On this week's episode of TEN

Slate pricing, Xiaomi's new Nurburgring record, and the U.S. Federal Government bans Polestar from sales in the U.S.

Show notes, links and script at: https://www.transportevolved.com/2026/06/27/ten-588-slate-confirms-price-xiaomi-autonomous-record-polestar-banned-in-u-s/

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⏱️ Episode Timeline

00:00 - Introduction and sponsor shoutouts

🎙️ Credits:

Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan right-to-repair bill to make it easier to fix your own car. By the time it passed committee, the automakers had rewritten it.

After years of attempts by right-to-repair advocates — and as the efficacy of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act faded in the world of connected cars — that bill set out to make it easier for independent garages and owners to work on vehicles, and harder for automakers to mandate franchised-dealer repairs.

But between being introduced with bipartisan support in both chambers and passing committee, it was irrevocably changed into something with less clout, fewer rights, and more protection for the very industry consumers needed protecting from. Today, we delve into those pieces of legislation, ask what changed — and who's ultimately to blame.

✍️ Editorial note — on "the Kia Boys" and the @MarkRober video:

In the security section I reference "the Kia Boys" and link Mark Rober's "I Outsmarted Pro Car Thieves." To be precise, these are two separate vulnerabilities. The Kia Boys phenomenon exploited a hardware gap: Kia and Hyundai vehicles built for the US market between roughly 2011 and 2021 that lacked an engine immobilizer, making them startable with a stripped USB connector — a flaw so widespread it drove a measurable spike in thefts and a wave of insurance refusals. Rober's video demonstrates a more sophisticated attack: a relay/amplification exploit against keyless entry and push-button start, which affects a far broader range of modern vehicles.

I've grouped them because they illustrate the same throughline: automakers have repeatedly shipped vehicles with avoidable security weaknesses, then leaned on "for your safety, we can't open this up" as an argument against right to repair. The history doesn't support that framing — and open scrutiny tends to find these flaws faster than locked-down secrecy does.

⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction

📚 Sources & Further Reading

Please find the full show notes - including links to cited information - at https://www.transportevolved.com/2026/06/25/congress-tried-to-pass-right-to-repair-automakers-got-it-rewritten/

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Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Back in 2023, we started a new web series built around a simple idea: take your existing EV — in our case, a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier — and give it some of the features and benefits of a newer model, without actually buying a newer model.

Three years on, those original upgrades (a ceramic coating, wireless CarPlay, and a semi-autonomous driver assistance system courtesy of a Comma 3 running StarPilot) are still going strong... but a few of the planned jobs fell victim to some serious procrastination. Well, the procrastination is over — and it's finally time to catch up.

In today's video, Nikki replaces the Bolt EV's wireless phone charging slot with one that actually works with modern phones, and swaps out the cracked, temperamental, gummed-up center touchscreen for a clean factory replacement.

Driver Assistance (Our 2023 Upgrade)

comma — Maker of the comma 3 we fitted, now the comma 3X and comma four - https://comma.ai

StarPilot — The openpilot fork we run, with strong GM / radar-less Bolt support - https://github.com/firestar5683/StarPilot

StarPilot Wiki — Install guides, hardware lists, and configuration - https://wiki.firestar.link

Wireless Qi Charging

NOTE: This only works if your Bolt already has factory wireless charging — RPO code K4C, which on the Bolt means a 2LT or Premier with the infotainment package.

ACDelco GM Gen II Qi Module — The bare module we fitted (fits 2017–2019 Bolt); ACDelco part 46889 - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ACDelco+46889

404 Parts Gen II Qi Retrofit Kit — Plug-and-play alternative with a jumper harness, no cutting required (fits 2017–2018 Bolt) - https://404parts.com/products/gm-wireless-charging

Center Touchscreen Display

NOTE: This is a year-specific GM part — a 2019 or 2020+ unit will NOT fit a 2017 Bolt. Confirm fitment before buying.

GM Parts Direct — Search "2017 Chevrolet Bolt display system" and filter to your year - https://www.gmpartsdirect.com

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Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Late last Friday, while preparing to publish that week's episode of TEN — Transport Evolved News — the power to the TE Studio flickered. Then the lights went out.

We've owned a Ford F-150 Lightning for four years, and the Ford Home Integration System — recently discontinued entirely, and never 100% reliable — for nearly as long. Yet only recently have we seen Ford's system show even an interest in working properly.

This power cut wasn't a freak event. It wasn't a planned outage, or a safety disconnection to prevent forest fires. Someone lost control of their car and took out a power pole — and it was 14 hours until mains power came back on.

So were we sitting in the dark? Or did the Ford system actually behave well enough to keep us reliably powered? It's time to find out.

⏱️ Episode Timeline

00:00 Introduction: Ortegas & the Ford Charge Station Pro

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The Volkswagen Group — one in every ten cars sold worldwide — has quietly locked down third-party API access to its connected vehicle services, making it exclusively pay-to-play for developers and killing off the open-source tools thousands of owners relied on for solar charging, Home Assistant integrations, and more. The official reason? Data protection. The reality? Meet CARIAD — the same software arm that left 800,000 customers' vehicle data sitting in an unprotected cloud bucket, no password required.

We dig into why Volkswagen's decision is bad for owners, bad for security, and bad for the right-to-repair movement — and why, if history is any guide, enthusiasts will find another way in anyway. Plus: why open-source API access makes connected cars more secure, not less, and what hardware alternatives already exist for owners who want their data back.

If you're a Transport Evolved regular, you know how we feel about this. And if you're new here — welcome. Pull up a chair.

00:00 - Introduction

Sources and Further Reading:

The VW API Announcement

The CARIAD Data Breach

TechCrunch — Terabytes of VW Group customer data left exposed for months

Dark Reading — Breakdown of what data was exposed and who was affected

Further Reading

Electrive — Industry perspective on the closure and its implications

Consumer Rights Wiki — Detailed timeline of the shutdown and community response

Open Source For You — EU Data Act implications of the closure

EVCC GitHub Discussion — Community thread tracking the closure in real time

Open Source Tools

EVCC on GitHub — Source code

OVMS — Open Vehicle Monitoring System

OVMS on GitHub — Source code

Nikki's local-fcsp Home Assistant integration — Open-source Ford Charge Station Pro integration

Background

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EDITORIAL NOTE: Donut Lab has alleged that Ziroth's Dr Ryan Hughes holds a commercial partnership with battery manufacturer CATL. Transport Evolved could find no evidence of any such partnership at the time of publication. Additionally, we would like to note that the most effective way to counter these allegations would be to open its cells to independent, non-commercial testing at a well-respected independent test facility, covering:

Battery construction

We look forward to seeing the results and covering them here on Transport Evolved.

At CES this January, battery startup Donut Lab made some pretty massive claims about a new battery pack it said was the world's first commercial solid-state pack. It promised to bring that pack — with some pretty large claims on battery performance, lifespan, and charging capabilities — to the refreshed Verge TS Pro motorcycle, a bike designed and built by its sister company, Verge Motorcycles.

Almost immediately, the company faced criticism and calls to back up its claims with independent lab testing. Through its "I Donut Believe" campaign, it claimed to offer exactly that — but steered clear of the two areas its critics most wanted to hear about: energy density and cycle life.

Now, hot on the heels of legal action from a former employee of one of its partner firms, new investigative reporting from YouTuber and engineer Dr. Ryan Hughes of @ZirothTech appears to debunk Donut Lab's claims entirely. What was sold as a revolutionary solid-state pack may be nothing more than a common-or-garden lithium-ion cell.

Here's what we know, what's likely to happen next, and why Donut Lab may have a lot of explaining to do

00:00 - Introduction

Sources and Further Reading:

🎥 Ziroth — "Exposing The Solid State Donut Battery. It's Over." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5oyVNjrUPI

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Last month, Progressive Insurance - working with a local accident repair shop - decided it wasn't possible to repair our Ford F-150 Lightning after a small crack developed on the underside of one of its rear bumper mount plates... since the plate itself wasn't available and the only repair procedure the shop wanted to do seemed to involve a total chassis replacement.

A replacement that would, of course, have cost so much the truck would be deemed a total loss and uneconomical to repair.

Yet an 11th hour reprieve (thanks to some contacts at Ford) saw us gain an officially sanctioned repair that we - and the insurance adjuster - wanted to carry out from the very start. Here's what we learned about the repair process, things to do if you find yourself in the same situation - and why the resulting harassment from our original video has made us even more determined to stick around a while.

⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction

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Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

On this week's episode of TEN - Transport Evolved News!

Tesla stands accused by some customers of retroactively amending their FSD contracts, Volkswagen decides to ban all third-party API access for its telematics systems across all of its brands, and a court case in the Netherlands decides that pedaling an e-bike might not actually mean you need to make the pedals do a full revolution.

These stories and more, on today's show!

Show notes, links and script at: https://www.transportevolved.com/2026/06/06/ten-585-tesla-tweaks-fsd-contracts-vw-bans-api-access-whats-pedaling/

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⏱️ Episode Timeline

00:00 Introduction & sponsors

🎙️ Credits:

At the tail end of 2016, Nikki sat on a press call with other journalists — and Tesla CEO Elon Musk — after the automaker announced its latest iteration of its semi-autonomous driver assistance system: Tesla Autopilot 2.0.

She asked a simple question: since Volvo had just promised to indemnify drivers against blame if its semi-autonomous system caused an accident, would Tesla do the same thing? Elon Musk said "No" — but not with a simple reply. He did so by railing against automotive journalists who he accused of killing people.

It's been ten years — and we just heard of an automaker finally promising to indemnify its customers from blame, and financial costs, if its semi-autonomous system caused an accident. Enter BYD, which is making that bold promise in relation to its own system — God's Eye. But while BYD is making the pledge, and the automotive media is excited by the promise, there's a layer of nuance missing.

So today, we're going to dig deep, examine the past and the present, and ask just why Tesla never offered indemnity — while BYD now is. Unfortunately, it's not for the reasons we'd hope. And the two firms' very different approaches come back to the same base motivation: money and survival.

⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction

📊 Sources and Further Reading:

The Story

Electrek — BYD God's Eye indemnity announcement: https://electrek.co/2026/06/01/byd-gods-eye-accepts-liability-tesla-never-has/

xAutoWorld — Full transcript of October 2016 Tesla Autopilot press call: https://xautoworld.com/news/transcript-elon-musk-autopilot-2-conference-call/

SAE Levels of Driving Automation

Official SAE J3016 visual chart (free to share): https://legacy.sae.org/binaries/content/assets/cm/content/blog/sae-j3016-visual-chart_5.3.21.pdf

SAE J3016 full standard: https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_202104

Tesla, BYD, Safety Concerns

Reuters — Tesla FSD Mad Max mode investigation: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-autopilot-safety/

Autoblog — BYD God's Eye serious problems: https://www.autoblog.com/news/byds-gods-eye-self-driving-system-is-running-into-serious-problems

Bloomberg — BYD God's Eye user complaints: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-24/byd-s-god-s-eye-flaws-expose-risk-of-rush-into-high-tech-cars

World Heart Rhythm Week

Official WHRW2026 page — Arrhythmia Alliance: https://heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/us/get-involved/world-heart-rhythm-week

Long QT Syndrome Resources

Johns Hopkins Medicine — LQTS overview: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/long-qt-syndrome-lqts

Boston Children's Hospital — LQTS in young people: https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-treatments/long-qt-syndrome

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Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

For many years, Ferrari has done everything in its power to keep making large-displacement, throaty-engined hypercars for the wealthy. It's shunned any notion of environmental responsibility, lobbied countless lawmakers around the world for exemptions from EV mandates, fuel economy targets, and emissions standards — all while moving away from the aspirational bedroom-wall poster brand of the 1980s and toward an investment vehicle for wealthy 0.1%ers.

But last week, it finally brought an EV into the spotlight. The Ferrari Luce. Part engineering exercise, part design exercise in self-congratulation, the Luce may be built in-house — but it owes more to Apple's iconic computers of the late '90s and early 2000s than it does to most Ferraris that came before it. And, being a Ferrari, it will of course attract customers who will enthusiastically buy one for their collection, just as hardened automotive fans reject it with the vehemence of a rare-steak devotee presented with a mushroom burger.

But alongside the critique, the criticism, and yes, some pearl-clutching from the peanut gallery, we think the Ferrari Luce does one thing perfectly: it highlights the inequalities that exist in the EV world today — the issues we're seeing time and time again as affordable models become increasingly rare, and an obsession with the ultra-wealthy drives the conversation toward whatever is in vogue, rather than what actually makes the world a better place.

Let's go there.

⏱️ Episode Timeline

00:00 Introduction

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🎙️ Credits:

Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield