InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast · InsideEVs - Electric Vehicle News

The 5 Best EVs We Drove In 2025 + Ford Kills The F-150 Lightning

·1 hr 12 min·4 clips

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ technology gets 373 miles of range and 320-kilowatt fast charging.

1. InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast focuses on Ford’s EV retreat, the Mercedes-Benz CLA, and the 2026 Breakthrough Awards. 2. Hosts Patrick George and Tim Levin lead the show, with InsideEVs deputy editor Mac Hogan joining to explain the Breakthrough Awards and Ford’s market shift. 3. The episode asks whether Ford’s cuts, Mercedes’ new CLA, and this year’s award contenders show where the EV market is headed. 4. Ford canceled the F-150 Lightning, the T3 pickup, and a next-generation electric van. 5. Ford also ended a $6.5 billion battery deal with LG and dissolved its joint venture with SK On. 6. Ford said it will redirect money toward gas and hybrid pickups, extended-range EVs, affordable EVs, and energy storage. 7. Andrew Frick said Ford is moving money away from large EVs that have “no path to profitability.” 8. Mac Hogan notes that Ford will take a $19.5 billion write-down from the shakeup. 9. The hosts compare Ford’s current EV lineup to its earlier expectations for the F-150 Lightning and other second-generation models. 10. Mac says Ford’s Skunk Works program now carries much of the company’s EV future, including a $30,000 electric truck planned for 2027. 11. Patrick George says the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ technology is a clean reset for Mercedes EVs after the EQS and EQE. 12. He cites 373 miles of official range, Edmunds’ 434-mile test result, 320-kilowatt charging, and a starting price around $47,000. 13. Patrick says the CLA drives smoothly in the Bay Area and feels like a Mercedes rather than a compromised EV. 14. The hosts note that Mercedes plans an urban hands-on automated driving system that Patrick says he will discuss later. 15. Mac Hogan says Breakthrough Awards were built to honor EVs that break down barriers like charging anxiety, practicality, and price. 16. The rules required new or substantially updated 2025 or 2026 models, on sale in America, with one car per manufacturer group. 17. Mac describes the 2025 field as more mature than 2024, with cars that are easier to recommend to friends and family. 18. The conversation sounds like a weekly newsroom debate, with quick transitions, self-correction, and repeated back-and-forth among Patrick, Tim, and Mac. 19. People interested in Ford, Mercedes EVs, and current electric-car comparisons. 20. Listeners wanting a narrative deep-dive into one brand or one model.

As heard by us

A grounded transportation-news roundup that favors judgment over polish.

Ford's EV retreat, Patrick George's Lightning drive, and the 2026 Breakthrough Awards give the episode its frame. The hosts stay on the transportation beat and spend more time on what the news suggests than on reciting the headlines.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the transportation-news take that actually names the EV turns and tradeoffs.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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