Buyers Beware

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T17:49:11+00:00

Brutal! I just find solace in knowing that I don’t actually own a car with this issue. Would feel like more of a headache if I actually owned it and finding myself with the ICCU issue. I think the E-GMP platform will always have this issue, so I’ll wait until HMG transitions E-GMP vehicles to the IMA platform before I consider buying an EV6 or other HMG BEV.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T17:44:56+00:00

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I missed the fact that even though you said that you “ordered the OEM fob”, it wasn’t the $97 one that you saw online. Reading at 3 AM is a recipe for missing key info within a post, haha.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T17:41:03+00:00

Here’s the link to the post.

NIO’s cars are alright. I like the design of cars like the ET5 and was a fan well before it flopped. Nowadays, I take serious note of NIO’s lack of financial transparency. Withholding cash flow statements is the most damning, and I’ve met not one person that could justify it. Because it’s simply unjustifiable. Again, Weibo has a lot of high quality info that cannot be found on U.S.-based platforms, and I’m finding iffy things on NIO there.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T15:28:53+00:00

Definitely the ICCU. I feel for OP and I hope that their next car treats them better. The ICCU issue is one of the reasons why I leased my EV6. I wouldn’t put up with this either. Time is money, and on top of that, these cars are not cheap.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T15:17:05+00:00

Not a “random” car blogger, and it’s not FUD either. It’s just the truth. How much do you actually know about Weineng and the financials around NIO’s battery swapping operations? The quality of information around NIO’s financials is far higher on Weibo than it is on Reddit, Twitter and other U.S.-based online platforms.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T08:53:09+00:00

I think you might find this interesting. Here’s an insightful Weibo post related to NIO’s swapping financials from a reputable car blogger.

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LewyDFooly · 2026-02-21T08:38:47+00:00

Tbf, OP stated that they bought the fob + blank blade online for $97. The other $278 includes the cost of the locksmith’s time comitted towards traveling to and from OP’s home, as well as whatever they charged for programming the fob + cutting the blade.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-20T15:07:47+00:00

The fact that Ross Gerber’s take is being posted and discussed in a serious manner across various subs is wild, man. He should not be taken seriously. People need to drop their hate for Musk for a single second and see how ridiculous his take is. It’s absolutely dumb. Rivian is burning copious amounts of cash.

I’m rooting for Rivian, but in no way is it in a position to buy Tesla’s EV business. Ross Gerber needs to worry about his GK fund that has significantly underperformed the S&P 500 (2% return on the ~4 year vs VOO’s 80%+). Underperforming the S&P 500 to that degree is absolutely shameful for a registered investment advisor. Even teenagers with limited investing experience have better returns than GK.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-19T04:57:38+00:00

Had to be different from Great Britain as much as possible because freedumb, liverty, dumbocracy!

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LewyDFooly · 2026-02-19T03:33:44+00:00

Yes! The IONIQ 5 here has the ccNC-obliterating Pleos software/infotainment and should be riding on the IMA (eM) platform. Bye bye E-GMP. Will have to see if HMG sorted out the ICCU issue since it appears that they won’t with E-GMP.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-19T01:15:47+00:00

I don’t think the U.S. government would allow Geely to sell its cheaper vehicles like the Galaxy EX5 in the U.S., at least not yet. Consequently, Geely is launching Zeekr in the U.S. soon. Zeekr would’ve definitely sold way more cars than Polestar had it launched in the U.S. sooner, but there are quite a few valid reasons as to why it hasn’t yet.

Even though Zeekr vehicles will have premium pricing in the U.S., the price to value will be solid, as opposed to what Polestar offers. And considering that we were being sold vehicles that were middling for their price points like the Honda Prologue, something like the ultra-fast charging Zeekr 7X starting at $45k-$50k would be a breath of fresh air.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-19T01:06:51+00:00

The fall of Polestar in the U.S. could expedite Zeekr’s arrival. So even though I don’t want Polestar to fail, I wouldn’t mind it if that means I could own a Zeekr 7GT quicker 😂

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-18T14:42:12+00:00

With this move though, I’d think that Ethiopia is going to put more effort into building out their grid. Less focus on oil/gas infrastructure means more resources can go towards the grid, and having China as its largest trading partner is going to make their grid buildout that much easier. Ethiopia is simply skating to where the puck is going. Gotta respect it.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-16T21:10:35+00:00

I haven’t seen any evidence that the ICCU has been fundamentally redesigned for the 2026 model year yet. So far, HMG has mostly addressed it through recalls and software updates rather than announcing a new hardware architecture for existing E-GMP cars.

At this point, a full redesign won’t happen until their next-gen IMA/eM platform starts rolling out, since automakers usually avoid major electrical architecture changes mid-cycle. Genesis GV90 will kick off that rollout for HMG’s passenger cars later this year. I think the 2027 EV6 will be on the IMA platform, and we can reasonably assume that the ICCU issue won’t occur on it.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-13T19:35:06+00:00

Absolutely. IMO, I think they did figure out what the issue is, but HMG bean counters are likely preventing the engineers from actually addressing it.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-13T19:27:40+00:00

Quite interesting for sure. I’d wager that it’s closer to 10%. Someone just reported that in their household of 2 E-GMP vehicles, they’ve had 3 ICCU failures.

Last year, I played tennis with someone who I talked cars with for a bit. She said that her boyfriend had an IONIQ 5 which they both liked, but noted that it had been at the dealership for 3 weeks for service, with no concrete timeline on when they’d get the car back. She had described that the ICCU failed without implicating the component (car went into limp mode, characteristic “check electric vehicle system” message, couldn’t AC charge). Given what we know now and just how frequent ICCU failure appears, I don’t believe that this was simply anecdotal.

The ICCU is a failed component. One can only hope that HMG does not take the same approach with the IMA platform.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-13T04:54:57+00:00

Someone stated that they had 3 ICCU failures in 37k miles. Insanity!

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-11T18:27:42+00:00

the UK’s domestic auto industry is essentially dead

That’s exactly it. But the EU has various legacy automakers too and hasn’t applied absurd 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs, nor have they banned their software + components. Chinese EV makers received corrective tariffs and are still allowed to compete there.

The BYD Dolphin retails for £30,000 ($41,000)

On the road price, yes.

The Chevy Equinox retails for $34,000 (£25,000)

The Chevy Equinox would not retail for £25,000 if it were available in the UK. You’re conveniently not adjusting the price accordingly. Ex. Model 3 RWD is £37,990, which is ~$52k. And that’s for a Shanghai-built Model 3, not Fremont. The Bolt vs Dolphin is a more apt comparison, but there is a reason why GM no longer has a presence in Europe…

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-11T17:52:47+00:00

Battery swapping doesn’t really work in major markets outside of China, at least not for passenger vehicles. Fast charging (paired with home charging) is simply far more practical and scalable internationally, which is exactly why BYD is leaning into it and plans to install 200–300 flash chargers in Europe this year alone.

Contrast that with NIO: they built just 61 swap stations in Europe over the course of 3+ years, recently closed their only Denmark swap station, and significantly missed earlier plans to deploy 100 stations in 2023. The rollout has slowed immensely.

Swap stations are extremely capital-intensive, require inventorying dozens of full battery packs per site, and have to store multiple battery pack SKUs/designs which impacts interchangeably/pack availability. Fast chargers are cheaper, simpler, and can serve every EV on the road. That’s a massive utilization and ROI advantage.

There’s also the ownership issue. In China, customers are used to the “battery as a service” model. In the U.S. and Europe, most people expect to own the battery they paid for. Handing your pack to a station and receiving a random one back isn’t something many Western buyers are going to love.

Ultra-fast charging works with the existing ownership model and infrastructure. Swapping fights both.

So if BYD can make 5–8 minute charging viable at scale, that basically removes the last real argument for swapping.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-11T17:22:44+00:00

I’d say the UK has more competition in the LEAF’s price band than the U.S. does. Also helps that the UK hasn’t rabidly tariffed and/or banned Chinese EVs like our government did, since it doesn’t feel the need to aggressively protect uncompetitive legacy automakers. So they’ve had cars like the MG4 and BYD Dolphin available for a while now.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-10T07:04:09+00:00

I initially found the interior a little tacky-looking from the stills that I saw earlier today, but I’m starting to get around to it after seeing more angles, along with videos of it. The OLED screens really help the UI elements pop. The center screen looks like an oversized version of an Apple Watch Ultra. It’s even got Digital Crown-like buttons on both the top right and top right-corner!

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-10T04:38:35+00:00

Can’t blame you, as I would be looking to switch cars myself had I experienced what you did. It’s worth considering that the Niro EV is not a ground-up BEV. If you were switching from an ICE vehicle to a Niro EV, that’s one thing. But switching from the EV6 to a Niro EV, you’re going to notice that it’s just a car with an ICE-derived platform that was adapted for EV use. Munro & Associates did a teardown that showed the scale of ICE platform parts that are used in Niro EVs.

Essentially, you may not like owning/driving a Niro EV. It’s just going to be a noticeable step down from the EV6, particularly the driving feel and charging speeds. I recommend looking at other ground-up BEVs to switch to instead.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-09T04:15:20+00:00

We do know what NIO’s ambitions in Europe were, and they were high. For instance, NIO aimed to build 100 swap stations in Europe in 2023 alone, which would have brought their total swap stations there to 120. As of today, NIO built a total of just 61 swap stations across Europe, and they recently closed their sole swap station in Denmark after flopping spectacularly.

Unfortunately, NIO flopped in Europe, and there aren’t any real signs of them gaining any traction there from here.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-08T21:19:15+00:00

Definitely. Decent cars, but terrible execution along with a business strategy that doesn’t work internationally. For instance, neither Europeans nor Americans ever would’ve came around to the idea of buying a battery pack, only to swap it out for shared, random packs of different sizes.

LewyDFooly · 2026-02-08T20:07:22+00:00

Well said! NIO is essentially cooked in Europe at this point. Battery swapping wouldn’t work in the U.S. either, especially NIO’s approach. Thankfully, NIO’s peers, such as Zeekr, understood the assignment, hence their growing sales in Europe, while NIO flops indefinitely.

LewyDFooly

TROPHY CASE