An all-electric version of the popular Range Rover Sport is set to debut later this year. The Range Rover Sport EV will look very much like its gas-powered predecessor as a legitimate rival to Porsche’s best-selling Cayenne SUV.
Range Rover preps first all-electric SUV
If you’re shopping for a high-end SUV, Range Rover and Porsche are two of the top names that often come to mind.
Coming off its highest quarterly profit since 2017 in Q4, Jaguar Land Rover said it continues to see strong demand for its premium models. JLR’s Range Rover brand achieved record quarterly wholesale figures.
The highest-spec Range Rover SV, with an average price of $260,000 (£202,000), has already surpassed last year’s sales through the first three months of 2024 (3,637 vs 1,909).
Meanwhile, the Range Rover brand is preparing to launch its first all-electric vehicle. The company said the first Range Rover EV is “generating strong interest,” with over 16,000 potential buyers on the waitlist.
The “most refined Range Rover ever created,” according to JLR, is hitting the streets for testing ahead of the electric SUV’s official debut later this year.
(Source: Range Rover)
JLR said last month that electric Range Rover prototypes are being tested on the road, while a medium-size SUV prototype is in development.
Range Rover Sport EV set to debut this year
In addition to the electric SUV, a smaller Range Rover Sport EV is expected to be revealed later this year.
Although JLR’s initial plans, revealed in 2021, called for six all-electric models across the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender brands by 2026, the company recently pushed back its target.
After reporting Q3 2023 earnings, the company said it aimed to launch four EVs over the next two years. CEO Adrian Mardell admitted, “We are a little bit slower than we said three years ago.”
(Source: Range Rover)
Madell recently told reporters that the delay is to ensure new EVs hit the market without any hiccups.
“We talked about six Land Rovers by 2026. The reality is we’re likely to have six JLR products by 2026,” Mardell explained.
The six EVs include the electric Range Rover and Sport EV versions. Both will be based on JLR’s MLA platform, which powers the current gas-powered models.
(Source: JLR)
Two smaller electric SUVs are due out, expected to be EV versions of the Range Rover Evoque and Velar models. The other two EVs due out by 2026 will be Jaguar. JLR confirmed the transformation at its plants is “on pace” for EV production.
The electric Range Rover and Sport EV models will be built at its Solihull, UK, plant, where a new $77,000 (£60 million) EV underbody line is being installed.
JLR’s new body shop in Halewood is “near completion” for the upcoming smaller EVs built on the EMA platform.
(Source: Range Rover)
The Defender Sport is set for an electric replacement, while a new mini Defender EV is also expected to launch over the next few years.
Range Rover’s upcoming EV features new active road noise cancellation tech for an upgraded cabin experience that’s nearly silent. It will also include towing, wading, and all-terrain features that will “surpass any other luxury electric SUV.”
Range Rover said its first all-electric SUV will be able to plow through up to 850 mm (33.5″) of water. That tops the massive GMC Hummer EV at 32″.
India’s Waaree Energies doubled Texas production in April to counter US solar tariffs – now it’s investing hundreds of millions more.
May 15, 2025: Waaree Solar Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Waaree Energies, has announced that it will invest an additional $200 million in battery energy storage. This raises Waaree’s total US solar and storage investment to $1.2 billion.
This expansion is expected to create 300 to 500 jobs over the next few years, adding to the 1,500 jobs it already announced.
Dr. Amit Paithankar, whole-time director and CEO of Waaree Energies, said that “our decision to invest was primarily driven by the significant market potential in the energy sector.”
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Despite tariff headwinds, Waaree is doubling down on its US expansion, drawn by the country’s massive energy demand and the surge in AI and data center development, both of which require steady, large-scale power. The company points out that solar is the “cheapest source of power and the fastest to commission,” making it a smart choice for scaling quickly.
April 16, 2025: It’s adding another 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of solar module manufacturing capacity at its Brookshire factory, bringing the site’s total to 3.2 GW. The company didn’t indicate a timescale for when the capacity increase would be complete. The move is part of its strategy to reinforce its “larger strategy of de-risking its global footprint.”
The company first announced it would open the Texas factory in December 2023, its first footprint in the US. Its original plan was to have an initial capacity to manufacture 3 GW of solar modules annually by the end of 2024.
Waaree plans to invest up to $1 billion to scale its annual solar panel production to 5 GW in Texas by 2027, which would make it one of the largest solar panel factories in the US.
Previous to manufacturing in Texas, the Mumbai-headquartered company, which is India’s largest solar module manufacturer, already supplied Indian-made solar panels to the US. But the US’s new reciprocal tariff on solar modules imported from India is 26%, adding to the existing 14.5% Section 201 tariff, bringing the total to around 40%.
“At a time when the world is redefining the rules of global trade, we’re not waiting for the dust to settle – we’re building through it. … The strength of our US order book is a testament to the trust we’ve built, and this expansion is a signal – we’re here, we’re growing, and we’re deeply invested in powering America’s energy future,” said Dr. Amit Paithankar, whole-time director and CEO of Waaree Energies.
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check outEnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have 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 you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get startedhere. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
BYD is about to launch another low-cost electric car, but this one’s a little different. It’s BYD’s first kei car. You know, those tiny vehicles that dominate Japan’s city streets? BYD’s mini EV was just spotted out in public, giving us our first real look at the upcoming kei car.
BYD’s first mini EV was spotted in public
Last week, rumors surfaced that BYD was developing its first kei car, which would compete with top-selling models from Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and other Japanese brands.
Kei cars, or “K-Car,” as they are sometimes called, are a class of ultra-compact vehicles that cannot be longer than 3.4 meters (134″). To put that into perspective, BYD’s smallest EV currently, the Seagull (called the Dolphin Mini overseas), is 3,780 mm (148.8″) long.
The mini vehicles are ideal in Japan because they are so small, making it easy to get around tight city streets. They are also more affordable and efficient than larger vehicles.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
BYD’s mini EV was spotted for the first time during a road test this week by IT Home (via CarNewsChina), revealing a familiar look. You can see it has that boxy, compact look of a typical kei car with sliding side doors.
BYD’s kei car, or mini EV, in camouflage (Source: Sina/ IT Home)
According to reports, BYD is developing a new platform for the model. It will reportedly include a 20 kWh battery, good for 180 km (112 miles) WLTC range. By using its in-house Blade LFP batteries, BYD is expected to have a cost advantage.
Nissan Sakura mini EV (Source: Nissan)
BYD’s upcoming mini EV is expected to start at around 2.5 million yen, or about $18,000. That’s about the same as the Nissan Sakura (2.59 million yen), Japan’s best-selling EV last year.
Last year, around 1.55 million kei cars were sold in Japan, accounting for roughly 40% of new vehicle sales. Honda’s N-Box was the top-selling kei car (EV or gas) for the third straight year.
BYD Dolphin Mini (Seagull) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)
As Nikkei reported, some are already calling BYD’s electric kei car “a huge threat.” A Suzuki dealer said, “Young people do not have a negative view of BYD. It would be a huge threat if the company launches cheap models in Japan.”
BYD already sells several electric cars in Japan, including the Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin, and Seal. Last month, the company launched the new Sealion 7 midsize electric SUV, starting at 4.95 million yen ($34,500).
TORONTO — Canada has quietly become a global leader in digital assets.
Canada was among the first countries to enact rules for crypto, starting with anti-money laundering guidelines in 2014. The country has repeatedly evolved its regulatory guidance in recent years, while U.S. lawmakers remain stuck in gridlock — even with a pro-crypto White House and a Republican-controlled Congress.
That regulatory clarity has made Toronto a launchpad for blockchain growth, and Wall Street is taking notice.
Robinhood‘s recent acquisition of Canadian crypto firm WonderFi, owner of Bitbuy and Coinsquare, plugs it into Canada’s established user base.
“Canada is a very attractive market for us,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s crypto chief. “It’s projected to be more than 30 million users using crypto here in Canada, with revenue projections of about $900 million in 2025.”
The company’s decision to spend just under $180 million to buy WonderFi, which has one of the longest-standing crypto licenses in the country, is a direct bet on that growth.
Galaxy Digital, the digital asset investing giant founded by Mike Novogratz, is headquartered in New York but listed in Canada because it couldn’t go public in the United States. After being among the first to launch spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S., Galaxy will finally debut on the Nasdaq on Friday.
DeFi Technologies, a Canadian player focused on being the Strategy of Solana, is also planning a U.S. listing.
“A lot of companies have started on the Toronto Stock Exchange and are trying to uplist into the Nasdaq,” said Ondo Finance CEO Nathan Allman. “I think we’re going to see more of that.”
At Consensus 2025 in Toronto, one of the world’s largest crypto conferences, JPMorgan, Ondo, and Chainlink announced a $100 billion bet on blockchain with a new platform to tokenize real-world assets.
The two firms say the new offering allows treasuries to be tokenized and settled using blockchain, combining JPMorgan’s Kinexys Digital Payments network with Ondo’s blockchain infrastructure.
“It’s really the first time that there’s been this interoperability between a bank’s permissioned blockchain environment and a public blockchain,” Allman said.
Crypto dealmaking has shown signs of life in recent months, as the United States has shifted its regulatory approach under President Donald Trump.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Federal Reserve have eased restrictions on banks handling crypto, rolling back prior guidance that required pre-approval for digital asset activities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also taken a significant step by rescinding its restrictive accounting bulletin, which had forced companies holding crypto assets for clients to record them as liabilities. The new approach aligns crypto custody with traditional financial instruments.
At the same time, the SEC has launched a new Crypto Task Force, inviting public input on how to better regulate digital assets.
Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro
“They want large enterprises like Citi to have a seat at the table,” said Ryan Rugg, global head of digital assets for Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions division. “They’re asking for our opinion, where I think in the past, it was not quite the case.”
The booking of Eric Trump, the president’s son and a leader of the newly-formed American Bitcoin, as a headline speaker, highlighted the growing presence of the U.S. in the crypto arena. The firm made waves when it launched in March, and already intends to go public through a merger with Gryphon Digital Mining.
“It’s important to remember: Most countries are totally neutral on blockchain,” said Dan Morehead, CEO of Pantera Capital. “The U.S. had a fairly antagonistic stance on blockchain which made it difficult for companies to get bank accounts, made it difficult for companies to go public.”
He said he believes many companies that would have gone public a few years ago will hit U.S. markets in the next six months.
“There’s obviously tremendous appetite in the public markets,” he said.
Israel-based crypto and stock trading platform eToro went public on Wednesday after pricing above its expected range. Shares soared nearly 29% on its first trading day.
The advancements in the U.S. aren’t without setbacks. A first-of-its-kind stablecoin regulation bill failed to advance in the Senate after Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about national security, while others expressed concerns about the president’s ties to crypto.
Still, the payment giants are charging ahead.
Mastercard announced Thursday that it’s partnering with Moonpay to let customers use debit cards to transact using their stablecoin balances.
PayPal announced Wednesday that it’s partnering with artificial intelligence platform Perplexity to enable chat-powered shopping. PayPal’s senior vice president of blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies told CNBC at Consensus 2025 that he sees a future where customers could transact in AI chats with their PayPal stablecoins or other crypto holdings.
“We are trying to make sure that PayPal and Venmo are the gateway product to get more people into crypto,” said Jose Fernandez da Ponte, PayPal’s senior vice president of blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies. “A lot of people get into crypto through us, and that leads us to continue to add tokens.”
While PayPal leans on accessibility and payments, Robinhood is doubling down on tokenization and staking to capture both retail and institutional users.
“This debate here in the U.S. is really important — it shows that we want to embrace the technology instead of just regulating it and turning it off like it was before,” Kerbrat said, describing his appearance at an SEC roundtable under new chair Paul Atkins.
The company sees blockchain technology as a way to transform everything from stocks to private equity markets and real estate into digital tokens that can be traded instantly.
“We think at Robinhood that it is actually the future, and we can bring a lot more traditional assets on-chain using tokenization,” Kerbrat added.