Wednesday, 29 July 2026

True EV, the distributor chosen to sell Xpeng vehicles in Australia, has gone into administration after less than two years of operation, according to CleanTechnica.

The collapse leaves the carmaker's Australian sales channel unsettled. CleanTechnica reports that the G6 is the only Xpeng model currently on sale in the country.

BYD has begun selling the Racco, an electric kei car, in Japan, according to electrive. The company says it is the first kei car designed by an overseas automaker.

Three configurations are on offer, priced at 2.145 million yen, 2.398 million yen and 2.497 million yen, electrive reported. Each qualifies for a government subsidy of 150,000 yen.

Battery choice separates the entry car from the two upper trims. The 200 configuration carries a 22.40 kWh LFP pack rated at 210 kilometres of range, while the 300 Plus and 300 Premium use a 35.84 kWh LFP pack rated at 320 kilometres, according to electrive. Both packs use cell-to-body construction.

Drivetrain output is identical across the line-up. Every Racco runs a permanent magnet synchronous motor rated at 47 kW and 160 Nm of torque, electrive reported.

Production sits outside Japan. BYD builds the model in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

The car first appeared at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show in October of last year, and BYD has said it has no plans to sell the Racco in markets outside Japan.

Sales of the Racco are now under way.

Hyundai is recalling roughly 40,000 units of its battery-electric Inster compact car worldwide over a potential fire risk, electrive reported. About 14,610 of the affected vehicles are in Germany.

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has issued an official recall under reference number 16829R, according to electrive.

At issue is a possible internal defect in the central three-way valve of the Inster's thermal management system. Per electrive, the fault may allow coolant to leak over time; if that coolant reaches nearby electrical components, it could trigger a short circuit and, in the worst case, cause a vehicle fire.

The action covers Inster cars built between 14 February 2024 and 14 April 2026, electrive reported.

Distribution system operator Liander has started a smart charging trial covering around 12,000 public charging points in the Dutch province of Gelderland, paying EV drivers to shift sessions to grid-friendly hours, electrive reported.

The field trial runs until January 2027, according to electrive. Liander is running it with technology provider Deftpower, charge point operators Vattenfall and Allego, and e-mobility service providers ANWB and Athlon.

Drivers who take part receive a financial reward averaging 10 per cent of their charging costs, paid out or credited directly through the app, electrive reported. That routes the incentive through the same interface used to start the session rather than through the charge point operator's tariff.

The distribution channel is the reason the pilot can reach scale. According to electrive, 97 per cent of all public charging sessions are initiated via the eMSPs' charging cards and apps, which makes those platforms the natural route to expand the scheme.

The regulatory backdrop sharpens the case for software over steel. Since July 2026, Dutch grid operators have no longer received automatic priority for new grid connections in congested regions, electrive reported, increasing the importance of software-based solutions to ease pressure on the electricity grid. Charging demand that can be moved in time is one of the few levers available to an operator that cannot jump the connection queue.

Hongqi says its new ultra-fast charging battery went from 10 to 70 per cent charge in under four minutes during tests, according to electrive.

The cell reaches a peak charging rate of 12C, meaning it accepts current at up to twelve times its nominal capacity, electrive reported.

The performance testing was carried out at 25 degrees Celsius alongside Lishen Battery and China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology, according to electrive.

On the cell side, a carbon-swelling coating and bulk doping cut internal resistance by 15% against conventional cells built on the same chemistry, electrive reported.

Thermal management is handled by a liquid cooling system that holds the temperature spread across the pack to no more than three degrees Celsius while charging, according to electrive.

For comparison, electrive cited BYD's new generation Blade Battery, which needs roughly five minutes to move from 10% to 70% and about nine minutes to reach 97% from 10%.

Battery swapping and charging points for electric heavy-duty trucks will be rolled out across India under a tie-up between Energy In Motion (EIM) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), according to electrive.

HPCL brings a network of more than 25,000 retail outlets in India, with sites sitting on major highways and expressways, electrive reported. That is the footprint the two companies intend to build on.

The combined swap-and-charge hubs are slated for key freight corridors within the next 18 to 24 months, per electrive.

Six heavy-duty swapping stations are already running under EIM, split between the Delhi National Capital Region and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority area outside Mumbai.

EIM says a driver can trade a drained pack for a full one in around seven minutes. That figure is the company's own.

On the vehicle side, EIM's Ashwa 55-tonne electric tractor, its first electric heavy-duty model, reached the market in August 2025, electrive reported.

Australian road freight could cut its diesel consumption by 10-20% in the short term through changes to behaviour, process and technology, according to an IEEFA briefing note. Held consistently across a year, that saving would avoid 1.3-2.7 gigalitres of diesel, IEEFA said.

Australia is the world's biggest diesel importer, responsible for 10% of global seaborne trade in the fuel, which leaves it highly vulnerable to supply disruptions, IEEFA said.

Diesel meets a fifth of Australian energy consumption, outstripping even electricity. Freight burns more than three-quarters of the diesel used on Australian roads, putting the sector at the centre of that import exposure.

Operators would see the first results within six months, with the full effect taking a year or more, according to James Bowen.

The 10-20% range comes from industry-wide improvements rather than fleet replacement, so the reduction does not depend on buying new vehicles. Reaching the top of the gigalitre range requires the 20% saving to be sustained rather than achieved in bursts.