The Sydney EV Podcast

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

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'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.