Articles by Leon Poultney, EVs correspondent

Leon has been navigating a world where automotive and tech collide for almost 20 years, reporting on everything from in-car entertainment to robotised manufacturing plants. Currently, EVs are the focus of his attentions, but give it a few years and it will be electric vertical take-off and landing craft. Outside of work hours, he can be found tinkering with distinctly analogue motorcycles, because electric motors are no replacement for an old Honda inline four.

Articles by: Leon Poultney

Xiaomi unveils its first range-extender SUV and it looks like a private jet on wheels

By Leon Poultney Published 14 July 26

Xiaomi's first gas-powered model is a huge luxury SUV with 930 miles of range

I’ve driven the hybrid Audi RS 5 — and it's completely changed what I think of plug-in hybrids

By Leon Poultney Published 11 July 26

Audi's latest RS 5 blends 639hp with some of the smartest hybrid tech I've tested.

Worried about Flock cameras? All new cars in the EU now need to have a camera aimed at the driver's face in the latest privacy nightmare

By Leon Poultney Published 10 July 26

Every new car sold in the EU must now include a driver-monitoring camera, sparking latest data privacy row

Modern EV batteries are more durable than you think, new study reveals — most electric cars still have 95% of their original range after 5 years

By Leon Poultney Published 6 July 26

Electric vehicle batteries are lasting far longer than expected – but used EVs still have one major trust problem

Tesla silences critics with knockout EV sales as Elon Musk controversy fades — but it still can't stop BYD from reclaiming the global crown

By Leon Poultney Published 3 July 26

Tesla posts a record sales period as EV business rebounds, but BYD is still leading the global race

US bans Polestar but not Volvo in baffling EV ruling — data security fears force exit for premium brand, while its sister company gets a green light

By Leon Poultney Published 29 June 26

New US rule will ban Polestar EVs over data security fears, even though none of the EVs it sells in North America are built in China.

I tested the five best speed camera detection systems for drivers — here's the one I'd buy with my own money

By Leon Poultney Published 26 June 26

I took five of the best speed camera detectors for a long drive. Which one came out on top?

AI traffic cameras spark backlash in Mississippi — as government officials try to calm fears they’ll be used to catch motorists who are speeding, not wearing seatbelts or texting at the wheel

By Leon Poultney Published 24 June 26

Government officials in Mississippi have been attempting to calm fears that new AI traffic cameras will become a massive privacy violation.

A flock camera next to SignalTrace cameras on a post

This free tool is helping drivers avoid automatic license plate readers — as fears grow around 'intrusive' new devices that could track your phone, AirPod and smartwatch data

By Leon Poultney Published 22 June 26

Automatic license plate readers are getting worryingly smart, so drivers and privacy advocates are fighting back with a free tool called DeFlock.

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I've driven the Honda Super-N — and I'm in love with this go-kart for the daily drive

By Leon Poultney Published 19 June 26

Small but mighty, the Honda super-N aims to inject some serious fun into the compact EV market.

A man driving a life-size Lego Koenigsegg hypercar next to a shot on the car on the road

This life-size Koenigsegg just became the fastest drive-able Lego car ever — $5m hypercar recreated from 327,000 Technic elements and sent down Goodwood Hill at 69mph

By Leon Poultney Published 19 June 26

The 1:1 'Big Build' celebrates the hillclimb record set by Koenigsegg at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Tesla sucks! Handy vacuum cleaners have been spotted at some European Tesla Supercharger stalls

By Leon Poultney Published 18 June 26

Tesla helps kill EV charging time by providing handy on-site vacuum cleaners.

Some carmakers are ditching FM radios — and Rivian R2 fans aren't happy that they'll need a cellphone signal to listen to tunes in the wilderness

By Leon Poultney Published 18 June 26

Rivian becomes the latest carmaker to turn its back on AM/FM tuners in its vehicles and some potential punters aren’t happy

Xiaomi unveiled an EV feature that Tesla promised back in 2014… and it could make charging a lot easier

By Leon Poultney Published 15 June 26

Chinese tech giant unveils automatic EV charging solution

I’ve witnessed BYD fully charge its Denza Z9 GT in under 10 minutes, and it’s going to change how people view EVs

By Leon Poultney Published 10 June 26

Five-minute EV ‘Flash charging’ is coming to the UK and Europe this year, promising ultra-rapid top-ups at a surprisingly low price

An old Harley Davidson motorbike next to Jason Momoa riding a motorbike

‘The best thing we’ve ever made’: Jason Momoa turns his 100-year-old Harleys into new electric classics — and you can buy the same ‘drop-in’ conversion kits

By Leon Poultney Published 9 June 26

Jason Momoa and UK conversion specialist Electrogenic team up to work on electrifying Hollywood star's classic collection.

Hey, remember that bonkers folding micro-LED TV? It’s back! And now it's a Bugatti

By Carrie Marshall, Leon Poultney Published 4 June 26

Recently found yourself in a Brewster's Millions-style situation? Then I've got the TV for you…

Rivian boss says Level 4 autonomous driving is 'much closer than people think', but Tesla is struggling to convince its own employees that the technology is reliable

By Leon Poultney Published 3 June 26

Rivian's boss hypes up the company's self-driving systems, while Tesla's own employees claim the tech isn't ready

Aftermarket tuners are already going wild for Ferrari’s divisive Luce, but even a ton of carbon fiber can’t save it

By Leon Poultney Published 2 June 26

Aftermarket tuner thinks a wide body kit and plenty of carbon fiber could improve Ferrari's recent Luce design

A man driving the Porsche Cayenne Electric, next to an image of the car on the road

‘The performance is otherworldly’: I’ve driven the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric — and it’s a serious amount of car for the money

By Leon Poultney Published 31 May 26

After driving the Cayenne Coupe Electric for a few days, Porsche continues to make a very convincing case for ditching the combustion engine.

I’ve driven the smallest Kia EV yet and there’s a lot to love about the baby of the bunch

By Leon Poultney Published 25 May 26

Small, spacious and styled to start conversations, Kia’s baby EV is actually the grown-up urban EV choice.

'We wouldn't encourage willingly driving your vehicle into the water' — man arrested for driving Cybertruck into a lake to test its Wade Mode, police say

By Leon Poultney Published 23 May 26

Tesla Cybertruck owner finds out the hard way after getting stuck in a lake and subsequently arrested for testing the vehicle’s Wade Mode.

Is this the future of drive-in movies? Huawei’s XPixel smart headlights can project games, TV and more onto any surface — technology demonstrated at the Beijing Auto Show is the first to offer full-color projection

By Leon Poultney Published 20 May 26

These Huawei headlights want to turn your car into a mobile movie theatre

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“I think it can be a point of no return” — experts issue warning as Chinese EV manufacturers hunt for European manufacturing plants

By Leon Poultney Published 15 May 26

Chinese EV makers are pushing into Europe with plans to snap up idle manufacturing facilities

“If you’re manufacturing EVs that can’t be repaired, it’s going to be a real challenge to sustain residual values” — experts call for more repairability in the battery industry

By Leon Poultney Published 14 May 26

Experts are calling for more EV repairability, as range-focussed battery packs could seriously hurt residual values

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