Transcription
Hey everyone, Msco Electric here. Today is Sunday, May 17th, 2026, and this is the Current, your weekly EV news in about 10 minutes.
Several regular viewers have asked or remarked about how oil and gas prices might be affecting electric vehicle sales. We'll start off this episode exploring some recent and relevant research. According to JD P's 2026 US electric vehicle consideration study, which was published this week, more new vehicle shoppers are considering electric vehicles. The study found that 26% of new vehicle shoppers in April said that they're very likely to consider purchasing an EV, which is up 3 percentage points from March and a modest onepoint year-over-year increase to 25%. The share of shoppers very unlikely to consider an EV dropped four points month overmonth to 18%. Researchers attributed the bump directly to rising fuel costs which have heightened interest in more efficient options.
The Transportation Energy Institute has published an analysis of historical data and academic studies indicating that while higher gasoline prices consistently support greater EV adoption, the impact is moderate and depends heavily on market conditions. They show demand elasticity correlation between battery electric vehicle sales and gas prices to range between 0.5 and.9. For example, a 20% rise in gas prices might boost BEV sales by roughly 10 to 18%. With all else equal, the correlation is weaker for hybrids and strongest for affordable all electric models. They found that short-term spikes primarily drive consideration and search behavior, while sustained increases from 6 to 18 months are shown to meaningfully shift purchases. This is substantiated by cars.com who said searches for electric vehicles surged 25% last month. To note, roughly 10 to 15% of consumers are actively shopping for a new vehicle at any time due to long vehicle replacement cycles averaging 8 to 12 years.
Cox Automotives EV market monitor for April 2026 reflects this nuance. Here in the US, new EV sales totaled an estimated 76,889 units, down about 23% year-over-year and 6% month overmonth. Their numbers show that only 5.6% of total new vehicle sales were fully electric in the US in April. Used EV sales, however, rose 16.7% year-over-year to 42,080 units, reaching a record 2.8% market share, supported by better inventory availability.
Despite growing interest in EVs, buyers remain deterred by other concerns. JD Power noted that top reasons for EV rejections include charging availability and charging time. Purchase price has become a more prominent barrier recently, cited by 42% overall and ranking higher among younger shoppers and those rejecting EVs in the month of April. The Transportation Energy Institute also emphasized that fuel price effects are secondary to those factors. They believe current fuel price shock is expected to modestly shift the sales mix towards lowerpriced all-electric models in coming months if elevated gas prices persist. But it's unlikely to dramatically accelerate overall EV adoption without additional support. Used EVs and lowerc cost new EVs like the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, upcoming Kia EV3 and Tesla Cyber Cab seem to be positioned well for these market conditions. What is the most important factor for you when considering buying a vehicle or considering an EV?
Volkswagen announced this week that the ID Buzz will return to the US market for the 2027 model year. As we previously reported, the brand skipped US import of the 2026 model, citing lower thanex expected sales of 2025 models, high inventory levels, and import tariffs. The refreshed 2027 IDBuzz lineup features several updates based on customer feedback, including a new factorybacked camper package. Volkswagen streamlined the trim structure to include the Pros rearwheel drive, a new Pros S4 motion all-wheel drive model, the new Tourer 4ion all-wheel drive, and the topsp spec Pros S Plus 4 motion with all-wheel drive. The standout addition is the Tourer 4ion camper trim, which brings Europe's popular goodn night package to the US. It includes a foldout mattress and platform, magnetic window shades for all glass surfaces, including the panoramic roof, front side window ventilation panels, and an overnight mode for efficient climate and battery management while sleeping. Additional features on the Tourer include second row captain's chairs, a retractable tow hitch, surround view camera, dimmable glass roof, and black 20-in wheels.
All 2027 US models will include a North American charging system adapter for direct access to Tesla Superchargers, true one pedal driving that brings the vehicle to a complete stop using regenerative braking, and the latest infotainment system with faster navigation, easier setting access, and a new app store supporting third-party apps like Spotify and YouTube. Styling updates include exclusive two-tone paint schemes, such as a new candy white over cherry red option, along with fresh wheel designs that pay homage to the classic micro bus. Production is scheduled to ramp up in summer of 2026 with vehicles expected to reach US dealers starting in August and broader availability continuing into early 2027. Pricing has not yet been released, though 2025 models started around $61,000 MSRP. While new models are incoming, many independentlyowned VW franchise dealerships are reportedly marking down new 2025 ID Buzz inventory up to $15,000 off with some examples starting as low as about $45,000. What price point do you think the ID Buzz becomes a fair value considering its maximum range of 234 mi?
Volkswagen also announced that the ID4 would be resurrected and a future version is currently planned for the North American market. There is no word yet on when it will be released, but we will keep you updated. As always, Tesla revealed it will invest an additional $250 million to expand battery cell manufacturing at its Gigab Berlin Bradenberg factory, increasing capacity from 8 to 18 gawatt hours. The investment focuses on ramping production of Tesla's 4680 cylindrical battery cells, which are designed for higher energy density, improved range, and lower costs compared to previous formats. Once fully operational, the expanded facility is expected to produce enough cells to support roughly 250,000 to 350,000 vehicles per year, depending on pack configurations and vehicle models. This latest commitment brings the total investment in the site's cell production unit close to $1.2 billion and will create more than 1,500 new battery related jobs as production scales. Integrated cellto vehicle manufacturing is targeted to begin in 2027.
The move aligns with Tesla's broader strategy as highlighted in its recent Q1 2026 earnings calls and reports. The company outlined capital expenditures exceeding $25 billion for 2026, including significant investments across multiple factories to enhance vertical integration, battery production, and supply chain resilience amid growing demand for electric vehicles in Europe and globally. Tesla's European sales have shown a strong rebound in 2026 following a challenging 2025 when registrations fell nearly 28% to around 235,000 units amid increased competition and political headwinds. In Q1 of 2026, Tesla delivered over 78,000 vehicles across Europe, a roughly 45% increase year-over-year with particularly sharp gains in key markets such as Germany, which was up 160% in Q1, including a record 315% surge in March after the country reinstated their EV rebate program. France also showed an improvement of more than 100% in March, thanks in part to their popular social leasing program, which provides discounts for European-made EVs.
California's Governor Gavin Newsome announced this week that California is opening a major new rebate program to accelerate the adoption of zero emission commercial trucks across the state. The California Clean Fuel Reward program, funded through the state's lowcarbon fuel standard, will provide point of sale rebates ranging from $7,500 to $120,000 per vehicle for new electric, medium, and heavy duty commercial trucks. Applications are now opened for authorized retailers with rebates becoming available to public and private fleets starting June 26th. About $250 million will be available this year, with total funding expected to exceed $1 billion through 2030, making it the largest utility administered rebate program for electric trucks in the country. These new rebates are designed to stack on top of California's longunning hybrid and zero emission truck and bus voucher incentive project. HVIP administered by the California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB, offers vouchers of up to $120,000 depending on vehicle class and battery size for qualifying electric trucks and buses. Specifically for class 8 trucks, the two programs can be combined, potentially bringing total incentives to more than $200,000 per vehicle and dramatically lowering the upfront cost of fleets. This new initiative aims to boost zero emission truck sales as electric, medium, and heavy duty truck sales slowed in 2025 overall. As always, I have included links to the details of the program in each of the other stories in this video's description.
This week, we published two new detailed comfort commuter cruiser ebike reviews to the Misco Electric Ride Reviews channel. You can now watch our coverage of the stunning premium 10ways Wayfairer and an affordable budget model from Pucky Puppy called the Poodle, which sells for less than $1,000. We publish discount links and coupon codes for each one, too. Links to the reviews are in the video's description and on this video's end screen if you want to watch them next.
Well, that wraps up this episode of the current weekly EV news. If you liked it, I hope you'll hit the like button and then hype button, which helps new viewers to discover this show. The hype button is extremely helpful and we're grateful for those of you who have been using it weekly. Thank you for joining us this week and until next time, drive, fly, ride. Go electric. Go electric.