Octopus Wants To Kill Your Dozen Charging Apps

Every EV driver knows the drill: pull up to a charger, discover you don't have the right app installed, then spend five minutes creating an account while your battery pretends it doesn't care. Octopus Energy is taking a swing at that problem with a new app called Octopus Charge, which the company says aggregates more than 200,000 individual EV chargers across North America.The app pulls together data from over 10,000 charging stations spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to

Lotus has released an official image of the supercar's rear – and Autocar has imagined what the rest of the car will look likeNew ICE supercar will be built alongside Emira at Hethel and offer choice of powertrainsLotus will also offer a V6 version of the new Esprit supercar, along with the already-confirmed hybrid V8, as part of a pledge to keep to the lightweight ethos of the brand, the company’s CEO has said.
Lotus has set a target weight of 1.5 tonnes for the V8 version of t

Robin Parton Pate has decades of experience in marketing and media with stints at CNN and HGTV and now Vice President of Marketing at Dave Cantin Group which advises auto dealers and dealership groups on mergers and acquisitions.  In a fast-paced episode, Robin discusses with host/journalist Ed Garsten the evolution of recognizing news stories, pitching them, the role of AI. Includes mention of Robin's relationship with the late Dolly Parton. Episode was recorded July 27, 2026, four weeks

Range anxiety gets a new answer from Hyundai, and it arrives wearing the boxy sheetmetal of the Santa Fe. At its annual CEO Investor Day in Seoul, Hyundai confirmed the midsize SUV will become the brand's first extended-range electric vehicle.Hyundai Motor Co. President and CEO José Muñoz said the three-row Santa Fe EREV is projected to achieve a maximum range of 600 miles without refueling. That figure is the headline, and it's the one meant to peel buyers away from full battery-

Too fast? Too furious? Not yet, says this ambitious Supra owner with Veyron-baiting ambitionsIf you want something badly enough for your birthday, it's often best just to buy it yourself.
That's what Reece Atherton did, only it wasn't a pair of socks he bought but a Toyota GR Supra 3.0. "Two of my mates have one, and when I saw them, I thought I just have to have my own," says the 28-year-old. The manual version was tempting but Reece instead opted for the eight-speed automatic. "I like the flap

Bentley's electric era begins next month with the debut of the 370-mile Torcal - but we've had an early rideThe rear passenger door motors itself noiselessly closed. Here we are, in the back seat of what company CEO Dr Frank Walliser has described as “perhaps the most considered car” in the 107-year history of his employer: the new Bentley Torcal.
The wheels beneath us begin to turn - gently, smoothly, but not without an accompanying soundtrack. And in an instant we become among

Jaecoo sibling brand's first UK-bound electric car goes big on standard kit and interior spaceChinese newcomer Lepas is going after the Volkswagen ID 4 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 with its first UK-bound EV, the L6.
The electric SUV has a 65kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack that yields a range of 279 miles between charges and can be topped up at up to 120kW. That allows a 30-80% refill in 22 minutes.
The L6 is powered by a single front-mounted motor that puts out 214bhp and 203lb ft of torque

Trekking into cold forests late at night is worth it when you get to see fantastic cars at full tiltIt's a wintry night and I'm perched on a Welsh mountaintop, about 500 metres above sea level, somewhere near Llanidloes. Darkness fell some time ago, and it took the last remnants of the day's limited warmth with it: the temperature has now dropped to the wrong side of zero.
I walked a few miles to find this spot, trudging through the Cambrians to find a vantage point that looks just right. I

Capacitive buttons are a bugbear of many modern interiors – but also an innovation that simply didn't workWho signed this off? You might well ask, as once again you accidentally trigger a capacitive button on your car’s steering wheel. It is a prime example of when the customer voice, engineering curiosity and financial targets become misaligned. 
Jeff Bezos is credited with using an empty chair in Amazon board meetings to represent the customer view. A superb mindset, because a

A stylish drop-top that's fun to drive and easy to live with? No-brainer - but get in before winterEyeing a convertible for summer? You won't find a lot on the new car market: waning profit margins for niche models and the popularity of crossovers mean the drop-top market has... dropped off.
A few stalwarts soldier on, such as the Mini Convertible. But with prices nearing £30,000, why not consider its predecessor, which you can now pick up from about £3000?
When the fourth-generation

The whole point of a recall is that the fix fixes it. GM's remedy for its troubled L87 6.2-liter V8 didn't get that memo. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an Engineering Analysis into hundreds of engine failures that happened after dealers performed the recall work.How we got hereThe saga began with GM recalling nearly 600,000 L87 V8 engines after 28,000 of them suffered crankshaft, connecting rod, or engine bearing failures. This is the big V8 that powers some of GM

The Trump administration spent last week trumpeting a wave of automaker commitments it says amount to "rebuilding the American auto industry." New plants, new jobs, retooled facilities. One of the headline items, however, has nothing to do with cars at all. A White House news release dated Aug. 19 credits Rolls-Royce with nearly $100 million in U.S. investment. The figures break down to $75 million to expand engine production in South Carolina and a recently completed $24 million expansion in M

The Genesis G70 has spent years as one of the more genuinely fun small sports sedans on sale, and a big part of that appeal has been the option to skip the four-cylinder and step up to a twin-turbo V6 with real firepower. That option, however, looks to be going away.Genesis hasn't released official 2027 model year details for the G70, but the U.S. EPA appears to have done the job for them. FuelEconomy.gov recently added efficiency figures for the 2027 Genesis lineup, and a search for the 2027 G7

New updates bring a small bump in power and torque for the 1.5 MX-5, plus extra kit from the 2.0The 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 will receive a small bump in power and new kit, the brand has confirmed after it pulled the range-topping 2.0-litre from the UK market.
The MX-5 will now put out 134bhp and 114b ft in 1.5-litre form, a mild increase of 4bhp and 3lb ft. Nonetheless, it remains far off the performance potential of the now-axed 2.0-litre, which put out 181bhp and 151lb ft. 
Mazda is kee

Big rollout will include a Europe-specific small SUV, a new i20 and much moreHyundai Motor including its premium Genesis division has promised to launch 41 new or refreshed models in Europe by 2030 as it commits to a region that other Asian brands have begun to deprioritise in the face of Chinese competition.
New models will include a region-specific small electric SUV, a mid-sized electric SUV and commercial vehicles, Hyundai executives told analysts at the firm’s annual investo

By 1993, the third-generation Ford Mustang—affectionately known as the "Fox-body"—was long in the tooth.Introduced in 1979, its squared-off, lightweight architecture had democratized rear-wheel-drive V8 performance for over a decade. But as the platform neared retirement, Ford's newly formed Special Vehicle Team (SVT) was tasked with giving the iconic generation a proper send-off. The result was the 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. It wasn't just a GT with a wild body kit; it was a refi

EX60, EX90 and ES90 upload hazard data to the cloud, pinging other connected cars close byA new software update has given the Volvo EX60, EX90 and ES90 the ability to alert drivers of other such Volvos to animals by the roadside.
It uses the car’s sensors and cameras to detect larger animals, such as deer or sheep, in order to warn drivers before they may have spotted such hazards themselves. The car then uploads the positional data of the hazard to the cloud, which pings other EX60s, EX90

Aggressive sales targets were meant to give the UK a head start on EVs, but that hasn't panned outWhat is the future for volume car manufacturing in the UK? Toyota, BMW (via Mini) and Nissan are in a tricky situation right now.
As in Germany, build costs are high compared with eastern Europe or China, meaning margins are tight. For BMW and Toyota the decision now is whether or not to spend big to adapt the factories to EVs, as Nissan has already done in Sunderland and JLR has in Halewood and Sol

It's the ultimate EV test: two weeks of autoroute-bashing with the kids and the dog. How did we do?Electric cars are ideal for short commutes, but the prospect of endless charging stops made me nervous of the trek to south-western France for a family holiday – particularly with a long-suffering dog aboard. However, the BMW iX3's claims of more than 400 miles made it far more realistic, and I decided to mitigate my mileage by taking an overnight ferry to St Malo.
The plan was to blast down

Potential EV owners shouldn't be put off because they don't have a driveway. Here are the solutionsWhen it comes to EVs, almost every day brings fresh innovation that boosts both usability and desirability. From performance through to range, efficiency and pricing, the best all-electric cars no longer have to make excuses. Even dyed-in-wool internal combustion advocates are making the switch.
However, while the cars themselves get ever better, the process of charging still remains a stumbling bl

Sailing-themed super-saloon is a 10-off collector special from Alfa's new special projects armWhat to do with Alfa Romeo? It’s a storied and beloved brand, but due to various factors – not least the notable absence of any convincing new products – it’s not doing the numbers. Clearly it needs some good new cars, but for the time being there is also a more entertaining option: lean into making ‘few-off’ models.
That’s the idea behind Bottega Fuoriserie, wh

Whether we’re talking about the U.S. chicken tax, modern tariffs, or the last several decades of emissions rules, the pickup segment is beset on all sides by government influence. Some would even go so far as to call it overregulated — something which was arguably done to protect domestic automakers at the expense of the free market.Opinions vary on whether this was a wise decision. One certainly wants to root for the home team whenever possible and pickup sales don’t appear to

The tentative trade deal between the United States and Canada is dead, and the auto industry gets to sort out the wreckage. Negotiators hit an impasse over a series of last-minute demands from the Trump administration, with tariffs on Canadian-built trucks sitting near the center of the collapse.For a North American supply chain that treats the border as a formality, that's a problem."Asked Too Much and Offered Too Little"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that the United States "as

The list of electric vehicles that can double as grid batteries in California just got longer, and Pacific Gas & Electric wants owners to plug in and cash out.
The West Coast's largest utility said Monday it is expanding its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bidirectional charging program to cover EVs from Nissan, Volvo, Polestar and Kia, plus a wider slate of General Motors models. According to PG&E, owners who qualify can send stored energy back to the grid during peak hours and get paid for

From time to time, the auto industry gets on a retro kick. Whether it’s the exterior design of the mid-2000’s Ford Mustang or even closer to the past with vehicles like the Plymouth Prowler or Chevy HHR, everything comes back. Well, the latest form of “what was once old is new again,” is coming in the form of vehicles that retains a core group of fans when the automaker canceled its production. Think Nissan’s recent move to bring back the Xterra. After a small

Drop-top will remain on sale with a 1.5-litre engine, but you'll have to move quickly to get the 2.0The range-topping 2.0-litre version of the Mazda MX-5 has been axed in the UK, Autocar can reveal.
This means the MX-5 will be available with only the 130bhp 1.5-litre once existing stocks of the 181bhp 2.0-litre model have been sold. The 1.5-litre's set-up also forgoes a limited-slip differential, a feature that adds to the MX-5's appeal as a driver’s car.
A spokesperson for Mazda

The Ford Excursion has been dead for two decades, but a used-market cult following and a fresh product report suggest the Blue Oval's biggest SUV might be resurrected. According to the latest Automotive News future product report, Ford has a new large SUV with an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain slated for production at the brand-new Tennessee-based BlueOval Plant truck plant in 2029. That same report notes the model will be larger than the current Ford Expedition, which today

Aero tweaks, LFP battery chemistry and fresh options for retro electric supermini's second birthdayThe Renault 5 has received a range boost and a choice of new colours as part of a light update aimed at boosting its competitive edge against new rivals.
After two years on sale, the retro electric supermini has been made more efficient by slicker new mirrors and lower body trim, which means both versions now crack slightly more miles per charge.
The entry-level Urban Range variant, with a 40kWh ba

The Czech firm has been present in the UK for more than a century, and finally wants you to know how to pronounce its name. But why?My mum was watching television the other day when an advert for a car firm caught her eye and prompted her to contact me with a question: ‘Are Skoda really trying to tell me how I should pronounce Skoda?’
Well, yes, mum, it turns out they are, and I think you’ll find you should actually be calling them Shhhkoda. Once I’d convinced Professor A

Climate change and poor maintenance cited as real culprits for the UK's pockmarked roadsSUVs and EVs are being unfairly blamed for being a major cause of road damage, experts say, as the state of Tarmac across the UK continues to deteriorate.
Over the past nine years, the mean average kerb weight of new cars has increased by almost 400kg, from 1553kg to 1947kg.
Last year, the average weight of cars road tested by Autocar was 2024kg. Of the 73 cars tested, the most common body type by far was SUV