supported too.Built Lighter, Built TougherThe R2 rides on an entirely new mid-size unibody platform — a departure from the R1's body-on-frame architecture. The result is a vehicle that weighs nearly 2,000 lbs (907 kg) less than its bigger sibling while sitting on a 115.6-inch (2,936 mm) wheelbase. At 185.9 inches (4,722 mm) long and 75 inches (1,905 mm) wide, it is squarely in Tesla Model Y territory.The weight savings translate directly into agility, but Rivian has kept the off-road DNA intact. Ground clearance of 9.6 inches (244 mm) is best in class — nearly three inches more than a Model Y. Approach and departure angles of 25° and 26° respectively, plus a wading depth of 19.7 inches (500 mm), mean the R2 can do more than look adventurous in a car park. The Performance trim gets semi-active suspension, eight drive modes including Rally and Soft Sand, and a low centre of gravity courtesy of the structural battery pack.Inside, the cabin seats five adults with 40.4 inches (1,026 mm) of rear legroom and headroom — enough, Rivian says, for occupants over six feet (1.83 m) tall. Total enclosed storage is 90.1 cubic feet (2,551 litres), with a front trunk that swallows a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, fold-flat rear seats that create a level loading surface, and dual gloveboxes. The rear drop glass — a powered window that lowers completely into the liftgate — is a genuine talking point, allowing surfboards and other long cargo to slide in or a breeze to sweep through. It is included on Performance and Premium trims.Materials lean sustainable: upcycled Birch wood accents, a headliner made from recycled ocean plastics and Rivian's second-generation Adventex material, which is designed to withstand muddy boots and wet dogs in equal measure.The Technology PlayRivian calls the R2 a "software-defined vehicle," and the specification sheet backs that up. The perception stack comprises 11 HDR cameras with a combined 65 megapixels and a five-radar system — hardware that comes standard on every trim.Rivian Autonomy+, the company's Level 2+ hands-free driver-assist system, covers 3.5 million miles (5.6 million km) of roads across the United States and Canada. It costs $49.99 per month or $2,500 as a one-off purchase. The Launch Package includes it for the lifetime of the vehicle. Every R2 gets a 60-day trial.On-board AI compute runs to 200 TOPS, dedicated to the in-cabin experience. This powers the forthcoming Rivian Assistant — a voice-controlled system that processes complex requests locally, even when offline. The 5G-connected architecture ensures updates arrive over the air, while the offline capability means the vehicle is not hobbled in areas without signal.At the steering wheel, Rivian's in-house Haptic Halo dials replace conventional switchgear. These context-aware controls scroll, push, pull and tilt with distinct tactile feedback for different functions — an attempt to bridge the gap between touchscreen convenience and physical control that many rivals have abandoned entirely. Two digital displays complete the cockpit: one behind the wheel for driving data, and one in the centre for everything else.The Elephant in the Room: TeslaThe R2 lands in the most contested segment of the electric vehicle market. The Tesla Model Y — the best-selling EV on the planet and briefly the best-selling car of any kind in 2023 — starts at $44,000 in the United States and delivers up to 357 miles (575 km) of range. It has a vast Supercharger network, a mature software ecosystem and years of manufacturing refinement behind it.The R2 fights back with 3 inches (7.6 cm) more ground clearance, genuine off-road hardware, a richer interior (Model Y's cabin has always divided opinion) and that distinctive outdoor-adventure identity that Rivian has cultivated since its founding. Whether that is enough to prise buyers away from Tesla — or from the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Chevrolet Equinox EV — remains the central question.Why Failure Is Not an OptionRivian burned roughly $3 billion in the first nine months of 2025 alone. It ended 2024 with about $5.3 billion in cash, a figure being steadily eroded by capital expenditure and operating losses. The Volkswagen joint venture — worth up to $5.8 billion in total — provides a lifeline, as does the potential for Department of Energy loan access. But lifelines do not last for ever.The company's stock tells its own story. Rivian went public in November 2021 at $78 a share, briefly touched $170 and now trades around $15. A 90% decline from the peak concentrates the mind wonderfully.The R2 must do three things at once: attract a materially larger customer base than the R1 ever could, generate a positive gross margin per vehicle and ramp to volumes that spread fixed costs across enough units to bend the loss curve downward. At a planned capacity of 155,000 units per year from Normal alone — with a second factory in Georgia eventually to follow — Rivian has the industrial ambition. The Volkswagen partnership supplies software licensing revenue and engineering credibility.Mr Scaringe has described the R2 as "the most important thing that we've developed as a company." On the evidence of today's specification sheet, it is also the most complete. The range is competitive, the technology is ambitious, the price is within reach of mainstream buyers and the off-road capability gives it a personality that few electric SUVs can match.None of which will matter if Rivian cannot build it at scale, on time and at a cost that leaves room for profit. The company that once dazzled Wall Street with a $170 share price now needs to dazzle customers with a $45,000 truck. That is the harder trick — and the one on which everything depends.

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week's episode, we discuss Rivian R2, Lucid's counterattack, and Tesla's 'Digital Optimus'. The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek's YouTube channel. As a reminder, we'll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in. After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast Pocket Casts Castro RSS We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming. Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast: Musk confirms xAI-Tesla joint ‘Digital Optimus' project — after saying Tesla didn't need xAI Rivian reveals full R2 lineup and pricing, starting at $57,990 with a $45K RWD model coming later Rivian is phasing out the R1S Dual Standard, its most affordable SUV, ahead of the R2 Lucid (LCID) reveals Cosmos and Earth SUVs as first midsize EVs, starting under $50,000 Lucid takes aim at the Tesla Cybercab with Lunar, a two-seat EV robotaxi concept BMW's flagship i7 EV is getting a Neue Klasse upgrade: Here's our first look BYD is open to building cars in Canada and acquiring a rival automaker BYD's luxury EV with 5 min fast charging and nearly 500 miles of range is headed overseas Honda is scrapping three of its most important EVs for the US, including the Acura RSX Aptera (SEV) raises $6.3M through warrant exercise to fund solar electric vehicle validation Here's the live stream for today's episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET: https://www.youtube.com/live/aLUDy28zGmw

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1292: Today we unpack Honda's massive $15.7B EV write-down and pivot back to hybrids, Rivian's make-or-break R2 SUV aimed at the mainstream market, and Ford CEO Jim Farley's vow to keep the manual Mustang aliveShow Notes with links:Honda is taking a massive $15.7 billion writedown as it cancels several EV programs and pivots back toward hybrids, underscoring just how quickly the EV demand outlook has shifted.Honda will cancel three planned U.S. EVs — the Honda 0 Saloon, 0 SUV, and Acura RSX — just months before production, as well as reviewing the future direction of the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture. The automaker's Honda Prologue, built by GM in Mexico, could also disappear after its current production run ends in December, with no plans for a Gen 2 vehicle.The Prologue launched in 2024 and sold nearly 39,000 units in 2025. But after the tax credit was eliminated, sales plunged 74% in 2026.Rivian is attempting one of the toughest transitions in the auto industry — moving from a niche EV startup selling $90K adventure trucks to a true mass-market brand.CEO RJ Scaringe calls the upcoming R2 SUV a “make-or-break” product for Rivian as the company tries to scale beyond wealthy early adopters.The R2 launches this spring with a $57,990 version offering up to 330 miles of range, followed by a $45,000 model next year aimed squarely at mainstream buyers.As Rivian's chief software officer put it: “We know there are just two companies in the U.S. who know how to do it: Tesla and us.”While manual transmissions continue disappearing across the industry, Ford CEO Jim Farley says the Mustang will keep its third pedal for as long as the company has a choice.Speaking at the Australian Grand Prix, Farley doubled down on Ford's stance (although it wasn't the most natural phrasing): “Out of our cold, dead hands will we not have a manual Mustang.”Farley framed the decision as part of Ford's identity, saying the brand aims to serve “working people and enthusiast drivers” and keep building cars that aren't boring.Today's show is brought to you by iPacket Value. From accurate MSRP validation to smarter merchandising decisions, iPacket Value replaces guesswork with data-backed clarity.Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

On today's episode of Quick Charge, a new lawsuit alleges that Tesla was negligent in retaining Elon Musk as CEO, comparing him to a fast-talking salesman and questioning his input into engineering and safety decisions at the struggling EV brand. Plus, we explore the executive exodus at Tesla that began in mid 2024, ask why Tesla cars equipped with FSD are driving people into lakes and through railroad crossings, then take a look at the Rivian R2 and upcoming, mid-sized Tesla Model Y "killers" from Lucid. Are these the most credible threats to Tesla's Model Y dominance in America's EV market, yet, or will Tesla's "negligent" CEO come through on his AI-powered promises? Source Links Tesla Cybertruck owner sues over FSD crash, alleges ‘negligent' retention of Musk Tesla ‘Full Self-Driving' drives through railroad crossing barriers in viral video Tesla loses software director who built its OTA and Robotaxi infrastructure Tesla (TSLA) VP of Finance leaves after 17 years as executive exodus grows Rivian reveals full R2 lineup and pricing, starting at $57,990 with a $45K RWD model coming later Lucid (LCID) reveals Cosmos and Earth SUVs as first midsize EVs, starting under $50,000 Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We'll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don't miss a minute of Electrek's high-voltage podcast series. Got news? Let us know!Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show. If you're considering going solar, it's always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it's free to use, and you won't get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.  Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you'll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

- Volkswagen Reclaims Top Spot in China as BYD Sales Plummet - VW ID.3 Neo Leads Massive China Product Offensive - BYD Eyes Manufacturing Plants to Enter Canadian Market - Samsung Issues Delay Tesla Autonomous AI6 Chip - Used EV Sales Surge as Lease Returns Increase - Rivian Details R2 SUV Specs Before Official Launch - Lucid Unveils New Mid-Size SUV And Robotaxi Plans

It's EV News Briefly for Monday 09 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/EVNewsDailySCOUT RESERVATIONS SWING TO RANGE-EXTENDED HYBRIDSScout Motors now holds over 160,000 reservations for its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup, with 87% of reservation holders choosing the gas-assisted extended-range hybrid over pure BEV — well above the 60/40 split CEO Scott Keogh originally expected. First customer deliveries have slipped to 2028, with delays attributed to technical challenges in developing a rugged ladder-frame platform with dual powertrains.RIVIAN DROPS $45,000 R2 STARTING-PRICE LINERivian has quietly removed the "$45,000 starting price" reference from its R2 product page, replacing it with a countdown clock ahead of a March 12 reveal at South by Southwest where full pricing and specs are expected. The R2 will launch first as a higher-priced dual-motor variant, with a more affordable single-motor base model to follow shortly after.BEVS NOW BEAT ICE ON COST IN MORE MARKETSAyvens' 2026 Car Cost Index finds BEVs now undercut comparable ICE models on total cost of ownership in a growing number of European markets, with Western and Northern Europe leading the way. In the compact segment BEVs hold a TCO advantage in 19 of 30 markets, and the BMW i4 beats the petrol 3 Series on TCO in 20 of 30 European countries.GLOBAL PUBLIC EV CHARGERS HEAD FOR 9.01M IN 2026Global public EV charging infrastructure is forecast to reach 9.01 million plugs in 2026, up from 7.11 million in 2025, though China alone accounts for 67% of the global total and the top eight countries host 88% of all chargers. Growth is slowing in Europe and losing momentum in the US, while Germany is on track to overtake the Netherlands in installed chargers during 2026.UK SUPPLIERS PULL FIXED DEALS AS GAS SPIKESUK energy suppliers slashed available fixed tariffs from 38 to 17 in a matter of days as wholesale gas prices spiked roughly 75% following disruption to Middle Eastern gas infrastructure, with the cheapest typical annual dual-fuel fixed deal rising from £1,509 to £1,640. EV-specific tariffs were also affected, with EDF pausing some EV tariffs and E.ON briefly freezing one, threatening the cost advantage of off-peak home charging for EV drivers.NEXTSTAR SWITCHES ON CANADA'S FIRST EV CELL PLANTNextStar Energy, a Stellantis and LG Energy Solution joint venture, has opened Canada's first commercial-scale EV battery cell plant in Windsor, Ontario, having already produced over one million cells since production began in November 2025. Beyond supplying Stellantis brands, NextStar aims to expand into stationary energy storage for municipal and provincial grids.STELLANTIS PLANS £50M ELLESMERE PORT VAN LINEStellantis will invest £50 million at Ellesmere Port to add an assembly line for electric Vauxhall Vivaro vans and other midsize zero-emission commercial vehicles from next year, building on the site's existing all-electric output. However, Stellantis warns the plant may not be commercially viable under the UK's ZEV mandate for vans, which carries an £18,000 fine per non-compliant vehicle at a 24% electric sales threshold that the industry is currently only half-meeting.MET SEIZES 52 ILLEGAL E-BIKES AND MOPEDSThe Metropolitan Police seized 52 illegal electric bikes and mopeds across London over two days, using targeted checkpoints in high-pedestrian-risk areas including Harlesden and Cambridge Circus. Officers also made arrests for dangerous driving, weapons possession, and outstanding prison recall warrants, linking illegal e-bikes to phone snatches and broader street crime.MEXICO AUTO PLANTS PIVOT TO HIGHER-VALUE EVSMexico's auto sector is shifting focus from volume to higher-value output between 2025 and 2027, with GM concentrating Cadillac OPTIQ production at Ramos Arizpe and BMW committing its San Luis Potosí plant to build the iX3 — its first Neue Klasse EV — from 2027. Both manufacturers have maintained their Mexican strategies despite ongoing uncertainty from US tariffs and trade policy under President Trump.FARLEY POURS COLD WATER ON ELECTRIC UTESFord CEO Jim Farley says current BEV technology is poorly suited to mainstream ute and pickup buyers who tow heavy loads, calling a large-battery BEV "a really bad tow-er," and Ford has already shelved the F-150 Lightning following weak demand and a $19.5 billion EV writedown. Farley backs extended-range EVs as the near-term bridge solution for work-capable vehicles, while dismissing solid-state batteries and fuel cells as not yet on Ford's product horizon.

Rivian's first high-volume, more affordable vehicle – the R2 – is getting closer to release, and the initial reviews are extremely positive. Plus: Ferrari's first-ever full-BEV has a very unique interior designed by longtime Apple designer Jony Ive, Toyota gets a bit more serious about electrification with its just-announced Highlander EV, and more! If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier! Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752. INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla. P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RTLPOD+ for 10% off your next purchase. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.

Plus: EV-maker Rivian expects to begin deliveries of its new $50,000 R2 model in the second quarter. And shares of Coinbase and Applied Materials close up, while DraftKings stock slides. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices