BRIEFLY: Lucid Cosmos, Rivian R2, Polestar 3 & more | 14 Mar 2026

t's EV News Briefly for Saturday 14 March 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.

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LUCID SHOWS COSMOS AHEAD OF 2026 LAUNCH
Lucid Motors revealed the Cosmos, a midsize SUV targeting "upscale nurturers," with production planned by end of 2026 but meaningful sales not expected until 2027. The cab-forward SUV rides on an 800V architecture with Atlas drive unit motors, a J3400 charging port, and a new centralised electrical architecture designed to cut wiring costs and lower insurance expenses.

LUCID SHOWS LUNAR ROBOTAXI CONCEPT
Lucid unveiled the Lunar, a two-seat robotaxi concept with steer-by-wire, no steering wheel or pedals, and a large central display, built on the same 800V midsize platform as the Cosmos. It targets an impressive 5.5–6 miles per kWh efficiency and DC fast-charging performance of 200+ miles of range in 15 minutes, achieved through aggressive aerodynamic tuning that allows a smaller battery pack.

UBER NEARS SECOND LUCID ROBOTAXI DEAL
Uber is finalising a deal with Lucid to deploy its midsize platform as a robotaxi at volumes comparable to the existing 20,000-unit Gravity SUV contract. If confirmed at similar scale, the combined Lucid-Uber robotaxi programme would total roughly 40,000 vehicles across two platforms.

RIVIAN R2 TIMELINE TIGHTENS
Rivian has unveiled the R2 Performance starting at $57,990, but buyers cannot yet configure the car online and reservation holders won't learn their estimated order time until June. This puts Rivian's previously stated Spring delivery window in serious doubt, as orders won't enter production until June at the earliest.

POLESTAR 3 ADDS 800V TECH FOR AUSTRALIA
Polestar has updated the Polestar 3 with 800V architecture enabling up to 350kW DC fast charging and a 10–80% charge time of just 22 minutes, alongside a new NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processor replacing the older Xavier chip. The range now spans three trims with battery packs of 92kWh or 106kWh, and existing owners will receive a complimentary hardware retrofit for the upgraded computing platform.

STELLANTIS HOLDS TALKS WITH XIAOMI AND XPENG
Stellantis is in talks with Xiaomi and Xpeng about deals that could include Chinese carmakers taking stakes in Stellantis brands like Maserati and accessing European manufacturing facilities. In return, Stellantis hopes to gain EV and software technology it has struggled to develop competitively, and is also exploring a deeper tie-up with Leapmotor for affordable EVs in Europe.

VOLKSWAGEN MISSES EU CO2 TARGET, AVOIDS FINES
Volkswagen missed its 2025 EU fleet CO2 target, finishing at 100g/km against its 95g/km limit, despite BEV deliveries rising 32% to nearly 1 million units. The EU's three-year compliance mechanism means no immediate fines, but the group must now meet fleet limits in 2026 and 2027, primarily through an accelerated BEV push built around its Electric Urban Car Family rollout.

LEAPMOTOR B10 OTA ADDS ONE-PEDAL DRIVING
Leapmotor pushed a major OTA update to the B10 six months after launch, adding one-pedal driving, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, split-screen navigation, and a Quick Start mode — all without requiring a dealer visit. The update also brings customisable steering wheel shortcut buttons and more natural adaptive cruise control behaviour in bends, with the B10 priced from €33,300.

GM BACKS RARE EV1 RESTORATION
GM is actively supporting the restoration of V212, one of the few surviving EV1s, after the car sold at auction for over $100,000 following its discovery in a Georgia impound lot. GM President Mark Reuss invited the restoration team to GM's Global Technical Center, supplying parts and technical documentation, with the goal of completing the project before the EV1's 30th anniversary in November 2026.