Big week. Mitsubishi, the brand that gave us one of the first modern EVs back in 2009 , has officially announced they're done building their own electric cars. Meanwhile 2,000 Australians have already put deposits on a Mazda they've never sat in. And sodium batteries are quietly matching Tesla's lithium benchmarks while some politicians are still out here demanding more coal.

Standard Tuesday, really.

Local cars this week:

The Geely EX2, Geely's best-selling hatchback with 465,000 units sold in China last year , has been approved for Australia, arriving mid-to-late 2026 at around $30,000. It comes in beige and pink, tows absolutely nothing, and will probably outsell everything you'd expect it to.

Xpeng dropped the X9, a seven-seater people-mover that charges 10-80% in twelve minutes, does 615km WLTP, and has an AI chassis that sees obstacles 30 metres ahead. It also tows 1,500kg, which means it will absolutely be used to tow a new camper trailer directly to its permanent resting place in someone's front yard.

Mazda already has over 2,000 firm orders for the 6e and CX-6e and nobody's even sat in one yet. This is either peak Australian enthusiasm or the world's most successful cult. Possibly both.

Mercedes is bringing the CLA Shooting Brake EV to Australia before year's end , "bargain luxury" in their words, which means you might only need to sell one kidney instead of two.

And the Polestar 4 is now taking orders from $78,500 the one with no rear window, because apparently visibility is for people who don't appreciate Scandinavian minimalism.

Internationally:

Ford has produced its first American-made LFP battery cells in Michigan, licensed from Chinese tech, because nothing says manufacturing independence quite like that. Honda is going tiny and quirky with the Super One. Mitsubishi is outsourcing their entire EV future to Nissan and Foxconn. And Jeep has opened orders for the new Compass EV with 674km WLTP range and genuine off-road capability, because apparently even Jeep figured out that silence doesn't mean soft.

Battery and tech:

Sodium-ion batteries from Hina Battery are now matching key Tesla lithium benchmarks, cheap, abundant, doesn't require mining half of Chile. In Western Australia, home batteries are flattening the solar duck curve and helping slash the need for peaking gas. Your neighbour's Powerwall is doing more for the grid than your local coal lobbyist, and that's just where we are now.

And finally , EVs can't go around corners. I know. I've heard. I addressed it. The physics laughed.

Still dailying an OG i-MiEV like a true masochist. Catch you next week.

Hi, I’m Rob, and in this episode I’m taking the piss out of Australia finally joining the EV revolution at the pace of a very well-paid committee.

I break down Porsche’s ridiculously expensive new electric Cayenne (yes, the ‘Turbo’ EV that costs more than a house in regional Victoria), Chery’s upcoming Lepas L6 that’s coming for the Model Y crowd, and the genuinely impressive Windrose E700 electric prime mover that’s already hauling 49 tonnes and full loads of toilet paper from Sydney to Canberra, all while being 85% cheaper than diesel.

Overseas, I look at Ford’s upcoming affordable electric pickup, BMW’s wild new electric M3 with fake engine noises, and BYD’s luxury Great Tang SUV that’s already got 150,000 pre-orders with nearly 950 km range and 5-minute flash charging.

Plus, we dive into infrastructure with 1,500 kW monsters landing in Europe, Australia’s own mobile ultra-fast charging trucks, record-breaking 34.4% efficient solar panels, and solid-state batteries pushing toward 500 Wh/kg that are about to change everything. Sharp, sarcastic, and full of 2026 optimism, if you love EVs and hate slow progress, this one’s for you.

Good evening Australia.

In this episode of the driest car news on the internet, we unpack the latest electric onslaught while the petrosexuals remain in heavy denial.

BMW drops the “entry-level” iX3 at $89k and the $306k i7 with a roof-mounted 31-inch Netflix cinema for people who hate scenery.

Mitsubishi returns to EVs with a surprisingly quick dual-motor SUV tuned for Aussie roads.

Ferrari announces the million-dollar Luce , because nothing says “family car” like a $900k+ electric flex with ISOFIX.

Internationally BYD will pay out if their “God’s Eye” self-driving crashes (for the first year only),

MG4X is $20k in China, and CATL is cooking up Lithium-Air batteries with near-petrol energy density.

Plus V2G money, heavy truck charging hubs, Mazda’s hybrid retreat, and MIT turning bathroom renos into lithium breakthroughs.

Deadpan delivery, zero seatbelt lectures, maximum sarcasm. Welcome to the future.

Episode 8

G’day everyone, and welcome back to EV Down Under! Coming to you live from the back of the car as usual, we’ve got a massive local and international news roundup this week. No beating around the bush—we are talking major price drops, giant electric people movers, and some serious upgrades for Aussie renters.

Here is what’s on the menu today:

• Subaru Uncharted: It’s officially priced at $59,990, making it their cheapest EV yet. But don't let the price fool you—this dual-motor, Symmetrical AWD setup pumps out 252kW and beats a fabled WRX to 100kph. Perfect for some soft off-roading (and V2L campsite karaoke).

• XPeng X9 Approved: Moving families with "more people than most people," this 5.3-metre electric people mover is officially approved for Aussie roads to take on the Kia Carnival.

• The BYD V9 Commercial Monster: A massive 6.95-metre long electric van landing around the $80k mark later this year. Goodbye diesel running costs for logistics fleets!

• EOFY Deals: GAC Aion V is dropping insane 0.99% finance deals and free 22kW home chargers before the June 30 cutoff.

• International Highlights: The MG IM 07 launches in China (essentially a Porsche Taycan at Aldi prices) and Rivian opens up the highly anticipated R2 configurator in the US.

• Rewiring Australia & The Renter Revolution: A massive push to get the NSW Government to mandate V2G-ready plugs in rentals so you can power your home for up to 5 days using your car battery.

• The Fun Stuff: Big batteries saving Aussie solar farms from curtailment, ClearVue's solar skyscraper glass, and a quantum physics trick in Japan/Germany pushing solar limits to the absolute edge.

What do you reckon? Should landlords be forced to install EV-ready plugs in Australian rentals? Drop your thoughts on the Uncharted or the massive BYD van in the comments below—I read every single one.

Episode 6: Land Rovers Are Chinese Now, BYD Is Unstoppable & New Zealand Wants to Tax Your Ute

Sorry for the delay ,turns out house painting is exactly as exciting as it sounds. But we're back, and this week did not disappoint.

In Episode 6 of the Australia EV Podcast, I cover a massive week in the EV world ,new affordable options possibly heading to Australia, Chinese brands giving British icons a battery-powered second life, BYD dropping absolute weapons, ute tax drama across the Tasman, and some genuinely exciting battery tech that could change everything.

In this episode:

On the local front Kia's EV2 is still on the cards for Australia with a potential sub-$45k price point, but Slovakia and shipping costs are making things complicated. MG's premium IM brand is bringing the massive IM8 three-row SUV to Australia in early 2027 think $80-100k territory with a 68cm 5K screen and Shiatsu massage seats. The Land Rover Freelander is back Chinese-made, electrified, and bigger than a Prado. Mitsubishi is finally waking up from its electric nap with a Foxconn-built small SUV landing before the end of 2026. And Chery is launching yet another brand — iCaur — a dedicated off-road range with proper spare wheel on the tailgate and up to 1,000km of hybrid range.

Internationally, BYD's new Atto 3 charges from 10 to 97% in nine minutes, which is barely enough time to grab a servo pie. The BYD Datang picked up 30,000 pre-orders in 24 hours from $51,000 Australian equivalent ,because apparently that's just what BYD does now. The Audi E7X flagship SUV has landed in China with 900-volt architecture and a ByteDance AI assistant. And the BYD Sealion 08 is a 5.1-metre, 480kW luxury people-mover with 900km of range that should make every European premium brand very nervous.

On the politics front, New Zealand researchers are calling for a ute tax, citing pedestrian safety stats that are genuinely hard to argue with. Back home, new national rules make it significantly easier to ditch your gas connection entirely. WA is trialling electric kilns for lithium processing using renewable energy. And CATL has signed a 60 gigawatt-hour sodium-ion battery deal ,sodium, the working-class hero of the battery world.

The bottom line this week: BYD is playing 4D chess against itself while everyone else is still reading the instructions. The affordable EV options are coming. The off-road EVs are coming. The luxury EVs are already here. And the "EVs aren't ready" crowd is running out of arguments faster than a petrol car runs out of excuses at the bowser.

Drop your thoughts in the comments, which upcoming car has you most excited?

Fuelled by cold coffee. Powered by solar. Broadcasting from where the sun is free and the coal lobby owns most of the government.

G’day legends! Rob here.

Welcome to Episode 5 of the SydEV Podcast.

This one is coming to you a bit early and a bit lean because I am currently being buried alive under a pile of invoices and gyprock.

Building a house is a great way to ensure you never have money or free time ever again.

Highly recommend it if you hate yourself.

Despite the "small things" (aka large bills) trying to stop me, we’ve got a big news but short on stories week of news:

• Hyundai IONIQ 3: The "Aero Hatch" has arrived. It’s got a 0.263 drag coefficient, which makes it officially less aerodynamic than a fridge, but more aerodynamic than my house frame. Plus, I explain the "Megabox" pickup line you didn't know you needed.

• The Mercedes EQC (GLC Electric): Mercedes finally built a proper EV platform. It’s got 713km of range and an Imax screen on the dash so you can watch movies while you wait for the plumber to show up.

• Japan’s Solar Balls: Why have flat panels when you can have tiny spheres that catch light from every direction? It’s ball-ception, and it’s brilliant.

• The Big Clean Flip: New data from Ember shows clean energy met 100% of global demand growth last year. We’ve finally stopped the fossil fuel rot, and solar is doing 75% of the heavy lifting.

  
  

• Honda & The Self-Drive Retreat: Why the Japanese and Germans are finally admitting that we probably shouldn't sleep while driving a two-ton metal box.

What do you reckon? Would you trust a Solar Ball to power your kettle? And is 700km of range worth $110k?

If you thought the EV market was moving fast before, grab a handle, because this week it just hit hyperdrive."

G’day legends, welcome back. I’m Rob, and this week we’re talking about an EV news cycle that’s hotter than the sand at Bondi at high noon.

In this episode, we’re unpacking:

• The $31k Bargain: MG is having a literal "garage sale" with the MG4 Urban. It’s officially cheaper than a used Camry and smells significantly less like a mystery oil leak.

• The Tradie Dream: MG teased an electric ute (the U9), and GWM dropped the ORA 5 SUV. Vehicle-to-Load is here, so you can power your esky while looking rugged in your Akubra.

• Pure Electric Rage: Denza is bringing 1.5 Megawatt chargers to Australia. 0 to 97% in nine minutes. That’s faster than it takes an EV hater to type "but what about the grid?" in my comments.

• Science is Wild: We look at "light batteries" that trap sunlight in molecules and a Chinese solid-state battery that’s basically unkillable.

• The 876km Race: A Tesla Model 3 went head-to-head with a Camry Hybrid from Sydney to Melbourne. The result? Only 9 minutes difference. I’ll tell you why that "9 minutes" is the most important number in the industry right now.

Plus, we look at why Sydney summers are now 50 days longer (spoiler: it’s not because the sun likes us more) and why Volvo Trucks is already winning the long-haul game while everyone else is still putting their boots on.

What’s your pick of the week? The 9-minute charge or the $31k MG? Drop a comment below—I read all two of them!

This week I cover more ground than a BYD Tang on a full charge ,which, as it turns out, is 950 kilometres. Yes. Nine hundred and fifty. I've never owned a petrol car with that kind of range and I've owned a few.

We kick things off in Europe where Mercedes has decided steering wheels are overrated and gone full steer-by-wire on the new EQS. No mechanical connection between the wheel and the tyres whatsoever. Terrifying? Maybe. Cool? Absolutely. And yes, I do have thoughts about the yoke double standard.

Then Korea drops a bomb, Kia has priced the PV5 electric van at $55,990 and tradies, I'm going to need you to sit down for this one. It might actually kill the Hiace. I said what I said.

China is doing what China does , Zeekr slashed $11,000 off the Zeekr X, Chery dropped the Omoda E5 to $37,990 drive-away, and Forthing is officially launching in Australia in June. Yes, Forthing. It's a real brand. The car is actually good.

Mazda confirmed CX-6e pricing, $53,990 for the GT ,with a 1.2 metre digital display that is genuinely bigger than my first television.

Back home, Wollongong Council quietly got on with it and installed kerbside EV chargers on power poles while everyone else was still talking about it. Good on them.

On the infrastructure front, coastal routes are solid, inland is still a charging desert, and I have genuine concerns about what's going to happen at regional chargers this Christmas when all those record EV orders turn into actual cars on actual roads.

In renewable news, cheap solar and battery deals are everywhere right now. Some of them are genuinely great. Some of them are absolutely not. I'll tell you how to tell the difference.

And in the fun stuff, 100 Baidu robotaxis in Wuhan all decided to stop simultaneously in the middle of traffic for a collective nap. Nothing builds confidence in autonomous vehicles like a group timeout on a busy road.

Also, Fortescue just took delivery of their 15th giant electric excavator in the Pilbara, each one saving a million litres of diesel a year. When Australia's biggest miners are going electric at that scale, the "but what about the big stuff" crowd is running out of arguments fast.

Big week. Grab a coffee. Let's go.

This week I'm covering more ground than a dual-motor MG U9 with a full tank of electrons.

Renault's stunning Renault 5 can't come to Australia because of a child seat rule that'll cost them $5 million to fix. Meanwhile MG just got approval for an electric ute that tows 3,500 kg and Toyota responded with a Hilux BEV that tows 2,000 kg and does 245 km on a good day ,with the wind behind it and they expect to sell 500 of them.

Bold strategy.

MG also launched their cheapest EV yet at $31,990 drive-away, Mercedes is bringing a luxury SUV with 750 km of real-world range, BMW dropped prices, Mazda confirmed the CX-6e, and somehow we're still debating whether EVs are viable.

Plus the FBT exemption lives, Tesla Supercharger prices are dropping while petrol hits $3 a litre, BP Pulse is building a 24-bay charging hub at Melbourne Airport, and Japanese scientists may have just broken the laws of physics with a solar panel that's more than 100% efficient.

Also: used EV prices are going through the roof, Google Maps now does proper EV route planning, and China sold 15,000 Xiaomi SU7s in 34 minutes. Thirty-four minutes.

It's a big one. Grab a coffee.

Welcome to the very first episode of the Sydney EV Podcast! I’m Rob, your resident EV advocate and solar nerd, and I’m here to talk real talk about the electric revolution happening right now in Australia. Whether you're one of my "all 2" listeners or just stumbled in, grab a coffee (regional or otherwise) and plug in.

In this inaugural episode, we’re diving into a stacked week of Aussie and International EV news:

• The $30k Barrier Breaks: The GAC Aion UT leaked pricing is a "clean up in aisle 4" moment for the budget EV scene.

• Mazda’s Redemption: Is the Mazda 6e the Tesla Model 3 killer we’ve been waiting for? (Spoiler: It’s under $50k!)

• Van-Life & Tradeies: Why the Farizon V7E is basically a 1,300kg payload Tardis for the smart worker.

• The "Latte-Sipping" Myth: Why the culture war against EVs is failing in the face of $2.50 petrol and Iranian oil shocks.

• Quantum Lasers & Mission Beach: CSIRO’s sci-fi battery breakthrough and Tesla’s massive new 25-bay Supercharger in Far North QLD.

From BMW’s "Heart of Joy" (or Heart of G-Force Nausea) to the truth about heavy vehicle incentives in NSW, we're covering the wins, the myths, and the occasional WTF moments.

EVs aren't the future—they're the now.

Connect with me:X (Twitter) Bluesky TikTok Threads etc etc: @SydneyEVSubscribe for weekly episodes on the tech, the politics, and the bargains of the Australian EV market.