EV News From The US, Japan, China, And … Saudi Arabia?

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The failed US administration is pulling every lever it can to keep the promises it made to the fossil fuel companies that paid to get it elected. EV purchase incentives? Gone. Level 3 charging infrastructure? Kaput. Tax credits for companies that manufacture batteries? History. Production credits for critical materials? Forget about it. The oilygarchs paid to get their guy elected and now they are cashing in. As a result, you might think the EV revolution in the US is over, but you would be wrong.

The latest Global EV Survey from the IEA shows the US is clearly falling behind virtually every other country when it comes to adopting electric cars, but there still were more EVs sold in America last year than the year before — although, admittedly, the percentage change was small. Now JD Power is out with its latest EV survey, which finds that the same amount of Americans — about 25 percent — are considering buying or leasing an EV this year as last year. Is that a big deal? It may not seem so at first, but when you consider all the negativity about EVs coming from the MAGAlomaniacs, it is good news.

In a press release on May 15 announcing the results of the survey, Brent Gruber, the executive director of the EV practice at JD Power, said, “Despite the market volatility, EVs have found a solid ground for consumer consideration. To further capitalize on that interest and spur adoption moving forward, the industry needs to have products that meet consumer needs and wants at prices that are affordable. Additionally, the industry should better educate consumers about EV ownership to ease concerns — many of which, such as those related to public charging, are less problematic than they might seem when it comes to actually owning an EV.”

Thanks for that, Ben. In fact, CleanTechnica has a whole section of its website that is devoted to educating people about charging and range concerns. Just a few days ago, we published an article about EV charging and range that was designed to answer some of the common questions people who have not yet made the move to battery-powered vehicles often have.

The JD Power survey found potential customers were a little less concerned about purchase price and cost of ownership this year than they were last year, but the perceived lack of charging infrastructure was still a concern for more than half of the people who participated in the survey. Younger people were more interested in buying an EV, while older Americans were less so.

“Much of the recent growth in the EV space has been fueled by products from mass market brands, which demonstrates the pent-up demand for more affordable products,” Gruber said. People in the Midwest are least enthusiastic about driving an EV, which Gruber attributes to concerns about cold weather charging and loyalty to traditional automakers.

Toyota C-HR EV Returns As AWD EV

Toyota has gotten fairly poor reviews for its inelegantly named bZ4X, which has been updated and is now simply called the bZ. (It’s still a stupid name.) Toyota announced recently it is bringing back the C-HR — a model that was quietly withdrawn from the US market a while ago due to poor sales. Now the model name is being resurrected for 2026, but the new car will be a battery electric with AWD, 338 hp, and a range of about 290 miles from a 67 kWh battery. That is pretty good, if true. The Chevy Bolt with the 65 kWh battery has a range of 265 miles. It will be interesting to see what the official EPA rating is when the car goes on sale.

The new C-HR shares the same e-TNGA platform used by the bZ. Toyota claims the C-HR will sprint to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. It will have an 11 kW onboard charger, a NACS charge port, and a peak charging rate of 150 kW. Does that make the C-HR a standout? No, it does not, but it makes it a competent electric car that is little bit smaller than the bZ snd shares much of its interior with the larger model. Car and Driver says it should start at around $35,000, with the upmarket XSE trim beginning at around $38,000.

Affordable SC01 Sports EV Introduced In China

Have you ever dreamed of an affordable battery electric sports car that is about the size of Mazda MX5 (Miata)? If so, the JMEV SC01 introduced recently in China may be just what you are looking for. Backed by Xiaomi, the SC01 is similar in size to the Lotus Exige. The tube frame sports car solves the battery weight problem by stacking the battery behind the seats, much the way the Fiat X 1/9 or Lamborghini Miura placed the engine in those cars to achieve a nearly 50/50 weight distribution. The SC01 is actually an inch or so lower than the Miata and the seats are as low as possible in the chassis, thanks to the battery pack not being mounted beneath the floor as it is in most EVs.

The best part is that the SC01 will sell for the equivalent of $31,000 in China, according to InsideEVs, which claims the sporty EV will weigh just over 3,000 pounds (1,365 kg). It will have two electric motors, one for each rear wheel, with a combined output of 429 hp (320 kW). With its 60 kW NMC battery, the car is expected to have a range of 323 miles (520 km) as measured by the Chinese test cycle. Check out the video below for more about the SC01.

Hyundai To Manufacture EVs In Saudi Arabia

Finally in EV news from around the world today, Hyundai Motor Manufascturing Middle East announced in a press release on  May 14, 2025, that its joint venture between PIF — the Saudi sovereign wealth fund — and Hyundai Motor Company has begun construction of the King Salman Automotive Cluster within King Abdullah Economic City.

PIF owns a 70% stake in HMMME, with Hyundai holding the remaining 30%. The manufacturing plant, Hyundai’s first facility in the Middle East, will roll out its first vehicle by the fourth quarter of 2026 and will have an annual production of 50,000 vehicles, including both conventional and electric vehicles. The partnership is one in a series of PIF initiatives designed to establish Saudi Arabia as a global automotive presence. Lucid also manufacturers its Air electric sedan in King Abdullah Economic City.

Wongyun Park, Vice President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Middle East, emphasized that HMMME is driving change and paving the way for a new industrial future in the region. “The facility will become a platform for growth and industrial excellence in the heart of the Kingdom.” Electrive reports the Lucid Air is assembled in Saudi Arabia from semi-knock-down kits manufactured at the Lucid factory in Arizona. There is no word on whether Hyundai will follow a similar strategy.

That completes our survey of EV news from around the world for today. What have we learned? Simply this: Despite the pigheaded policies of those in the US who want to drag the country backward into the 19th century, the EV Revolution is gaining momentum everywhere, even in America. Maybe it is taking a little longer to reach the tipping point many of us would like to see, but it is happening nonetheless. The future of transportation is electric, despite the best efforts of the fossil fuel industry and its stooges in government to hold back progress for one more month, one more week, and one more day.