1. Tesla wants every car on a road user charge
Tesla has told a federal parliamentary committee it wants a road user charge applied to every car, not just EVs. Right now roads are largely funded by the fuel excise — around 51 cents on every litre of petrol and diesel — which EVs skip entirely. Tesla argues a per-kilometre charge would be seen as a genuine usage fee and would discourage unnecessary trips in a way the excise doesn’t. The Australian Electric Vehicle Association pitches a weight-and-distance formula at three cents per kilometre, which it says would cost a HiLux SR5 driver about $823 a year. The government is working on a charge, but how it works — and whether it replaces the excise — is still undecided.
Source: Drive
2. JMC returns with a budget ute — minus some safety kit
JMC is coming back to Australia with a ute aimed at the cheap end of the market. The Vigus dual-cab runs a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel making 123kW and 430Nm, through an eight-speed auto with four-wheel drive and low range, in standard or Plus trim. The catch, flagged by Drive, is that it lacks key safety features standard on rivals from LDV and GWM. JMC launches in November 2026 under independent distributor Jumac, with customer deliveries due by year’s end. If the price lands where it’s tipped — among the cheapest utes in the country — plenty of tradies will at least look past the spec sheet.
Source: Drive
3. Ford claims EV tech 30% more efficient than BYD’s
Ford boss Jim Farley reckons the brand’s upcoming Universal EV platform beats BYD on efficiency: motors, gearboxes and inverters about 30 per cent more efficient, which lets Ford fit smaller, cheaper batteries. The first car on it is the Fathom pickup, tipped at around US$40,000 when it launches late in 2027, with Ford aiming for 100,000 sales in its first year. Farley has called the program the most radical change to how Ford designs and builds cars since the Model T. The efficiency gains will also flow into Ford’s hybrids — handy for buyers who aren’t ready to go fully electric.
Source: WhichCar
4. Tesla Robotaxi switches on in Fort Worth
Tesla’s Robotaxi service switched on in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday — its seventh city and fourth in Texas after Austin, Dallas and Houston. The launch zone centres on downtown and stretches north toward Saginaw, west past White Settlement and southwest to Benbrook. Rides run from 6am to 2am, a 20-hour window Tesla extended in late October. Fort Worth wasn’t on Tesla’s ‘coming soon’ list from 21 October — Las Vegas, Phoenix, Jacksonville and San Antonio were, and none of those has launched yet.
Source: TeslaNorth
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