Episode 57: Long-Range PHEVs, Aussie-Tuned 4WDs and Electric Trucks Hit the Real World

In episode 57 of Plugged In Australia, we cover GWM’s locally tuned Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV, Geely’s Starray EM-i getting a much larger battery and 136 kilometres of electric range, CUPRA’s new Leon Ve plug-in hybrid hatch, Ausgrid trialling a Volvo electric prime mover with battery-assisted heavy charging, and Stellantis returning Jeep and Peugeot production to China for new electrified export models.

YouTube timestamps — Main episode

00:00 — Intro
01:02 — GWM Tank 500 Hi4-T gets Australian suspension tuning
06:19 — Geely Starray EM-i gets 136km EV range
11:24 — CUPRA Leon Ve PHEV hatch priced for Australia
15:06 — Ausgrid trials electric prime mover and battery-backed charger
19:00 — Stellantis to build electrified Jeep and Peugeot models in China
22:33 — Outro

Disclaimer:

All specifications, pricing, and information discussed in this episode were correct at the time of recording. The electric vehicle market moves quickly, so we recommend you always check the latest details directly with manufacturers, dealers, or official sources.

This podcast provides general news and information only, based on publicly available sources and Australian Consumer Law guidelines. It is not legal, financial, or professional advice. For advice specific to your situation, please contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) or seek independent professional guidance.

Plugged in Australia and its hosts are not responsible for any decisions, misunderstandings, or purchases made based on the content of this show.

Sourcing & Transparency

At Plugged in Australia, all our stories are sourced from publicly available news articles and reports. We do not receive any advance information or briefings from brands or manufacturers.

Any analysis or opinions we share are based solely on this public information.

Our main sources include (though we also use many others, and they vary by episode):

• https://www.carsales.com.au/
• https://www.carexpert.com.au/
• https://thedriven.io/
• https://www.carsguide.com.au
• https://autotalk.com.au
• https://www.carsguide.com.au
• https://evcentral.com.au
• https://www.drive.com.au

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

G'day, welcome back to Plugged in Australia, episode 57 for Wednesday, May 20th, 2026. Today we have a bit of a heavy plug-in hybrid episode, but in a useful way, I think. GWM has updated the Tank 500 HI4 plug-in hybrid with Australia and New Zealand specific suspension and steering tuning. Jili has given the Stari EMI a much bigger battery and a proper electric-only range figure. Cooper has confirmed pricing for a long-range Leon plugin hybrid hatch. Osgrid is putting an electric prime mover and battery-assisted heavy vehicle charger into real-world work. And Stellantis is turning back to China for new electrified Jeep and Peugeot models that could matter globally. Let's get into it. The 2026 Tank 500 is getting Australia and New Zealand specific ride and handling work with revised damper tuning and updated steering calibration developed for local road conditions. That matters because large body-on-frame SUVs can live or die on how they deal with our beautiful roads. Australia has a very particular mix of coarse chip bitumen, broken suburban roads, highway speed, regional highways, corrugations, potholes that you could lose a small child in and long distance touring. A vehicle can feel fine on smooth overseas test roads and still feel very unsettled here. GWM is calling this part of its AT1 localisation programme. The idea is to make the Tank 500 more confident and more composed across urban roads, highways and off-road terrain. The tank is now the second GWM model to receive this kind of factory integrated local tuning. The headline is that the Tank 500 HI4 keeps the big numbers that already made it interesting. Uses a 2 litre turbo petrol engine paired with a plug-in hybrid system with total outputs of 300kW and 750 Nm. That is serious output for a large family four-wheel drive. It also has a 37.11 kWh battery, which is pretty big by plug-in hybrid standards and a claimed electric-only range of up to 120km on the NEDC cycle. As always, treat NEDC as optimistic compared with WLTP or real-world use, but even allowing for that, this is still a big battery, enough to cover a lot of daily driving on electricity if owners manage to plug it in. The Tank 500 HI4T is also not just a soft road plug-in hybrid SUV. It is a proper body-on-frame four-wheel drive with an 9-speed hybrid automatic transmission, high and low range, selectable four-wheel drive hardware, and locking differential capability. It has 3 ton of brake towing capacity, 213mm of ground clearance, and 800mm claimed waiting depth and an off-road geometry of 30 degrees approach and a 22.5 degree breakover with a 24 degree departure angle. The trade-off is seating. The plug-in hybrid version is a 5-seater, not a 7-seater, because the battery takes the space that would otherwise be used for the third row. For some buyers that'll be fine. For others it will rule it out immediately. If you need 7 seats and want the Tank 500, the regular hybrid remains the more practical family choice. However, if you want the plug-in range, V12 capability and extra torque, the HI4-T is the interesting one. The updated model also gains a new 220 volt power outlet in the rear cargo area, expanding its vehicle to load usefulness. It's a very smart addition for the kind of buyer GWM is targeting. Camping gear, a fridge, lighting, tools, and small appliances are exactly the sort of things people want to power from a vehicle like the Tank 500 HI4T already offered V2L capability of up to 6kW, just pretty solid. So the extra outlet in the cargo area makes the feature easier to use in the real world. Although I would hazard a guess that the plug in the boot won't do 6 kW, probably limited to about 2, but I wasn't able to find the specifics on that particular outlet. Charging wise, the Tank 500 plug-in hybrid can go from 30 to 80% using DC fast charging in about 24 minutes, while AC charging at home is listed at about 6.5 hours. That means it is not just a charge overnight and forget it plug-in hybrid, it has enough fast charging capability to make a top-up practical on a trip. Although you still need to consider whether using a public DC charger for a plug-in hybrid makes sense when battery electric vehicle drivers may be waiting. That's another conversation for another day. Pricing is currently listed at $77.990 drive away under the May promotional offers, compared with the standard driveway price of $79.990. Updated MY26 vehicles built from March 2026 onward are expected to start arriving at dealerships in the coming months. Now the Tank 500HI4T is a very compelling spec sheet, but GWM still has to prove the final local tuning really fixes the things that matter. Earlier reviews praised as value, space, comfort, and off-road hardware, but also pointed to things like body control, steering feel, and intrusive driver assist behaviour. This update directly targets ride, handling and steering, which is encouraging, but it does not automatically mean every annoyance has been fixed. Still, this is exactly what we want to see from brands selling into Australia. Do not just send us the global tune and hope for the best. Test the car here, tune it here, and make the vehicle better for our conditions. That's what Toyota, Ford, Nissan, and other long established players have done for many years. And if GWM wants to keep building credibility in Australia, this is the right kind of work. For buyers looking at a Prado, an Everest MUX or any sort of large touring SUV, the Tank 500 HI4T is not going to be the default choice, but it is now one of the most interesting alternatives, especially if you can use electric range during the week and still want a proper four-wheel drive hardware for the weekends away. Alright, next up, Jilly has made a major update to the Stari EMI plugin hybrid SUV, and this is probably one of the most important stories of this episode for normal family SUV buyers. The Stari EMI was already one of Australia's most affordable plug-in hybrid medium SUVs. Now the TopSpec Inspire has been upgraded with a much larger battery, giving it a claimed 136km of electric only range on the WLTP cycle. That's a pretty big deal. The updated MY27 Stari EMI Inspire now uses a 29.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Now that replaces the previous 18.4 kWh pack in the top spec version. Electric range rises from 83 to 136km, and a total combined driving range increases to 996km. The entry-level Stari EMI complete continues to use the 18.4 kWh battery, 83 km of WLTP range, and 943Ks of combined range. Pricing remains sharp, the complete stays at 37490 before on-road costs, while the upgraded InSPR rises by 1500 to 41,490 before on-road costs. And for that extra money, the Inspire gets the bigger battery, the longer EV range, a bit faster DC charging, improved claimed fuel consumption, and it also gets front seat massage functionality. Charging is also improved. As I said, the previous setup supported DC charging at up to 30 kW, while the bigger battery Inspire can now charge at up to 60kW. Gilee claims a 30-80% charge to be completed in 16 minutes. That's very useful for a plug-in hybrid with a battery this size. Again, public DC charging etiquette still matters, but having the capability means an owner can more realistically use a starry like an EV for a lot of normal driving and then rely on the petrol side for longer trips. Fuel consumption for the Inspire extended range drops from a claimed 2.4 litres per 100km to 1.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle. As always with plug-in hybrids, that number depends very heavily on charging. If you plug it in and do most of your daily driving within the electric range, the fuel use can be very low, even nothing. If you never charge it, then you're basically carrying around a battery and electric motor without getting the full benefit. That's the central truth with every plug-in hybrid. They can be brilliant when used properly and very pointless when they're not. All updated Stari EMI models also get a 5 meter mode 2 charging cable, towing preparation hardware, and trailer stability assist. Those additions sound small but they make the vehicle easier to live with, especially buyers who are new to plug-in vehicles. The larger battery was also used in the Stari EMI that completed a Guinness World record fuel consumption drive between Sydney and Melbourne earlier this year. That vehicle recorded an average 3.83 litres per 100km over a mix of real Australian road conditions. The Stari EMI now sits in a very interesting part of the market. The complete is still an affordable entry point into plug-in hybrid ownership, while the Inspire extended range is now something closer to a budget long-range plug-in hybrid. At 41490 before on roads, it's not cheap in absolute terms, but it is very competitive for a mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV with 136 Ks of claimed WLTP range. Some rivals include the BYD C Line 5, Cherry Tigo 7 Super Hybrid, the GWM Haval H6 plugin, and the Mitsubishi Outlander plugin hybrid. The Gili does not necessarily beat all of them on every measure, but on price versus electric range, it's now very strong. Compared with some plug-in hybrids that only offer 40, 50 or 60 Ks of electric range, 136km changes how people can use the vehicle. That's enough for many Australians to do multiple days of commuting, school runs, local errands without even starting the petrol engine, assuming that they charge at home. This also creates an interesting pressure point for battery electric vehicles. A full battery electric vehicle is still the cleaner, simpler long-term solution for people who can charge and can live with the range and infrastructure, but a plug-in hybrid with over 130km of WLTP EV range becomes a very practical bridge for people who are still nervous about full EV ownership. They might live regionally, they may tow occasionally or regularly, or only have one family car. The key will be real-world quality and long-term support. GLE is still a newer name in Australia, so buyers will be looking closely at dealership experience, servicing, software updates, resale value, and how well the car's driver assist systems behave on local roads. But from a product strategy point of view, this update's pretty strong. Instead of just having a few hundred dollars off the price or throwing in some useless bits and pieces, Julia has made the top spec Stari meaningfully better. Deliveries of the updated MY27 Stari EMI are due to begin in Australia from late May 2026. Cooper has confirmed Australian pricing and specifications for the Leon VE, a new plug-in hybrid hatch that brings a long electric-only range to the small performance hatch segment. The Leon VE is priced from $62.990 before on-road costs. That positions it between the Leon S Mild Hybrid Hatch, which is $46.990, and the Leon VZX Performance Hatch at $64.990. Above it sits the Leon VZE Sports Tura plugin hybrid wagon, which is $69.990. So this is not a cheap hatchback by any stretch of the imagination. It is a premium plug-in hybrid hatch for buyers who want the size and feel of a sporty small car but with enough electric range to cover daily driving. The Leon VE uses Cooper's second generation plug-in system paired with a 20 kWh usable battery. Cooper claims up to 123km of electric only range on the WLTP cycle. That's the key number. A lot of earlier plug-in hybrids felt like they were being built around short commutes only. The new generation of plug-in hybrids coming through now are much more useful, and the Leon VE is part of that shift. Power comes from a 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 110 kW paired with an 85kW electric motor. Total system output is 150 kW, 350 newtonm of torque, and a 0 to 100 time of 7.7 seconds. Fuel consumption is listed at 1.4 litres per 100km. And again, my standard plug-in hybrid warning that figure only makes sense if the car is charged and driven in a way that uses the electric side properly. Charging has improved significantly over the previous generation. AC charging increases from 3.6 kW to 11 kW, and DC fast charging is now supported for the first time on a Leon plugin hybrid. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloys, sport bucket seats, a power adjustable driver's seat, heated steering wheel, tri-zone climber control, and a 12.9 inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The refreshed Leon also gets updated styling, including a redesign front end, triangular daytime running lights, and a full width rear light bar. Australian showroom arrivals and first customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in June. At 62990 before on roads, the Leon VE is only two grand cheaper than the more powerful Leon VZX Hatch, which makes 221 kilowatts. So if you are buying purely for performance, the VZX looks like the emotional choice. But the VE is not really about outright performance. It's about doing the daily commute on electricity using far less fuel and still having the petrol engine there for the longer drives. For the right owner, especially someone who could charge at work or at home, the 123kW LTP EV range could mean weeks of weekday driving with barely using any petrol. It also gives Kupra a pretty broad plug-in hybrid range in Australia. The brand now has plug-in hybrids options across Formenter, Termar, Leon SportsTura, and now the Leon Hatch. It is a very different strategy to brands that are going straight from petrol to full EV. Kubra is clearly trying to keep enthusiast buyers interested while giving them electrified options that still feel familiar. Fact of the matter is that its price is going to limit its audience. A $60,000 plus small hatch is not mainstream Australia, but as a niche product, it makes sense. Sharp styling, decent performance, proper electric range, and a premium interior. For people who want a plug-in hybrid but do not want an SUV, just want something different. The Leon VE is one of the more interesting options coming to Australia. Alright, now we're going to move over to heavy transport because this story is one of the more practical EV stories this week, I think. Those of you that may have been listening for a little while know I do work with trucks a lot in my day job, as they say, and I think that having electric trucks is just a no-brainer for quite a lot of the trucking industry. Not going to work for everybody, but it is work would work for a lot of them. So Osgrid has begun trialling its first electric prime mover along with a heavy vehicle charging solution that combines a grid connection with integrated battery storage. The truck is a Volvo FH Aero electric prime mover with a claimed range of up to 400km and fast charging capability of up to 350 kilowatts. It will haul loads of more than 30 tons along routes stretching from the Upper Hunter to southern Sydney. That's real work, not a closed course demonstration, not a light delivery van doing short CBD routes, but a reasonably heavy vehicle moving equipment across meaningful distances in New South Wales. Osgrid says early results show the truck is performing comparably to diesel alternatives in day-to-day operations without reducing productivity. Driver feedback has also reportedly been positive, with drivers pointing to quieter, smoother, and more comfortable driving experiences compared with diesel trucks. Not to mention the fact that you can get up a hill without dropping down to third gear. The charging setup is just as important as the truck. The heavy vehicle charger comes from Australian startup Hub Zero Energy and is supplied by grid rig. It combines a standard grid connection with integrated battery storage. The key point is that this kind of battery-assisted charging can reduce the need for major grid upgrades. And that's a big deal for fleets. One of the biggest challenges with electrifying a heavy vehicle is not always the truck itself. It's getting enough power into the depot or work site without spending vast amounts of money on new grid infrastructure, on the silverworks, transformers, and approvals. A battery-backed charger can draw more steadily from the grid, store it, and then deliver higher power charging to the vehicle when needed. They can make heavy vehicle EV charging faster to deploy and cheaper to install. HubZero says the system was installed in a matter of hours and is designed to avoid complex upgrades and digging up the ground. That's exactly the kind of thing fleets need if electric trucks are going to move beyond trial projects. For Osgrid, this is also a credibility story. Electrifying networks are going to be central to transport electrification, so it makes sense for a network business to understand electric heavy vehicles from the inside. If their own prime movers, chargers and depot operations can work, that gives them better real-world knowledge when other fleets start asking for connections. The Volvo FH Aeroelectrical is not a small machine. It's a heavy truck hauling more than 30 tons in a very different use case from a passenger EV. The energy demand is higher, the charging requirements are more complex, and downtime costs money. So when a trial like this shows early signs of matching diesel productivity, it matters. But again, the truth is a scale. One electric prime mover trial does not electrify Australia's freight sector. Heavy transport still has challenges around upfront cost, charging access, route planning, payload, range and electricity supply. But this is the direction the sector has to move in. Some routes will be better suited to battery electric trucks than others, especially predicted depot-to-depot or regional service routes. Other tasks may take longer. The important thing is that the trials are getting more serious. We are no longer just talking about electric guts and passenger SUVs. We are seeing prime movers, grid-connected chargers, integrated batteries, and essential service fleets testing the whole system, and that's where the next stage of transport electrification gets interesting. Stellantis and Dongfeng have confirmed a major new production agreement that will see new Peugeot and Jeep electrified vehicles built in China for both the Chinese market and global export. This one is important because it shows how much the global car industry is changing. Stellantis and Dongfeng are expanding their long-running partnership through the Dongfeng Peugeot Sichuan Automobile Joint Venture known as DPCA. The plan is for the Wuhan plan to produce two all new Peuge branded new energy vehicles from 2027 based on Peugeot's latest concept car design language. That same Wuhan plan is also expected to produce two G-branded off-road new energy vehicles for global markets from 2027. The investment is worth more than 8 billion Chinese yen or around 1 billion euros. Sterantis is expected to contribute about 130 million euros. The phrase new energy vehicle is important. In China that can refer to battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and extended range electric vehicles. So we should not assume all four models will be pure EVs. Some may be plug-in hybrids or EREVs, especially the Jeep models, where off-road range and towing expectations could make an extended range setup a little bit more attractive. For Australia, there is no confirmed local launch information yet, so let's be clear, this does not mean a Chinese-built Jeep plugin hybrid is definitely coming here. But it is absolutely relevant. Jeep's Australian lineup has shrunk dramatically. The Grand Cherokee was dropped locally due to the end of right-hand drive production. The Cherokee disappeared earlier, and the Jeep is now left with a much thinner range than it once had. Today the local lineup is basically Avenger, Compass, Wrangler, and the Gladiator. That's a problem for a brand that used to have a much broader SUV presence here. Chinese built electrified Jeep models could potentially fill some of those holes, especially if they are engineered for right-hand drive and priced properly. They could also give Jeep something to fight with in a market where Chinese brands are moving quickly with plug-in hybrids and electric SUVs. Same applies to Peugeot, although in a different way. Peugeot Australia already sells a range of European source models, but the brand is under pressure globally. Chinese built electrified models could help Peugeot expand its upper SUV lineup and lower costs depending on where they are exported. It's also part of a wider trend. More legacy brands are now using Chinese joint ventures, not just for China, but for the global product development and export. Mazda has Chinese developed electric models coming through. Hyondo has been working with Chinese partners, and Ford and Nissan are also expected to lean more heavily on Chinese developed vehicles in some areas. For years, Chinese joint ventures were mainly about foreign brands getting access to the Chinese market. Now the flow is changing. China has become a development base for electrified vehicles that may be exported under Western brand names. And that can be good for buyers if it means more choice, better pricing. And faster electrification. But there are risks as well. Brand identity can get messy. If a Jeep no longer feels like a Jeep or a Peugeot no longer feels like a Peugeot, quality, safety, software, local tuning, after sales support, and right hand drive engineering will all matter. For us here in Australia, the key question is simple Will any of these vehicles come here? And if they do, will they be properly suited to our market? At this stage we don't know. But with Jeep needing fresh product and Peugeot needing scale, this is one to watch closely. And that's a wrap for episode 57 of Plugged in Australia for Wednesday, the 20th of May 2026. And as I said, the big theme today is plug-in hybrids, they're getting more serious. We're seeing bigger batteries, longer electric range, faster charging, and more practical use cases. You've got the GLE EMI and the Cooper Leon VE both show that old 40km plug-in hybrid is starting to look very outdated. Probably heard me say a dozen times or more. But with that said, you know, my family has put a deposit down on a Sea Lion 8, and you're probably thinking, huh? What? You just said you don't like plug-in hybrids. Well, the problem is that it we need a seven-seater, and there are only a handful of seven-seat full battery electric vehicles, and they're all super expensive. You've got the Kia and the Hyundai, all 130 grand plus. Um, yes, okay, some of the Kia EV9s are around the 90 grand, but very, very basic cars. Uh the Volvo, 150 grand. You've got some of those people mover vans which aren't really conducive to having small young children like I do. The Denza and the Zika vans are very much pointed towards uh airport shuttle and that sort of uh premium transfer sort of service that you know those middle seats there are big, massive lounge chairs and just not conducive to car seats and things like that. Although they would fit, but not what they were made for. So unfortunately, we uh we had to go down the plug-in hybrid route. However, this the Sea Lion 8's got a good 130 to 150 kilometers of EV range, and so guess what? That car's gonna get plugged in, and that car's gonna be run on EV only. And the good thing is is that when you put that car into EV mode only, it uh stays that way, it remembers those settings. Only thing you need to be careful is that you unfortunately have to run that petrol engine every now and again, otherwise the fuel that's in the tank's gonna go stale. So if you do eventually want to use it, then when it goes to fire up, it's not gonna fire up. So as always, thank you so much for listening to the Plugged in Australia podcast. I very much appreciate it. Any feedback, info at pluggedinaustralia.com.au. Don't forget we also have the quick charge episode, which usually gets released not long after this one. So if you just want a quick wrap-up, it's always under 10 minutes. Um, so although someone did point out to me that one of the last ones did go almost 11 minutes, so I will make a concerted effort to keep those under 10 minutes. So if you don't want to hear the long version of this one, although this episode was a little bit shorter, please feel free to check that one out there. Until the next episode, stay plugged in and stay charged. Cheer with the ammo.