Designed in collaboration with Hyundai and design students from the Munich University of Applied Sciences in Germany, the new OBSIDIAN electric sedan concept is equal parts Honda 0 Saloon, Tesla Cybertruck, and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall … and I am here for it!

There’s no escaping the fact that the new Hyundai OBSIDIAN concept is a slightly derivative design. It really does look like am edgier, more aggressive competitor to either the Honda 0 Saloon or the type of 2nd-generation Tesla Model 3 you’d expect to see if the Cybertruck hadn’t been a flop. But that’s OK.

The square-segmented “pixel style” LED light bar manages to pick up enough of what the updated 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Grandeur sedan concept have been putting down to genuinely feel like a Hyundai – and that’s something that you couldn’t say of any Hyundai just a few years ago. Back then, they always seemed like level 1 or 2 generic versions of some other car.

Not so, anymore.

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Since about 2018, just about every new Hyundai or Kia has been a home run – and the OBSIDIAN concept keeps the streak alive with opaque, red-tinted windows that hint at a luxurious interior or a well-known celebrity passenger avoiding the paparazzi.

There’s no word yet on any kind of production plans or whether or not the student concept will herald a new design direction for the up-and-coming Hyundai design department, but for their part, Hyundai executives seem genuinely smitten with the OBSIDIAN concept.

A bold design statement at @cardesignevent — an annual gathering of car designers and students from around the globe. This year, a design student from @hochschulemuenchen unveiled a vision for the automotive future: the Hyundai OBSIDIAN.

We think it came out absolutely gorgeous!

HYUNDAI; via Instagram.

The Hyundai OBSIDIAN concept was largely designed by Munich University of Applied Sciences student Dominik Anders, and “prominently supported” by the Korean brand. The company says its collaboration with Anders highlights the brand’s commitment to, “fostering emerging talent and exploring innovative automotive design.”

You can see more photos of the styling buck (there is no interior, as yet), below, and let us know what you think of this latest Hyundai electric sedan concept in the comments.

Hyundai OBSIDIAN gallery

SOURCE | IMAGES: Hyundai; Korean Car Blog.

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SparkCharge, the company behind mobile off-grid EV chargers, locked in $30.5 million to supercharge its growth across the US, Mexico, and Canada. The new funding includes a $15.5 million Series A-1 round led by Monte’s Fam and a $15 million venture loan from Horizon Technology Finance.

Founded in 2017, SparkCharge says it operates the largest off-grid EV charging network for fleets in the world. Its core service – Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) – lets commercial fleets access DC fast charging without waiting months for permits or dealing with expensive construction. Instead, SparkCharge delivers flexible, mobile, or off-grid charging solutions that can be deployed instantly – no grid access needed.

The fresh funding announced last week will go toward growing SparkCharge’s customer base, expanding its coverage across North America, and rolling out new strategic partnerships. “This raise reflects both the strength of the SparkCharge growth story as well as the market opportunity ahead as electric fleets become the standard for so many prominent brands,” said CEO and founder Josh Aviv. “We’re focused on removing the anxiety, guesswork, and delays – all still barriers for adoption – out of the commercial EV charging experience.”

How SparkCharge’s off-grid charging works

SparkCharge offers three scalable solutions to help fleets go electric quickly:

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• Mobile battery charging: An 80–300 kW battery-powered fast charger that’s deployable on demand. Fleets can choose white glove service, self-management, or a hybrid service.
• Off-grid power hub: A 180–500 kW clean energy-powered microgrid fast charger that can juice up multiple EVs at once.
• Permanent EV Infrastructure: A turnkey setup that starts with mobile and off-grid and scales to a permanent, grid-connected system. SparkCharge handles everything from permits to construction.

SparkCharge’s charging network is already live in all 50 states. It recently became the EV Charging Partner for the 2025 Masters Tournament and launched a partnership with electrical equipment maker Pioneer Power. To date, the company says it has delivered over 4 million kWh of energy and displaced more than 500,000 gallons of gasoline.

CFO David Piperno added that the company has also secured non-dilutive financing with CSC Leasing to keep equipment flowing as demand grows.

The SparkCharge model lands at a time when demand for commercial EVs is climbing fast. According to Cox Automotive, 87% of fleet managers expect to add EVs in the next five years, but access to charging remains the biggest barrier. SparkCharge bypasses that bottleneck entirely.

“SparkCharge’s mobile, off-grid charging solutions effectively solve this challenge by bringing power directly to vehicles when and where it’s needed,” said Ed Jean-Louis, CEO of lead investor Monte’s Fam.

Read more: Waffle House is getting DC fast chargers – and it’s a genius move

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If our recent post about Tesla alternatives taught us anything, it’s that there aren’t enough mainstream electric sedan options in North America. It doesn’t have to be this way. GM has a proper, five-passenger electric sedan on sale today – and maybe it really should be a new electric Chevy Impala.

The updated 2025 Wuling Starlight EV is set to make waves on its upcoming debut in China with over 315 miles of CLTC range (that usually translates to about 255 miles of EPA range), and features a 2,800 mm wheelbase that’s within a half inch of the 2007 Impala’s while being an inch and a half wider, giving the sedan suitably Impala-like dimensions and room for four-to-five American adults in the cabin.

Plus, if this ChatGPT rendering (below) of the Wuling Starlight EV in metallic black with Chevy branding is to be believed, it won’t look much different than what you’d expect a modern electric Impala to look like, either.

Electric Chevy Impala

GM Authority is reporting that the refreshed Wuling Starlight EV, the second-generation of the car’s all-electric variant, is being used as an opportunity to update several aspects of the car to realign it with Wuling’s new branding. In addition to a refreshed exterior, entry-level variants get new 17″ multi-spoke black wheels as standard, while the color palette is now limited to the three most popular options: Curtain Black, Shining Gold, and Shining White.

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Inside, the Starlight EV puts the newest Wuling steering wheel in front of an all-new dashboard with more, higher-quality soft-touch surfaces, new front door panels, a redesigned center console, and the latest version of the GM’s Chinese Ling OS operating system.

The changes will debut first on the Starlight EV before making their way to the plug-in hybrid/EREV variant, which promises 1100 km (about 685 miles) of range on a single tank + charge. And, the way hybrids seem to be taking off, maybe that’s the one they should bring to the US? Let us know your take in the comments.

2025 Wuling Starlight EV

SOURCE: GM Authority; images by Wuling.

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