Whilst German politicians and university presidents are busy riding their hobby horses, Germans apparently just want to drive electric at last.

The relaxation of the 2025 CO₂ emission targets was made possible by the promise that new, smaller and ‘more affordable’ electric cars would come onto the market in the coming years. Now it’s here: a ‘boring’ and relatively affordable electric car.

First came German optimism about electrification, a full range of VW ID. models which – certainly following the sudden collapse of subsidies – are selling less than expected (though they are, incidentally, very popular on the second-hand market!).

VW has learnt its lesson and, this time, has taken into account a much lower production capacity.

But what a surprise, despite all the talk of ‘Aus vom Verbrenner-Aus’, suddenly people are ordering that electric VW and the manufacturer can’t keep up.

https://www.electrive.com/2026/09/07/vw-id-polo-sold-out-for-months-ahead/

There is perhaps no car manufacturer more than Volkswagen where Germany’s erratic approach to electrification is having a greater impact.

https://www.electrive.com/2026/09/07/vw-id-polo-sold-out-for-months-ahead/

Following this disillusionment with sales numbers, the Germans lobbied for the European EV transition to be slowed down and for the combustion engine to have a longer lifespan. Volkswagen postponed the launch of its 'affordable' electric car.

French companies are rapidly opting for electric vehicles for new cars in their fleets – that’s good news for them, and perhaps even more so for many consumers who will be able to buy those cars second-hand in a few years’ time

via https://lnkd.in/p/epcNjQz7

Understanding how (and why) economical driving works in an electric car leads to an 11 per cent reduction in energy consumption

(In a nutshell: drive calmly, don’t brake too hard and let the car ‘glide’ as much as possible)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847826002913?via%3Dihub

Two other examples that clearly demonstrate why BEVs are the best choice across the entire life cycle of all fuel and powertrain types, and why the real-world fuel consumption of PHEVs is increasingly at odds with the figures on paper

One of many interesting figures in the new edition of ICCT's EV Transition Check:

Energy costs for BEVs could remain stable over the coming decade, whilst costs for all other fuels are set to rise.

Public charging does call for attention to affordable pricing (e.g. through smart charging)

https://theicct.org/publication/ev-transition-check-2026/

#EV

German politicians from all sides are actively posting on X, making advertising revenue for Elon Musk, who is helping AfD take over Germany.

If you are German, ask your politicians to stop supporting the Nazis of our time.

https://www.mdr.de/altpapier/das-altpapier-berichterstattung-studie-e-autos-100.html

Wer verstehen will, dass sich der Präsident der TU München für eine PR-Kampagne für Verbrennungsmotoren einspannen ließ und viele Medien mitmachten oder darauf hereinfielen, der lese dieses hervorragende “Altpapier” von René Martens.

Rate mal, wer das hier schreibt

The Dutch DSO Liander allows businesses to skip the waiting list for new grid connections or capacity if they invest in a battery and make part of it available to the DSO in return for a fee. What do we make of this? It has a bit of a Sicilian-American feel to it.

https://solarmagazine.nl/nieuws-zonne-energie/i44673/bedrijven-kunnen-wachtlijst-omzeilen-door-batterij-te-delen-met-stroomnet

SSEN was successful in the latest round of the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund with a project exploring the use of roaming MPANs, which would allow you to use your home's energy supply at a public charging point.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/weve-secured-funding-idea-which-could-cut-costs-ev-drivers-l4dpe
#EV

1/🔌🚗 Es geht voran! Heute hat das KBA neue Zahlen zu #Elektroautos veröffentlicht. Ein paar Fakten in einem kleinen 🧵

▶️ Im August 2026 war fast jedes dritte neu registrierte Auto in Deutschland rein #batterieelektrisch.

Met de populaire reisapp Polarsteps kun je het thuisfront op de hoogte houden van je buitenlandse avonturen. Maar de gegevens van gebruikers – zelfs foto’s en locaties die alleen waren gedeeld met volgers – lagen op straat. Het Amsterdamse bedrijf wist dat al minstens een half jaar. ‘Als dit wordt gebruikt om iemand iets aan te doen, schuurt dat tegen medeplichtigheid van Polarsteps aan.’ https://www.ftm.nl/artikelen/polarsteps-ftm-weet-waar-je-op-vakantie-gaat

La canicule a fait chuter les recettes des musées et des monuments en France https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2026/09/03/la-canicule-a-fait-chuter-les-recettes-des-musees-et-des-monuments-en-france_6764889_3246.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Sustainable transport is key to Africa’s prosperity & 12 turning points are crucial to pave the way.

This shows a new report that was shaped together with representatives of nearly 50 African organisations from 17 countries.

➡️ Press release: https://www.agora-verkehrswende.org/press/press-releases/sustainable-transport-as-a-key-to-africas-prosperity-1

➡️ Report (English, French): https://changing-transport.org/publications/turning-points-enabling-sustainable-transport-in-africa/

🗓️ We also cordially invite you to attend the launch webinar on Friday, 4 September 2026, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (CAT/CEST).

➡️ Please register here: https://changing-transport.org/event/webinar-turning-points-enabling-sustainable-transport-in-africa/