Ep. 236: A Smattering of EV News and One Very Slow Italian Getaway Car

Bear wants you to know the crossing guard hooked him up with two treats today. Good boy status is now confirmed. Also, Stellantis is discontinuing all plug-in hybrid models in North America starting with the 2026 model year. That means the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee 4xe, and Chrysler Pacifica PHEV are officially fading into the sunset, cue the sad violins. Meanwhile, Ford is pushing hard toward Level 3 "eyes-off" autonomous driving by 2028, teasing a roughly $30,000 midsize electric pickup called the UEV Ride for 2027, and rolling out an AI assistant in its phone app in 2026 that uses your vehicle's VIN (and photos) to give towing and cargo advice. Scout Motors, VW's rugged revival brand, just got the green light for direct-to-consumer sales in Colorado, igniting a classic dealer-OEM family feud that's bound to get messier. CES felt like a full-on Chinese automaker glow-up, with brands like Zeekr (and others) showing off luxurious, rocket-fast EVs that make you wonder if Western buyers are being catfished by all these promises of affordable performance. These cars aren't even available in the U.S. for goodness sake (yet??) And finally, possibly the highlight, Fiat's tiny Topolino microcar arrives with a blistering top speed of 28 mph, 47-mile range, and just 8 horsepower. Bear could probably outrun it in a straight line. So, is this for resort cruising, retirement communities, or the world's most polite getaway car? What do we think?_______________________________The EVs for Everyone Shop is revving up and about to drop!Get ready for exclusive merch that screams “caffeinated and overly confident” without actually screaming.Subscribe to the show right now so you don’t miss the official launch announcement this month.Trust me, you do not want FOMO when the doors open!_______________________________Connect with Elena:https://evs4everyone.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaciccotelli/Let's talk on X:https://twitter.com/EVs_forEveryoneAre you connected with the show on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-evs-for-everyone-podcast/________________________