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Vietnamese EV automaker VinFast has announced it will be the world’s first automaker to offer its drivers access to Sony’s new RIDEVU in-car streaming service. VF 8 customers in the US will gain access to Sony’s library of over 2,000 movies with the opportunity to rent and purchase premium content.

The VF 8 is young automaker VinFast’s ($VFS) flagship EV, hitting the US market two years ago as a 2023 model. Following some early software hiccups, VinFast has pushed forward to get more of its SUVs on US roads, pulling demand levers while expanding its stateside dealer network.

We drove the VF 8 early on, and it was fine, but there were some clear bugs that needed to be sorted out. 2024 remains a pivotal year for the Vietnamese automaker as it looks to continue riding rising revenues and make up for missed delivery targets last year.

One feature VinFast is utilizing to entice would-be US customers is entertainment. Today, VinFast announced the VF 8 will offer Sony’s new streaming service, RIDEVU – a world debut in an EV.

  • VinFast Sony

VinFast offers VF 8 customers one year of Sony RIDEVU

Per a VinFast release this morning, new and existing customers can now access Sony’s RIDEVU service as part of the automaker’s VF Connect Prime package. VF 8 customers in the US with the package can add RIDEVU via over-the-air (OTA) update.

RIDEVU is a new streaming platform developed by Sony Pictures Entertainment that offers access to a library of over 2,000 movie titles that are updated regularly, offering unlimited replays… of up to 100 movies (so, not unlimited, got it). Sony states that VF 8 drivers will also gain access to premium titles directly through the app by redeeming credits, renting, or buying a movie flat out.

VinFast US’ vice president of sales and marketing David Duncan spoke to the addition of Sony’s new service:

We are thrilled to be the world’s first automobile manufacturer to officially launch RIDEVU, offering an engaging entertainment experience for our U.S. customers. I believe that as a smart and green mobility solution, the VinFast VF 8 will deliver a convenient and enjoyable experience to customers wherever their journey takes them.

The release shared that Sony RIDEVU can synchronize and stream content across multiple screens, including in-car displays in the VinFast VF 8 and handheld devices. A Screen Manager feature gives owners complete control over playback on all connected displays from the EV’s center screen in the dashboard.

To ensure safety, VinFast drivers and passengers can only view Sony RIDEVU content on the center display while the EV is parked. However, passengers can watch movies on their mobile devices using the RIDEVU Companion app while the vehicle is in motion. Sony states that RIDEVU is compatible with Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, and Linux.

The VinFast VF 8, now including Sony RIDEVU is available for sale in the US (mainly California) at a starting MSRP of $47,200.

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Rolls-Royce gets in on the EV price war with new, $5,000 lease promo

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Rolls-Royce gets in on the EV price war with new, ,000 lease promo

When the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit expired September 30th, a number of carmakers leaped into action, offering rebates, price cuts, and promos of their own in a bid to keep the good times rolling. Now, it seems like even Rolls-Royce is getting in on the act with a fresh $5,000 rebate of its own for November.

CarScoops is reporting a rare lease incentive offering on the ultra-luxe Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe that it says, “replaces the expired $7,500 Federal EV tax credit.”

Granted, with the price of the base Spectre starting at $397,750 and climbing quickly to $467,750 for the Spectre Black Badge model, the big coupe is well above the old $80K cap and its buyers likely make far too much to qualify anyway — but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my few brushes with Real Wealth™, it’s this: those hate paying taxes.

As such, it’s not that hard to imagine a Rolls-Royce salesperson explaining this in those terms. “This isn’t a discount or a sale or anything so gaudy,” he’d explain, dismissing any concern as petty as price. “We’re simply honoring the tax credit that you deserve.”

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Rolling deep


Rolls-Royce-Spectre-iPhone
Spectre coupe; via Rolls-Royce.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre first rolled (Ha!) into showrooms in 2023 with a perfect sufficient 430 kW (577 hp) electric motor drawing energy from a stout, 120 kWh battery pack good for up to 265 miles (~425 km) of range. The Black Badge version bumps the horsepower to 650 (485 kW), but the purists will tell you that either number is enough.

You can find out more about Rolls-Royce’ EV leas deals, below, then let us know what you think about this sordid business of “discount dash” in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

SOURCE: CarScoops; images via Rolls-Royce.


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Democratic senators blame White House, AI data centers for rising electricity prices

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Democratic senators blame White House, AI data centers for rising electricity prices

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaks to reporters outside the Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

Democratic senators on Monday blamed the White House push to fast track artificial intelligence data centers and its attacks on renewable energy for rising electricity prices in certain parts of the U.S.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and others demanded that the White House and Commerce Department detail what actions they have taken to shield consumers from the impact of massive data centers in a letter sent Monday.

Voters are increasingly feeling the pinch of rising electricity prices. Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger campaigned on the issue in the New Jersey and Virgina governors’ races, which they won in landslides last week.

The senators took aim at the White House’s relationship with companies like Meta, Alphabet, Oracle, and OpenAI, and the support the administration has shown for the companies’ data center plans.

The Trump administration “has already failed to prevent those new data centers from driving up electricity prices from a surge of new commercial demand,” the senators wrote. They accused the White House of making the problem worse by opposing the expansion of solar and wind power.

The White House blamed the Biden administration and its renewable energy policies for driving up electricity prices in a statement.

President Donald Trump “declared an energy emergency to reverse four years of Biden’s disastrous policies, accelerate large-scale grid infrastructure projects, and expedite the expansion of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power generation,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

The tech sector’s AI plans have ballooned in size. OpenAI and Nvidia, for example, struck a deal in September to build 10 gigawatts of data centers to train and run AI applications. This is equivalent to New York City’s peak baseline summer demand in 2024.

The scale of these plans have raised questions about whether enough power is available to meet the demand and who will pay for the new generation that is needed. Renewable energy, particularly solar and energy storage, is the power source that can be deployed the quickest right now to meet demand.

Retail electricity prices in the U.S. increased about 6% on average through August 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to the Energy Information Administration. Prices, however, can vary widely by region.

Download the full letter here. 

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Europe’s largest battery storage project is being built in Germany

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Europe's largest battery storage project is being built in Germany

Germany is about to become home to Europe’s largest battery storage system – a massive 1 gigawatt (GW) / 4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) project in Jänschwalde, Brandenburg.

LEAG Clean Power GmbH and Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of US-based Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC), are teaming up to build the “GigaBattery Jänschwalde 1000.” The four-hour system will use Fluence’s Smartstack technology, its latest large-scale energy storage solution.

Once complete, Europe’s largest battery storage project will play a key role in stabilizing Germany’s grid and storing renewable power for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. It’s designed to deliver essential grid services, support energy trading, and boost energy security as the country phases out fossil fuels.

LEAG’s broader “GigawattFactory” plan combines solar and wind farms with flexible power plants and large-scale batteries across Germany’s Lusatian energy region. “By constructing gigascale storage facilities, we’re addressing one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: ensuring constant power regardless of the availability of renewable energies,” said Adi Roesch, CEO of the LEAG Group.

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Fluence CEO Julian Nebreda described the project as a “milestone for the energy future of Germany and Europe,” adding that it demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can “transform the foundation of our economy and our everyday lives.”

The German government recently reaffirmed the importance of storage in building a secure and affordable clean power system. With this 4 GWh giant, LEAG and Fluence are implementing that priority in one of Europe’s most coal-heavy regions.

Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2


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