InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast

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294

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Every Friday, InsideEVs journalists Tim Levin, Mack Hogan, and a rotating cast of experts and friends cover the latest news in electric vehicles, autonomous cars, and the high-tech transformation of the auto industry. From InsideEVs and the Motorsport Network.

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60 recent

June 12, 202652 min

Will The R2 Be The Hit Rivian Needs? w/ Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained

Can the highly anticipated Rivian R2 turn Rivian into a profitable EV powerhouse? This week on the Plugged-In Podcast, Mack and Tim sit down with a very special guest: Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained!Both Mack and Jason recently got behind the wheel of the Rivian R2, and they are breaking down exactly why they loved it—and what it means for the future of the company.But it’s not all good news for EV startups. Jason opens up about his tumultuous experience owning a Lucid Air. We dive deep into the challenges facing both Rivian and Lucid as they fight to become mainstream automakers.Jason’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/engineeringexplained Jason's Lucid Air Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrz1LXNm9cIMack’s Rivian R2 review: https://insideevs.com/reviews/798129/rivian-r2-first-drive-review/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

June 5, 202645 min

Tesla’s FSD Problems, Ferrari EV Backlash, & Rivian’s Charging Glow-Up

Is the internet overreacting to Ferrari’s first-ever electric car? In this episode of the Plugged-In Podcast, Mack and Tim break down the massive wave of public backlash hitting the newly unveiled Ferrari Luce. Tim shares his firsthand thoughts after actually seeing Maranello's Jony Ive-designed EV up close, and explains why he thinks it’s actually cool. (Sorry!)Plus, we look at the positive side of the electric transition: the EV charging grid is officially getting a glow-up. From Rivian hitting a major infrastructure milestone to Walmart and Electrify America making charging less of a headache, things are moving fast. Finally, we unpack a Reuters investigation that suggests Tesla might still be years away from truly scaling full self-driving technology.Reuters story on Tesla FSDhttps://www.reuters.com/investigations/why-teslas-ai-trainers-dont-trust-its-self-driving-tech-or-its-safety-stats-2026-05-28/ Walmart’s Expanding EV Charging Network Is Getting Easier To Pay For (And Cheaper)https://insideevs.com/news/796951/walmart-ev-fast-charging-expansion-card-discounts/ Rivian’s EV Charging Network Is Growing Fast, And It Just Hit A Major Milestonehttps://insideevs.com/news/797654/rivian-ev-charging-network-growth-milestone/ It's Still Way More Expensive To Insure An EV. But That's Changinghttps://insideevs.com/news/797585/ev-ownership-insurance-price-expensive/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

May 29, 202649 min

Do EV enthusiasts care about the Ferrari Luce? Plus, Is Nuro Prepared To Win The Autonomy Race?

Do EV enthusiasts care about performance cars? Do traditional car enthusiasts care about EVs? This week on the Plugged-In Podcast, Mack Hogan and Andrei Nedelea break down the news about the Ferrari Luce, the company’s first EV. It’s got over a thousand horsepower, four independent motors, and a trick suspension that should make it plenty interesting to drive.But in the second segment, we break down a key challenge for the Luce: Who is it for? Typical car enthusiasts that buy Ferraris seem relatively closed off to electric performance vehicles. And even for InsideEVs’ enthusiastic audience, nobody seems to care about the high-power stuff. They’d rather read about Hyundais and Chevies than Porsches and Ferraris.Finally, Tim Levin and Mack sit down with Andrew Chapin, the Chief Operating Officer of autonomy company Nuro, to get an update on the autonomous vehicle race. You won’t want to miss it. I Saw Ferrari’s First EV In The Flesh. Here’s My Honest Takehttps://insideevs.com/news/796897/ferrari-luce-electric-car-2026/ Mercedes-Benz's Electric Super Sedan Has A New Kind Of EV Motor And Unprecedented Charging Speedhttps://insideevs.com/news/796361/2027-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door-coupe/ Nobody Wants Electric Supercars. But Why?https://www.motor1.com/features/766252/nobody-wants-electric-supercars-opinion/ Lucid Gravity Robotaxis Will Hit The Uber App Next Year, With Nuro Techhttps://insideevs.com/news/766132/lucid-gravity-robotaxi-uber-nuro/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

May 22, 202652 min

Is The $130 EV Fee Fair? + Driving The Volvo EX60 EV & America’s New Fastest-Charging EV

Is the federal government about to change the cost of EV ownership? This week on the Plugged-In Podcast, Tim Levin and Mack Hogan break down the proposed $130 annual federal registration fee for electric vehicles and what it means for the future of highway funding.Mack also shares his experience behind the wheel of the Volvo EX60—a minimalist luxury SUV that might just be the most polished electric vehicle Volvo has ever built. Plus, we discuss the brand-new Mercedes-AMG GT, which has officially claimed the crown as the fastest-charging EV in America, boasting an 11-minute charge time from 10-80%. Finally, Tim sits down with Brandt Hastings, President of North America at ABB E-Mobility, to talk about the massive shift in charging infrastructure and how ABB is meeting the demands of the next generation of EVs, trucks, and robotaxis.Congress Wants You To Pay $130 A Year Just To Drive An Electric Carhttps://insideevs.com/news/796222/ev-fee-gas-tax-house-bill-2026/ I Drove The 2027 Volvo EX60 And Think It's The Best Volvo Ever. All Because It’s Electric.https://insideevs.com/reviews/796359/volvo-ex60-first-drive/ Mercedes-Benz's Electric Super Sedan Has A New Kind Of EV Motor And Unprecedented Charging Speedhttps://insideevs.com/news/796361/2027-mercedes-amg-gt-4-door-coupe/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

May 15, 20261 hr 5 min

How Ionna Wants To Take On Tesla + Google Gemini’s Car Takeover

Is the Golden Age of EV charging finally here? This week on the Plugged-In Podcast, Tim sits down with Seth Cutler, CEO of Ionna, the massive charging joint venture backed by seven of the world’s biggest automakers. We dig into how Ionna plans to deploy 30,000 chargers by 2030 and whether this company can actually fix the reliability crisis.Plus, Mack takes the new Volvo EX60 for a spin to test its Google Gemini integration, which is also coming to vehicles from GM, Polestar, and other brands. Forget basic, frustrating voice commands. We’re talking full-on conversational navigation. The guys discuss why this is probably the best feature in new cars. We also look North as Chinese EVs trickle into Canada. While the US doubles down on 100% tariffs, Canada is taking a different path. Is this the backdoor for BYD and Geely to get into America?Tesla Is Now Testing A Virtual Waitlist For Superchargershttps://insideevs.com/news/795797/tesla-supercharger-virtual-queues-tk/ Mazda's EV Delay Is Barely A Pivothttps://insideevs.com/news/795650/mazda-delays-first-major-ev/ The Floodgates Open: Chinese EVs Land In Canadahttps://insideevs.com/news/795438/first-chinese-evs-canada-deliveries/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

May 8, 202641 min

The Best Chinese Cars We Saw And Drove In Beijing

Are Chinese cars really leaving the rest of the world in the dust? InsideEVs Staff Writer Kevin Williams joins the program to discuss the best Chinese EVs from Xiaomi, BYD, Geely, Nio, and more. He just got back from the 2026 Beijing Auto Show and tells us what he saw. We discuss the Geely EX2, a cheap EV that’s become the country’s best-selling car. Kevin also drove the track-ready Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, which has over 1,000 horsepower. And he got a good feeling about the Ford Bronco New Energy, an extended-range SUV that won’t be coming to the U.S. anytime soon. Are Americans missing out on this and other Chinese cars? Finally, in Plus/Minus, Tim and Kevin discuss the Chinese cars that are coming to Canada, and how the BMW IX3's price tag is even cheaper than expected!The Hyundai Ioniq V Looks Great. Its Job Is To Take Back Chinahttps://insideevs.com/news/794010/ioniq-v-china-beijing-baic/'Chinese Cars Are Ready For Prime Time In America': Geely SUV Crushes Every U.S. Competitor In New Testhttps://insideevs.com/news/792060/geely-galaxy-m9-test-edmunds/The Xiaomi SU7 Was Already Dominating The Market. Reviewers Say The Updated Version Is Even Betterhttps://insideevs.com/news/790997/youtube-xiaomi-su7-sedan-update/Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

May 1, 20261 hr 0 min

What To Know About Used EV Batteries w/ Recurrent CEO Scott Case

Used electric cars are booming right now. Mack and Tim bring on Scott Case, cofounder and CEO of Recurrent, to discuss. Recurrent tracks battery health in used EVs, and Scott is one of the foremost experts on range retention and the secondhand EV market as a whole. The guys ask Scott what buyers should know about EV battery degradation, whether EV depreciation might become less of an issue, and what specific EV deals he has his eye on. In Plus/Minus, Mack and Tim discuss Google’s Gemini chatbot hitting millions of GM vehicles, and the launch of the sub-$30,000 Volkswagen ID. PoloThe Facts Are In: You Shouldn't Worry About EV Battery Replacementshttps://insideevs.com/news/779210/ev-battery-replacements-data-tesla/ What EV Slowdown? Used Electric Car Sales Hit A Record High In Marchhttps://insideevs.com/news/793503/used-ev-market-us-march-sales-2026/ 2026 Is Going To Be An Amazing Year For Used EVs. Here Are The Deals I'm Watchinghttps://insideevs.com/news/783100/2026-used-ev-deals/ Modern EVs Barely Lose Any Range, Even After Five Years: Reporthttps://insideevs.com/news/793891/evs-barely-lose-range-after-five-years/ Volkswagen ID. Polo: This Is Ithttps://insideevs.com/news/794406/vw-id-polo-electric-range-price-specs-options-official/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

April 24, 202641 min

What's Next For The Tesla Cybertruck? + Your Other EV Questions

This week’s episode is a special one, as Mack and Tim take some time to go through listener questions and comments. What would happen to startups like Lucid and Rivian if Chinese EVs were allowed into the U.S.? Is the Tesla Cybertruck doomed? What’s going to win out, the Rivian R2 or the BMW iX3? Was the EV tax credit just a handout to the rich? Why doesn’t Tim have an EV (yet)?The guys dig into all of these questions and more on this week’s episode. If you want to be featured in the next round of listener questions, drop your thoughtful comments on YouTube or InsideEVs.com. Read some of our related stories:SpaceX Bought Nearly 20% Of Tesla Cybertrucks Sold In Q4https://insideevs.com/news/793205/tesla-spacex-cybertruck-20-sales/ 2027 BMW iX3 Review: BMW Is Backhttps://insideevs.com/reviews/793046/bmw-ix3-review-neue-klasse/ The Rivian R2 Launches At $57,990 With 330 Miles Of Rangehttps://insideevs.com/news/789597/rivian-r2-launch-pricing-specs-2026/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: • Instagram • Threads • YouTube • BlueSky • X

April 17, 202652 min

Lucid’s New CEO, Slate Funding, & Rivian’s Van Is Booming

This week, Mack and Tim dive into the latest from America’s EV startups. Lucid Motors hired a new CEO and got $750 million in fresh funding. Slate Auto locked in a $650 million Series C round, and the guys discuss their latest thoughts on whether the affordable electric truck can be a success. Plus, Rivian inked an interesting deal with battery recycling company Redwood Materials, and its EDV commercial van sales are blowing the competition out of the water. In Plus/Minus, the guys chat about the end of the BMW iX in America and Tesla veteran Doug Field’s departure from Ford. Lucid Motors Has A New CEO And A Bunch More Fundinghttps://insideevs.com/news/792958/lucid-new-ceo-named-funding/ Slate's Affordable EV Truck Plans Just Got A Major New Lifelinehttps://insideevs.com/news/792809/slate-affordable-ev-truck-650-million-funding/ The BMW iX Is Done In The U.S. But A Way Better Electric SUV Is Nearly Herehttps://insideevs.com/news/792949/bmw-ix-discontinued-united-states-2026/ Rivian's Factory Will Run On Its Own Used EV Batterieshttps://insideevs.com/news/792980/rivian-redwood-materials-battery-deal-2026/ Ford's Head Of EVs Is Leaving The Companyhttps://insideevs.com/news/793104/ford-doug-field-ev-chief-departs/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X

April 10, 202651 min

The EV Winners And Losers So Far This Year

Sales numbers are starting to roll in for the first quarter of 2026, and Mack and Tim dig deep into what’s happened since the EV tax credit ended last year. They break down the latest sales from Tesla, GM, Ford, Stellantis, and more. Later in the show, the guys discuss Geely’s new fast-charging tech, whether Americans really want back-to-basics cars, and Walmart’s EV charging glow-up. New EV Sales Dropped 28%. But Used EVs Are Booming.https://insideevs.com/news/791253/ev-sales-used-new-hybrids-q1-2026/ Walmart’s DC Fast Charging Network Already Has Hundreds Of Portshttps://insideevs.com/news/792338/walmart-ev-charging-development/ Why American Cheap EVs May Be Far More Spartan Than Chinese Oneshttps://insideevs.com/news/792172/dodge-slate-cheaper-american-evs/ This New Electric Car Nearly Fills Its Battery In Under 9 Minuteshttps://insideevs.com/news/792274/lynk-co-10-charging-test/ Check out InsideEVs for the latest future of transportation news and find us online: Instagram Threads YouTube BlueSky X