Author: Daniel Whitford

Chinese luxury automaker Hongqi has officially entered the Australian market with its flagship E-HS9 electric SUV, priced below A$150,000 before on-road costs. The six-seat model will be sold locally under the HQ brand, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin on January 18, 2027. Established in 1958 and owned by state-controlled FAW Group, Hongqi is traditionally known for producing luxury vehicles for Chinese government officials. The E-HS9 marks its first offering in Australia as the company expands into international electric vehicle markets. 120 kWh Battery and Dual-Motor Performance Designed under former Rolls-Royce design chief Giles Taylor, the E-HS9 measures 5.2 metres…

Western Australia’s largest electric bus depot has opened in Bayswater, Perth, with charging infrastructure initially supporting up to 132 battery-electric buses and provision for future expansion to 180 vehicles. The facility is equipped with 65 dual chargers and two single chargers. Twenty electric buses are already operating from the site as part of Transperth’s transition towards zero-emission public transport. The depot also includes a new administration building, workshop, wash bay, vehicle yard, staff parking and additional operational infrastructure. Transperth Fleet Surpasses 200 Electric Buses Bayswater is the fourth Transperth facility to receive electric bus charging infrastructure, following Elizabeth Quay Bus…

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 23.1% of Australia’s new vehicle sales in October 2026, nearly three times their 7.3% share a year earlier, as the market recorded 24,845 BEV sales. According to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), Australia recorded 103,325 new vehicle registrations during the month, an increase of 3.8% compared with October 2025. Including brands such as Tesla and Polestar, which are not covered by the VFACTS reporting system, total sales across all channels reached 107,493 units, up 6.8% year over year. The growth in electric vehicle sales contrasted with declines in conventional powertrains. Petrol…

BP Pulse has opened a 24-bay electric vehicle charging hub at Melbourne Airport, introducing a high-capacity charging facility designed to serve passenger vehicles, commercial fleets and electric trucks. The company describes the site as Australia’s largest EV charging hub currently in operation. Located on Airport Drive near the airport’s long-term Value Car Park, the facility operates around the clock and offers charging equipment rated at 150 kW and 300 kW. Its layout includes drive-through bays for trucks, providing access for larger vehicles alongside conventional EVs. Charging Facilities Designed for Different Vehicle Types The new hub is intended to accommodate a…

Australian truck electrification specialist Janus Electric has secured a repeat order worth approximately AU$3.1 million from California-based King Fio Trucking, covering six Class 8 electric truck conversions and six JBS-650 swappable battery sets. The order will expand King Fio’s fleet to 12 converted trucks and 14 battery sets for container transport operations around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The additional vehicles will use the charging and battery-swapping infrastructure installed under the company’s initial order, allowing the operator to increase fleet capacity without building another charging station. Existing Infrastructure to Support Fleet Expansion King Fio’s current setup includes…

Australian transport operator Wickham Freight Lines has taken delivery of Sunswap Endurance, a solar-powered electric trailer refrigeration unit designed to reduce diesel consumption in refrigerated freight operations. The delivery marks the deployment of what has been described as Australia’s first regular-production solar-powered electric trailer refrigeration unit (TRU) with a customer. The family-owned company purchased the units after testing the technology on a long-distance route between Sydney and Brisbane. The move introduces an alternative to conventional diesel-powered refrigeration systems, which can continue running throughout a journey even when the truck towing the trailer uses an electric drivetrain. Long-Distance Trial Supports Fleet…

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed AU$4 million to a project testing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology across a fleet of 130 electric vehicles. The three-year initiative will assess whether fleet operators can reduce operating costs by supplying electricity grid services while maintaining vehicles’ day-to-day availability. The project, known as Realising Electric Vehicle-to-Grid Services 2 (REVS2), will be led by charging infrastructure company JET Charge. It will pair the vehicles with bidirectional chargers that allow electricity to flow from the grid into vehicle batteries and back into the network when required. The project is scheduled to run until June 2029,…

ComfortDelGro Australia’s Victorian subsidiary, CDC Victoria, has appointed Zenobē to electrify its Truganina bus depot in Melbourne’s west, preparing the site to charge more than 130 electric buses once the project is complete. The depot will support the introduction of electric buses on routes serving Melbourne’s growing western corridor. The rollout follows zero-emission bus franchises awarded to the operator by the Victorian government in 2024. Depot Designed for Future Fleet Growth Zenobē has modelled the depot’s electricity requirements to determine the capacity needed for its grid connection. The project includes 65 dual-lead direct current chargers, with provision for another 20,…

Tasmania is allocating AU$250,000 in grants to help tourism businesses install electric vehicle charging points at 24 destinations across the Australian island state. The program focuses primarily on overnight AC charging at accommodation sites, where vehicles can remain parked for several hours. The state government’s Electric Vehicle Destination Charging Grant Program is intended to improve charging access for visitors staying at tourism properties, complementing the existing public charging network. First Round Allocates AU$125,000 The first round of the program allocated AU$125,000 to tourism businesses. Eligible operators could receive grants of up to AU$2,500 per charger, with funding capped at four…

New Zealand will retain its Clean Vehicle Standard after a first-principles review, while introducing separate CO₂ targets for used vehicle imports from 1 January 2028. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the government will work with the vehicle industry to revise the settings so they better reflect market conditions and are achievable for importers. The Clean Vehicle Standard establishes annual CO₂ emissions targets for vehicles imported into New Zealand. Importers whose vehicles exceed the applicable targets incur charges, while lower-emissions vehicles generate credits. Importers can manage their overall vehicle mix through the credit system, provided they avoid a net charge. https://evmagz.com/new-zealand-backs-ev-charging-expansion-with-52-7-million-loan-programme/…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng has outlined plans to expand its presence in Australia and New Zealand by introducing five vehicle models across both markets by the first quarter of 2027, while significantly growing its retail network in Australia. The announcement forms part of the company’s broader international expansion strategy as it accelerates growth outside China. Five-Model Portfolio by Early 2027 Speaking at Xpeng’s inaugural Australia Brand Day, Vice Chairman and President Brian Hongdi Gu said the company plans to offer the new G6, X9, L03, G9L and L05 in Australian showrooms by March 2027. Xpeng will follow the same…

Australia will invest AU$30 million in 14 projects aimed at modernising its electricity network, with initiatives involving vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and smart electric vehicle charging among those selected for funding. The funding was announced by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) through its Grid Enhancing Technologies (GET) Grant Program, which runs from the 2025-26 to 2028-29 financial years. The competitive program offers grants of up to AU$5 million for each project. https://evmagz.com/australia-commits-au40-5-million-to-expand-australia-posts-electric-vehicle-fleet/ According to the department, the supported projects are intended to improve the movement of renewable electricity across the national grid while increasing the…

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has confirmed that the next-generation Amarok will be offered with both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains, although the electrified lineup will not arrive until the model’s full redesign later this decade. Speaking to Australian automotive publication Chasing Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles board member Josef Mecha said the company plans to adopt a flexible drivetrain strategy for the next Amarok generation. https://evmagz.com/volkswagen-unveils-id-cross-electric-compact-suv-starting-at-around-e28000/ Electrification Planned for Next Generation According to Mecha, the future Amarok will be designed to support multiple powertrain options, allowing Volkswagen to respond to changing customer demand and market requirements. “For the competitiveness of this product,…

Volvo Buses has unveiled Australia’s first electric articulated bus, introducing the new BZL Electric Articulated for the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) as part of the state’s transition toward zero-emission public transport. The 18-meter bus, capable of seating 57 passengers, was bodied by Australian manufacturer Volgren and expands Volvo’s BZL Electric platform, which already has more than 140 units operating across the country. First Electric Articulated Bus for Australia The new BZL Electric Articulated builds on the PTA’s first deployment of Volvo electric buses in 2022 and extends the long-standing partnership between the transit operator and the Swedish…

Fleet electrification company Zenobē has secured a A$400 million financing facility to support the deployment of electric commercial vehicles across Australia and New Zealand. The company said the facility establishes what it describes as the region’s first integrated, multi-site financing platform dedicated to heavy-duty fleet electrification. Supporting Fleet Electrification The financing platform is intended to fund electric bus and commercial vehicle projects while helping fleet operators address the high upfront costs associated with transitioning from diesel-powered vehicles. Zenobē’s electrification model combines vehicle financing, charging infrastructure, battery replacement, depot electrification and fleet optimisation services into a single offering. According to the…

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered the first five eEconic battery-electric refuse collection vehicles to Stuttgart’s municipal waste management authority (AWS), marking the initial phase of a ten-vehicle deployment. The electric trucks have entered service from AWS’s newly developed operations centre in Stuttgart-Wangen, which has been purpose-built to support battery-electric refuse collection vehicles. First Five Vehicles Enter Service The first five Mercedes-Benz eEconic 300 trucks are equipped with approximately 300 kWh of usable battery capacity. Each vehicle features a Faun Variopress rear-loading refuse collection body with a capacity of 21 cubic metres, along with a Faun Skylift lifting system for waste collection…

Linfox is set to deploy 26 electric heavy-duty trucks across key freight corridors in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, replacing diesel-powered vehicles as part of the company’s broader fleet decarbonisation strategy. The Australian logistics provider said the battery-electric trucks will be introduced into food, beverage, and intermodal rail logistics operations, with each vehicle expected to travel up to 500 kilometres per day. Volvo Electric Trucks Enter Service The fleet consists of Volvo eFM Prime Movers, which will initially operate from Linfox’s Laverton North facility in Melbourne before expanding to the company’s hubs in Willawong, Brisbane, and the Adelaide rail freight terminal.…

Tesla’s Model Y became Australia’s best-selling vehicle in May, marking a significant milestone for electric vehicles in a market traditionally dominated by pickup trucks and internal combustion engine models. The achievement came as Tesla delivered 6,433 vehicles in Australia during the month, its second-highest monthly sales total on record. The Model Y accounted for 5,605 units, while the Model 3 contributed 828 deliveries, according to industry sales data. The result placed the Model Y ahead of Australia’s long-time sales leaders, including the Ford Ranger, which recorded 4,474 deliveries, and the Toyota HiLux, which sold 4,005 units during the month. Model…

Australian renewable energy retailer Amber is expanding its vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program to 1,000 homes, marking the country’s largest residential deployment of the technology to date. The expansion follows an initial 50-home pilot launched in October and represents a significant step in Amber’s efforts to integrate electric vehicles into Australia’s electricity network as distributed energy resources. Largest Residential V2G Rollout in Australia Amber said demand for the program remains strong, with as many as 6,000 people currently on the company’s V2G waitlist. The project has received additional support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which has provided a further AUD$13.6…

Brookvale Bus Depot in New South Wales has become the first facility in Australia to deploy a pantograph-down charging system for electric buses, as part of a project aimed at replacing up to 229 diesel buses with zero-emission alternatives. The depot, owned by Transport for NSW and operated by Keolis, is undergoing a major upgrade to support the state’s transition toward electric public transport under the Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan. Space Constraints Drive Alternative Charging Approach According to project participants, the Brookvale depot faced several operational and infrastructure challenges that made conventional charging solutions less suitable. Limited space at…