Hyundai and Kia’s low-cost EVs are supercharging sales — And this is just the start
Hyundai and Kia are on a hot streak. The Korean auto giants just notched another month of strong sales growth in February, thanks to new low-cost EVs like Kia’s EV3 and the Hyundai Casper (Inster EV). With more models on the way this year, Hyundai and Kia setting the stage for an even bigger 2025.
Hyundai and Kia sales rise in February with low-cost EVs
Coming off its second straight year of setting a new global sales record, 2025 is shaping up to be Kia’s biggest year in company history.
Kia is revamping the brand with a new lineup of stylish electric vehicles as part of its “EVs” for all strategy. After launching its first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, in 2023, the company is doubling down on more affordable models.
As part of its “EVs for all” strategy, Kia is launching a series of electric cars with prices ranging from around $30,000 to upwards of $80,000.
After launching the EV5 in China in late November 2023, starting at just over $20,000 (149,800 yuan), Kia introduced the smaller EV3 SUV last year.
Kia opened EV3 orders in Korea last June starting at roughly $30,000 (KRW 42.08 million). After securing over 10,000 reservations within a month, Kia’s vice president Won-Jeong Jeong, was already calling the compact SUV a “game-changer” in its home market.
Even more coming soon
Kia sold 2,257 EV3’s in Korea last month, surging 426% from the 429 sold in January. The EV3 has helped Kia’s domestic sales recover, rising 4.5% in February 2025.
With the EV3 now arriving in Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros), Kia expects overseas sales, which were up 4.4%, to gain momentum this year.
Kia’s President, Song Ho-sung, told shareholders on Wednesday the company’s annual sales exceeded 100 trillion won ($68.6 billion) for the first time in 2024. It also notched its highest operating profit in company history at 12.7 trillion won ($8.7 billion).
This year, Kia expects even more growth with new electric models, including the EV4, its first electric sedan, and the PV5, its first electric van. Both were introduced at Kia’s 2025 EV Day last week. We also got our first look at the smaller, even lower-cost EV2 model.
Hyundai’s low-cost Casper Electric, which went on full-scale sale in the second half of 2024, helped boost domestic sales.
Casper Electric sales increased in Hyundai’s home market from just 186 units in January to 1,061 in February. Hyundai’s domestic sales rose 20% in February 2025 compared to the prior year. The Casper EV starts at about $20,000 (27.4 million won) in Korea.
In outside markets, like Europe, the Casper is called the Inster EV, and it’s expected to help Hyundai significantly ramp up overseas EV sales. In Europe, Hyundai’s compact electric SUV starts at around $27,000 (25,000 euros).
Hyundai and Kia are on a hot streak in the US. Both are coming off new February sales records with new models like the 2025 IONIQ 5 and Kia’s EV9 seeing strong demand. With more EVs on the way, including Hyundai’s three-row IONIQ 9 and the Kia EV4, the Korean automakers will be two brands to keep an eye on as the global auto industry continues shifting to electric.
Source: Newsis, Hyundai Motor
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Electricity demand is surging in Texas, and solar, wind, and battery storage are meeting it.
According to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity demand across the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) hit record highs in the first nine months of 2025. ERCOT, which supplies power to about 90% of the state, saw demand jump 5% year-over-year to 372 terawatt hours (TWh) – a 23% increase since 2021. No other major US grid has grown faster over the past year.
Solar and wind keep ERCOT’s grid steady
The biggest growth story in Texas power generation is solar. Utility-scale solar plants produced 45 TWh from January through September, up 50% from 2024 and nearly four times what they generated in 2021 (11 TWh). Wind power also continued to climb, producing 87 TWh through September – a 4% increase from last year and 36% more than in 2021.
Together, wind and solar supplied 36% of ERCOT’s total electricity over those nine months. Solar, in particular, has transformed Texas’s daytime energy mix. From June to September, ERCOT solar farms generated an average of 24 gigawatts (GW) between noon and 1 pm – double the midday output from 2023. That growth has pushed down natural gas use at midday from 50% of the mix in 2023 to 37% this year.
Battery storage is filling in the gaps
Batteries charge during the day when wind and solar generation are the highest, and they produce electricity when generation from wind and solar slows down. ERCOT began reporting battery output separately in October 2024 in its hourly grid data, and it’s clear that batteries are now helping to smooth out evening peaks. This past summer, batteries supplied an average of 4 GW of power around 8 pm, right as solar production dropped off.
Natural gas is flatlining
Natural gas is still Texas’s dominant power source, but it isn’t growing like it used to. Between January and September, gas-fired plants generated 158 TWh of electricity, compared to 161 TWh in 2023. Gas comprised 43% of ERCOT’s generation mix during the first nine months of 2025, down from 47% in the first nine months of 2023 and 2024.
More demand growth ahead
The EIA expects Texas electricity demand to keep rising faster than any other grid in the US. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA projects ERCOT’s demand will climb another 14% in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 425 TWh. That means Texas will need even more solar, wind, and battery storage to keep up with its breakneck growth.
Read more: This $900 million solar farm in Texas is going 100% to data centers
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GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.
GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.
This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.
According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.
Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.
On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.
Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.
The recall includes:
- 2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
- 2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
- 2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
- 2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400
GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.
You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.
If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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