The Watt Car EV Podcast

The Tesla Roadster reveal 2.0 was a big one, with stunts that wowed. But does the math math? We look at the numbers on this week’s podcast. We also discuss Subaru going all EV in Europe, GM advancing its EV platform, Ford soon offering (more) affordable backup power, Mach-E upgrades that are coming, and more.SHOW NOTESOur ‘26 Mach-E first impressions: https://www.thewattcar.com/2026/10/tesla-model-3-vs-mustang-mach-e-first.html Engineering Explained looks at the math behind the Tesla Roadster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJSbro3EBnY Mate Rimac said he considered thrusters for the Nevera: https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a74192515/mate-rimac-tesla-roadster-thrusters-downforce/ Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna gives Tesla Roadster “10 out of 10”: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ferrari-ceo-hails-tesla-roadster-redesign-bold-innovation-industry-needs-2026-10-20/ Subaru going all-EV in Europe: https://electrek.co/2026/10/20/subaru-killing-off-gas-cars-europe-will-only-sell-evs/ GM shares more details on next-gen EV platform: https://www.electrive.com/2026/10/22/gm-announces-new-efficient-ev-platform/ Backup power solution for Ford Fathom will be significantly cheaper than Lightning: https://insideevs.com/news/813326/ford-fathom-bidirectional-vehicle-to-home-charging/ 2027 Mustang Mach-E gets new standard battery, trim changes: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a74205300/2027-ford-mustang-mach-e-pricing-new-details/ This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. SanchezMusic courtesy Twisterium at PixabayEpisode art courtesy TeslaWebsite: https://www.thewattcar.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar

When is good, good enough? For Huawai’s premium Maextro brand, the company might have a lower standard than the rest of us, as brake pedals reportedly fail on those Chinese cars. In other news, Tesla renames FSD to Tesla Assisted Driving in Germany to obtain regulatory approval, Pilot installs MCS chargers for EV big rigs, city cars like the new Citroën 2CV and Smart are coming (but not to the U.S.), and it’s official (!), the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are going EV. All of this and more on this week’s podcast. SHOW NOTESFSD is now TAD in Europe: https://www.notateslaapp.com/news/4794/tesla-renames-fsd-to-tesla-assisted-driving-in-europe Brake pedal failure on Huawei premium brand Maextro vehicles raises concerns: https://carnewschina.com/2026/10/08/huawei-jacs-maextro-v800-faces-safety-scrutiny-following-brake-pedal-failure-reports/ Pilot opens Megawatt Charging with Tesla near Savannah, Ga: https://newsroom.pilotcompany.com/pilot-and-tesla-open-first-megacharger-site-announce-three-additional-locations-opening-soon/ DCFC charging points pass 80,000 in U.S.: https://insideevs.com/news/811678/us-ev-charging-growth-q3-2026/ The Citroën 2CV is coming back as an EV: https://insideevs.com/news/811436/citroen-2cv-electric-reborn-concept/ The Smart is back (but not in the U.S.): https://electrek.co/2026/10/12/smart-2-fortwo-successor-290-km-range-19990/ New Porsche Boxster and Cayman will be EV-only: https://www.motor1.com/news/811750/porsche-electric-718-batteries-instead-engine/ This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. SanchezMusic courtesy Twisterium at PixabayEpisode art courtesy HuawaiWebsite: https://www.thewattcar.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar

BrightDrop’s dead, but that’s not stopping FedEx’s shift to EVs. With GM abandoning its EV delivery truck lineup that FedEx bought into, FedEx is looking to Harbinger, recently ordering 2,000 electric trucks valued at over $300 million, with potential diesel savings for FedEx nearing $800 million over the life of the trucks. We dive in. In other news, we know a little more about the Tesla Semi thanks to test drives hitting the web – MCS is confirmed, production ramp looks promising, and sleeper cabs could happen. Also, the Tesla Roadster launch gets delayed (shocker!), Chinese EVs invade Canada, the Jeep Recon’s range lacks range, and more!SHOW NOTESTFL Truck drives the Tesla Semi: https://youtu.be/uVvUGgvKt7Q?si=rZpi5EVqihWH5wbW FedEx commits to purchasing 2,000 EV delivery vans from Harbinger, expects big payoff: https://electrek.co/2026/10/03/fedex-believes-300m-electric-truck-spend-will-save-them-800m-in-diesel/ Chery announces entry of Omoda and Jaecoo brands to Canada in “late 2026”: https://electrek.co/2026/09/28/omoda-jaecoo-canada-launch-late-2026-ev-lineup/ Trump administration slashes CAFE requirements: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/28/nx-s1-5918509/car-fuel-efficiency-cafe-standards-rollback Jeep Recon gets dismal 160-mile highway range at 75 mph: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a73642665/2026-jeep-recon-ev-drive/ Trump issues executive order allowing on-road use of “farm diesel”: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/emergency-tax-relief-on-diesel-fuel/ This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. SanchezMusic courtesy Twisterium at PixabayEpisode art courtesy HarbingerWebsite: https://www.thewattcar.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar

Making news this week, Tesla pushes into Europe with its Semi launching 100 megawatt chargers at 21 locations plus Top Gear gives an inside look at how the Semi can relieve financial pressures, and we can’t help but talk about it on this week’s podcast. Also, Windrose open sources its designs, Volkswagen shifts the GTI to rear-wheel drive, Saudi Arabia’s Ceer partners with Foxconn for two interesting EVs, and more.SHOW NOTESTesla announces 100 Megawatt chargers at 21 locations in Europe ahead of Semi launch: https://insideevs.com/news/808615/tesla-megacharger-europe-rollout/Top Gear checks out the Tesla Semi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WP9HizHCrk Windrose open-sources its truck parts: https://electrek.co/2026/09/17/open-source-semi-windrose-puts-its-electric-truck-online-for-free/Volkswagen makes a rear-wheel drive GTI: https://insideevs.com/news/808505/vw-id3-gti-official-range-specs/Saudi Arabia’s Ceer gets into the EV game with Foxconn’s help: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/09/saudi-arabia-wants-a-car-industry-launches-ceer-with-two-evs/California governor signs “Leno’s Law.” Honestly, we're not impressed: https://www.hotrod.com/features/lenos-law-sb-1392-california-classic-car-smog-exemption-assemblyThis week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. SanchezMusic courtesy Twisterium at PixabayEpisode art courtesy TeslaWebsite: https://www.thewattcar.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar

Nine years later, Tesla is ready to relaunch its Roadster, but is there a market for the $200,000+ supercar that may or may not use cold gas thrusters, and is there a more nefarious purpose for this upcoming announcement? We dive in. Also on this week’s podcast, VW showcases its Mission Efficiency parts-bin EV, Volvo extends the range of its PHEVS, and ICE emissions are about to get serious. SHOW NOTESTesla “Go For Launch” event set for 10/01/26: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-roadster-event-date-spacex-package-demo/VW shows off “Mission Efficiency” concept: https://www.motor1.com/news/808114/vw-mission-efficiency-concept-specs-photos/2028 Volvo PHEVs double the electric range: https://insideevs.com/news/807862/2028-volvo-xc60-xc90-long-range-plug-in-hybrid/Emissions standards are getting significantly stricter from 2027 forward:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-18/pdf/2024-06214.pdf https://marqueeig.com/resources/epa-2027-emissions-standards-fleets/ This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. SanchezMusic courtesy Twisterium at PixabayEpisode art courtesy TeslaWebsite: https://www.thewattcar.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewattcar