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China’s Windrose has delivered its first Global E700 electric truck tractor to its American customer.

The 1,400-horsepower Tesla Semi lookalike was handed over to Texas logistics firm Allogic and charging partner Greenspace E-Mobility earlier this month.

Windrose advertises a 416-mile range with a fully loaded trailer and a full battery.

Chinese electric truck startup Windrose has delivered its first battery-powered Class 8 truck in the United States, the company said in a statement sent earlier this week, according to Reuters.

The first U.S.-bound Windrose Global E700 electric truck tractor was handed over to Texas logistics firm Allogic and charging partner Greenspace E-Mobility through Windrose’s American partner. According to Greenspace E-Mobility, the battery-powered heavy-duty truck will haul cargo on the I-35 binational corridor connecting Mexico and Texas

The first Windrose E700 in the U.S.

Photo by: Windrose

Windrose claims that its truck is fully certified across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. It expects approval in Oceania in the second half of this year.

The Global E700 is a direct competitor for the Tesla Semi, which appears to have served as the main source of design inspiration for Windrose. That said, both the Semi and the Global E700 also have to contend with rivals from Freightliner, Volvo, and Peterbilt.

Specs-wise, Windrose’s first commercially available model in the U.S. can hold its own against the best of them. It’s powered by a massive 705-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack that runs at 800 volts. The battery feeds a 1,400-horsepower rear electric motor and enables a 416-mile estimated driving range with a full load.

Charging can be done via an MCS connector, in which case it can accept up to 870 kilowatts, or via two CCS connectors at once. The startup claims a top-up from 20% to 80% takes 38 minutes. In the United States, the Windrose Global E700 is listed at $300,000, but the company claims the truck is eligible for a $120,000 subsidy from the state of California.

By comparison, the Tesla Semi’s 500-mile version, which can be charged at 1.2 megawatts through a single connector, is reportedly priced from $290,000, according to Electrek. Dozens of Semis are already on America’s roads, with more on the way, as Tesla ramps up manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Windrose claims that mass deliveries will begin in the third quarter of this year, when customers who pre-paid 60% of the truck’s price will start receiving their rigs. Standard delivery, for customers who paid a 5% deposit, is scheduled for the fourth quarter.

BYD is shipping 30,000 vehicles to Australia across May and June in response to record fuel prices driving a sales spike, which saw it finish third in overall sales last month.

The bulk order is roughly triple the brand’s typical shipment volume, following its second-best monthly sales result, and ramps up supply of new models such as the Shark 6 ute and Sealion 8 seven-seat SUV.

Speaking through an interpreter at the 2026 Melbourne motor show, BYD Asia Pacific managing director Liu Xueliang told media, including CarExpert, that the automaker was preparing to ship a record number of vehicles following unprecedented customer demand.

BYD delivered an all-time best of 7217 vehicles locally last month – behind only Toyota and Kia and up 50 per cent year-on-year – following 5001 and 5323 deliveries in January and February respectively.

“We hope that by continuing this supply of our vehicles, we can make sure that consumers won’t be heavily impacted by the shortage of fuel,” Mr Xueliang said.

“In the coming months we are going to speed up the spread of EV [electric vehicles] in the Australian market … as you know, BYD has its own ships, so we are going to use our vessel to deliver these vehicle to the Australian market.”

While BYD made headlines in 2025 for widespread stockpiling of vehicles – including in the parking area of a theme park south of Sydney – the recent sales surge has significantly reduced its inventory levels.

BYD also said the increased volume will ensure faster customer deliveries, including for its Denza luxury brand.

“As you may be aware, other countries are increasing demand – this is a change because of the fuel crisis,” Mr Xueliang said.

“We always launch our strategy based on the market need. If the market requires more EVs, then we will launch more pure EVs. It’s mainly to catch up to market demand”.

BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said: “If you look at January, February, March, we sold 5000, 5000, 7000, so that’s the sort of running rate.”

“So yeah it’s significantly more [than usual], obviously reflecting the order intake that we’ve seen in the last month or so.”

BYD’s year-to-date sales to the end of March totalled 17,541, compared to 8767 at the same point last year – an increase of 100.1 per cent.

It delivered 52,415 vehicles in 2025, and is on track to deliver its 100,000th vehicle in Australia later this year, having sold its first locally in 2022.

“We’ve got pretty significant back-orders, and obviously [expect] April, May and June to be strong – seasonally it’s always strong – so we’re expecting the vast majority of those vehicles will be sold,” said Mr Collins.

Mr Collins said the company expects weekly shipments to help distribute vehicles to dealers and customers.

The Sealion 7 electric SUV has been its best-seller, ahead of the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute and the Sealion 6 PHEV SUV.

BYD’s sales contributed to Chinese-made vehicles outselling all others for the first time in February 2026.

This followed Chinese brands overtaking Japanese makes to become the number one source of new vehicles globally for the first time in 2025.

After becoming a top-10 brand locally last year with over 52,000 sales, BYD is aiming for the podium in 2026 with help from at least eight new models, placing it alongside the likes of Mazda, Kia and Ford but behind perennial market leader Toyota

Primarily due to the new all-electric CLA, the Mercedes-Benz Group increased its deliveries of electric vehicles by 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year. A total of 50,400 BEVs were delivered. This puts Mercedes on track to reverse the recent decline in its BEV business.

In 2025, Mercedes-Benz sold 197,300 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), marking a four per cent decline compared to 2024. The downturn was even more pronounced in the passenger car segment and could not be offset by growth in electric vans.

However, a positive trend that began in the fourth quarter of 2025 has continued into 2026: during that quarter, sales increased by three per cent compared to the same period the previous year and by 18 per cent compared to the preceding quarter. Driven once again by the new all-electric CLA, Mercedes-Benz recorded particularly strong growth in battery-electric passenger cars in Europe, with a 34 per cent increase. In Germany, growth was even higher at 36 per cent. Globally, Mercedes-Benz Cars’ BEV sales rose by nine per cent to 44,300 units.

Due to high demand for the all-electric CLA, production at the Rastatt plant is running at full capacity in a three-shift operation. Meanwhile, at the Bremen plant, the new all-electric GLC is also being produced in a three-shift operation, including additional Saturday shifts. “The new electric GLC has generated more orders in the first three months than any other electric vehicle in our history,” said Mathias Geisen, Head of Sales. Mercedes expects further momentum in its BEV business from the upcoming all-electric C-Class, whose world premiere is imminent.

Growth in electric vans outpaced that of electric cars, with a 29 per cent increase to 6,100 units. With the upcoming VLE, another electric van is set to enter the market, and the company has high expectations for it: “The VLE is redefining the segment of the privately positioned van. Its powerful combination of space, comfort, and an unparalleled digital experience creates fresh momentum in the market and opens up new potential for future sales growth,” commented Thomas Klein, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

In total, the sales of 44,300 electric cars and 6,100 electric vans amount to 50,400 all-electric vehicles delivered by the Mercedes-Benz Group in the first quarter of 2026. This represents an 11 per cent increase compared to the same period last year and accounts for around 10 per cent of all 499,700 vehicles Mercedes sold across all drive types

Diesel trucks are the backbone of the national supply chain, but figures buried in recent sales data could mark the beginning of the end for these kings of the road.

Electric trucks had their strongest ever month of sales in March 2026, with 44 sales, an increase of more than 500 per cent on the previous month.

Battery power is still a small fish in a market dominated by diesel, but, for the first month ever, trucks that run entirely on electricity accounted for more than one per cent of new truck sales.

And there are other signs of change.

Electric trucks are now available "at price parity with diesel", according to a report by freight-decarbonisation consultants Mov3ment.

That is, some electric trucks now have about the same up-front cost as their diesel equivalents, as well as lower ongoing costs due to fuel-savings.

They include the sort of small trucks that do grocery home delivery to heavy-duty prime movers able to tow a semi-trailer for 300 kilometres on a single charge.

This historic price parity has arrived years earlier than predicted.

"Anecdotally, our enterprise customers have all started calling saying we want to accelerate this transition to electric trucks," Tim Washington, CEO of JET Charge, a company that builds truck charging depots, told the ABC.

"This is potentially the start of a hockey stick curve [of truck sales]."

The reason electric trucks have become more affordable sooner than expected is due to a change underway in China that's disrupting energy demand around the world.

How the world's largest trucking market went electric

In the space of five years, electric trucks sales in China went from near zero to over 230,000 in 2025, accounting for more than a quarter of total truck sales.

It's predicted this year their sales will surpass those of diesel.

It's estimated this change is denting the country's oil consumption by more than one million barrels a day.

The reason for the rapid uptake is a combination of plunging battery prices, competition among manufacturers, and generous government incentives, as well as investment in heavy-vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Deepway Star prime mover is the first all-electric prime mover available in Australia for close to the price of a diesel equivalent. (Supplied: Deepway)

Key highways have become "supercharging corridors" with ultra-fast "megawatt-level" chargers every 50km, able to add 200km of range with 15 minutes of charging.

Now, Chinese manufacturers are looking to expand to overseas markets.

The wave of affordable Chinese-made electric trucks that changed China's trucking industry has reached Australia.

Mov3ment director Mark Gjerek described these trucks as "second-generation", meaning they're designed from the ground up on dedicated electric chassis, rather than converted diesel platforms.

"Second-generation electric trucks are a game changer," he said.

"A first-generation electric truck or diesel platform is about twice the cost of a diesel truck, whereas these trucks are coming in at close to the diesel price."

Lack of chargers holding back switch to electric

But ditching diesel will require more than low-cost electric trucks.

About three quarters of trucks in Australia are the light-duty or medium-size models used for urban delivery.

Urban delivery trucks generally return to a depot overnight, which makes recharging them easier. (Supplied: Linfox/Woolworths)

These metro distribution trucks can be relatively easily replaced with electric equivalents already on the market, JET Charge's Tim Washington said.

"If people ask can we electrify trucking, we say, 'Certainly for last-mile delivery,'" he said.

"There's enough companies already doing this."

But Mark Hammond, the Trucking Industry Council's (TIC) chief technical officer, said access to charging, rather than the cost of trucks, was holding back many urban logistics companies from switching to electric trucks.

Most logistics companies don't own their own depots and so couldn't install chargers themselves, while a depot-owner had little incentive to do this on their behalf.

"Electric trucks for metro delivery make a lot of sense, but the problem is the added cost and burden of having to supply charging infrastructure."

One solution to this is public truck-charging infrastructure.

A project to build three truck-charging hubs with a total of 24 charging bays in Melbourne will cost about $60 million, including $25 million of public funds, according to an announcement last month.

About a fifth of trucks in Australia are prime movers used for "line haul" long-distance bulk transportation of freight between cities and towns.

Battery-powered models are available but have limited applications, Mr Hammond said.

"You'd be lucky to get 300 kilometres on any of the major transport routes before you need probably a two-hour recharge," he said.

More powerful chargers would reduce this time but place a greater strain on the regional power network.

The amount of power required to recharge an electric road train in the space of an hour was about equivalent to that of a small commercial building, which would be more than some towns' spare capacity.

Hundreds of dedicated charging depots would need to be built to electrify intercity freight, and this would be expensive.

On Thursday, the federal government announced a fast-track approvals process for Australia's first zero-emission heavy road freight depot, to be located in Wilton south-west of Sydney.

A comprehensive heavy freight charging network was still years away, Scott Dwyer, a transport expert at the Institute of Sustainable Futures at UTS, said.

"We're at least five to 10 years behind China," he said.

"We still don't quite have the policy push that we see in other countries."

Planning for future diesel price hikes

Despite these challenges, there's a growing sense the trucking industry is at the threshold of historic rapid change.

Electric trucks are getting more affordable and diesel more expensive, so it's becoming vastly cheaper to use electrons rather than molecules to push freight around cities and about the country.

An electric road train hauling toilet paper from Sydney to Canberra last month reportedly cut energy costs for the journey by 84 per cent.

The prime mover used for the 300km trip cost about $500,000, or a little under twice the price of a diesel prime mover, but new electric models entering the market are available for about $300,000.

Electric prime movers, like this Chinese-made Windrose, are already operating commercially in Australia. (Supplied: New Energy Transport )

With diesel at about $3 a litre, operators of electric road trains stand to save tens of thousands of dollars per year, even assuming they pay a relatively high price to recharge.

Mov3ment's Mark Gjerek said electric trucks have gotten "massive attention" since the price of diesel spiked, but "I don't know how much will transfer to purchases."

The TIC's Mark Hammond said the impact of the current high diesel prices on truck sales would be properly understood in several months, due to the typical delay between a truck being purchased and then registered. A vehicle sale is only recorded when it's registered.

JET Charge's Tim Washington said, "My view is because of ongoing cost savings [logistics companies] will all move towards electric."

"They will all go [to electric] really quickly."

These companies probably cannot electrify fast enough to reduce their reliance on diesel during the the current fuel price shock, but they can reduce their exposure to the risk of a hike in diesel prices in a few year's time.

The US and Israel's invasion of Iran has highlighted the danger of relying on global supply chains for fuel.

"Even if the war [in Iran] ends that momentum [of sales] will continue," he said.

"If we're in a world where there's no rules-based order, anything can happen."

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The Geely group's Lynk & Co 10+ charges at over 1.1 megawatts.

It can charge from 10-97% in under 9 minutes, quicker than an equivalent BYD.

China’s charging arms race is escalating fast, with more brands now pushing beyond 1 megawatt.

BYD was the first automaker to launch a production electric car capable of charging at over 1 megawatt, which allowed it to add 250 miles (400 km) of CLTC range in just 5 minutes. Now the race is on in China to deliver charging speeds that are about as quick as getting gas.

The latest to join the party is the updated Lynk & Co 10+ electric sedan, whose high-voltage architecture and battery pack enable it to charge at over 1.1 megawatts.

The Geely-owned brand says that using a 900-volt Shield Gold Brick battery in the 10+ sedan allows charging from 10-70% in 4 minutes and 22 seconds and from 10-80% in 5 minutes and 32 seconds, with an average charging power of 492 kW. Charging close to full (97%) is also remarkably quick at just 8 minutes 42 seconds, with the average dropping to 272 kW.

There are still big questions about this kind of charging, regardless of the automaker behind it. What will happen to these batteries over many years of ultra-high-powered charging? Do most people even need a 5-minute charge? Regardless, the strides from Geely and BYD signal that China is leaving the U.S. in the dust when it comes to raw charging power and speed.

Geely's numbers are competitive with BYD’s latest megawatt charging, which needs 9 minutes to reach 97% from 10%. The battery in the Lynk & Co has a capacity of around 100 kilowatt-hours and a claimed CLTC range of 507 miles (816 km). One thing that's important to remember whenever we discuss Chinese-market EV range and charging times: CLTC range is much more city-biased and generous than the EPA figures we're used to.

In the charging video published on the company's official Weibo account, the car shows a range of 494 miles (795 km) at 97% state of charge, which is consistent with the official figure.

Mazda Australia has confirmed pricing and preliminary specifications for the all-new CX-6e mid-size electric SUV, which will start from $53,990 plus on-road costs when it lands in September.

Available to pre-order now, the 2026 Mazda CX-6e will be offered in two grades like the related 6e EV sedan: the GT and top-spec Azami.

Both grades will be powered by a 190kW/290Nm rear electric motor fed by a 78kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, with claimed driving range pegged at up to 484km on the WLTP test cycle.

Mazda claims the CX-6e can be DC fast-charged from 30 to 80 per cent "in as little as 15 minutes", though hasn't confirmed the actual charging capacity.

Also like the Mazda 6e, the Japanese brand is opening orders with a launch offer – the first 1000 customers to pre-order a CX-6e GT will receive a complimentary upgrade to the Azami flagship, representing a saving of $3000.

.Mazda CX-6e GT highlights:

19-inch alloy wheels

LED headlights

Hands-free power tailgate

Panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade

Advanced keyless entry

50-inch head-up display

26.45-inch central touchscreen display

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Satellite navigation

Tri-zone climate control with air purification system (PM2.5 filter)

Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

Heated and ventilated front seats

Heated steering wheel

23-speaker sound system

Wireless smartphone charger

Mazda CX-6e Azami adds:

Digital exterior mirrors

Digital interior mirror

21-inch alloy wheels

Both models will also support Mazda EV Bluetooth key and smartphone app functionality, which allows remote operation of the vehicle's climate control, locks and windows, while also allowing remote vehicle tracking.

Nightfall Violet Mica

Nightfall Violet Mica

Further, standard safety features include:

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) incl. pedestrian, cyclist detection

Adaptive cruise control

Blind-spot monitoring

Driver monitoring system

Emergency Brake Assist

Lane-keep assist

Rear cross-traffic alert

Surround-view camera with See-Through View

Front and rear parking sensors

Headlining the colour options will be the new Nightfall Violet Mica, exclusive to the CX-6e.

Other colour options include:

Soul Red Crystal Metallic

Machine Grey Metallic

Aero Grey Metallic

Airstream Blue Metallic

Crystal White Pearl Mica

Jet Black Mica

Both the GT and Azami will feature standard Black Maztex leatherette upholstery, with a Warm Beige interior available for an additional $1000 on both grades.

The 2026 Mazda CX-6e's base pricing undercuts key rivals including the Tesla Model Y (from $58,900), BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990) and Zeekr 7X (from $57,900).

While classified as 'mid-sized', the CX-6e measures 4850mm long and 1935mm wide, on a lengthy 2902mm wheelbase – which is bordering on large SUV territory.

There’s 468L of quoted capacity in the CX-6e’s boot according to global specifications, expanding to 1434L with the second row of seats folded flat.

Previewed by the 2024 Mazda Arata Concept shown at the Beijing motor show of that year, the Mazda CX-6e is the international export version of the EZ-60 that's already on sale in China.

The CX-6e/EZ-60 was developed by the Changan Mazda joint venture in China, and is based on the same platform and running gear as the Deepal S07 which is also on sale in Australia.

Pricing

Model

Price before on-road costs

2026 Mazda CX-6e GT

$53,990

2026 Mazda CX-6e Azami

$56,990*

*First 1000 CX-6e GT customers get a free upgrade to the CX-6e Azami, worth $3000

Electric vehicle sales, like fuel prices, surged in Australia in March, powering BYD to a top-three finish.

Strong electric vehicle (EV) sales weren’t enough to offset an overall drop for the Australian new-car market last month.

Per sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council, a total of 108,703 vehicles were delivered in March 2026, down 2.6 per cent on March 2025.

EV sales soared by 88.9 per cent to 15,839 units, representing 14.6 per cent of the total market. This represented a new record for EV sales, with the next highest month for market share being February 2026 at 11.8 per cent.

The Toyota bZ4X has been a bit of a wallflower in the mid-size electric SUV segment, but its sales are expected to quintuple this year.

Last year, Toyota Australia delivered just 1041 examples – up 6.6 per cent on the year before, but less than a tenth of the BYD Sealion 7’s tally.

“The updated model that we recently introduced has been received very, very well… Based on this positive response, we are planning to deliver 5000 bZ4Xs this year,” Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations, John Pappas, told Australian media including CarExpert.

That’s out of a total of over 200,000 vehicles the Japanese brand is forecasting it’ll deliver overall in 2026. It delivered 239,863 vehicles last year.

Based on last year’s sales figures, this target for the bZ4X would see it become Australia’s fourth-best selling electric vehicle (EV) and the third best-selling electric SUV.

Last year, the Tesla Model Y led the sales charts with 22,239 deliveries, followed by the Sealion 7 (13,410), Tesla Model 3 (6617) and Kia EV5 (4787).

Toyota has already delivered 840 bZ4Xs in the first quarter of this year, putting it well and truly on track to eclipse its 2025 result by mid-year, though it’s still behind the Kia EV5 (1148).

The bZ4X has left its Subaru Solterra twin in the dust. The Subaru is sitting at just 149 sales year-to-date, despite a 246.5 per cent increase in sales.

Prior to the bZ4X’s (delayed) launch in Australia in early 2024, Toyota had said in August 2023 it expected to deliver “several thousand cars in 2024”, only to revise this number down in January 2024 to just 1500 vehicles. It ended up delivering 977 examples in 2024, followed by 1041 in 2025.

Toyota cut prices across the bZ4X lineup by up to $10,010 as part of a facelift for 2026, despite the company having said in July 2024 it had no plans to slash prices.

This mid-life update brought a new 74.7kWh lithium-ion battery and new electric motors delivering more power, torque and electric range.

The bZ4X also received an exterior refresh, including a version of Toyota’s latest ‘hammerhead’ family face, plus more standard equipment including a larger 14.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The mid-size electric SUV will be joined by the related bZ4X Touring in May, with a more traditional wagon silhouette. Mr Pappas didn’t provide any sales targets for this model.

Toyota confirmed back in 2023 that it would be one of the three EVs released here by 2026, with the other being the HiLux EV.

Like the bZ4X, the bZ4X Touring will have a Subaru twin here: the Trailseeker. It’s due to arrive during the second quarter (April to June) of this year.

Toyota Australia’s EV lineup will continue to grow, with the C-HR+ small electric SUV due here in 2027.

Is the surge in interest in electric vehicles in Australia a one off? Or is it a structural shift? It’s the question top of mind for the car industry here after official data recorded record EV sales in the month of March. But the answer might not be in the official sales figures.

There’s a lot of mostly Japanese car makers that are desperately hoping the sales surge – to a record share of 14.5 per cent – is a one-off, given that they have been thumbing their noses at the EV transition for more than a decade now and are hopelessly ill-prepared for a major structural shift.

“It is too early to determine whether this represents a structural shift in the market,” says Tony Weber, the head of the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries that has traditionally danced to the tune of the Japanese car giants, but now finds itself also speaking on behalf of a growing number of new Chinese, mostly fully electric, car makers.

The Electric Vehicle Council, which tallies sales for the all electric car makers Tesla and Polestar and lobbies on behalf of the EV industry, is in no doubt that the surge in interest represents a structural shift.

“Volatile global oil markets are changing the conversation,” says EVC head Julie Delvecchio. “Australians aren’t asking whether EVs are the future anymore. They’re asking which one they can get their hands on, and when.”

And the answer may lie not in the official sales data for March, released in the past week, but what they don’t include – a more than doubling in interest in online searches, a doubling in queries about leasing and insurance, a surge in second hand sales, and what appears to be a record backlog of EV orders.

Buyers of Australia’s most popular EV, the Tesla Model Y, are being told they have to wait until May – or in some cases until August – to get delivery of their chosen variant.

This long wait time has happened before, when Tesla dominated the market and had little competition, but it is striking to note that it is still happening even when it is no longer the biggest seller of EVs (by brand) in the market.

The new number 1 EV brand in Australia is China’s BYD, which sold 4,206 fully electric cars in March, and leads the 2026 count with 9,994 units – well ahead of Tesla’s 7,260. (BYD has six EVs on the market – the Sealion 7, Atto 3, Atto 2, Atto 1, Seal and the Dolphin – compared to Tesla’s two).

BYD now claims to have an order backlog of more than 10,000 units in Australia. It did not break this down into EVs and hybrids, but given that half of its sales last month were full battery electrics, the backlog likely goes for at least one month – and it appears to have an easier path to delivery than many rivals.

Other Chinese car makers are also doing well. Omodo Jaecoo has sold 1,153 of its J5 electric SUVs since its order books opened in late December, and says it has received more than 4,000 orders to date.

Even Toyota is forecasting a five-fold increase in sales of its only fully electric car in Australia, the bZ4X, which recorded 1,041 sales in 2025, and 840 already in the first three months of 2026, including 440 in March.

Toyota now forecasts the bZ4X will achieve more than 5,000 sales in 2026, thanks in part by the expected arrival of the upgraded bZ4X Touring variant in coming months. That would put it into the top 4 best selling EVs for the year, based on 2025 data, although there will be increased competition in 2026.

“In the first three months of the year, Toyota has seen an increase in demand for electrified vehicles – including both battery-electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles,” says Toyota Australia’s Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, John Pappas. But the company is still focused on its hybrid options.

Other car makers are also reporting huge interest. Tesla has promised to increase the rate of deliveries, Polestar says it has seen a tripling in the number of test drives, and Hyundai, VW and Audi have all reported a surge in interest in EVs.

Ultimately, though, whether this is a one-off, a short burst, or a structural shift, may depend on what the federal government decides on its EV policies, including the current discount that provides tax advantages for the purchase of EVs.

The government is busily reducing the tax burden on fossil fuels, and has flagged it will step in to support the coal and gas industries if their costs should rise amid the continuing uncertainty of Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East.

“The Electric Car Discount, currently under review, is making EVs more available than ever before,” EVC’s Delvecchio says. “Removing or scaling it back risks depriving Australians of $3,000 a year in savings on fuel and maintenance costs. With the cost-of-living front of mind for every Australian family, those savings couldn’t be more timely.

“What we’re seeing is a tipping point. The fuel crisis hasn’t created interest in EVs – it’s accelerated a shift that was already underway.”

The leasing lobby agrees. The National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA) says the fuel crisis, at least for the short term, has turned curiosity into commitment – particularly in outer and regional areas.

“Buying a car is one of the biggest financial commitments a typical household makes,” says Nalspa’s Rohan Martin. “But with the cost of living rising, EVs still carrying a price premium over petrol vehicles, and other barriers to the EV transition remaining, many households simply couldn’t make the switch without the Electric Car Discount.

“The Electric Car Discount makes EVs affordable and within reach for workers today with no upfront cost and payments deducted directly from pre-tax salary – creating immediate cost-of-living relief and long-term savings

This is the message shared by the Chinese truck maker on the company's renewed website, now available in 14 languages. Currently, the manufacturer is in the market with the second generation of its electric truck, capable of ensuring about 670 km range with a single charge, thanks to 750 kWh battery packs installed.

7 April 2026 By Editorial staff

Windrose’s next-generation electric trucks will overcome the threshold of 1,000 km with a single range in view of 2030. This is the message shared by the Chinese truck maker on the company’s renewed website, now available in 14 languages. Currently, the manufacturer is in the market with the second generation of its electric truck, capable of ensuring about 670 km range with a single charge, thanks to 750 kWh battery packs installed.

Windrose’s innovative electric trucks

Indeed, Windrose is selling its electric trucks not only in China, but nearly all over the world, with very attractive pricing policies especially in the UK, and the U.S. (namely, in California), based on grants and subsidies currently available, which make it possible to lower the initial vehicle price. In Europe, Windrose electric truck is sold at 250,000 euros, according to the public price list. The company is now headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium.

windrose-antwerp-3Windrose CEO and founder, Wen Han

Looking towards the future, the startup held by CEO (and founder) Wen Han wants to unveil the third generation of its R700 by 2028, with improved 811 kWh batteries, thus capable of over 815 km. Then, by 2030, the fourth generation is expected to be released, equipped with over 960 kWh battery, and over 1,000 km range. That would be an actual revolution for heavy-duty long-haul transportation.

Electric vehicle sales in March reached an all-time high in Australia, reaching a record number of 15,839 and a record share of 14.5 per cent – nearly double the share in the same month last year – as consumers searched out EVs amid the global fuel crisis.

EIM is the official distributor of Foton’s electric heavy-duty commercial cargo vehicles in India and will supply a 55-tonne e-tractor called Ashwa for the deal with Transvolt Mobility. The latter will operate the Ashwa fleet at Kandla Port in Gandhidham, Gujarat, and at Jawaharlal Nehru Port-Nava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Transvolt Mobility will use the 66 electric trucks to transport goods containers within the ports, in what will be its first port project in port operations. The adoption of EVs in these operations is expected to save up to 3,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. EIM aims to fulfil the entire order by next month and will also provide battery swapping and charging services.

Essentially a rebadged version of Foton’s eAuman, the Ashwa is a battery-swappable electric truck. EIM introduced it as the first battery-swappable 55-tonne electric tractor certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) last year. The company uses a 282 kWh LFP battery pack that can be swapped in less than seven minutes for this model.

Between January and December last year, EIM operated two battery swapping stations and recorded 4,122 battery swaps at these facilities. It expects to set up eight more battery swapping stations by the end of this month.

“This order is further validation of the EIM approach to solving the entire EV challenge in heavy commercial vehicles by selling vehicles without battery pack and offering a charging service with swappable batteries,” said Ravindra Energy Vice Chairman and EIM Managing Director Narendra Murkumbi. Ravindra Energy, an Indian renewable energy company focused on solar power, owns a 49.5 per cent stake in EIM.

Last year, EIM obtained exclusive rights to assemble, market and distribute Foton’s commercial vehicles with a capacity of over 18 tonnes for six years. The company plans to set up an electric truck factory with an investment of 10.65 billion rupees (97 million euros) in Talegaon, Maharashtra, although it has yet to reveal a timeline for the completion of this project.

Plugin vehicle registrations were down 11% year over year (YoY) in February, ending the month close to 1.1 million units. Both BEVs (-8% YoY) and PHEVs (-16% YoY) had sales drops. This is the worst drop since the COVID-19 era, but there is one easy explanation for this — incentives. Or the end of them.

The end of US incentives last October, added to the partial removal of incentives in China at the end of 2025, had an expected impact, as these are the 3rd and 1st largest EV markets, respectively.

Actually, if we remove China and the USA from the tally, EVs have jumped 36% YoY globally, with BEVs growing slightly faster (+39%) than PHEVs (+30%).

Just because certain media-friendly markets are down, that doesn’t mean that all markets are down.

So, Keep Calm and Carry On, the EV Revolution is in good health, and with what is happening in the Middle East, ICE sales are going to melt faster, to the profit of plugins.

Share-wise, February saw BEVs end the month at 11% share, with the tally increasing to 16% if we add in PHEVs. This performance pushed the 2026 plugin share slightly downward, because while BEVs kept their share at 12%, plugin hybrids lost one percentage point, going from 6% in January to their current 5% share. Therefore, the 2026 PEV share was at 17%.

For reference, 2025 market share ended with BEVs at 17% share and all plugin vehicles combined at 26%. Although we are still far from those results, comparing where we are now to where we were twelve months ago, the difference is much smaller (13% BEV share then vs. 12% now), so I am expecting that the second half of the year will bring robust growth again, with BEVs probably north of the 20% share barrier by the end of the year.

With the domestic market of Chinese OEMs suffering from the loss of incentives, and linked to the long holidays of the Spring Festival, the Chinese EV market became less dominant globally, dropping to 43% of global sales, its lowest share in years. And that shows in the top 20….