Ford Kills the F-150 Lightning EV, Rivian's Autonomous Plan, VW ID.Polo: TWC Podcast 251

By Phil Royle — Dec. 18, 2025

Ford F-150 Lightning EV, we hardly knew ye…although we’ll kind of get to know ye once more thanks to your replacement, the Lightning EREV. Is Ford’s decision to add a generator engine to the full-size pickup a wise one? Tune into this week’s podcast to get our take. Plus, Tesla ranks last in car reliability (but there’s a catch), Rivian takes a page from Tesla’s playbook, VW unveils the ID.Polo, and more!

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SHOW NOTES
Tesla ranks dead last in used car reliability study: https://electrek.co/2025/12/11/tesla-ranks-dead-last-used-car-reliability-study-but-theres-catch/

Ford announces next-gen F-150 Lightning will be an EREV: https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2025/next-gen-f-150-lightning-extended-range-electric-vehicle

Rivian Hosts AI & Autonomy Day, Plans to counter Tesla at its own game: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/11/rivian-goes-big-on-autonomy-with-custom-silicon-lidar-and-a-hint-at-robotaxis/

VW reveals specs for low-cost ID.Polo model: https://electrek.co/2025/12/15/volkswagen-shares-new-range-details-affordable-id-polo-ev/

Porsche’s last-minute pivot on offering an ICE option on the next-gen 718 (Boxster/Cayman) reportedly created huge engineering headaches: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/next-gen-porsche-718-evs-being-reworked-petrol-power

This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. Sanchez
Episode art courtesy Ford
Music courtesy Twisterium at Pixabay
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