1. Robotaxi scoreboard: Waymo cracks 1,100 as Tesla answers
Biggest single-day jump yet on the Texas robotaxi scoreboard — the one public ledger that tracks autonomous fleet sizes daily. Waymo is now past 1,100 registered robotaxis in Texas: 1,133 vehicles, after bolting on 144 in a single day. Tesla isn't standing still either. It added 50 vehicles in the past seven days and 298 over the past 30 days. That's a 156 per cent jump, taking its Texas fleet to 489 vehicles (420 Model Ys and 69 Cybercabs). Tesla's purpose-built Cybercab launched September 3 and started paid rides in Austin the next day, and Cybercab service is still Austin-only. But read the fine print: these are registered VINs. Not all of them are actually on the road. And Tesla's California service still runs with safety drivers.
Source: Eletric-Vehicles.com
2. BYD Atto 2 DM-i becomes Australia's cheapest plug-in hybrid
BYD's Australian price offensive keeps rolling. The new BYD Atto 2 DM-i lands as Australia's cheapest plug-in hybrid at $24,990 before on-road costs for the base Essential, or $29,990 for the loaded Premium. That's $9,000 cheaper than the BYD Sealion 5 and $10,000 under the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid. There's a catch. Both grades charge at just 3.3kW on AC with no DC fast-charging at all. So this is a commuter PHEV, not a fast-charger friend. And it follows BYD's monster cuts elsewhere: the Atto 1 Essential EV now sits at $19,990 drive-away, making it Australia's cheapest new car, full stop. The first time an EV has ever held that title.
Source: CarExpert
3. Your EV could pay you: Sealion 7 joins Amber's vehicle-to-grid trial
Parked cars that pay rent. Vehicle-to-grid is going properly mainstream in Australia. Amber Electric and BYD Australia have expanded their V2G partnership to include the BYD Sealion 7, letting owners feed stored battery power back into their home or the grid when electricity prices peak. The program is scaling to 1,000 Australian households with $13.6 million in ARENA funding, and Amber says more than 8,000 people are on the waiting list. The Sealion 7 matters here: it's one of BYD's biggest sellers, with more than 30,000 sold locally since its February 2025 launch.
Source: Fleet EV News
4. Suzuki's "REEV Light": a plug-in range-extender hybrid
Suzuki is developing an in-house hybrid system that could reshape its small cars. It's called "REEV Light". Series hybrid, but with a twist: the electric motor drives the wheels, while the petrol engine only generates electricity when the battery runs low. It never drives the wheels directly. Add plug-in capability and a "right-sized" battery, and you get EV-like driving around town with a petrol backup for longer trips, in a cheaper package. The tech is tipped to debut in the updated Fronx in 2027, then spread to the Baleno, Swift and Brezza. For the average buyer it means cheap daily electric kilometres, no range anxiety, and no big-battery-EV price tag.
Source: IndiaCarNews