InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast · InsideEVs - Electric Vehicle News

America’s EV Battery Bust, Tesla Execs Quit, & Rivian-VW Updates

·56 min·1 clip

Key insight from segment 5

Tim Levin opens with the market's new problem: too many batteries. He and Mac Hogan treat that oversupply as a sign that the EV boom is running into a tougher reality, where supply, pricing, and demand do not always line up the way the industry wanted. Then the Tesla news lands. They talk through the departures of two leaders tied to the Model Y and Cybertruck programs, using the turnover to think about what it means when even the company that set the pace keeps losing key people. The Rivian story takes up real space. Tim describes getting back from Rivian's offices, where he spoke with Rivian's co-CEO and came away with a clearer sense of how seriously Rivian is treating the Volkswagen software deal and the work of becoming a durable car company. That turns into the real argument. The pair dig into whether automakers now need to master software architecture, autonomy, and upgradeability the way they once mastered engines and stamping, or whether they can keep leaning on outside partners to handle the hardest modern work. Volkswagen gets a lot of scrutiny. They note that VW is also working with Xpeng in China and Mobileye on autonomous testing, which makes the company's strategy look less like one clean plan and more like a set of trusted dependencies. Rivian is not treated like a magic fix. Instead, the conversation keeps circling back to the practical question of whether VW can learn enough from Rivian without flattening the differences that make either brand worth caring about. There is some banter. Mac fills in for Patrick, Tim jokes through the setup, and the episode keeps its loose, conversational rhythm while still staying on the numbers and the business logic. The argument widens. They ask what a future car company has to be good at if battery tech, range, and efficiency become more uniform across the market. The answer is not obvious. What matters most, they suggest, is the software stack, the autonomy story, and the way those choices change how a car feels to live with. The episode ends on a note of cautious clarity. For listeners following EV strategy rather than just product launches, it offers a useful snapshot of where the industry is getting squeezed and where it still has room to stand apart.

As heard by us

A brisk EV news roundup on too many batteries, Tesla turnover, and the Rivian-Volkswagen software deal.

This episode looks at three EV stories: too many batteries, Tesla losing two leaders tied to the Model Y and Cybertruck programs, and the Rivian-Volkswagen software deal.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want the week's EV headlines without the fluff, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast