Volkswagen of America is recalling nearly 5,700 2025 VW ID. Buzz vans because the NHTSA says the third-row bench seat is too spacious. (For real.)

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the third-row bench is physically wide enough for three people, but it’s only designed to hold two, so it’s only equipped with two seat belts. That mismatch violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, which covers occupant crash protection. A bench that invites three passengers but only protects two isn’t just awkward – it’s a safety risk. It simply makes it too easy to squeeze that third person in the back “just that once” without a seatbelt, and that’s inviting trouble.

Volkswagen will fix the ID. Buzz issue by having dealers install “fixed unpadded trim parts” that adjust the seat’s usable width, and they’ll do it for free, because recall repairs are always free. It’ll probably be hard plastic on the seat to ensure a third person can’t squeeze in. Owner notification letters are expected to go out starting June 20, 2025.

Volkswagen has reported that, to date, there have been “no field claims known” of safety issues caused by the extra-wide third row bench seat. 

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Read more: This is the 2025 VW ID. Buzz’s Electrify America charging package

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Electric vehicle charging and battery storage specialists Zenobē have inked a deal with Canadian leasing company 7Gen to fund more than 500 commercial EVs and their associated charging infrastructure.

Last week, Zenobē agreed to provide up to $48 million (Canadian) in debt financing to 7Gen to help expand its vehicle-as-a-service electric truck leasing program across Canada.

7Gen supports fleet operators with a comprehensive set of vehicle leasing and financing solutions that cover EV charger deployment, energy management systems, and ongoing operational support for Canadian fleet customers operating electric trucks, vans, and school buses.

Zenobē secured $1.6 billion in equity from its joint majority shareholders KKR and M&G Infracapital to fuel its global expansion into EVs and grid-scale batteries back in 2023. Since then, it’s grown to support more than 2,000 EVs and 120 charging depots across markets in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

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“We’re bringing our innovative funding approach to Canada and specifically to 7Gen,” says Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director of Zenobē. “We see momentum behind decarbonization in Canada’s supportive government policies and the clean, affordable power that will ensure a lower total cost of ownership for zero-emissions vehicles. We look forward to sharing our global experience electrifying over 120 depots to benefit 7Gen, its fleet customers and the wider electric fleet market in Canada.”

That innovative funding strategy is something Steven and I had a chance to discuss this week at the ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. “We’re being very careful in the way we approach the North American market,” he said (paraphrasing). “The market is fairly littered with the graves of other UK EV companies that have tried to find a foothold here and failed, so we’re being very careful about our partners.”

Despite living just a few minutes from his Chicago HQ, I’d never met Steven before this week. He’s a super-interesting guy and you will definitely learn a thing or two about how to build a multimillion dollar energy management company like Zenobē from our upcoming podcast (stay tuned for that). But the news here is 7Gen.

“Zenobē’s debt financing supports 7Gen’s next growth step and allows us to help our customers step up the pace of their EV adoption and benefit immediately from operational cost savings,” says Frans Tjallingii, CEO, 7Gen. “Zenobē’s team is well aligned with ours and we are thrilled to partner to scale our impact in Canada together.”

The company will begin rolling out its Zenobē-funded electric trucks in the coming weeks, with new partners and projects set to be announced shortly.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Zenobē.

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BYD’s ultra-affordable Seagull was its top-selling EV last month, with over 55,000 units sold. With prices starting at under $10,000 in China, it’s the cheapest EV in BYD’s lineup. And with plans to launch it in new overseas markets soon, the Seagull is expected to see even more demand.

BYD’s top-selling EV in April starts at under $10,000

There’s no denying BYD’s growing presence in the global auto industry. The Chinese auto giant just posted its best month of 2025 in April, selling 380,089 new energy vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs.

For the first time in over a year, fully electric vehicles outsold hybrids. BYD sold 195,740 purely electric cars last month, up 45% from April 2024.

The Seagull was BYD’s top-selling EV with 55,028 models sold last month alone. It’s part of BYD’s Ocean and Dynasty brands, which accounted for 347,053 of its total sales in April. The premium Denza brand added 15,388, while Fang Cheng Bao and Yangwang sold 10,039 and 135 vehicles, respectively.

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Perhaps even more importantly, BYD set a new overseas sales record for the fifth straight month with nearly 80,000 vehicles sold. Through April, BYD has sold 285,170 vehicles overseas, more than doubling from last year.

The Seagull EV, which is being sold under the name Dolphin Mini, is already being sold in several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines, and Brazil.

Later this year, BYD will launch the low-cost EV in Europe as the “Dolphin Surf” with prices expected to start at under £20,000 ($26,000).

The Seagull is just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm, which is even smaller than the Volkswagen ID.3 (4,264 mm long, 1,809 mm wide, 1,568 mm tall).

Designed by Wolfgang Egger, a former Lamborghini and Audi designer, the Seagull has earned the nickname “Mini Lamborghini” in China.

In China, the Seagull EV is available in three trims: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. There are two BYD battery pack options, 30.08 kWh and 38.88 kWh, which provide 305 km (190 miles) and 405 km (252 miles) CLTC range, respectively.

According to S&P Global Mobility, BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe from 83,000 last year to 186,000 in 2025.

Although it’s not slated for European production, the report notes that “the Seagull’s pricing strategy ensures competitiveness in the EU even with tariffs.”