Data briefs

The news, measured.

Each brief starts from a story on the wire and adds one open dataset the story did not show. 15 briefs, 41 open sources. Saved · RSS

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12 briefs

Machines

Plug-ins took 25% of global car sales in 2025, up from 0.7% in 2015

IEA data shows how fast plug-ins grew, and why 'gas cars under 50%' is a narrower claim than it sounds.

16.5%Battery-electric share, 2025 (IEA)Read the brief
Global new-car sales by powertrain, 2015–2025% of new cars
0%25%50%75%100%16.5%Battery-electric8.5%Plug-in hybrid75%Not plug-in (gasol…20162018202020222024
0%25%50%75%100%16.5%Battery-e…8.5%Plug-in h…75%Not plug-…20152017.520202022.52025
1 trillionAI Ten open-weight models passed 1T parameters. All ten came from ChinaMistral Large 4 (total params) 4.60 million km²Space Arctic ice's 2026 low: 4.60 M km², 11th lowest in 48 years2026 minimum (5-day mean)
28.1%AIBots now make up 36% of English Wikipedia pageviews, up from 28% in MayBot share, week of 4 May36 daysGadgetsGarmin Enduro 4 claims 36 days of smartwatch battery, 17x Apple Watch Ultra 4Enduro 4, smartwatch mode1491AIChina's best open model leads the US by 46 Arena points, down from 72Best Chinese open model, 2 Oct 2026295 milesMachinesMedian EPA range for new EVs climbed from 82 to 295 miles since 2012Median EPA range, MY2026+41.3%EnergyWater and sewer prices rose 41% since 2016, vs 34% for all itemsWater & sewerage CPI, 2025 vs 201642.4 TWhEnergyGoogle's data centers used 42.4 TWh in 2025, 2.9x their 2020 levelData-center electricity, 202517,257SpaceStarlink is 64.5% of every active satellite in orbitActive payloads in orbit40.4 GWEnergyPlanned US gas capacity through 2030 rose 49% in EIA filings, to 60 GWPlanned gas through 2030, Dec 2025 file228.2 GWEnergyUS solar capacity hit 228 GW by July 2026, nearly 7x its 2016 levelUS solar PV, July 2026 (EIA)