This is the fastest relaxation you will find

Nobody likes it when their chosen form of transportation breaks down - and regardless of how it's powered, the risk it might need a tow is still there.

So today, after reading some pretty horrifying accounts recently of tow truck drivers failing to properly tow EVs and plug-ins, Nikki has a question for you: have you encountered a tow truck driver who didn't understand how to tow an EV? Or perhaps you've encountered one that was an amazing expat?

Either way, share your stories below!

Stay safe, stay engaged. Please watch our livestream from January.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxKt_APYQug

About The Transport Evolved Sunday Musings:
These informal, unscripted vlog-style videos are a chance for the team to ask the audience their opinions on topics in the world of cleaner, greener, safer, smarter and more equitable transportation and energy - and are filmed without a teleprompter in a single take.

Presenter: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield.
Camera, Editor, Colorist: Vi Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music supplied through Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2026

Support the Channel

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👉 Watch our explainer first: https://youtu.be/mwzwEssgqNI

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As the temperature rises, Nikki has been continuing her planting - but she's also managed to replace her greenhouse cover AND plant it up for the growing season.

Plus, her plan of giving away her excess plants has been a rip-roaring success!

Stay safe, stay engaged. If you can, please take a few hours to watch our livestream from earlier this year. It shares some things that we can all do to resist peacefully, smartly, and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.https://youtube.com/live/OxKt_APYQug

About The Chicken and Garden Updates:
These informal, unscripted vlog-style videos are a chance for the team to share some of the fun things happening in their respective gardens - and are filmed without a teleprompter in a single take.

Presenter: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield.
Camera, Editor, Colorist: Vi Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music supplied through Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2026

Support the Channel

🌟 Become a member for exclusive perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC675NhQ4EU5TzwCMwYp5XCw/join

💖 Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved

☕ Buy the team a coffee — or a meal:
https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved

₿ Donate using Bitcoin:
BC1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH

📬 Send us mail!
PO Box info: https://www.transportevolved.com

👕 Grab Transport Evolved merch:
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https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/153008127

Follow Us Online

📺 Our Main Channel – Transport Evolved
💬 Join our Discord – https://discord.gg/U3tnkGNfCA
🐘 Mastodon – https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/

🇬🇧 Plasma 6.7: You can now remove apps from the Kickoff Application Launcher’s Favorites view by dragging them out of the view and over any part of the rest of the widget. (Christoph Wolk, plasma-desktop MR #3662)

🇩🇪 Plasma 6.7: Sie können nun Apps aus der Ansicht Favoriten des Kickoff Anwendungsstarters entfernen, indem Sie sie aus der Ansicht heraus und auf einen beliebigen Teil des restlichen Widgets ziehen. (Christoph Wolk, plasma-desktop MR #3662)

On this week's TEN — Transport Evolved News!

Lexus officially unveils its 3-row all-electric SUV - the 2027 Lexus TZ; Subaru's newest U.S. lease deals make its EVs cheaper than a comparable ICE model; and a Chinese plug-in hybrid that does what the Tesla Cybertruck couldn't: turn into a boat and cross a river without a bridge!

Show notes, links and script at: https://www.transportevolved.com/2026/05/09/ten-581-lexus-tz-subaru-lease-deals-the-plug-in-that-actually-floats/

⏱️ Episode Timeline:
00:00 - Introduction and Sponsor Shoutouts
00:33 - Welcome to the show
00:45 - Rivian hints at R2 pickup and R2X variants; VW becomes Rivian's largest shareholder; Georgia plant expansion
01:41 - Mercedes-Benz prices the electric C-Class in Europe
02:52 - Porsche to discontinue the ICE Macan
04:02 - Lexus debuts its 3-row electric SUV
05:09 - Lucid withdraws year-end guidance, blames supplier issues
06:11 - Honda cancels its Canadian EV factory plans
07:07 - Nissan cancels U.S. EV production and closes a Sunderland line
08:06 - Massachusetts signs with Vineyard Wind; 165 wind projects blocked by the Trump Administration
09:10 - Ford teases its secret EV lab to select journalists
10:33 - Cheaper to lease a Subaru EV than an ICE Subaru!
11:38 - Sponsor Segment - CCAN Action Fund
12:55 - Tesla Cybertruck recalled for wheel stud issue
13:11 - Stellantis recalls Dodge and Jeep EVs for instrument panel fault
13:25 - California cops can now ticket autonomous vehicles
13:44 - EU and India launch joint EV battery recycling initiative
13:55 - Bloomberg NEF: EVs displaced 2.3M barrels of oil per day in 2025
14:07 - Mercedes-Benz ramps up electric GLC production
14:17 - Nissan tweaks the Ariya where it's still sold
14:29 - Spain announces €100M EV charging funding
14:39 - The Mobility House launches ChargePilot as a standalone product
14:51 - Kia cuts prices on the EV6 range
15:03 - Electra Battery Materials signs deal with the Canadian Government
15:15 - Australia extends its EV incentive scheme
15:28 - Tovion unveils its powered eTrailer
15:38 - eBusCo explores a partial sale to survive
15:48 - Two million EVs now on UK roads
15:59 - Zeekr X updated with faster charging
16:13 - Volkswagen denies BYD acquisition rumours
16:25 - BYD's latest sales figures
16:40 - ABB unveils its OM X-Series megawatt charger
16:53 - Geely rumoured to acquire part of Ford's Valencia plant
17:06 - Workhorse secures a 100-vehicle order
17:18 - Bosch updates its e-bike drive units
17:29 - BYD sells its most expensive EV ever
17:42 - Automobilwoche: VW working on new 'Gamechanger' production system
17:55 - Germany commits €1B to heavy-duty EV charging infrastructure
18:07 - Porsche Taycan sets new Nürburgring record
18:20 - Norway's first fully driverless autonomous bus is now in service
18:34 - Norway hits 98.6% EV sales in April
18:46 - Juiced Bikes is back from the dead
18:55 - BYD Flash charging coming to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
19:06 - Ford reinstates employee pricing for EVs
19:17 - Nivalis Energy acquires SolarEdge e-Mobility
19:29 - BYD Datang claims 100,000 orders since launch
19:42 - It's Electric bringing 1,000 charging stations to Philadelphia
19:52 - Greenlane expands electric truck charging into Texas
20:02 - Fraunhofer ISI: German auto industry further into EV transition than thought
20:15 - Rocsys unveils its S2 autonomous heavy-duty charging robot
20:27 - Global EV battery market hits 244.6 GWh in Q1
20:43 - DAF starts production of XG Electric and XG+ Electric trucks
20:54 - Segway launches a 60 mph electric dirt bike
21:15 - Sponsor Segment - You
21:54 - And EnergySage!
22:29 - Honda patents a simulated clutch for electric motorcycles
23:39 - Chery's Jetour G700 plug-in hybrid crosses a river. As a boat.
24:52 - Closing Sponsor Acknowledgements
25:58 - Closing messages

🎙️ Credits:

Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2026

Solar panels destroying farms? The U.S. President and members of his cabinet say so. The peer-reviewed science says otherwise — and we've got the receipts.

We're back with another FUD-busting episode, and this time it's something near and dear to Nikki's heart. From claims that renewable energy can't coexist with farming, to the idea that solar panels monopolize prime agricultural land, we dig into the actual evidence — and show this narrative for what it is: a malicious attempt to stop farmers, rural communities, and working families from gaining the energy independence that could save the family farm.

⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction
03:34 - Nikki does have some skin in the game
06:17 - The President hates wind turbines
07:49 - It's not just wind...
09:16 - Meet Agrivoltaics
11:25 - A personal example of solar panel improvements
12:41 - Modern solar panels are better
14:32 - Most people don't understand how plants grow...
16:21 - Solar panels are good for crops - and the science backs it up
17:53 - There are some crops that don't do so well... but...
20:32 - Animals
26:43 - Farming isn't profitable these days...
29:09 - Edge cases - Bifacial solar
32:54 - Financial pressures are real - and global
35:14 - The dangers of private equity and investors
36:12 - How solar leases work
39:04 - Different programs around the world
41:20 - Community benefits
44:20 - Nikki defends the King, surprisingly
46:04 - The claim that solar panels destroys farms is patently false
49:25 - Closing thoughts

📊 Sources and Further Reading:

Farming Crops With Solar:

-ISE Fraunhofer Study on crop yield changes with solar panels - https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2019/agrophotovoltaics-hight-harvesting-yield-in-hot-summer-of-2018.html
-Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food–energy–water nexus in drylands - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0364-5
-Climate-driven divergence in biophysical and economic impacts of agrivoltaics - https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2514380123
-Vertical agrivoltaics in a temperate climate: Exploring technical, agricultural, meteorological, and social dimensions - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125001664

Farming Animals With Solar

-Sheep grazing as sustainable vegetation management for solar energy production in the northeastern USA - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1625483/full
-Combining solar panels and lamb grazing increases land productivity, study finds - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210429123402.htm
-Agrivoltaics With Sheep & Solar Benefit All — Especially The Sheep! - https://cleantechnica.com/2025/05/25/agrivoltaics-with-sheep-solar-benefit-all-especially-the-sheep/
-An agrivoltaic approach provides an array of benefits - https://system.umn.edu/healthier/agrivoltaic-approach-provides-array-benefits

Solar tracking vs static

• A Review and Comparative Analysis of Solar Tracking Systems - https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2553

Solar benefits for farmers:

• Agrivoltaics: Solar on Farms is a Promising Option for Farmers - https://www.ssii.org/agrivoltaics-a-promising-option-for-farmers-and-farmland/

U.S. Politics:

• Secretary Rollings Blocks solar panels -
  https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/08/19/secretary-rollins-blocks-taxpayer-dollars-solar-panels-prime-farmland

• Fallout of solar policy change for farmers - https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/american-farmers-bet-on-solar-then-trump-changed-the-rules

• Trump pays companies to stop wind, pursue fossil fuels - https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5851702-trump-offshore-wind-lng-fossil-fuels

• John Oliver - Last Week Tonight - Corn - youtube.com/watch?v=MI78WOW_u-Q

Additional Links:

• King Charles III visits Harlem Grown - https://time.com/article/2026/04/30/king-charles-harlem-grown-new-york
• Harlem Grown community Farm- https://harlemgrown.org
• Deflock Me - https://deflock.me

👥 Today’s Sponsors
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262

—

✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
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🎙️ Credits:

Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io

Disclaimer - Transport Evolved received this product free of charge from WOLFBOX in order to bring you this first-person review. No money exchanged hands for the review itself, and no editorial control was given or implied. WOLFBOX sees this review the same time it goes live.

We all know that modern pickup trucks - including electric ones - are a long way off the ground. And while that quite rightly comes with a whole host of concerns over vehicle safety - it also poses practicality concerns about getting into and out of the truck bed. And while many EVs (and ICE trucks) include steps embedded into the tailgate to aid getting in and out of the vehicle, it's not always practical to open the tailgate when you need to get something from inside the bed.

Which is where aftermarket side bed steps like the WOLFBOX Retractable Bed Step come into play.

After WOLFBOX reached out to offer a chance to test its F-150 bed step out - just when our camera operator Vi was having mobility issues, we knew it was the perfect time to film a review.

Direct Link to WOLFBOX's Product Page: https://gears.wolfbox.com/products/retractable-bed-step-ford-f150-21-26-f150-lightning-22-26?c=truck-steps

WOLFBOX Side Step - Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4C7WW3L?tag=transporte036-20 *Please note: this link includes TE's standard Amazon (not WOLFBOX) affiliate.

00:00 - Introduction
02:21 - Why this video is marked "Sponsored"
03:20 - Unboxing
05:19 - A range of different products
05:43 - Two-part mounting
07:16 - Required tools - No drill!
08:48 - Step 1
09:22 - Underneath - removing nuts and bolts from the bumper
10:01 - Loctite not mentioned but???
10:54 - Putting the support bracket in place
12:37 - Support is properly tightened - now let's put the mechanism on
13:28 - It's a tight fit - but doable
14:50 - Tightening the rear bolts up
15:03 - Affixing the step!
15:56 - Aligning it to the rear of the bumper
16:30 - A note on keeping the mechanism clean
16:55 - Using the step
17:24 - Installation process review
18:53 - Thanks, and Goodbye!

👥 Channel Sponsors
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262

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✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
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🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2

🎙️ Credits:

Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io

As many regulars will know, we've been tweaking Nikki's F150 Lightning to include new features, but we've also heard from plenty of people who worry about tweaking their own EVs.

So today, we're asking a simple question: have you modified your EV in any way?

Stay safe, stay engaged. Please watch our livestream from January.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxKt_APYQug

About The Transport Evolved Sunday Musings:
These informal, unscripted vlog-style videos are a chance for the team to ask the audience their opinions on topics in the world of cleaner, greener, safer, smarter and more equitable transportation and energy - and are filmed without a teleprompter in a single take.

Presenter: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield.
Camera, Editor, Colorist: Vi Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music supplied through Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2026

Support the Channel

🌟 Become a member for exclusive perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC675NhQ4EU5TzwCMwYp5XCw/join

💖 Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved

☕ Buy the team a coffee — or a meal:
https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved

₿ Donate using Bitcoin:
BC1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH

📬 Send us mail!
PO Box info: https://www.transportevolved.com

👕 Grab Transport Evolved merch:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/shop
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/153008127

Follow Us Online

📺 Our Main Channel – Transport Evolved
💬 Join our Discord – https://discord.gg/U3tnkGNfCA
🐘 Mastodon – https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/

🚗 Curious about Aptera? Use our referral link – i.refs.cc/zz56EbIi
👉 Watch our explainer first: https://youtu.be/mwzwEssgqNI

☀️ Check out solar options with EnergySage:
https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262

Just one week after feeling incredibly behind in the garden, Nikki has enjoyed a very productive week - and she's managed to move a little closer to where she wants to be.

Stay safe, stay engaged. If you can, please take a few hours to watch our livestream from earlier this year. It shares some things that we can all do to resist peacefully, smartly, and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.https://youtube.com/live/OxKt_APYQug

About The Chicken and Garden Updates:
These informal, unscripted vlog-style videos are a chance for the team to share some of the fun things happening in their respective gardens - and are filmed without a teleprompter in a single take.

Presenter: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield.
Camera, Editor, Colorist: Vi Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music supplied through Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2026

Support the Channel

🌟 Become a member for exclusive perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC675NhQ4EU5TzwCMwYp5XCw/join

💖 Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved

☕ Buy the team a coffee — or a meal:
https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved

₿ Donate using Bitcoin:
BC1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH

📬 Send us mail!
PO Box info: https://www.transportevolved.com

👕 Grab Transport Evolved merch:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/shop
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/153008127

Follow Us Online

📺 Our Main Channel – Transport Evolved
💬 Join our Discord – https://discord.gg/U3tnkGNfCA
🐘 Mastodon – https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/

KDE Plasma (Frameworks 6.26): nicer-cross-fade