The Change Optimist: Weekly News Roundup - September 27, 2026

Geely revealed the EX5 ahead of its September 23 launch, showcasing a rear-wheel-drive version with 329 horsepower and a 70 kWh battery, delivering about 635 km of CLTC range. carnewschina.com

Geely has a new 2.2MW system that enables EV charging in about 4 minutes. The tech is about 50% faster than BYD’s 1.5MW Flash Charging 2.0. electrek.co | reuters.com | arstechnica.com

BYD's Great Seagull has been spotted in the wild with a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor, suggesting that it supports BYD’s “God’s Eye B” (DiPilot 300) driver-assistance system. carnewschina.com

Chery’s new iCaur V27 Long-Range Edition will hit the road in China on September 30, 2026. carnewschina.com

CATL and Octopus Energy’s joint venture, Swaptopus, moves closer to building a European battery-swap network for commercial trucks. electrek.co

Chinese carmakers logged strong growth in European sales once again last month, making strides in winning over drivers on the continent as domestic rivals struggle to remain competitive. wsj.com

US lawmakers are pressing the Donald to keep restrictions on Chinese automakers in place, citing national security concerns and the need to protect US manufacturing. reuters.com | cnbc.com

Tesla's robotaxi push in Austin got a brief boost after the Cybercab launch, with early-September videos showing more than 100 unique robotaxis carrying riders. By Sept. 22, the seven-day active fleet had fallen back to 8, roughly the same as at the service's June 2025 launch, according to Robotaxi Tracker. electrek.co

Tesla reopens reservations for its next-generation Roadster, taking a $50,000 deposit ahead of an October 1 reveal near Waco, Texas. The terms are the same as before: $5,000 due today by credit card, described as fully refundable, and a $45,000 wire transfer due within 10 days, while the first batch of 2017 deposits remains pending after nearly nine years. electrek.co

Tesla goes to trial over allegations that its flagship Fremont factory subjected thousands of Black workers to racial slurs, segregation, and lower pay. electrek.co

A Texas judge has allowed a transfer of land from a wildlife refuge to SpaceX, at least for the time being. The ruling keeps the arrangement in place while litigation continues and environmental questions are addressed. nytimes.com

Belgian safety researchers say Tesla's supervised self-driving system often misreads posted speed limits. The findings raise questions about sign recognition accuracy and the safeguards needed during assisted driving. reuters.com

Tesla opened its first high-volume heavy-duty truck factory in Sparks, Nevada, as it looks to scale Semi production to high volumes by next year. cnbc.com | reuters.com

Tesla's humanoid Optimus robot is still experiencing growing pains as it scales up toward a target of 20,000 units per week. theverge.com | gizmodo.com

Elon recently claimed that his tunnelling start-up, The Boring Company, is working on “a simple precursor Hyperloop” between Austin and San Antonio that will reduce the journey between the two cities to less than 30 minutes. techcrunch.com

Vogue sent robots down the runway at the Vogue World fashion event. People noticed that Miuccia Prada and Valentino’s creative director Alessandro Michele didn’t clap for the robots. washingtonpost.com

US manufacturers installed roughly 38,500 industrial robots in 2025, the same year they cut more than 100,000 human jobs (Read: The US Is Preparing For The Wrong Future). bloomberg.com

Tesla workers balk at training Optimus humanoid robots to replace them. arstechnica.com

Feather Robotics is aiming to be the Android of robotics, providing a hardware and software toolkit that lets developers tackle real-world tasks today. techcrunch.com

The European Union ​is facing an energy price crisis as fallout from the Iran ‌war roils oil and gas markets, the bloc's energy chief said on Friday in a letter seen by Reuters that urged countries to consider measures to curb natural ​gas demand. reuters.com

The conflict in Iran has driven up motor-oil prices and tightened supplies, prompting retailers and service shops to raise prices. wsj.com

A Studio.Energy–ATB Economics report estimates that adding 1.5 million barrels per day of Western Canadian pipeline capacity could raise Canada’s annual GDP by $31.4 billion and support 112,000 jobs on average from 2027–2035, driven by roughly $41 billion in pipeline investment, increased oil production, and a proposed carbon-capture network. calgaryherald.com

Exxon Mobil found a coveted growth engine in Guyana. Now it must navigate Guyana’s fractious politics and a territorial dispute with Venezuela. nytimes.com | nytimes.com

A new report says global renewable-energy deployment must double by 2030 to meet the world’s climate target. Reuters reports that the finding points to a faster buildout of wind, solar, and other renewable capacity over the rest of the decade. reuters.com

The Donald told reporters that his administration was reviewing a possible ban on US exports of diesel to help lower fuel costs for farmers, truckers and businesses. nytimes.com | reuters.com

A federal judge has dismissed an unusual climate-related lawsuit that accused oil giants of antitrust violations. The ruling ends the case against several major oil companies tied to climate-related claims. nytimes.com

A UK study based on millions of MOT tests shows electric cars stay on the road longer than petrol cars, and the gap widens with higher mileage. MOT data track whether a car returns for another test, and the results indicate that EVs have fewer moving parts and lower failure rates over time. electrek.co

Saudi Arabia expands into carmaking with Ceer's Exobot duo, a joint venture between the sovereign wealth fund and Foxconn (Read: Who The F#$k Is Foxconn). The Exobot sedan and SUV are set to go on sale in 2027, with five additional models planned by 2030. theverge.com | reuters.com | ceermotors.com

Bentley’s Torcal is the maker’s first fully electric model, delivering up to 600 kilometres of range and a sub-three-second 0-60 mph time, with a sticker price around $229,500. cnbc.com

Ford F-150 truck production down for nearly a week at Michigan plant, memo says. reuters.com

Hyundai is set to outsell Ford in quarterly sales for the first time, according to a Cox Automotive forecast. Hyundai is projected to rise 6.5% to 511,421 units, while Ford is projected to fall 7.1% to 504,172 units, as Detroit automakers have fewer hybrids in their lineups. cnbc.com

GM's new software interface for the Silverado and Sierra includes a refreshed Apple CarPlay and Android Auto experience, despite having previously highlighted a move away from those integrations in 2023. theverge.com

GM brings an 8.3-litre Duramax to the 2027 Silverado HD and Sierra HD, creating the largest V8 ever fitted to a production pick-up with 555 horsepower and 1,230 lb-ft of torque. That power enables a max tow rating of 38,000 pounds, while Ford's 40,000-pound rating remains higher when properly specced. thedrive.com

Toyota steps into the extended-range electric vehicle race with a model due in 2027, expanding its electrified lineup. electrek.co

Lexus is giving the public its first look at its first purely electric three-row SUV, the TZ, after it was spotted on public roads. Built on the same platform as the Highlander BEV, the TZ will offer two battery options, 76.96 kWh and 95.82 kWh, delivering up to 300 miles per charge, a 420-horsepower dual-motor AWD setup, and a 3,500-pound tow capacity. electrek.co

Honda plans to invest $2.5 billion to build a hybrid vehicle plant in Ohio. reuters.com

Nissan is weighing a bigger US production push as it launches the 2027 Rogue and a new hybrid for American buyers. The Smyrna, Tennessee, plant now runs two shifts, and a third shift could come with the Rogue’s arrival, potentially creating hundreds or thousands of jobs. cnbc.com

Kia's rugged off-road electric SUV may be moving toward production, supported by patent images that appear to show the EV9 ADVNTR. Filed with the USPTO, the patent includes six images and echoes the 2024 SEMA concept with a roof rack, reinforced rocker panels, and front tow hooks. electrek.co

Porsche could trim around 4,000 more jobs, according to Handelsblatt. The report frames the moves as part of ongoing cost restructuring as the automaker adapts to market pressures. reuters.com

VW’s latest profit warning underscores persistent market headwinds and an impairment linked to its Porsche stake. The move comes as the company is dropped from the Euro Stoxx 50 index, replaced by Nokia. cnbc.com

German auto workers staged protests at VW sites as the company issued a profit warning that rattled the sector. reuters.com

VW’s ID Buzz electric van has been delayed again in the US market, missing its 2027 return window. electrek.co

Ferrari makes clear that the Purosangue is not an SUV, even as it adds rear doors to move more passengers. arstechnica.com

Rivian is steering its lineup toward lower prices with the R3, which will be materially cheaper than the R2, and the follow‑up R4 will push prices down even further. electrek.co

Rivian is pulling nearly 99,000 vehicles from the road due to a rearview camera display issue. The recall, coordinated with regulators, aims to fix the display problem and restore reliable rear visibility. reuters.com

Tariffs, higher fuel costs, and higher interest rates are squeezing margins for American manufacturers. Auto suppliers, chemical firms, and other industrial players are feeling the pinch, and those able to pass costs to customers are better positioned than price-sensitive businesses. cnbc.com

BlackBerry has secured a deal worth more than $100 million for Alloy Kore, its new automotive-software business. The agreement adds to the company’s push to supply software for connected vehicles. theglobeandmail.com

Pinpointing when autonomous driving tech is safe enough for real roads remains unsettled, and there is no standard safety test. The NHTSA is weighing how such a test could work, while existing FMVSS rules weren’t designed for vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Zoox robotaxi. techcrunch.com

Waymo reports that after 271 million driverless miles, its autonomous cars were involved in 82 percent fewer injury-causing crashes than human drivers, according to self-reported data. Policymakers are weighing safety and economic implications, while some experts say the data may not capture non-crash traffic disruptions caused by the vehicles. theverge.com

Waymo is expanding teen access to its robotaxi service in Nashville, allowing riders as young as 13 and making it the second city after Phoenix to offer teen accounts. techcrunch.com

Waymo teams up with Visa to offer a $2.85 credit for riders who pay for a Waymo ride with a Visa card within two hours of using public transit. theverge.com

Aurora is moving toward profitability by expanding its autonomous semis on major US routes. cnbc.com

CanadaOne Auto agrees to a $1 billion partial takeover by Australia’s Eagers Automotive. autonews.com

The Quebec government no longer plans to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles in 2035. autonews.com

ICYMI: Lexus and Mercedes-Benz dealerships tied for the highest customer satisfaction score in JD Power’s 2026 Canada Customer Service Index—Long-Term Study, while NAPA Autopro ranked highest among aftermarket service facilities. Dealers capture 49% of service visits and account for 63% of service revenue. jdpower.com

You read the whole darn thing! You're awesome.