Technology

This could be a huge problem for EV owners in Australia.  Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is the next big step to unlocking the full potential of electric cars.  V2G allows an EV battery to send its power back to the grid, allowing owners to make money at peak times. Electric cars sales are already booming in Australia, but this added functionality gives them an even sharper edge over petrol- and diesel-powered alternatives.  However, using V2G in Australia currently risks voiding the manufacturer's warranty of the car. Electric Vehicle Council’s Head of Energy, Infrastructure and Commercial Alina Dini told CarsGuide current warranties generally weren’t designed to account for undertaking V2G.  “Unless it has been stipulated in those terms and conditions that vehicle to grid is allowed, it’s generally not,” Dini said.  V2G can have a significant impact on battery condition, depleting its health more rapidly than standard use.  Most EVs in Australia are not designed to have two-way power transfer, but that are a range of third-party chargers that can facilitate V2G capabilities. Hyundai Australia's Senior Manager Future Mobility and Government Relations Scott Nargar said third-party V2G set-ups don't allow the car to be in control of the energy transfer. This can lead to overheating and other safety issues, with any damage not eligible for repair under warranty. Hyundai Australia states that none of its vehicles support V2G in Australia. "The use of unapproved bidirectional charging equipment introduces safety risks, potential vehicle damage and warranty implications for your vehicle," Hyundai's website said. These set-ups use workarounds to enable V2G that is otherwise prohibited by the car's software. Most brands including BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Tesla and Zeekr warn against the use of unapproved V2G set-ups, with it risking the validity of the warranty. Mitsubishi remains one of few brands to actively support V2G in its Outlander PHEV SUV warranty, but it suggests repeated fast charging will reduce battery capacity. V2G is not as much of a safety issue as it is one of technology moving quicker than the rules, according to Ms Dini.  Many brands are laying the groundwork for a full-scale uptake of V2G. “What we’re finding now is that all of the automotive OEMs that we work with are having a really hard look at their warranties," Ms Dini said. "They’re having conversations with their stakeholders overseas and looking to reshape the commercial arrangements for selling cars." Brands are also collaborating with energy providers and government agencies in trials that will see the technology become mainstream within the next couple of years.  BYD has partnered with Amber Electric and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), while Hyundai, Kia and Zeekr are working with AGL.  Developments are expected to be announced within the next few months.

Toyota is working on a new strategy to cut down wait times for buyers.  The brand introducing a new lithium-ion battery to expand production capacity for its cars, according to AutoNews.  These batteries will cut costs by hundreds of dollars per vehicle and improve overall performance in a shift away from nickel-metal hydride units The Japanese giant is targeting a surge in hybrid car sales over the next two years. It wants to convert battery capacity for 600,000 of its Japanese-built vehicles to the next-generation battery from 2027. There is no official news on the performance specifications for the new battery, but it will be more efficient. It could be a variant of Toyota's 2023 concept that offered more than 800km of driving range. A more efficient battery manufacturing process could accelerate production significantly and shift cars to buyers faster. Wait times on Toyota vehicles have been an ongoing talking point in Australia, especially for popular models the RAV4 SUV and Camry sedan hybrids. The brand appears to still be picking up the pieces from its ravaged supply chains during the COVID-19 lockdowns.   Its much-anticipated new-generation RAV4 was subject to significant delays of almost a year in part due slow production progress. Toyota sales slid substantially in the first half of 2026, with the carmaker desperate to get its hands on new RAV4 to turn it around.  Units have finally started to ship in significant numbers for Toyota, and the RAV4 took its place as the best-selling car in Australia for July.  A more efficient production process would help the brand to maintain its hold of the Australian market. Cheaper batteries could also mean lower price tags for buyers, after Toyota hiked the price of the new RAV4 this year. Toyota is facing increasingly tough competition from Chinese automakers like BYD and Chery that have huge production capacity and are already shifting plenty of units Down Under.  Toyota is now planning to source batteries for up to 200,000 cars from external suppliers, including Chinese behemoth CATL.  The carmaker's battery plans don’t stop there, with another new lithium-ion battery due in 2028 boasting 1000km of range and a 10 per cent cost reduction. 

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular in Australia as people transition from owning combustion- or hybrid-powered vehicles. One major consideration that many people have when considering which EV to buy is how much range it offers, but another factor that should be considered is how quickly the battery can be charged. EV and battery technology is continually evolving, but here is a rundown of the 11 EVs with the highest DC fast-charging rate that are either already on sale or confirmed for a launch in Australia. It’s worth noting that the fastest DC fast-chargers in Australia currently are 400kW and these are operated by AmpCharge. However, Denza has confirmed that it’s rolling out its 1500kW ‘Flash’ charging network at its dealers by late 2026 or early 2027. The forthcoming Denza Z9 GT electric shooting brake will launch in Australia in either late 2026 or early 2027, alongside the ‘Flash’ charging network. Final specifications have yet to be locked in, but peak DC fast-charging is up to 1500kW. This allows a 10 to 97 per cent charge in nine minutes. The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, which is due in Australia during 2027, offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 600kW. This allows the 111kWh lithium-ion battery pack to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 11 minutes. It offers up to 460km of WLTP-claimed range. The XPeng X9 electric people mover has a peak DC fast-charging rate of up to 542kW. This allows for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 12 minutes. Two versions are available, the FWD Standard Range and AWD Performance. The former has a 94.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with up to 535km of WLTP-claimed range. The latter has a larger 110kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery with up to 580km of WLTP-claimed range. The recently revealed BMW iX5 will launch in Australia around mid-2027 and will follow after the launch of the new, petrol-powered X5 variants later this year. The iX5 60 xDrive is the only variant to be detailed so far and it offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 460kW. It has a 141kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 23 minutes. It offers up to 845km of WLTP-claimed range. The updated version of the XPeng G6 with the larger 80.8kWh LFP battery has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 451kW. It’s currently the highest in Australia. A 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 12 minutes. In RWD Long Range form there’s up to 525km of range and in AWD Performance form there’s up to 510km, according to WLTP testing. While the entry-level G6 RWD Standard Range with its smaller 68.5kWh can only DC fast-charge at rates up to 382kW, it’s still claimed to take 12 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent. It offers up to 480km of WLTP-claimed range. The entry-level Zeekr 7X RWD with its 75kWh LFP battery can DC fast-charge at rates up to 450kW. It offers up to 480km of WLTP-claimed range. The 7X Long Range RWD and Performance AWD, on the other hand, with its larger 100kWh NMC battery can charge at rates up to 420kW. WLTP-claimed range is 615km and 543km, respectively. Mirroring the Zeekr 7X SUV, the forthcoming, entry-level version of the 7GT electric shooting brake has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 450kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery and can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 13 minutes. Other versions of the 7GT have a larger 100kWh NMC battery that can charge at rates up to 420kW. The top-spec BMW iX3 50 xDrive has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 400kW. It has a 108.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 21 minutes. It offers up to 805km of WLTP-claimed range. The entry-level iX3 40 with its slightly smaller 82.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 300kW. Despite this, a 10 to 80 per cent charge is still claimed to take 21 minutes. It offers up to 635km of WLTP-claimed range. The MG IM5 Platinum RWD and Performance AWD have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 396kW. They both have a 100kWh NMC battery pack and WLTP-claimed range of 655km and 575km, respectively. A 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 15 minutes. The entry-level IM5 Premium RWD, on the other hand, has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 153kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery, up to 490km of WLTP-claimed range and a 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 20 minutes. The MG IM6 Platinum RWD and Performance AWD have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 396kW. They both have a 100kWh NMC battery pack and WLTP-claimed range of 555km and 505km, respectively. A 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 15 minutes. The entry-level IM5 Premium RWD, on the other hand, has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 153kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery, up to 450km of WLTP-claimed range and a 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 20 minutes. The forthcoming Porsche Cayenne Electric offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 390kW. It has a 113kWh lithium-ion battery pack and up to 542km of WLTP-claimed range. A 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 16 minutes. While Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models on the E-GMP platform, like the Ioniq 5, EV6 and GV60, among others, display a claimed 10 to 80 per cent charge time when plugged into a 350kW DC fast-charger, a common misconception is they have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 350kW. However, this is not the case. None of the aforementioned Hyundai Group brands quote an official peak charging rate, but real-world data indicates it’s around 240kW.

Cars are getting smarter but our laws are not keeping up, which is putting Australian drivers' privacy and data security at risk. The Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) is calling on the federal government to take immediate legislative action to mandate strict data privacy laws for connected vehicles. New cars are increasingly connected to the internet, which means your data is at risk, but it is protected by an outdated and broad Privacy Act 1988 and some voluntary standards from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), according to the AEVA. The AEVA suggests 95 per cent of new cars sold by 2035 will be connected, and if nothing changes there will be an increase in national security risks and a further erosion of consumer protection. James Pickering, National President of AEVA, said consumers nationwide continue to be let down by insufficient data privacy legislation.  “Instead of instigating fear and distrust in the connected vehicles we drive, policymakers have the power to make effective changes to protect drivers and consumer choice." Toyota Australia executive John Pappas previously told CarsGuide the time has come for buyers to be more conscious of who has their data and where it ends up. “ I think customers should really, really be aware,” said Pappas.  “They really need to be aware of their data management. It's like when we go and buy anything, these days. We've really got to be aware of how the brand is managing our data.” The AEVA said some measures the government should mandate is local data storage to protect our national security.  Cyber security experts have told CarsGuide previously that data stored in another country is at the whim of that government and not the carmaker. Pappas made it clear the data Toyota takes from Australian-delivered vehicles is stored on data servers based in Australia, but he added there are data back-ups in Singapore and the USA.  “This is actually all about protecting our customers from a privacy point-of-view and we consider this paramount to our safety philosophy,” Pappas said. The AEVA also asks to align our laws with that already set-out in Europe, which will help with continuity. This will help protect against hacking and legally require carmakers to isolate functions such as braking and steering from multimedia screens to boost digital defences. It also asks for non-essential data collection to be switched off by default, with the user opting in if desired. “The only features in the vehicle that are by default when you get onboarded through the dealer are the crash notification, the paramount safety features and the SOS feature,” said Pappas. Pappas also said all telemetry and driver recordings are encrypted in the car and are not transmitted in any way.

Renault is officially discontinuing its current Koleos mid-size SUV in Australia after 10 years of being on sale and there may not be an available direct replacement for a period. “The current-generation Renault Koleos is in run-out after a stellar run as one of Renault Australia's most popular models, with more than 21,000 examples sold,” said a Renault Australia spokesperson. “Now available from $36,990 drive-away with a $2000 cashback offer, all remaining inventory – complied to meet current motor vehicle regulations – is expected to be sold out by the end of this year.” The reason why the Koleos is being discontinued is due to it not meeting an Australian Design Rule (ADR) pertaining to autonomous emergency braking (AEB) performance, called ADR 98/00. It came into effect for all new vehicles produced from March 1, 2025. While the current Koleos does have AEB, it does not meet the specific requirements outlined by ADR 98/00. This means that Renault was able to stockpile at least 18 months worth of the Koleos stock before the ADR came into effect. Production of this South Korean-made model also ended in 2025. The Koleos is far from the only vehicle to be affected by the implementation of ADR 98/00. Other examples include the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Eclipse Cross, as well as the Suzuki Ignis and Mazda 6. With the axing of the current Koleos, this leaves Renault without a mid-side SUV that isn’t purely electric-powered in Australia for the time being. However, the French carmaker has many alternatives available in its global portfolio, though none have been locked in for an Australian launch yet. Examples include the South Korean-produced Grand Koleos and Filante, the Spanish-produced Austral, Espace and Rafael, as well as the Turkish-made Boreal. “As we have said before, Renault Australia is in the middle of a model revitalisation,” said Renault Australia Managing Director Glen Sealey earlier this month. “And while we won’t talk numbers or volume, we are well progressed with our long-term plan. “Renault has a vast catalogue of vehicles and we continually assess what is available to us and which ones best suit the needs – and price ranges – of Australian customers. “We’re not going to reveal all our future model plans today, but we can tell you there are another six new or refreshed models now due over the next two years. “And we have plenty to get through before then.” It’s understood that three of these six new Renault models are the Symbioz small SUV, Master E-Tech electric commercial van and the updated Megane E-Tech electric small SUV. At this stage the other three forthcoming Renault vehicles remain unclear and unconfirmed.

I am unable to change the language on the dashboard of my 2014 Holden Captiva diesel from Korean back to English.

Australians are rushing to get their hands on this new car tech, but it might not be the environmental saviour it is claimed to be. Plug-in hybrids, or PHEVs as they are also called, are claimed to be a bridge between conventional petrol and hybrid vehicles and battery-powered electric vehicles. They combine a small petrol engine with a decent-sized battery and an electric motor, which provides some fully electric driving capabilities without the range anxiety of EVs and much lower overall claimed fuel use and CO2 emissions. Australians have bought more than 54,000 of them in the first six months of this year, which is 111 per cent more than in the same period 2025. The problem is they need to be used in a very specific way to achieve their claims Polestar Australia boss Scott Maynard previously labelled the technology the “worst of both worlds”. “You've got all of the complexity of jamming an electrical drivetrain into an engine bay that's already got a petrol or a diesel engine in it. You're still burning fuel. You've still got to dispose of the whole thing. It's not a green solution. “It's not a clean solution at all, but it's a marketable one,” he said. New research commissioned by the Swiss government has laid bare the issues. A new study funded by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and conducted by Empa - the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology - showed why fuel use is always higher than claimed. The study pointed to people needing to be very disciplined with charging the car to gain the full advantage, otherwise they pollute significantly more than they claim. Study author Miriam Elser said if the vehicle is not charged regularly then they are just driving a much heavier petrol-powered car. “Due to the additional weight of the battery and electric motor, consumption can even be higher than with a comparable conventional gasoline engine," she said. The smaller petrol engine is also underpowered compared to most other purely petrol-powered cars, which means it needs to work even harder to shift that weight. This is a perfect storm for skyrocketing fuel use. Empa’s laboratory tests examined 12 current plug-in hybrid vehicles across a range of temperatures and driving profiles. "This enabled us to distinguish for the first time between the influence of cold weather, heating, and driving style on the electric share and combustion engine operation," said Elser. The results were clear: under real-world conditions the efficiency advantage of plug-in hybrids is largely lost.  The study revealed low temperatures, the heating and dynamic driving significantly reduce the electric range. The internal-combustion engine kicks in earlier and more frequently, and fuel consumption as well as CO2 and pollutant emissions increase, in some cases significantly. Elser called for a better balance between battery and engine size and overall vehicle weight. This flies in the face of the huge range of plug-in hybrids coming out of China, which are usually large SUVs with batteries measuring 40kWh or more.  There is also a growing number of plug-in hybrid utes, which are big, heavy and are required to tow and carry a load that would greatly reduce their efficiency. The study does state if used properly they can greatly reduce emissions compared to purely petrol-powered vehicles.

Toyota has warned Australian customers to think about cyber security before they buy their next car. As a new generation of connected cars enter the market capable of recording not just vehicle data but also biometrics, as many are laden with cameras looking both outside and inside, Toyota Australia boss John Pappas said the time has come for buyers to be more conscious of who has their data and where it ends up. “ I think customers should really, really be aware,” Pappas told CarsGuide. “They really need to be aware of their data management. It's like anything when we go and buy anything, these days. We've really got to be aware of how the brand is managing our data.” While not specifically calling out Chinese car brands, Pappas’ comments come at a time when Chinese brands are now amongst the most popular in the country and cyber security experts continue to warn about the potential dangers from China’s national security laws. “ I'm not sure what other brands are doing and that's not for me to comment on, but what's important to Toyota is that we treat the safety... From a safety point of view, we treat software like we treat hardware.” According to Alastair McGibbons, former head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the problem isn't the car makers but rather the differences between data protection in different countries around the world, specifically China. “The trouble is, of course, that by its nature, that connectivity means that you could be taking a whole range of things - audio, visual, location, details from a connected telephone, et cetera - out of the vehicle and into the manufacturer,” McGibbons said. “And that’s particularly problematic for Chinese-headquartered companies because of the national security laws there, right? No one's really suggesting that the companies themselves are problematic, but certainly the national intelligence law in China means that the agencies of the CCP could direct that data be extracted and used by them.” Pappas made it clear the data Toyota takes from Australian-delivered vehicles is stored on data servers based in Australia, however he added there are data back-ups in Singapore and the USA.  “This is actually all about protecting our customers from a privacy point-of-view and we consider this paramount to our safety philosophy,” Pappas said. “So we say hardware equals software when it comes to quality and safety for our customers, and that's how we've got very strong governance when it comes to our data. And governing the data and the privacy for the customer. “The only features in the vehicle that are by default when you get onboarded through the dealer are the crash notification, the paramount safety features and the SOS feature. They're really by default activated. When you look across our offering, our connected offerings and things like that and even driving recorder or they're encrypted in the vehicle. So they're not transmitted in any way. So for us we don't know what other brands and other manufacturers do in this space, but for us it's all about making sure that we can protect our customer safety and that includes the data governance.” McGibbons said he hopes Pappas’ comments spark a discussion around creating an Australian standard for data protection, in the same way there are regulations around other vehicle components, in particular safety.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  As the automotive world embraces technology at a rapid rate with autonomous driving, connected cars and electrification, even the biggest names in the business are forced to reinvent themselves. Hyundai, the world’s third largest car brand, has declared that it is no longer simply a car maker but is something more. “ So we are not a normal OEM , “ declared Jose Munoz, global president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “I think by now you've seen that we are more of a tech company that happens to be also an OEM.” Munoz explained why this is more than simply a rebranding exercise to compete with the likes of Tesla and other emerging brands from China that straddle the world of technology and cars, pointing to Hyundai Group’s expansive portfolio of companies. “Because we control, we own, Boston Dynamics,” he said. “We created a lot of companies related to autonomous driving, like 42Dot, Motional. We have made the best deal ever with Waymo on literally tens of thousands of robotaxis that we're gonna produce in the United States and expand it to the world. And we… with local partners like Momenta in China. We got an exclusive supply from NVIDIA… and we also have a fantastic partnership with the state-of-the-art, the number one company in the world, which is Amazon. Not to mention others like Santander, GM, TBS In India, Mubadala in the Middle East, etc.” The deals he is referring to include the robotics company Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai took ownership of in 2020 and specialises in commercially available robots. While 42Dot and Motional are both autonomous driving software companies owned by Hyundai but based in South Korea and the USA, respectively, and Momenta is a Chinese joint-venture in the same space. Hyundai’s deal with Amazon is described as a ‘broad partnership’ that encompasses a variety of deals including online vehicle sales in select markets as well as the integration of Amazon Alexa into Hyundai vehicles and the car maker’s use of Amazon Web Services. This all comes in addition to Hyundai Group’s diverse business interests that include making its own steel, container ships and logistics businesses that can all help with the production and distribution of its cars. “So our group is not a normal group, so we have a lot of companies,” Munoz added. “We won't get into all the details, but you can see we have more than 50 affiliated companies in all areas of the business. So not only vertically integrated and creating the steel, also the distribution with Glovis, with our own advertising with Innocean. But then we are in many other businesses like robots for the factories. And then as mentioned, sales finance, Rotem in the military and other applications.” All this investment in technology is part of a plan to not only ensure the business is ready for what car buyers are interested in, but also make Hyundai appealing to investors and drive the share price up. “So I think the result is fantastic, and obviously, this is being accompanied by the top rating in the world in terms of the financial performance,” Munoz said. It appears to be working, with Hyundai Motor Company’s share price dramatically increasing over the past three years, despite up and down sales numbers - particularly in Australia.

In a collaboration between carmaker BYD and fast food outlet KFC, drivers in China can order takeaway though an embedded app in their vehicle. The initiative between BYD and KFC sees the central media display in a BYD vehicle turn into a large menu for the restaurant, similar to a self ordering touchscreen you'd find in-store. The app locates the closest KFC store, sends the order through and navigates the driver to pick up the food. A journalist writing for Chinese motoring publication Auto Home road-tested the app and highlighted the voice interaction as a strength, but that pulling over and putting the vehicle into “Park” to access the full menu was required for safety reasons.    The embedded ordering app is not the first time BYD and KFC have collaborated. In April this year the businesses announced KFC would offer a BYD vehicle charging service at its restaurant locations. Apart from the tasty opportunity for humans to fill up themselves, the chargers are a draw, too. They are the fastest BYD has ever built, delivering up to 1500kW that can provide up to 2km of range a second. The ultra fast chargers are only compatible with second-generation BYD Blade batteries. In April there were already 5000 KFC outlets hosting BYD's chargers and by December the expectation is for there to be 20,000 locations in operation. The numbers are mind boggling and only highlight the sheer scale of commercialisation in China. As for the tech coming to Australia - there’s no word on that. For now, Aussies will have to order their takeaway the old fashioned way and do it through an app on their phone.