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The LA Auto Show is in town, and we got a chance to hop in the EV9 and see how big this three-row EV really is. It turns out, from the inside, it was smaller than expected.

This isn’t a full review, first drive, or even a first ride. All we got to do was check out a stationary version of the car up close on the show floor. Kia invited us out a few months ago to check out the EV9 but when we got there, the demo model we were to view was broken.

The main question that we think people will have about this car is: does it fit three rows worth of adults comfortably? And from our short experience, it feels like the answer is no.

The conditions of the impromptu test involved several members of the media climbing into the car to see how it felt. The EV9 in question was a 6-seat “captain’s chair” configuration, where the second row includes two chairs with armrests and a passthrough in between for access to the third row without having to fold the second-row seats down. For the record, I like this configuration and I think it is the most common on the Model X.

When I hopped into the car, there was a relatively small woman in the third row, and I asked if I could join. So I, a 6′ tall man (who nevertheless fits into small seats relatively well – I drive a Tesla Roadster, for example), got back there and had a seat, and the second-row seat was positioned way too far back to be comfortable. After adjusting the second-row seat approximately to my liking (which I could do by reaching around to the side electronic seat controls from behind – it wasn’t the easiest reach, but it was doable), a shorter person sat in the 2nd-row seat in front of me.

In this configuration, all three of us were unimpressed with the amount of space that we had. Despite having moved the seat forward, I didn’t really give myself a particularly spacious knee area, just the bare minimum. And the man in front of me was unenthused about the amount of room that he had.

As for my third-row-mate, the captain’s chairs had a post connecting to the floor of the vehicle right around where either of us in the back would have put one of our feet. The choices were either to twist our bodies unnaturally outward to put both feet underneath the second-row seats, or to leave one foot in between the second-row seats, wherein we ended up fighting for foot space. There was enough foot space for the both of us, but our feet were close enough that it felt like a game of footsie could break out at any moment.

All of this experience can’t really be summarized perfectly well in pictures, but I did take a couple just to give an idea of what was going on.

Even though the three of us did fit, it really didn’t feel like it would be comfortable for a particularly long ride.

Not long after, I walked over to the Lucid Gravity booth, and while I wasn’t able to sit in the third row seat of that vehicle, Lucid assured us that it has much more room in the seats. But then, every company says its cars have lots of room. It should be an interesting comparison when we get the chance, given that the Lucid is 1 inch longer than the EV9, so they fit into the same category.

As for other impressions – the dashboard was nice, striking a good balance between the spartan interiors that I love (Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5) and those that offer a lot of functions and buttons. However, we didn’t really spend time in the front seat, because the back seat was of far more interest given that the third row is a big selling point.

The frunk was bigger than the frunks we’ve seen on other Kia vehicles. The latter are quite small, with room perhaps for a messenger bag or some charging cables. The EV9’s was much deeper, but compared to a Rivian or Model X, it’s not all that big.

Personally I’d prefer more rear/interior space over more frunk space anyway, and I think a lot of people might agree with that, since frunks tend to be used a lot less than trunks do. But then again, that’s because a lot of other frunks are bad, so why use it if it’s not great.

And if the car already has a big hood, might as well give us room to store things if we want it. I’m not going to say that Kia entirely missed the mark on this frunk, and it feels less tacked-on than frunks from less serious EV brands, but it seems like it could be better. And it’s certainly not as well-thought-out as the Lucid’s frunk, as far as we’ve seen anyway.

Finally, the EV9 display showed the potential to use the car for V2H. While Kias already have 1.9kW V2L capacity, the EV9 will be capable of V2H with an external unit from the company Wallbox. Kia told us this would be capable of 4-5kW (we didn’t get a specific number yet), and could power a home for multiple days off the car’s giant 76.1/99.8kWh battery (depending on options).

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E-quipment highlight: Kubota mini excavator goes from diesel to EV and back

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E-quipment highlight: Kubota mini excavator goes from diesel to EV and back

Japanese equipment giant Kubota brought 22 new or updated machines to the 2025 bauma expo earlier this year, but tucked away in the corners was a new retrofit kit that can help existing customers decarbonize more quickly, and more affordably.

No matter how badly a fleet may want to electrify, harsh economic realities and the greater up-front costs typically associated with battery electric remain high hurdles to overcome, but new retrofit options from major manufacturers are popping up to help lower those obstacles.

The latest equipment maker to put its name on the retrofit list is Kubota, who says its kit can be installed by a trained dealer in a single day.

That’s right! By this time tomorrow, your diesel-powered Kubota KX019 or U27-4 excavator (shown) could be fitted with an 18 or 20 kWh li-ion battery pack and electric drive motors and ready to get to work in a low-noise or low-vibration work environment where emissions are a strict no-no. Think indoor precision demolition or historic archeological excavation.

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Then, if necessary, it can go right back to diesel power.

From diesel to electric and back again


U27-4e electric retrofit; via Kubota.

If that sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve talked about a similarly flexible power solution from ZQUIP. The battery packs and diesel engines are much larger in that application, but the basic sales pitch remains the same: electric when it benefits your operation, diesel it doesn’t.

Kubota says its modular retrofit kits is a response to the increasing global demand for sustainable alternatives by focusing on making machinery that’s flexible and repairable enough to be “reusable,” and offer construction fleet managers a longer operational lifespan, superior ROI (return on investment), and lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than the competition.

Kubota’s solution also notably reduces maintenance costs and operational overheads. With no engine and associated components, servicing time and expenses are considerably reduced, saving customers both time and money. Additionally, with electricity costing far less than fossil fuels, it offers a highly economical advantage.

KUBOTA

International Rental News reports that other changes to the excavators include a more modern cab controls with a digital instrument cluster, a 60 mm wider undercarriage for more stability, and an independent travel circuit allows operators to use the boom, dipper, bucket, and auxiliary functions without an impact on tracking performance.

Kubota’s new kit, first shown at last year’s Hillhead exhibition in the UK, will officially be on sale this summer – any day now, in fact – though pricing has yet to be announced.

Electrek’s Take


If you’re wondering how it is that we’re still talking about bauma 2025 a full quarter after the show wrapped up, then I haven’t done a good enough job of explaining how positively massive the show was. Check out this Quick Charge episode (above) then let us know what you think of Kubota’s modular power kits in the comments.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kubota, via International Rental News.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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America – it’s a party now! Plus: an electric Honda Ruckus and updated BMW

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America – it's a party now! Plus: an electric Honda Ruckus and updated BMW

Elon Musk isn’t happy about Trump passing the Big Beautiful Bill and killing off the $7,500 EV tax credit – but there’s a lot more bad news for Tesla baked into the BBB. We’ve got all that and more on today’s budget-busting episode of Quick Charge!

We also present ongoing coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix and dive into some two wheeled reports on the new electric Honda Ruckus e:Zoomer, the latest BMW electric two-wheeler, and more!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025

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FERC: Solar + wind made up 96% of new US power generating capacity in first third of 2025

Solar and wind accounted for almost 96% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the first third of 2025. In April, solar provided 87% of new capacity, making it the 20th consecutive month solar has taken the lead, according to data belatedly posted on July 1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Solar’s new generating capacity in April 2025 and YTD

In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through April 30, 2025), FERC says 50 “units” of solar totaling 2,284 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in April, accounting for 86.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month.

In addition, the 9,451 MW of solar added during the first four months of 2025 was 77.7% of the new generation placed into service.

Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 20 consecutive months, from September 2023 to April 2025.

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Solar + wind were >95% of new capacity in 1st third of 2025

Between January and April 2025, new wind provided 2,183 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 18.0% of new additions in the first third.

In the same period, the combination of solar and wind was 95.7% of new capacity while natural gas (511 MW) provided just 4.2%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (11 MW).

Solar + wind are >22% of US utility-scale generating capacity

The installed capacities of solar (11.0%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the US total. Together, they make up almost one-fourth (22.8%) of the US’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.

Moreover, at least 25-30% of US solar capacity is in small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.

With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 31.8% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.

Solar is on track to become No. 2 source of US generating capacity

FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between May 2025 and April 2028 total 90,158 MW – an amount almost four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (22,793 MW), the second-fastest growing resource. Notably, both three-year projections are higher than those provided just a month earlier.

FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (596 MW) and geothermal (92 MW) but a decrease of 123 MW in biomass capacity.

Taken together, the net new “high probability” capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – i.e., the bulk of the Trump administration’s remaining time in office – would total 113,516 MW.  

FERC doesn’t include any nuclear capacity in its three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,373 MW and 1,915 MW, respectively. Natural gas capacity would expand by 5,730 MW.

Thus, adjusting for the different capacity factors of gas (59.7%), wind (34.3%), and utility-scale solar (23.4%), electricity generated by the projected new solar capacity to be added in the coming three years should be at least six times greater than that produced by the new natural gas capacity, while the electrical output by new wind capacity would be more than double that by gas.

If FERC’s current “high probability” additions materialize, by May 1, 2028, solar will account for one-sixth (16.6%) of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional one-eighth (12.6%) of the total. That would make each greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (7.3% and 7.2%, respectively).

In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years, placing solar in second place for installed generating capacity, behind only natural gas.

Renewables + small-scale solar may overtake natural gas within 3 years

The mix of all utility-scale (ie, >1 MW) renewables is now adding about two percentage points each year to its share of generating capacity. At that pace, by May 1, 2028, renewables would account for 37.7% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity – rapidly approaching that of natural gas (40.1%). Solar and wind would constitute more than three-quarters of installed renewable energy capacity. If those trend lines continue, utility-scale renewable energy capacity should surpass that of natural gas in 2029 or sooner.

However, as noted, FERC’s data do not account for the capacity of small-scale solar systems. If that’s factored in, within three years, total US solar capacity could exceed 300 GW. In turn, the mix of all renewables would then be about 40% of total installed capacity while the share of natural gas would drop to about 38%.

Moreover, FERC reports that there may actually be as much as 224,426 MW of net new solar additions in the current three-year pipeline in addition to 69,530 MW of new wind, 9,072 MW of new hydropower, 202 MW of new geothermal, and 39 MW of new biomass. By contrast, net new natural gas capacity potentially in the three-year pipeline totals just 26,818 MW. Consequently, renewables’ share could be even greater by mid-spring 2028.

“The Trump Administration’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ … poses a clear threat to solar and wind in the years to come,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “Nonetheless, FERC’s latest data and forecasts suggest cleaner and lower-cost renewable energy sources may still dominate and surpass nuclear power, coal, and natural gas.” 


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