Welcome back to another edition of Electro Beat, where we provide a quick summary of all you have missed in the EV world over the past month! Keep reading for electric buses in Delhi, Top Gear beating EV records, longer range batteries and more!
Let’s get plugged in…
The 2025 World Car Awards have been distributed and they have titled the Kia EV3, Car of the Year!
The World Car Awards have been ongoing since 2004, celebrating the best of the best when it comes to the automotive industry. Whether it’s petrol/diesel, hybrid or electric, these cars are judged in the same way, by the same people, to ensure a fair result.
A jury of 96 automotive journalists, from 30 countries all around the world, rate each car based on: exterior design, interior design, infotainment, dynamics, performance, efficiency, innovation, quality, significance and value! Then, their scores are added up and tabulated to choose a deserving winner.
This year, the Kia EV3 beat out 52 contenders, only marginally beating the BMW X3 and the Hyundai Inster (Casper Electric) which both came in the top three. Interestingly, this is not the first time a Kia has won a World Car of the Year award; last year, the Kia EV9 was also the winner of this category!
In order to be submitted to the voting list, and hope to receive this title, there have to be some parameters the car needs to fit into! The World Car of the Year must:
Be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units/year.
Be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets.
Be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA), on at least two separate continents.
As you can see, being an electric vehicle is not a requirement, yet all vehicles across the board of World Car Awards in 2025 are electric or hybrid. This demonstrates how far function, design, value and more have come in the EV world!
“These awards recognize the best cars in the world, setting new benchmarks in technology, performance and design.” - Daniele Schillaci, Brembo’s Chief Executive Officer
Other notable awards include the World Electric Vehicle, won by the Hyundai Inster (Casper Electric), and World Car Design of the Year, secured by the Volkswagen ID. Buzz!
To check out all the awards and why they were given, head to the World Car of the Year Awards website!
It doesn’t seem that long ago that 15 minutes to fully charge an electric battery was breaking news - well, what about 5 minutes?
China's CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery producer, has revealed an upgraded battery that promises a longer range than its rival BYD's latest technology. Both companies now claim to charge EVs in just five minutes. CATL's new Shenxing battery boasts a 320-mile range, outstripping BYD's 250-mile offering. In contrast, Tesla's Superchargers provide 200 miles in 15 minutes.
CATL, supplying major brands like Tesla and BMW, maintained its global lead in electric battery supply in 2024, with its latest developments including a second-generation Shenxing fast-charging battery, enhancing both driving range and efficiency. The company aims to expand its global footprint with a secondary listing in Hong Kong, reflecting its pivotal role in the EV market's growth.
CATL's Chief Technology Officer, Gao Huan, announced the innovation at the company's Tech Day in Shanghai, aiming to set a new standard for EV batteries and enhance travel convenience. This follows BYD's recent breakthrough, underscoring fierce competition in China's EV sector, driving rapid innovation at competitive prices.
The upgraded Shenxing, with a 500-mile full capacity, launched alongside CATL's new sodium-ion battery, Naxtra, promising greater affordability and safety compared to traditional lithium and lead-acid batteries.
Gao highlighted the Shenxing sodium-ion battery's compatibility with over 67 electric vehicle models, emphasising its performance in extreme conditions and rapid charging capabilities, even in cold weather. Meanwhile, Naxtra promises enhanced safety and stability, poised for mass production later this year.
With this announcement, it would be natural to question ‘Are sodium ion batteries better than lithium?’ - so, here are a few advantages and disadvantages:
Lower Production Costs:Sodium is abundant and cheaper to extract than lithium, which could lead to lower production costs, which in turn, could mean cheaper costs to the driver.
Higher Safety: Sodium-ion batteries are less reactive than lithium, reducing the risk of thermal runaway and making them safer.
Greater Sustainability:Sodium is widely available (in fact, it’s the sixth most present element on Earth, and 1,000 times more abundant than lithium!), making sodium-ion batteries a more sustainable option.
Wider Operating Temperature Range:Due to the battery chemistry, sodium-ion batteries can perform reliably across a broader range of temperatures, making them ideal for more extreme environments.
Faster Charging:Owing to their chemistry, sodium-ion batteries may charge faster than traditional lithium-ion ones. This is because sodium-ion has a more dispersed electron cloud, allowing its atoms to pass more easily than lithium-ion atoms.
Lower Energy Density:Sodium-ion batteries currently store less energy per volume and weight compared to lithium-ion batteries (around 30% less). When it comes to electric vehicles, this lower energy density means you won’t be able to drive as far on a sodium-ion battery compared to a similar-sized lithium-ion one.
Overall Environmental Impact:While sodium-ion batteries don’t rely on as many of the Earth’s limited resources, they actually release more greenhouse gases during production than lithium-ion batteries with the same energy capacity. This is because it takes more materials to make sodium-ion batteries that deliver the same amount of energy.
Electric power just made history. Top Gear’s mystery driver, The Stig, has smashed the show's long-standing lap record - and this time, it wasn’t petrol fumes doing the work.
At the legendary Top Gear Test Track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, The Stig tore around the 1.75-mile (2.8km) figure-of-eight circuit in an astonishing 55.9 seconds.
The record-breaking car? The McMurtry Spéirling Pure VP1 - a revolutionary all-electric track machine.
The previous record - 59 seconds - was set back in 2004 by The Stig driving a Renault R24 Formula 1 car.
For an electric vehicle (EV) to beat a Formula 1 lap time by over 3 seconds is a huge moment for motorsport - and for the future of performance cars.
Jack Rix, editor of Top Gear magazine, summed it up perfectly:
"Being there to witness a 20-year-old lap record being shattered - one we thought was untouchable - was an incredible moment.It's a record that might never be broken, unless any F1 teams are feeling brave?"
This record run is part of Top Gear’s brand-new YouTube series, "Stig Laps", where The Stig will be pushing the world's fastest cars - electric and otherwise- to their limits on the iconic track.
Electric vehicles aren't just catching up - they’re redefining what’s possible on the track.
3.1 seconds faster than a petrol-powered Formula 1 car... without burning a drop of fuel.
Groundbreaking technology like fan-powered downforce shows how EVs can out-perform traditional race cars in grip, acceleration, and control.
Big changes are coming to Delhi’s streets — and they’re electric!
The Delhi Transport Department has announced plans to add a massive 2,080 electric buses to the city's fleet this year, helping to modernise public transport and clean up the capital's air.
At the same time, around 1,000 ageing diesel buses will be retired, making room for a greener, more efficient system.
Delhi currently operates around 7,000 buses, but only about 2,152 of these are electric. With this new rollout, the number of EV buses will nearly double — a major step towards a cleaner, quieter city.
The PM E-DRIVE scheme (short for Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement) aims to incentivise over 14,000 electric buses across nine major Indian cities — all with populations over 4 million.
Cleaner air: Reducing diesel emissions is vital for Delhi’s famously poor air quality.
Better service: New buses will help plug the gaps caused by retiring old vehicles.
Bigger fleet: By 2026, Delhi plans to have 11,000 buses operating — almost doubling its current fleet!
Horse Powertrain Ltd is the product of Geely and Renault Group, a joint venture into designing and manufacturing vehicle engines. Now, at Auto Shanghai 2025, Horse have revealed their latest concept: a hybrid powertrain with the functionality to be retrofitted into electric vehicles!
First, you may ask, what is a powertrain? A powertrain encompasses the systems in your vehicle that make it move: the engine, the transmission and more! In slightly more scientific terms, its job is to take kinetic energy and transform it into propulsion motion.
This innovative Future Hybrid Concept contains an internal combustion engine (ICE), an electric motor, and transmission, all within a single unit which can be fixed into the space with the electric vehicles’ (EVs) main drive motor. Acting, therefore, as a range extender to the existing battery!
But what does this mean? With this powertrain, vehicle manufacturers will be able to retrofit this new unit without needing to re-engineer the whole car! Not only will this eliminate the need for multiple production lines in automakers’ factories, thus saving time, money and resources spent on conversions, but it will also provide automakers with an easy way to meet changing customer demand.
“The company’s new hybrid unit allows OEMs to offer powertrain diversity with minimal disruption to production process and resource expenditure” - Horse Powertrain CEO, Matias Giannini.
Horse’s hybrid conversion concept is designed to be used all around the world in the future, adhering to global safety and crash standards. Additionally, this design is not limited to EVs, as the concept supposedly could fit into an ICE vehicle too.
Horse plans for their Future Hybrid Concept to be in vehicles and on the road by 2028!
Global electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales jumped 29% year-on-year in March, driven by growth in China and Europe. However, EV sales in North America faced some challenges due to recent uncertainty over tariffs, according to new data released by Rho Motion.
One of the major hurdles in the U.S. is the impact of tariffs on car imports, which could force automakers with production outside the U.S., to either hike prices or shift their manufacturing. Around 39% of EVs sold in the U.S. are imported, and about a quarter of the vehicles made locally rely on imported batteries.
Despite these challenges, the global growth trend continued, contributing to a 29% boost in sales during the first quarter of the year.
What does the data say?In March, global sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) hit 1.7 million units..
China saw a 36% increase in sales compared to March 2024, reaching nearly 1 million vehicles.
Europe reported a 24% year-on-year growth, with 400,000 cars sold, boosted by stricter emission targets and regulations in major car markets like Germany, Italy, and the UK.
North America (U.S. and Canada) saw a 12% increase in sales, totaling 200,000 vehicles in March.
The rest of the world saw a 13% increase in sales.
Despite the wider challenges, the global trend points to a continued rise in EV adoption, driven by strong growth in key markets around the world.
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