Episode 66, Deep Dive: Tesla FSD v14, Kia PV5 and Australia’s Next Affordable EV Wave

In Episode 66 of Plugged In Australia, we look at Tesla Full Self-Driving Supervised v14 rolling out in Australia, Tesla’s 1000th local Supercharger stall, and Cybercab prototypes appearing in New Zealand. We also cover Kia’s PV5 electric people mover, Leapmotor’s upgraded C10 and incoming B03X, the BYD Shark 6 Performance parts delay, Porsche adding fake gear shifts to the Taycan while ruling out an electric 911, and a wave of new affordable EVs and EREVs from Forthing, Geely, Lepas, Chery, Honda and more. Plus, we look at Denza’s big N9 PHEV SUV, Maserati’s longer-range Folgore update, BMW’s huge-battery iX5, and the renewed debate over EV road-user charges in NSW.

YOUTUBE TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
1:05 Tesla FSD Supervised v14 rolls out in Australia
5:54 Tesla passes 1000 Supercharger stalls and Cybercab appears in New Zealand
9:35 Kia PV5 Passenger confirmed for Australia
14:16 Leapmotor C10 gets more range, power and faster charging
17:03  Leapmotor B03X confirmed and safety beeps explained
21:39 BYD Shark 6 Performance arrives with parts delay
25:15 Forthing Taikon 5 launches as cheap BEV and EREV SUV
32:16 Geely EX2 approved and EX5 facelift moves rear-drive
35:40 Lepas L6 confirmed and Chery Stockman PHEV ute named
39:51 Porsche Taycan fake shifts and no electric 911
44:03 Denza N9, Maserati Grecale Folgore and BMW iX5
49:33 Honda Super-One and NSW road-user-charge debate

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 to Plugged in Australia, episode 66 for Tuesday, the 23rd of June 2026. Today's a bit of a big catch-up episode because there's been a heap of EV and plug-in hybrid news landing all at once. Tesla has started rolling out full self-driving supervised version 14 in Australia. Kia has confirmed a passenger version of the Pv5 electric people mover. Leap Motor has upgraded the C10 and confirmed another affordable EV for our market. And Fourthing has launched with some very aggressive pricing. We've also got BYD Shark 6 performance deliveries being affected by missing parts. Porsche changing its tune on fake shifting in EVs. Gilead preparing its EX2 hatch and a rear drive EX5 facelift. Cherry confirming the Stockman plug-in hybrid Ute, Denza testing the enormous N9 in right-hand drive, and a renewed debate around road user charging for EVs and plug-in hybrids in New South Wales. Let's get into it. Tesla has started rolling out full self-driving supervised version 14 to cars in Australia and New Zealand. That is important wording there, supervised. So it's not a robo-taxi system. This is not a legal hands-off chauffeur, and it does not make the car autonomous in the way most normal people would understand that word. The driver still has to remain attentive, watch the road, and be ready to take over at any given time. That caveat means because Tesla's branding has always been a problem in this space, the quote unquote full self-driving, sounds like the car can do the whole job in Australia. Right now, it still cannot. However, with that said, version 14 does appear to be a very meaningful update over previous versions. Tesla says the new version reacts around 20% faster, makes better decisions in poor visibility and difficult traffic, and handles things like lane changes, obstacle avoidance, emergency vehicles, school buses, complex intersections, and yellow lights a little bit more confidently. It also brings improvements to driver monitoring, including better detection of gaze, eyewear, and lighting conditions. That's the sort of stuff that matters in the real world. It's one thing for a driver assistance system to look impressive on a wide American freeway in perfect weather. It's another thing entirely for it to behave properly on our Australian roads, where you've got roundabouts, tight suburban streets, road works, some weird lane markings or no lane markings at all, wildlife, parked cars that are half sticking out into the lane, and the occasional person doing something wildly unpredictable. The rollout is for cars with Tesla's newer hardware 4 computer, and it applies to owners who have either purchased FSD outright or are subscribed to it. In Australia, the FSD subscription has been offered at $149 per month, while the outright purchase was previously listed at just under $10,000 before Tesla changed the structure. The affected cars are mainly newer Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with Hardware 4 or AI4. For Model 3, that means the updated Highland cars from late 2023 onward, and for Model Y, Hardware 4 started appearing in Australia from early 2024. Now there's not been the same clarity for older Hardware 3 cars, and that is something owners will definitely be watching. Now there are two separate things to unpack here. The first is that it's good news for Tesla owners who paid for FSD and have been waiting for Australia to catch up. For years, a lot of the more advanced FSD behaviour was effectively a North American story only. Australia and other right-hand drive markets were lagging behind, so getting version 14 locally is a real step forward. The second is that regulators, insurers and the general public are still going to judge this technology by what it does on our roads and not by what it says on the menu screen. Tesla fans will see version 14 as a big leap, sceptics will still say the name is misleading, and both can sort of be true at the same time. The practical takeaway for buys is pretty simple, if you own a compatible Tesla, this update may make the car feel more capable and more natural when using FSD supervised. However, the responsibility is still on you, you are still the driver, and ultimately still liable. And if the car makes a weird decision, oh but the car was driving itself, it's not going to get you very far. And with that said, there was a lady in Melbourne a couple of years back that went into a tram and car got wedged underneath, and she tried to blame autopilot, I guess, at the time, and Tesla went to court and provided all these documents and said, well, no, you pressed the accelerator just m you know, milliseconds or seconds before the impact. You'd nothing to do with it. So a lot of people are gonna say, Oh, the car was driving itself, but Tesla has all the data, don't you worry about that. Now what makes this even more interesting is that version 14 is also part of Tesla's broader autonomous driving push overseas. The same software family is closely linked to the company's robotaxi ambitions in the US. That doesn't mean robo taxis are about to land here, but it does mean Australia is no longer completely sitting on the sidelines of Tesla's latest self-driving software development. For the Australian EV market, this is one of those stories that's bigger than just Tesla. If driver assist tech improves properly, it pushes everyone. Hyundai Kia, BYD, BYD rather, XPang, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, and all the other Chinese brands are all working on more capable assistance systems. Tesla still has the biggest brand recognition in this space, but it is not the only player. Not anymore, at least. The hard truth is that the driver assistance systems are becoming a major buying factor. Range and charging still really do matter. However, software is now part of the ownership experience. If one brand can improve the car dramatically over time and another brand sells you a car that feels frozen in time, buyers are going to notice. Alright, sticking with Tesla, there were two other local region stories that I thought worth touching base on. Got first, it was that Tesla has now opened its 1,000th supercharger stall in Australia. The milestone site is in Byron Bay, New South Wales, and it uses Tesla's newer V4 supercharger hardware. The location has 10 stalls, and Tesla has marked the site with a special local design. That's not just a vanity number. A thousand supercharger stalls is a serious infrastructure footprint. Australia is not perfect for EV road trips, especially away from the East Coast and away from your major highways. However, the difference between EV Touring Now and EV touring even just five years ago is astronomical. The Supercharger Network is a very big part of that. Tesla now has more than 150 supercharger sites across the country, and the network covers more than 10,000 kilometres of major corridors. That matters for Tesla owners, obviously, but it also matters more broadly because Tesla has progressively opened more sites to non-Tesla EVs. So the network is becoming part of Australia's general fast charging backbone, not just a Tesla owner perk. I will say though that I don't not sure that's Tesla being generous. I think that was part of the uh deal when they got some funding from different government bodies. So anyway. The other story is the CyberCab, which was just mentioned in the um in the FSD bit there. So two cybercab prototypes have been spotted in New Zealand on the back of a transporter headed to the Southern Hemisphere's proving grounds near Queenstown for cold weather testing. Now, before anyone gets too excited, Tesla has not confirmed the cybercab for Australia. It also hasn't confirmed a local launch plan, pricing, regulation pathway, or whether it would be sold here at all. However, the sighting is still relevant for us because New Zealand is effectively in our backyard and the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds is a serious cold weather development location. Manufacturers do not send vehicles there for fun, they use it to test thermal systems, traction systems, braking calibration, stability control and how cars behave in low grip conditions. The cybercab itself is Tesla's two-seat autonomous robotaxi concept, even though it's kind of getting beyond that stage in the US now. The um the version shown publicly had a butterfly-style doors and no steering wheel or pedals. But the prototype seen in New Zealand reportedly had steering wheels fitted. That is not surprising. Development cars often have additional controls, and in many places you cannot legally run a car without manual controls on public roads. Reported early technical details point to a single motor front-wheel drive setup around 161 kW, curb weight of about 1.4 tonne, and an estimated 50 kWh battery. The claimed range being discussed in the US documents is about 280 miles, which is about 450 kilometres. However, that figure should be treated carefully until there's a proper production model and proper rating. The more important point is that Tesla is still pushing ahead with the cybercab idea, even while the legal and practical pathway for fully autonomous cars remains quite complicated. For Australia, Cybercab is not a near-term buying story, it's a very much a future mobility story, and it raises some interesting questions. Would Australia approve a car without a steering wheel? Would a robo taxi fit our road rules? Would local insurers support it? Would state governments even allow it and would the public trust it? We are nowhere near having clean answers to any of those questions or even really needing to. However, the sighting in New Zealand tells us Tesla is doing real world development in our region, not just talking about it on a stage in California. Alright, next up a bit of a follow-up to a story we covered recently, which is the Kia Pv5, and we already spoke about the Pv5 passenger being confirmed for Australia, but there are now more details around how Kia wants to position it, and what sort of money buyers might be looking at, and why Kia thinks electric van strategy can still work, even with the cheaper Chinese rivals coming in. The important update is that Kia is not just treating the Pv5 as a niche electric van, it is trying to position it as a serious alternative for families, fleets, community transport, disability transport, hotels, rideshare operators, and small businesses that want electric running costs but still need proper support behind the vehicle. Pricing has still not been locked in for the passenger version, however, Kia has suggested it should not be wildly more expensive than the PV5 cargo. That one starts at $55,990 before on-road costs. That points to the passenger model potentially landing somewhere in the mid-60s, possibly below $70,000 before on roads, depending on the final grade. That's where the comparison with the Carnival becomes interesting. The PV5 passenger is not as large as a Carnival, it's not a direct one-for-one replacement. However, if Kia can land it around the same money as a mid-grade Carnival, it suddenly becomes a very different conversation. Instead of being an expensive electric oddity, it becomes a proper electric alternative for people who need seats and space. PV5 passenger is expected to use the same basic drivetrain as the cargo version with a 120kW and 250 Nm front-mounted electric motor and a 71.2 kWh battery. The passenger version is expected to offer around 390km of WLTP range compared with 416 for the cargo van. Charging is expected to be useful rather than spectacular, with the local cargo version rated at up to 128 kW DC and a 10-80% charge in about 30 minutes. Where Kia thinks it has an advantage is going to be support. Cheaper electric vans from China, Chinese brands rather, are already arriving, and some of them will undercut the Pv5 on price. Kia's argument is that fleets and businesses do not buy only on sticker price. They care about the whole of life cost. You've got servicing, parts supply, resale value, warranty handling, that's a big one, and dealer coverage. And Kia has a real point there. If you are a family buyer, a community transport operator, or a business running vehicles every day, saving money up front does not help much if the vehicle is off the road waiting for parts or support. Kia is also being realistic with volume, it's not predicting thousands of Pv5 straight away. The target is modest, around 500 units a year across cargo and passenger versions. That tells us Kia sees this as an early stage market rather than a mass market family car play from day one. So the update here is not simply the Pv5 is coming, we already knew that. The update is that Kia is starting to show how it plans to sell the Pv5 in Australia, not as the cheapest electric van, but as the safer, better supported, more established option. And in a market where electric commercial vehicles and people movers are still very low, that might be enough to win over the buyers who need confidence more than they need the absolute lowest price. And just to add on to the end of that one, it's probably where the Pv5 could be a bit more appealing than some of the luxury electric people movers we've been looking at recently, but my uh myself personally, and cars, you know, we'd look at the Denza and the Z car, and they're very impressive people movers, no doubt. They're loaded with screens and powered seats and buttons and heating and ventilation and massage functions and all of those executive lounge stuff, you know, airport transfers and all that sort of bizot. But a lot of them feel like they're built just for that, for that chauffeur work and not for the family life. And when you look at them through the lens of actually having kids in the back, all I can think about is crumbs, sticky fingers, and bits of food ending up in every little button for the heated seats, seat controls, and the rear screen. So this is where the Pv5 could make even more sense if Kia keeps it practical and durable and family focused rather than trying to make it a rolling business class lounge, it could make a much better fit for normal Australian families. And sometimes you don't need the back seats to fill like an airport lounge, you just need space, you need easy access, you need decent range, proper support, and an interior that you're not scared to let the kids in the back and have a road trip, you know. You're gonna have a road trip, you're gonna throw a packet of chips back there and to expect them to sit there and not make a mess is a good idea in theory, but uh, in practice, when they've been sitting in the back of the car for goodness knows how long, it's gonna end up a little bit wild back there. Anyway, I digress with this one. Let's keep going. Elite Motor has had a big week as well, and there are three separate stories sort of worth tying together. First, you've got the C10 Battery Electric SUV, has been upgraded for Australia. The new C10 design long range keeps the same price as the previous design variant at 4988 before on road costs. However, the hardware underneath gets a little bit of a meaningful update. The old design used a 69.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, had 160 kW, 320 newton meters of torque, and a WLTP range of 420km. The new design long range moves to an 81.9 kWh LFP battery, power coves up to 220 kW, and WLTP range increases to 510 km. The 0 to 100 time also drops to 6.2 seconds. That's not a small update, it's more power, more battery, more range, and much better charging just for the same money. The other big change is the electrical architecture. The previous C10 design was a 400 volt car and at a fairly ordinary DC charging rate of 84 kW. The new design long range moves to an 800 volt setup and can charge at up to 180 kW DC with a claimed 30-80% charge time of around 22 minutes. For anyone doing highway driving, that may be the most important upgrade of all. A bigger battery is nice, however, a faster charging curve is what makes road trips a bit less annoying. The entry C10 style remains in the range at 45888 before on road costs. The new design long range adds features like new keycards and Yokohama tires, but the big story is the drivetrain. It's also worth noting the Australian C10 is not getting the facelifted Chinese market model at this stage. This is more of a technical upgrade to the existing car than a full model year redesign. Sales-wise, the C10 has been okay without being huge. Year-to-date figures have shown the B10 slightly ahead of it, which makes sense because the B10 is cheaper and better aligned with the heart of Australia's mid-size SUV market. But uh this C10 update makes the value equation a lot stronger. 510km WLTP mid-size electric SUV with 800 volt charging and 220 kilowatts for under 50 grand before on roads, pretty aggressive offer. The challenge for Leap Motor, it's not the spec sheet, the challenge is trust. Australian buyers are still learning what Leapmotor is. The cars are being sold with Stellantis support, which helps, but a lot of buyers will still be comparing it to an MBYD, Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, uh Geely. The range and price is gonna get your attention. Dealer support after sales, software quality and reliability are what keep buyers happy after the honeymoon. The second leap motor story is the B03X, also known overseas as the A10. It's a small electric SUV that has now been confirmed for Australia. Expected late in 2026, it will sit below the B10 and could become one of the brand's most affordable models here. In China, the A10 is priced well below the B10. Using the Chinese price relationship as a rough guide, there's a real chance the Australian B03X could land somewhere around the high 20s or even mid-20s before on-road costs, depending on specification and the currency exchange rate. That would put it right in the firing line of the BYD A01, BYD'Z02, the MG4, Jilly ZX2, and other affordable EVs. The B03X is bigger than a tiny city hatch with a small SUV body and five seats. Chinese market battery options include around 39.8 kWh and 53kWh packs with CLTC ranges of 403 and 505. Obviously, CLTC is generous compared to WLTP, so for Australia, a more realistic WLTP estimate would likely be somewhere around the low 300s for the smaller battery, and probably roughly 400km for the larger one. And that's going to depend on the final spec, of course. Power in China is listed at either 70 kW or 90 kW through the front wheels. So this is not a performance car, it's an affordable urban and suburban EV, which is exactly what we'd need more of. The larger battery version overseas can reportedly do 30 to 80% DC fast charging in as little as 16 minutes, which would be excellent if the same hardware comes here. Equipment in high grades includes the 18-inch wheel package, a 14.6 inch screen, leather look trim, a powered driver's seat, tall speaker audio, climate control, and vehicle to load. The point here is that the cheap EV segment in Australia is getting very real. For years the entry point to EV ownership was basically a compromise. Short range, weird styling, limited supply, or a price that was only sort of cheap compared with the Tesla. Now we're moving into a market where multiple brands are trying to bring genuine small EVs into the $25,000 to $35,000 zone. And then that brings us to the third Leap Motor story, and that is the beautiful safety bings and bongs. Elite Motors says the annoying driver assist warning sounds in its cars could get better, but they are not going to disappear completely. And honestly, that is probably the most accurate answer any car company has given on this topic. Modern cars are getting more intrusive because regulations and safety rating requirements are getting tougher. Intelligent speed assistance, driver attention warnings, autonomous emergency braking, emergency lane keeping, reversing detection, and event data recorders are all part of the broader push to reduce crashes. The problem is that poorly tuned safety systems can make a car feel worse, not better. If a lane keeping system fights you when you're already driving properly, people are gonna switch it off. If the speed warning chimes in every time a sign is misread, people are gonna get upset. If the driver monitoring camera thinks sunglasses or normal head movement means you're distracted, people are just gonna stop trusting it. I get into my EV5 and the absolute first thing I do, I turn the car on, I turn that crap off. Because it's just annoying. It's not doesn't help. And um every time you go one kilometer over the speed limit. Now I'm talking about the speed limit according to the car, not how because every car is obviously derated slightly. So if you're following the speed on the nav, which is your true speed, you you know, if it's 50, you could be you should, you know, 52, 53, but you're getting told off by the car. So I just turn it off because it's just the noise is the living crap out of me. So and that's what what I'm trying to say here is that there's no point having it if it's not tuned properly. Leap Motor says it is working with Stallantis engineers to improve the calibration. Some updates may come over the air, and there is a possibility that tuning work from newer models like the B05 could flow back into cars like the B10. But there's a limit. If a system is required by regulation or if it is required to achieve a 5-star NCAP or Euro N cap result, the brand cannot simply let you permanently kill it forever. And that's the hard truth for buyers, unfortunately. The annoying beeps are not just a Chinese car problem, they are increasingly an all-car problem. The brands that win will be the ones that can make safety systems feel helpful and not hostile. Alright, now to BYD, and this one's a little bit uh bit awkward. The BYD Shark 6 performance has arrived in Australia, but some examples have landed without all of the expected underbody protection fitted. It's not a safety recall, and BYD says it does not affect the vehicle's performance. The missing component is part of the off road protection package. Customers have reportedly been given the choice of either waiting for the part to arrive or taking delivery now and having it fitted later. The replacement parts are expected in July, with retrofitting available through service. It's not really the end of the world, but it's definitely less than ideal. The Shark 6 performance is meant to be the more serious version of BYD's plug-in hybrid U. Pairs a 2-litre turbo petrol 4-cylinder engine with the electric drive system, producing 350kW and 700 Nm of torque. It also lifts the brake towing capacity to 3.5 tonne compared with the 2.5 on the original Shark 6 premium. That matters because towing capacity was one of the biggest criticisms of the first Shark 6. Plenty of Australian Ute buyers love the idea of a plug-in hybrid unit, however, the 2.5 tonne towing ruled it out for people pulling bigger trailers, caravans, or heavy workloads. The performance version fixes that one on paper. But the underbody parts issue is a reminder that the Australian Ute market is unforgiving. If a brand says a Ute is ready for Australian conditions, people expect it to arrive complete. And when the story is about off-road protection, that becomes even more sensitive because Ute buyers are exactly the kind of people who will crawl underneath and will check. To be fair to BYD, the brand appears to be offering a practical solution. Customers can wait or they can take the vehicle and have the part fitted later. But for a new model launch, still a bit of a stumble. The bigger story is that the Shark 6 has been a major success for BYD in Australia. It has quickly become one of the brand's most important vehicles here, that's alongside the C Lion 7. It'll also help BYD to push itself into the conversation with the country's biggest brands, and that's why this matters. BYD is no longer a fringe EV brand trying to prove itself. It's now one of the most important new car brands in Australia. When you grow that fast, supply chain discipline, parts support, and customer communication become just as important as headline specs. The Shark 6 performance still looks like a very serious Ute on paper. A plug-in hybrid with 350 kW, 700 newtonm, and 3.5 ton towing is exactly the sort of product that can pull Ute buyers away from diesel. However, the rollout needs to be clean because traditional Ute buyers are already pretty skeptical. One more BYD note while we're here is the ADO2 safety rating discussion. It's worth having a look at. The ADO2 has been selling reasonably well as one of Australia's cheapest electric SUVs, but it still remains unrated by NCAP. That doesn't automatically mean it's unsafe, and it does not automatically mean it wouldn't perform well. It means buyers do not yet have an independent Australian crash test rating to rely on. BYD's own spec sheet talks about the Blade Battery, ePlatform 3.0, sell to battery construction, six airbags, driver assistance features. However, from the buyer's point of view, an AND cap or Euro NCAP rating still carries reasonable weight. And in 2026, especially with family cars, because this ADO2 is very commonly a second family car, it's something buyers should understand before they sign on the dotted line, so to speak. Alright, now on to one of the biggest value stories of the week, and that's Fourthing. Fourthing is launching in Australia with the TakeOn 5, which is a mid-size SUV available in both battery, electric, and range extender form. And the pricing is pretty aggressive. The TakeOn 5 Range Extender Hybrid Luxury starts at 3690 drive away. The TakeOn 5 BEV Luxury is 3890 drive away. The Range Extender Hybrid Excuse is 40,490 drive away, and the BEV exclusive is 42,490 drive away. And that makes the range extender version the cheapest EREV of any kind in Australia, and the battery electric version one of the cheapest mid-size electric SUVs currently on sale. Size-wise, it's very close to a Toyota RAF 4. It is 4,600mm long, 1860mm wide with a 2715mm wheelbase. The EREV is 1700mm tall, while the BEV is slightly lower at 1680mm tall. The BEV uses a 64 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, front wheel drive, and an electric motor producing 150kW and 340 Nm. WLTP range is 427km. The range extender version uses a 31kWh LFP battery and a petrol engine that acts as a generator. The electric only WLTP range is 170km and total combined WLTP range is listed at 937 km. It is marketed as a range extender hybrid, however, the important point is that it gives you a decent EV range for daily use with petrol backup for longer trips. And 170km of electric range is not a token plug-in hybrid number. For a lot of Australians, that is several days of commuting without using petrol at all. Both versions are front-wheel drive, both have vehicle to load capability at up to 3.5 kilowatts. The BEV supports up to 80kW DC charging, while the EREV is listed at 40 kilowatts DC. Now those are not cutting-edge numbers, but at this price point they are reasonably workable. To put all that into perspective, the average commutes in some of our major cities, you've got the Sydney is 16.5 kilometres, Melbourne is 16.8, Brisbane 17.4, Adelaide is 13.5, Perth is 15.7. So the rural, more rural areas like rural WA is 20.7, and then the shortest one is Darwin at 13.1. Now these are one-way travels. So for most of the major cities, you're going to get four to five days of range out of the Plugin Hybrid. You've got an overnight charging, cheap charge rate. You may not, depending on your circumstances. But let's say you do, I think AGL and Ovo have an eight cents overnight charging rate there. So you're going to charge that PHEV battery for about $2.50. So it puts that sort of into perspective. It's all well and good to see 170 kilometers of range, but you need to know what that means for you, you know. So both versions are front-wheel drive, both have a vehicle-to-load capability at up to 3.5 kilowatts. The battery electric version supports up to 80 kilowatt DC charging, while the e-rev is listed at 40 kilowatts. And those are not cutting-edge numbers, but at this price point I think they're workable, and most people aren't going to publicly charge an e-rev anyway. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit warning, traffic sign recognition, six airbags, rear parking sensors, reversing camera and tire pressure monitoring. Stepping up to the exclusive ads equipment including a power tailgate, opening panoramic glass sunroof, a rear privacy glass, power folding mirrors, wireless phone charging, and a six-speaker sound system. The warranty is seven years, 100 sorry, 200,000 kilometres. Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres for the EREV and every 12 months or 20,000 for the BEV. Now there are a few caveats for this one here. The Take On 5 has not yet been assessed by NCAP. There is also no CAP price servicing program announced as the time of recording. And because Four Thing is a new brand in Australia, buyers will want to look closely at dealer coverage, parts availability, and warranty handling. There's also a minor spec sheet issue published. Talk figures for the range extender variant have not been completely consistent across all reporting. Safest way to discuss it for now is to focus on the confirmed price, your battery size, range, and vehicle positioning, and the way for the final customer brochure and local test drives. But putting that to the side, the Take On 5 is exactly the kind of product that could make established brands uncomfortable. Under 40 grand drive away for a mid-size electric SUV is a serious number. Under 37 grand drive away for an EREV with a 170 kilometers of range is even more disruptive. So for buyers who cannot charge on a road trip or who live very regionally or who are nervous about pure EV ownership, an E-Rev can make a lot of sense. The trick is making sure the car itself is good, the dealer network is real, and the ownership support is there after the first wave of excitement is over. And to add to that, the other important detail I think I should add for any of people considering a Four Thing is some bit more background information on who's actually bringing Four Thing into Australia. The Fourthing is not coming in through a tiny unknown operation. The official local importer and distributor is Atico Automotive, part of the Atico Group. That name matters because Atico is one of Australia's most experienced independent vehicle distributors. They already handle brands like LDV, Renault, Maserati, and Ram trucks in Australia. They also distribute BYD New Zealand. So while Four Thing itself is a new name to Australian buyers, the company behind the local launch is not new to importing, distributing, servicing, and supporting cars in this market. He has experience with Chinese automotive brands and has worked in the EV space, including roles connected with Tesla and WM Motor, before focus on emerging brands through Atico. That should give buyers a little bit more confidence than a completely unknown brand landing here with no established local distributor behind it. Doesn't automatically guarantee everything will be perfect, but it should help avoid some of the issues we've seen with similar, less established operations where buyers worry about parts, servicing, communication, and long-term support. It's also a different model to brands like BYD, MG, GWM, and Cherry, which are more factory direct or factory backed in Australia. Four thing is using the classic third-party distributor model. That can work well when the distributor is experienced because the local partner already understands the dealer networks, compliance, warranty, parts, logistics, and what Australian buyers are expecting. So when we talk about fourthing as a new brand, we need to separate the badge from the backing. The badge is new here. However, the importer is definitely not. Alright, next up is Gili, and this is partly a follow-up story to uh one we've covered before, which seems to be a bit of a common theme at the moment. As more and more information gets released on various different products, and we've already spoken about the Geely EX2, is one of the affordable EVs expected for Australia, and we've also talked about GLE's broader local rollout with the EX5 and the Stari EMI. So the new angle on this one here is not simply that the EX2 exists or that it is coming. The update is that the EX2 has now appeared in Australian approval documents, which makes the local launch feel much closer, gives us a clearer look at what Australia is likely to receive. The EX2 is expected here in the third quarter of 2026, and it still shapes up as one of the more important affordable EVs coming to Australia. It is a compact electric hatch, rear-wheel drive, and aimed at the same growing entry-level EV space as the BYD AD01, the BYD Dolphin, MG4, and other low-cost electric cars. Government approval documents show the two rear-wheel drive outputs for Australia, 60 kW and 85 kW. Chinese market versions use lithium-iron phosphate batteries around 30 kWh and 40 kWh, but the final Australian battery and range figures still need to be confirmed properly. Previous overseas figures have pointed to generous, generous rather, Chinese cycle range numbers, but for Australia, we really need WLTP figures before getting too excited. The important point is that Gili is moving from a promised future model to approved for sale, and that usually means that car is not far off. And this is at the same time that the EX5 itself is already heading for an update overseas. The facelifted EX5 has appeared in Chinese government documents with a number of changes. The headline one is that the motor moves from the front axle to the rear axle and power jumps from 160 to 245 kilowatts. That's a pretty big change in character. The current Australian EX5 is front-wheel drive. A rear drive version with more power could feel much more like a proper EV platform rather than a converted feeling SUV. The facelift also shows a revised front and rear design, a new Gly Word mark, a charge port move to the rear quarter, roof-mounted lighter on some of the versions, camera pods, and more traditional pullout door handles. That last bit is interesting because China is moving against the flush pop-out handles over safety and usability concerns. The updated EX5 is also slightly longer at 4636mm long. Battery details have not been confirmed. However, the current Australian EX5 uses 68 kWh battery and offers 450 to 475 kilometers of WLTP range, depending on the variant. For Australia, the timing of the facelift is not yet locked in. The current EX5 is still relatively new here, so do not expect the updated one tomorrow, but it shows where Gili is heading. More power, rear drive dynamics, some more advanced sensors, and a stronger EV identity. This is one of the big themes of episode 66. The Chinese EV brands, they're not standing still. The first Australian version lands, and before local buyers have even gotten used to it, the next version is already moving ahead overseas. It can be exciting, but it can also create its own set of challenges. Buyers may wonder whether to jump in now or wait for the next version. The answer really depends on pricing. If the current car is priced sharply and is supported properly, it could still make a lot of sense. But brands need to manage updates carefully because nobody likes buying a new car and seeing a much better version revealed almost straight away. Cherry has two big plug-in stories this week. The first is the Lipes L6. Lipes is a Cherry sub-brand designed for export markets, and the L6 is a mid-size electric SUV confirmed for Australia in the fourth quarter of 2026. The basic formula is familiar, a mid-size electric SUV, a roughly 65kWh battery, front-wheel drive, and a single electric motor producing 160 kW and 275 Nm. The claimed range is around 450km, but the test cycle has not yet been confirmed, so that figure needs to be treated carefully until we see local WLTP numbers. In terms of its size, the L6 is 4,554mm long, 1,852mm wide, and 1,682mm tall, sitting on a 2.7 meter wheelbase. That places it right in the busy medium SUV segment where it will face cars like the BYD ADO3, the Gili EX5, the MGS5, and other incoming Chinese EVs. The feature highlights overseas include LED lighting, 19-inch wheels, a full-width tail light design, a panoramic sunroof, 7 airbags, an 8-speaker Sony audio system, and a 12.3 inch portrait style touchscreen. Now pricing is not confirmed, but given the competition and Cherry's current positioning, a starting point somewhere around the high 30s to low 40s would make reasonable sense. It will need to be sharp because this segment is already becoming brutally competitive. The L6 is also expected to be joined later by a plug-in hybrid version using Cherry's Super Hybrid Branding, along with other Lapus models like the smaller L4 and larger L8. The second Cherry story is much more Australian. The Stockman. Cherry's first Ute for Australia now has its official name. Chosen through a public naming competition, more than 20,000 submissions were received, and Stockman was selected after receiving more than a quarter of roughly 12,000 votes from the shortlist. The Ute was previously known by its internal KP31 model name, and it is due to launch here later in 2026. Now for us in our show here, the important bit is the powertrain. The Stockman is set to become Australia's first diesel plug-in hybrid Ute. Cherry has previously indicated a 2.5 litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel plug-in hybrid will arrive first, followed by a 2-litre turbo petrol bar FEV in 2027. The diesel FEV is expected to use a 34 kWh battery, produce 350kW and 800 Nm of torque combined, offer a 1 tonne payload and top to 3.5 tonne. It is expected to run a leaf sprung rear end, which makes sense for payload and towing. The petrol FEV version is expected to use a coil sprung rear end and offer even higher outputs of 395 kW and 1,000 Nm of torque. Reported prototype details include integrated rear step, six stud wheels, front and rear bash plates, a snorkel, a locking front, centre and rear diff. It's a pretty decent spec sheet and it shows how quickly the uh Ute market is changing. We used to talk about plug-in utes as if they were some far-off idea. Now we have the BYD Shark on sale, the Shark 6 performance arriving, Cherry preparing the Stockman, GWM pushing hard with hybrid Utes, and more Chinese brands circling the segment. The big question is whether Australian Ute buyers will accept plug-in hybrids as work vehicles. The answer will come down to the basics towing, payload, real-world fuel economy, reliability, off-road durability, price, service, support, and resale. A diesel Fev could be a very clever middle grand for Australia. Tradies and regional buyers get diesel backup and long-range flexibility while daily driving and low-speed work can lean on electric power. But it also adds complexity. A diesel engine, electric motors, a battery charging hardware, and off-road gear all have to work together in harsh conditions. But if Cherry gets it right, the Stockman could be one of the most interesting youths of 2026. If it gets it wrong, however, Australian Ute buyers will punish it very quickly. Alright, now over to Porsche, and this one is a bit fascinating because it shows how performance brands are still trying to work out what an electric sports car should feel like. The 2027 Porsche Taikan update will include a virtual gear shift system called eShift. Yes, Porsche is adding simulated gear changes to an EV. The idea is similar to what Hyundai did with the Ionic 5N. The system uses software, sound and torque modulation to make the car feel like it's shifting through the gears. In the Taikan, the system has eight virtual gears, a virtual rev counter, a gear indicator, stronger electric sports sound, and the shift paddles on the steering wheel. It can create the feeling of shift jerks, drag torque, and engine braking, even though there is no conventional combustion engine and no normal multi-speed gearbox being used in that way. Porsche had previously sounded cautious about fake shifting, but now it's leaning into it. And honestly, I understand why. A fast DV is easy to make, impressive for the first three launches, massive torque, silent acceleration, no drama. But for a driver's car, especially a Porsche, emotion matters. If the car is technically brilliant but emotionally flat, Porsche's got a problem. High and I proved with the Ionic 5N that simulated gears can be fun when they are done properly. Not necessary, but fun. The Ionic 5N does not need fake shifts to be fast, but the system gives the driver something to interact with. Porsche is clearly paying attention. The Takan update also brings new infotainment features under Porsche's digital interaction, downloadable third-party apps, themes, over-the-air update capability, and a iVoice assistant, as well as a 25-watt wireless charging pad. There is also range improvement for some rear drive European models with a 105kWh battery and specific tyres. The updated Taikan can now exceed 700km WLTP in some configurations. Continuous power rises by 20 kW to 600kW, and attack mode can deliver up to 730 kW for 10 seconds. So Porsche is not giving up on electric performance, far from it. But at the same time, Porsche has ruled out making the 911 fully electric. Porsche's boss has been very clear. The 911 will continue with combustion and hybrid technology, but it will not become a full EV. It's not really surprising, the 911 is the emotional centre of Porsche. It's also one of the hardest cars to electrify without changing what people love about it. Your weight packaging, steering feel, rear engine identity, sound, history, it all matters, it all comes together. The current 911 has already moved into hybrid territory in some versions using an electric motor integrated with the dual clutch transmission and a turbocharged flat six. But a plug-in hybrid 911 has also been ruled out, which tells you Porsche is trying to keep the 911 as pure as it can while still meeting performance and emissions goals. The bigger picture is that Porsche's EV strategy has become more cautious. The Tycan launched globally in 2019 and arrived in Australia in 2020. It proved Porsche could build a serious EV, but some sales have slowed and the company has had to rethink how quickly it does electric. The Makan has moved into an electric only generation in many markets, however, the transition hasn't been quite as simple. Porsche's upcoming large SUV, previously expected to be electric only, is now expected to have more powertrain flexibility. This is the lesson for the whole industry. Going electric is not just about building a good EV, it's about timing, charging infrastructure, buy readiness, pricing, residual values, incentives, and whether the product still feels like the brand. So Porsche is not walking away from EVs, it's just learning that even premium buyers do not always move as quickly as product. Plan as expected. The premium end of the plug-in market had a busy week too. First, we go to Denza, and the Denzer N9 has been spotted in Australia in right-hand drive testing under camouflage. This is a very large, very powerful six-seat plug-in hybrid SUV that sits more in the Mercedes-Benz GLS and the BMW X7 world than the normal family SUV world. It uses a 2-litre turbo petrol engine and three electric motors with combined outputs around 280km and 1035 newtonm. It's a supercar level power in a massive luxury SUV. The claimed 0 to 100 time is 3.7 seconds. The battery is enormous for a plug-in hybrid. Chinese market figures put an electric range of up to 420km on the CLT cycle. Now CLTC is generous as we know, and a WLTP figure would likely be much lower, perhaps closer to 300km depending on final spec. But even then, that would be longer electric range than almost any plug-in hybrid currently available in Australia. Total range is claimed at up to 1,520 km on the Chinese cycle. The N9 is also physically huge, around 5,259mm long, 2030mm wide, and 1830mm tall with a 3,125mm wheelbase. It has air suspension, rear-wheel steering of up to 10 degrees, a crab walk function, 6 piston brakes, and a very high-end cabin. Features overseas include your Napa leather, heated and ventilated seats, a fridge, full zone climate control, a heads-up display, 26 speaker devilette sound system, and lots of screens. There is no confirmed Australian launch yet, but the fact the right hand drive example has been seen testing locally, it's a very strong signal that Denza is at least seriously assessing it. The question is whether Australia needs a six-seat luxury plug-in hybrid this big. For most people, probably not. But for the top end of the market, maybe. Yeah, possibly. The Mercedes GLS, the BMW X7, and Range Rover Sport all sell to buyers who want size, status, and comfort. If Denza can undercut them heavily while offering 600 plus kilowatts and meaningful EV only range, could find itself a little niche there. Next up we have Maserati and the Grecale Folgere is getting a refresh and an interesting EV detail is improved real world range. The headline WLTP claim remains up to 580km in some configurations, but Maserati has worked on things like aero, grill shutter, tires, thermal management, and recuperation to improve efficiency. The Grecale Folgere E uses a 105 kWh battery and dual motors, producing 410 kW and 820 Nm with a 0 to 100 time of 4.1 seconds, but it remains a 400 volt EV, not an 800 volt one. The updated Grecale lineup is due in Australia in the first quarter of 2027. Maserati is another brand having to balance combustion, hybrid, and EV demand. The Folgerebadge is important, but Maserati is also adding more V6 petrol engines, which tells you the premium market is not moving in a straight line. And for those wondering, the word Folgereb is the Italian word for lightning, which is very apt for an electric car. And then we move on to BMW, the next generation BMW X5 will be offered with a fully electric version called the IX5. And it will use the biggest battery BMW has ever put in a production vehicle. The battery is listed at 144 kWh for the North American M60 version and 141 kWh in Europe. That is ginormous. For context, it's bigger than the current BMW iX battery and bigger than what we expect from several rival electric SUVs. Power is listed at 425 kilowatts for the iX5M60. Range has not been confirmed, but with that battery size and BMW's new generation electric tech, expectations are gone to be high. The iX5 will use BMW's newer class of technology, even though it sits in the X5 family, rather than being a small sedan or coupe style concept. The next X5 family is expected to support multiple powertrains. You've got petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell. Good luck with that one. That is BMW's strategy in one sentence. Give the customer choice. For Australia, the iX5 is not officially locked in yet, but it would make sense. The X5 is one of BMW's key models here, and a large electric SUV with proper BMW branding would sit in a space currently occupied by cars like the EQE SUV, the Audi Q8 Etron, the Volvo EX90, Polestar 3, and Porsche McCann Electric at different ends of the premium segment. The concern is weight and price. A 140kWh plus battery is not going to make for a light car and it will not be cheap. But for towing, long distance, highway driving, and big SUV buyers who want range, confidence, the battery size is still gonna make a difference. The premium EV market is clearly shifting from look, we're mad an EV, to how do we make an EV that still feels like our brand? BMW is doing it with platform flexibility and big batteries. Porsche is doing it with fake shifts and emotional driving feel. Maserati is doing it with style and grand touring range. Denza is doing it with huge power and high-end features at a potentially disruptive price. And a few final stories to wrap up the episode for today. Honda has revealed more detail on the small electric city car headed to Australia later this year, known as the Super One overseas. This is a tiny four-seat electric hatch with a 29.6 kWh battery, a normal output of 47 kW, and a boost mode that lifts power to 70 kW. It weighs around 1,097 kilos and has a WLTP combined range of 206km, with a city range claim at up to 320. Charging is very modest, DC charging peaks at 50 kW with an 80% charge in about 30 minutes, but for city car with a small battery, it's not necessarily a deal breaker. The Super One is only about 3,599mm long and 1,573mm wide. It is tiny by Australian SUV standards, but that's also kind of the point. Not every EV needs to be a 2.5 tonne family tank. It also has quirky performance angle like the Hyondo Ionic 5N and the upcoming TyCon E shift, Honda's given it simulated gear shifts. It's got active sound control in boost mode as well. And that's in this little tiny Honda City EV. It eh could be a bit of fun, we'll see. The challenge will be the price. UK pricing converts to the mid-30s in Australian dollars, including EV8T, which is the tax system over there, but Australian pricing could land differently. With the BYD Ado 1 already sitting much lower, Honda will need to be careful. Acute Fun City EV is great, but Australia's affordable EV market is getting pretty crowded pretty quickly. And then finally, on a policy note, the New South Wales Road User Charge Debate is back in the spotlight. The current proposal is to charge EVs and plug-in hybrids by distance travelled from July 2027, with EVs charged just under 3 cents per kilometre and FEVs slightly less. The idea is to replace lost fuel excise revenue as more drivers move away from petrol and diesel. On one level, the argument makes sense. Roads need funding and EVs use roads too, but the timing and design matter enormously. Victoria tried a state-based EV road user charge and it was struck down by the High Court in 2023 because it effectively functioned as an excise, which is a federal power. New South Wales is now looking at how to design a charge that avoids that same illegal problem. Some experts have suggested a broader system that applies to all vehicles based on weight and kilometres travelled, rather than signalling out EVs and plug-in hybrids. That would make more sense from a roadware point of view because a heavy petrol SUV damages the road more than a light EV hatch. But the same can be said vice versa, but it would also be politically difficult, and fuel excise would have to be dealt with properly to avoid double charging drivers. The NRMA has argued that delaying the charge will make it harder to introduce later. The Electric Vehicle Council argues the opposite: that introducing a charge too early will slow EV uptake and should wait until EVs are a much larger share of the national fleet. My view is that Australia absolutely needs a fair road funding model for the future, but targeting EVs too early sends the wrong message. EVs are still a small share of the total vehicle fleet. We're trying to encourage cleaner, cheaper to run vehicles, reduce household fuel bills, and give people more choice. So a poorly designed road user charge could become another reason for buyers to delay switching. The fairest long-term model is probably a national system, not a state-by-state patchwork, and should account for distance, vehicle weight, and the fact that petrol and diesel drivers already pay fuel excise. It should also be simple enough that normal people can understand it. I think if we just get rid of the fuel excise and just charge everybody based on their vehicle, regardless of what type of car you've got, all the factors that matter, you know, your as I said before, the size and the weight and all that sort of thing, I think that would be much fairer. I think the hard part is though is that you take the excise off, is the price of fuel not just gonna go back up to where it was? And there's a lot of those things that people will be thinking about. But honestly, it's the only real fair way to do it. You can't tax one and not tax the other, and although you are taxing with the excise, but you've got to if you just make it exactly the same for everybody, then that's it. Easy peasy. Because um, you know, if the system feels like EV buyers are being punished for moving early, it will damage the confidence. Alright, and that is a wrap for episode 66 of Plugged in Australia. That was a big one. Tesla software and charging milestones. You've got Keys Electric People Mover, Leap Motors Value Push, the BYD Shark 6 issue. We've got fourth in coming in. Uh GLE is expanding their plans and Porsche trying to make EV feel EVs feel a little bit more emotional. I think the overall takeaway is that Australia's EV market's not slowing down, it's widening. We are no longer just talking about premium electric SUVs and Teslas. We're talking about cheap hatchbacks, mid-size family SUVs, electric vans, uh, people movers, plug-in hybrid ute, range extender SUVs, luxury six-seat plug-in hybrids, and tiny city cars. And that's what a maturing market looks like. Just before I wrap up, a little bit of an update on the podcast here. As you may have noticed, I've had a few bit of a gap between the last episode and this episode, so finding it a little bit difficult to record, especially the long version of the podcast here, uh, as regularly as it deserves. So, what I will be doing moving forward is I'm going to do a weekly long episode that may be most likely at the end of the week on a Friday or a Saturday that will be there. However, throughout the week, I will still be doing quick charge. So much smaller version, much easier for me to record and to edit and get out to you guys when news breaks. Because you know, you've got a story that breaks on Monday. By the time we get to Friday, it's like, ah, yeah, that's old news, mate. Keep going. So I think if we can do the quick charge when news is breaking every day or every second day, depending on when there's some stories, and then I will collate all of that in a nice long form podcast, like we do this one. It's almost an hour long. So, and I'm happy to do that once a week, and that will just give us a little bit more detail, a little bit more in-depth, especially towards the end of the week when we have maybe some time to listen to something like that. So, always appreciate any feedback you might have. Let me know. Info at pluggedinaustralia.com.au. And as always, thank you so much for listening. And until the next time, stay plugged in and stay charged. Chividamor.