The Watt Car EV Podcast The Watt Car

With a win at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant, the UAW is on a tear — and now its setting sights on Mercedes manufacturing in Alabama. We delve into how this came to be, and what this could mean for the price of your next EV. We also discuss Tesla, from the company’s Q1 earnings to Cybertruck recalls, and more.

Rivian’s hoping to move fast and fix things — like charging experiences for its owners. Thanks to a creative grading system, Rivian could have a winning idea on its hands. But before we discuss that on this week’s podcast, we tackle Tesla Model 3 windshield repair costs, Tesla layoffs, Mercedes redesign strategies, and more.

Turns out, supercar producer Rimac might be getting into other EVs via its increasingly efficient battery technology. We jump into that topic on this week’s podcast, but before we do, we discuss the politics of EVs, recent state legislation, EV and hybrid Q1 sales, a fantastic Tesla financing option (although only in China), and more!

From fantastic EV lease deals to manufacturer profit (and loss), on this week’s podcast we look at the realities of the EV market and what it means for the makers and the buyers. The question is, what’s the financial sweet spot for car buyers, and can automakers hit those targets without going out of business. Furthermore, what does this mean for government regulation when it comes to electrification? We dive in.

Genesis heats things up with Magma edition cars, but is the color too hot to handle? We discuss on this week’s podcast. We also talk about Cupra (which we dub the Magma of VW’s SEAT brand) coming to the U.S., the problems with renting an EV, the ID.Buzz GTX, a Cybertruck teardown, whether Rimac’s next big reveal will be super awesome or a super downer, and more!

The Volkswagen Group is the company you can’t help but root for, as VW is once again swinging for the EV fences with the Audi Q6 e-tron, VW ID.3 GTX and ID.7 GTX Tourer, and a potential $25,000 GTI. But there’s more news for VW, as the company’s Chattanooga plant may soon become unionized. In other news, Rivian might be building a higher priced R1 vehicle named the R1X, Honda and Nissan begin talks, and more!