BYD is bringing its most affordable EV to the Land Down Under. The Atto 1 arrives as Australia’s cheapest new EV, just as BYD is finding its footing.

BYD reveals Atto 1 EV prices in Australia

The Atto 1 is a rebadged version of BYD’s compact electric hatch, sold as the Seagull in China, the Dolphin Surf in Europe, and the Dolphin Mini in other overseas markets.

BYD’s low-cost electric car arrives as the Chinese auto giant closes in on Tesla, which has dominated Australia’s EV market thus far.

Starting at just $23,990 before on-road costs, the Atto 1 is now the cheapest new electric vehicle in Australia. The electric hatch is available in two trims: Essential and Premium. The Atto 1 Premium, priced from $27,990, before on-road costs.

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The base Essential model is powered by a 30 kWh BYD Blade battery, providing a WLTP driving range of 220 km. Upgrading to the Premium trim gets you a larger 43.2 kWh battery, good for a WLTP driving range of 310 km.

Inside, the Atto 1 features a 10.1″ floating infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 7″ driver display cluster. The higher-priced Premium trim adds a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, and a 360-degree camera.

BYD also revealed that the Atto 2 SUV starts at $31,990 before on-road costs. The Premium variant is priced from $35,990.

“The Atto 1 and Atto 2 represent the next step in BYD’s vision for accessible, premium electric mobility for Australian drivers,” according to BYD Australia COO, Stephen Collins.

Both will begin arriving at dealerships next month and are expected to see strong demand as some of the most affordable EVs on the market.

BYD is closing in on Tesla in Australia after going back and forth as the best-selling EV brand over the past few months.

Through October, BYD sold 19,248 electric vehicles in Australia, according to data from The Driven. Tesla, on the other hand, has sold 23,569 vehicles.

BYD is already outselling Tesla in the UK, parts of Europe, and other overseas markets. With two new low-cost models rolling out, Australia could be next.

Source: The Driven, BYD Australia

Tesla is working on Apple CarPlay integration inside its electric vehicles, according to a new report.

If it does happen, it would mark a major reversal of Tesla’s in-car infotainment strategy.

In the mid-2010s, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the automaker was working on integrating phone mirroring, such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but that was a decade ago, and it never happened.

Now, half of the industry is moving away from the technology as automakers increasingly seek full control over the infotainment systems in their vehicles.

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Today, Bloomberg came out with a surprising report that claims Tesla is currently working to integrate Apple CarPlay:

The carmaker has started testing the capability internally, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the effort is still private. The CarPlay platform — long supported by other automakers — shows users a version of the iPhone’s software that’s optimized for vehicle infotainment systems. It’s considered a must-have option by many drivers.

There are not many details on the report other than it would be integrated as a window within Tesla’s broader interface, and that it could launch within the next few months – though it could also be killed just like the last time Tesla talked about it.

Tesla is also planning to use the standard version of CarPlay, not the newer “Ultra” iteration that can control instrument clusters and climate functions. However, the company is planning to support the wireless version, allowing drivers to connect their iPhones without a cable.

Electrek’s Take

I’ll file this one under “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It would be quite a reversal of Tesla’s strategy.

Of all the automakers turning away from Apple CarPlay, Tesla was suffering the least because its software experience is by far the best, including its voice-to-text, as CarPlay is particularly useful to answer text messages through voice while driving, but there are still many people who would prefer the CarPlay experience.

The way I see it, CarPlay integration is not particularly difficult and should at least be offered as an option for those who want it.

And if automakers want to own the whole infotainment experience inside their vehicles, they have to earn it by making the experience a smooth one.

Tesla is now officially recalling over 10,000 Powerwalls in the US after several fires – it follows a recall in Australia earlier this year.

In September, Tesla confirmed it was recalling thousands of Powerwall 2s in Australia, built between 2020 and 2022, due to a fire risk.

At the time, Electrek noted that the same units were sold worldwide and therefore the recall should be global.

We began investigating instances of fires in the US involving Tesla Powerwalls and found several examples.

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Now, two months later, Tesla has officially initiated the Powerwall recall in the US.

Tesla wrote in a notice to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission:

The firm has received 22 reports of overheating, including six reports of smoking and five reports of fire resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The recall involves “about 10,500” Powerwall 2s installed in the US.

Tesla says that it is remotely discharging the Powerwall units until it can physically replace them:

Consumers should ensure their Powerwall 2 system is online and check the Tesla App for a notification about whether their unit is included in the recall. Tesla has remotely discharged (or removed energy from the battery of) affected Powerwall 2 systems that are online to prevent overheating until the replacement is installed. 

A source familiar with Tesla’s Powerwall service told Electrek that this issue has been known to Tesla for years.

Tesla even built thermal response trailers to take around the country to address Powerwalls that were starting to overheat.

The first fire in the US reportedly occurred in 2023, and there were several more after – five according to Tesla’s notice.

There are now official recalls in Australia and the US, but Tesla has also installed Powerwall 2s in other countries, including Canada and Europe.

Electrek’s Take

These days, it is getting hard to trust Tesla to do the right thing.

I know a source close to this situation, who unfortunately doesn’t want to go on the record, who says that Tesla has been dealing with this issue, in the US specifically, for two years now.

From the Australia recall, we know that it has been happening around the world as well.

Why did it take Tesla so long to recall these obviously dangerous units? Thousands of them. It’s incredibly worrying behavior.