An Indian automaker has a comic-inspired new EV model, new research shares some surprising info about charging stations, and Lucid Motors has a famous new spokesman.
Here's all that, plus all the other news you need to know this week:
'Holy battery range, Batman!'
Indian manufacturer Mahindra just launched a new, limited-edition EV SUV, called the BE 6 Batman Edition, that is a detailed homage to our favorite caped crusader — in particular, the Christopher Nolan version.
According to Autoweek, the compact four-door has Batman decals on the front doors and numerous Dark Knight movie trilogy-inspired emblems emblazoned on fenders, windows, seat backs, a "Boost" button, and even one etched into the sunroof's glass (spotlight not included). It even reportedly makes "Batman-inspired engine sounds," whatever that means.
Fired Tesla charging experts are launching their own EV station project
The new company, called Hubber, is aiming at the "urban charging gap" and is looking at sites that other developers ignore, such as disused warehouses and gas stations, and coming up with ways to turn them into high-throughput charging sites.
The founders — Harry Fox, Connor Selwood, and Hugh Leckie — were all laid off from Tesla when the Supercharger program was gutted last year.
Inside the Chinese phone company rocking the EV world
Just when you've gotten used to hearing about BYD, there's another contender that has seemingly appeared from nowhere to make a big dent in the market.
Telecoms and tech giant Xiaomi has a newly launched electric vehicle division with astounding financial results for the second quarter of this year, proving that its entry into the saturated EV market is serious. Xiaomi brought in $2.87 billion in Q2 from EV sales, close to a 14% jump from the previous quarter and a whopping 232% increase compared to last year.
Charging stations produce a lot of air pollution — but you should still use them
It turns out that while EVs are good for the planet, the air quality in fast-charging stations can be worse for us than in traditional gas stations — at least for inhaling particulates.
A team led by UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health researchers has found that levels of airborne fine particulate matter close to EV fast-charging stations across L.A. County were considerably higher than those taken at urban sites without the fast-charging stations.
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Yes — often 😬 The pollution is likely tied to the fans used in fast chargers, which are meant to keep equipment cool but have the unintended side effect of blowing out particles from tires, brakes, and dust.
Worth noting: The study focused on non-exhaust emissions and so did not measure many types of pollution related to gas-powered cars, which are a major source of smog-forming pollutants and carcinogens.
Who drives a Lucid? Timothée Chalamet, for one
Lucid Group just announced a multi-year partnership with actor Timothée Chalamet, naming the star as its first global brand ambassador. Chalamet is a noted Lucid fan, having been spotted by paparazzi in 2023 driving one of the company's Air sedans.
Chalamet will make his brand debut in a campaign for the Lucid Gravity SUV, according to Newsweek, which will launch this fall.
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