Articles by Samuel Irvine

The federal government will offer low-interest loans for Australian workers earning less than $100,000 to purchase an electric car.Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, this week announced the move, which will open up $150 million worth of funding through the Commonwealth Bank, cutting interest rates to 5.49 per cent per annum from between 6.49 per cent and 10.49 per cent.Essential workers – such as police officers, firefighters and nurses – will qualify for the loan regardless of income, which will only apply to new and used EVs worth up to $55,000.That covers EVs like the GWM Ora, MG4 and BYD Dolphin, as well as larger models such as the BYD Atto 3 and Leapmotor C10.The government claims the loans will help save Australians more than $8000 on a $40,000 loan with a seven-year term, on top of fuel savings.“Discounted loans help remove barriers to ownership, helping more Australians drive cars that can save them thousands of dollars a year,” said Chris Bowen.In addition to the loans, car buyers are already exempt from paying fringe benefits taxes (FBT) on EVs and plug-in hybrids purchased through a novated leasing agreement.FBT exemptions will end for plug-in hybrid cars on April 1 next year, though the deal will continue for EVs.The news comes as EV demand has softened in Australia as buyers increasingly look to hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as an alternative.Using combined data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council, Australians have purchased 178,785 hybrid or plug-in hybrid models to the end of November this year, compared to roughly 70,000 EVs.Interested buyers can access the loans from today.

CATL will co-develop 10 new electric cars with Chinese EV partners as the battery giant aims to roll out 1000 battery swap stations across China next year.CATL founder and Chairman Zeng Yuqun said the future models from SAIC Motor, Changan Automotive and FAW Group will come fitted with CATL’s new “choco swapping electric block (SEB)” batteries, allowing for a full battery swap in approximately three minutes.For comparison, most car brands claim a charging time of between 10 to 80 per cent in approximately 30 minutes on a DC fast charger.The two Choco SEB batteries will utilise lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry and are designed for A- and B-class sized vehicles, such as the BYD Dolphin or BYD Seal.Initially, CATL plans to build the first 1000 stations itself under its subsidiary EVOGO before partnering with other manufacturers to open as many as 30,000 stations in China. The move could reduce the number of fuel stations in the country by a third.“We will continue to promote the standardisation of battery swapping, and the most important thing is the standardisation of battery size,” said Zeng.Zeng said the stations will aim to use as much green energy as possible.Customers will purchase a monthly subscription to access the technology, which will start at 369 Yuan ($81) per month.The sheer scale of CATL’s plans makes it one of the most ambitious battery swap projects yet, which, if successful, will have huge implications for reducing range anxiety, one of the largest hurdles associated with boosting EV uptake.Battery swap stations work much like a drive-through car wash. Owners drive in and have their depleted battery swapped for a fully charged one autonomously from underneath.It’s also pitched as a more environmentally-friendly method of battery charging given it charges the battery slower than fast-charging stations, which improves battery lifespan and helps to reduce electronic waste.The technology was originally pioneered by US-based startup Better Place, which launched its first battery swap stations in Israel in 2008 before the company went bankrupt in 2013.Tesla – which CATL considers one of its major clients – also dabbled in the technology in 2013 on its Model S sedan before abandoning it in 2015 in favour of its more profitable fast-charging technology.Currently, Chinese EV brand Nio is the biggest player in the segment, operating some 2800 stations across China as of this month.Although not a direct line to future battery-swap technology in Australia, these Chinese companies do export, or have something to do with, established carmakers.SAIC Motor owns brands MG and LDV which are both sold in Australia. In China, Changan has partnered with Mazda and Ford for joint ventures, while FAW deals with and produces Toyota and Volkswagen products.

An MG-badged version of the SAIC Motor Maxus Interstellar – to be sold locally as the LDV Terron 9 – has been spotted in China, seemingly giving us a first look at the incoming MG ute.

Mini has announced pricing for its fully-electric John Cooper Works (JCW) Cooper and Aceman. Set for a local release in the first quarter of 2025, pricing for the JCW Cooper will commence at $63,990, while the JCW Aceman will start at $65,990, both before on-road costs.

Just weeks after stepping down as the head of European-American automotive conglomerate Stellantis, Carlos Tavares is standing by the decisions that forced the embattled former CEO into resignation.

Mazda has consolidated its CX-3 and Mazda2 ranges for 2025, while adding some safety and design upgrades in exchange for minor price rises.The Mazda CX-3 and 10 are getting on, having been launched nine and 10 years ago, respectively. Both will continue in their current guise for the foreseeable future, with no all-new models in the works.Despite its age, the CX-3 remains Mazda's second most popular model. For MY25, it is $920 dearer, at $30,370, before on-road costs.The entry point moves from Sport to Pure, with 18-inch machined alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.Those technologies are also allocated to the CX-3 Evolve, which adds fog lamps and keyless entry. It gets sportier 18-inch machine-black alloy wheels and black synthetic leather upholstery as well.Near the top of the range, the GT SP replaces the Touring SP grade and adds a seven-speaker Bose sound system. The top-spec Akari gets new 18-inch bright finish alloys.As before, the CX-3 continues to be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that sends 110kW/195Nm to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox.Unlike rivals such as the GWM Haval Jolion and Toyota Yaris Cross, there is no hybrid option.The updated Mazda2 range now starts at $26,990, before on-road costs, while the previous entry-level G15 Pure has been dropped.That means the option of a manual gearbox is gone and a six-speed automatic is now standard across the range.It is $620 more expensive than last year, and adds the same safety suite as the CX-3 range, as well as new 16-inch black metallic alloys.There is now only one other hatch option, the G15 GT, which is priced at $28,190, before on-road costs.The G15 GT is the only available in a sedan, which maintains the same price as the hatch.No changes have been made to the Mazda2's 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which sends 82kW/144Nm to the front wheels.Both models are on sale now.All prices are at before on-road costsAll prices are at before on-road costs

If there has been a single story that has come out of the automotive world over the past five years, it has been the rise of China.

MG could launch an affordable electric car equipped with a semi-solid-state battery in 2025, according to the brand’s General Manager, Zhou Yan.

Just weeks after snapping a BYD Sealion 7 in the wild, the Chinese EV giant has submitted its next local model in for homologation with the Australian government.It reveals the fully-electric SUV, poised to tangle with the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV5, Leapmotor C10, Deepal S07 and Xpeng G6, will be offered in Australia with the choice of two powertrains.As expected, there will be a single-motor rear-wheel drive variant which produces 230kW.An all-wheel drive variant, which adds an additional 130kW electric motor to the front axle for a total output of 390kW.We expect torque outputs to be 380Nm on the rear-wheel drive variant and 690Nm on the all-wheel drive variant, as is the case in Europe, though nothing has been confirmed locally as of yet.The same goes for battery sizes, with the Sealion 7 carrying two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) ‘Blade’ batteries in Europe – an 82.5kWh unit or a larger 91.5kWh one.The former, which is available in both rear- and all-wheel drive guises, delivers between 456-482km WLTP driving range.A range-topping 502km of WLTP range is reserved for the Excellence grade in Europe, which incorporates the larger battery pack exclusively on the AWD variant.BYD claims a 0-100km/h sprint time on the rear-wheel drive variant of 6.7 seconds, while both all-wheel drive models can complete the sprint time in 4.5 seconds.According to the filings, the Sealion 7 measures 4830mm long, 1925mm wide, 1620mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2930mm.That makes it larger than a Tesla Model Y in all metrics bar height, where it is just 4mm shorter.The same goes for the Xpeng G6 and Leapmotor C10, both of which are 30mm and 60mm taller, respectively. It exceeds the Kia EV5 in all dimensions.Pricing is unclear at this stage, but we expect it to start competitively against the Tesla Model Y ($55,900), the Kia EV5 ($55,700) and the Xpeng G6 ($54,800, all at before on-road costs).The similarly-sized Seal sedan with equivalent battery capacity and motor power starts at $49,888, before on-road costs, in Dynamic trim.Getting any cheaper than $50,000, which is where the Leapmotor C10 ($45,888, before on-road costs) resides, will be difficult. That is the price point reserved for BYD's other family-focused SUV, the Atto 3 which starts at $44,499, before on-road costs.Full pricing and specifications for the Sealion 7 are expected closer to its arrival date in Australia in the first half of 2025.

The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) has released its State Of EVs report for 2024 – its annual assessment of Australia's EV transition, which looks at the performance of federal, state and territory governments.