Show Notes
A big week for EVs and clean transport, with a safety issue affecting KGM Musso EVs, an unusually honest admission from Leapmotor NZ, a new electric wagon heading our way and Tesla landing its biggest Semi order yet. This week Adrian Maidment and Riz Akhtar discuss: • KGM Musso EV: More than 300 vehicles are reportedly missing two airbags featured in the vehicle's marketing material. • Leapmotor NZ: The distributor gives an unusually candid assessment of the brand's early sales performance and what needs to change. • Zeekr 7GT: The 500kW electric wagon has been confirmed for Australia and New Zealand, with a 0 to 100km/h time of just 3.5 seconds. • Vessev: The New Zealand electric hydrofoil company raises more than $30 million and expands into the US. • Kia PV5: Riz has been driving Kia's electric van and explains why it is attracting so much attention from traditional van drivers. • Tesla Semi: Tesla secures an order for 500 electric trucks as production ramps up.
🎾 Plus, Mercedes-Benz becomes the new automotive sponsor of the ASB Tennis Classic. 🎾 Next week, Adrian talks to a solar and battery owner about the real world experience of living with home solar and battery storage. Listen to EV Quest for the latest EV news, reviews and interviews from New Zealand, Australia and around the world. 🎧 https://evquest.co.nz/
More from EV QUEST
Jaguar has revealed a radical new electric GT, Adrian takes a first drive in the Mazda 6e, and Riz discovers what it's like living with a Honda EV that needs plenty of charging. This week on the EV Quest Podcast, Adrian Maidment and Riz Akhtar discuss the latest electric vehicle news from New Zealand, Australia and around the world. In this episode: Jaguar's Radical New EV Mazda 6e First Drive Constantly Charging a Honda BYD Atto 3 Evo Zeekr 7GT and 9X Volkswagen's Electric Tiguan Europe's Combustion-Engine Debate Australia's Biggest EV Charging Site Subscribe to EV Quest for electric car reviews, industry interviews and EV news from New Zealand, Australia and beyond. #EVQuest #ElectricVehicles #EVNews #Mazda6e #Jaguar
GWM is growing quickly in New Zealand. But how did the brand get here, and what's next? In this EV Quest interview, I talk with Cameron Thomas, Country Manager of GWM New Zealand, to find out what's behind the brand's growth and where GWM is heading in the NZ market. We talk about GWM's changing position in New Zealand, the strategy behind its growing range of vehicles and how the brand plans to build on its momentum. Cameron also discusses GWM's approach to the New Zealand market and its ambitions to become more locally focused as the business continues to grow. In this interview: • How GWM has grown in New Zealand • What's driving the brand's momentum • GWM's strategy for the NZ market • Its expanding vehicle range and different powertrains • Becoming more local in New Zealand • What GWM wants to achieve next • What's coming for NZ customers So, how big can GWM become in New Zealand?
Welcome to Episode 251 of the EV Quest Podcast with Adrian Maidment and Riz Akhtar from CarLoop. This week we look at Tesla's new cheaper Model 3, what has changed, how much range it gets and whether the lower price makes it an even more attractive EV. We also take a first look at the updated BYD Atto 3 Evo, BYD's first 800-volt vehicle in Australia and New Zealand, and discuss the changes to its design, interior, technology and driving dynamics. But that's not all. We also cover: • 🇳🇿 New Zealand's latest EV sales figures • 🇦🇺 Early Australian Tesla sales figures • Tesla Model Y continuing to dominate • Tesla bringing Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) to more models • The cheaper Tesla Model Y Performance • Ampol's proposed $225 million acquisition of Evie Networks • What the Ampol/Evie deal could mean for Australia's charging network • Leapmotor B10 pricing and the growing used EV market • Geely EX2 and the increasingly competitive electric hatchback market • Adrian's look at the new Foxtron Caveira • Geely and NIO's battery-swapping partnership • The future of EV charging Link: https://evdb.nz/ev-stats
Taiwan has a new electric SUV, and it could be coming to New Zealand. Meet the Foxtron Cavira. In this EV Quest first look, Celeste heads to Taichung, Taiwan, to check out the new Foxtron Cavira, a five-seat electric SUV from Taiwanese manufacturer Foxtron. The Cavira is available in two versions: the Emerge and the higher-performance Pioneer. The Emerge is rear-wheel drive with a claimed 578km WLTC range and 0–100km/h in 6.9 seconds. The Pioneer adds dual-motor all-wheel drive, 349kW, a 0–100km/h time of 3.8 seconds and a claimed 538km WLTC range. Both versions use an 82.7kWh LFP battery. 👍 Enjoyed the video? Like and subscribe to EV Quest for more EV reviews, news and interviews from New Zealand and around the world. #Foxtron #Cavira #TaiwanEV #ElectricSUV #EVQuest
To mark 250 episodes, Adrian is joined by regular co-host Riz Akhtar from CarLoop. A quick reflect, then, what's happening right now and what could be coming next. Riz joins us fresh from the Everything Electric event in Sydney, We also dig into the latest wave of EV price cuts, including BYD's major reduction of the Atto 1 price in Australia. Plus: • A look back at the very first EV Quest episodes and how much the market has changed • China's top-selling cars • The Subaru Trailseeker and its new spare wheel kit • Riz's latest drive • Evnex passing 20,000 charger sales • Three big questions about the future of the EV industry Thanks to everyone who has listened, watched, appeared on the podcast, commented, supported the channel and been part of the EV Quest journey over the past 250 episodes. 😀 Adrian