Automotive

Electric cars outsold petrol cars in Australia for the first time in August. Battery-electric vehicles hit 27,078 sales, or 24.9% of the new-car market, ahead of both petrol (25,824) and diesel (23,608). The Tesla Model Y topped every model on sale. But look past it, and Australia’s EV record is almost entirely a Chinese one.

E-bike theft is one of those problems where a good lock is only half the battle. Since no physical lock can ever give you a 100% guarantee of safety, if a thief actually gets away with your bike, knowing where it went can suddenly become a lot more important. Now connected e-bike specialist Comodule has unveiled its latest solution, known as Astra, and one of its most interesting tricks is the ability to keep tracking an e-bike for up to 12 months – even when the bike is sitting in storage.

Ford has set a goal to sell 100,000 of its upcoming Fathom electric truck in the model’s first year of sales, which would put it among the best-selling EVs in America, and the best-selling non-Tesla EV. Ford has been preparing its Fathom electric truck for a few years now, even establishing a “skunkworks” development center to revolutionize its manufacturing methods. (We took a tour of the design studio this May, but didn’t get to see the truck… yet).

Minnesota is getting ready to put a lot more EV fast chargers on the map – and this time, they’ll be located beyond the state’s three major interstates. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is making $41.2 million available in its third and largest funding round under the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The money will be used to fill fast-charging gaps in Greater Minnesota, making longer EV trips around the state easier.

Hyundai opened orders for the IONIQ 3, its new entry-level electric hatch, starting at about $30,000. Hyundai opens IONIQ 3 orders in the UK and Europe