Is A PHEV Diesel Hybrid A Viable Option? Introducing the Chery Stockman

cleantechnica.com Oct 24, 2026

Is A PHEV Diesel Hybrid A Viable Option? Introducing the Chery Stockman

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 24, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Chery announced the import of the Stockman diesel plug‑in hybrid ute to Australia, positioning it against BYD’s Shark 6 and Ford’s Ranger PHEV. The Stockman will feature a 2.5‑litre turbo diesel paired with an electric motor, offering comparable towing and carrying capacity to the Shark Performance variant. Expected pricing aligns with the Shark at around AU$56,000, and reservations are now open on Chery’s Australian website. The move introduces a diesel‑powered hybrid option to a market dominated by petrol PHEVs.

💡 Why It Matters

· Introducing a diesel PHEV expands the range of efficient work‑vehicle options, potentially reshaping fleet procurement decisions in Australia’s heavy‑haul sector.

Capsules Transport

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Super to see Volkswagen Group putting Copilot to work across the company!

Volkswagen Group announced that more than 330,000 employees will receive Microsoft Copilot, an AI assistant designed to streamline tasks across engineering, production, procurement, and sales. The rollout is part of a long‑standing partnership with Microsoft and supports the group’s broader digital transformation strategy. Copilot aims to increase efficiency, freeing staff to focus on analytical, creative, and higher‑value work. The initiative was celebrated by both Volkswagen and Microsoft leadership, highlighting a collaborative effort to scale AI across the organization.

💡 By embedding Copilot at scale, Volkswagen demonstrates how enterprise AI can directly enhance workforce productivity, setting a benchmark for large‑scale adoption in the automotive sector.

teslarati.com · Oct 24

Tesla is building its own maps to fix Navigation issues

Tesla announced on its Q3 2026 earnings call that it will create an in‑house mapping system to replace its reliance on third‑party data. The move follows recurring Full Self‑Driving (FSD) complaints about speed‑limit detection, parking maneuvers and suboptimal routing. Head of AI Ashok Elluswamy said the new architecture will be AI‑driven, integrating voice commands, personalized route preferences and fleet‑wide learning. He promised the system to be ready for the upcoming v15 software rollout and to assume all navigation, parking and destination functions within months. Elluswamy highlighted that collective intelligence from every Tesla will continuously refine map accuracy. The company currently uses Google maps, but aims to deliver a fully proprietary solution that adapts to individual driver behavior in real time.

💡 Owning the map stack gives Tesla direct control over data quality, accelerating improvements to its autonomous driving suite.

cleantechnica.com · Oct 22

Tesla Reports A Great 3rd Quarter, Robotaxi & FSD Finally Taking Off

Tesla reported strong third‑quarter earnings, with revenue up 13% to $24.6 billion and net income of $3.3 billion. Production rose to 436,000 vehicles, while deliveries reached 433,000, matching the previous quarter. The company highlighted rapid scaling of its Robotaxi service, coinciding with the Cybercab launch, and noted increased demand driven by Full Self‑Driving appeal and high oil prices. Production expansion at Austin and Berlin is underway, though inventory backlog remains a challenge.

💡 The simultaneous launch of Robotaxi and Cybercab signals Tesla’s shift toward autonomous mobility, potentially redefining urban transport economics. The sustained demand amid supply constraints underscores the company’s resilience and its influence on the broader EV market.

techcrunch.com · Oct 22

Tesla is prepping a Cybercab onslaught

Tesla announced that its gold‑finished Cybercab will debut in Dallas next month, with plans to roll the robotaxi to additional U.S. cities by year‑end and begin selling units to fleet operators before the close of 2024. CFO Vaibhav Taneja framed the move as the first step toward “owning transportation of any kind on Earth,” expanding beyond the company’s existing Model Y‑based robotaxi pilots in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Tesla claims the Cybercab is cheaper and faster to manufacture than competitors’ offerings, positioning it to challenge Waymo’s market lead. The rollout hinges on securing regulatory clearances after the NHTSA opened an investigation into the vehicle’s compliance with safety standards. Tesla expects the robotaxi business to remain financially invisible until at least Q2 2027, with a material impact projected for late 2025.

💡 Tesla’s aggressive city‑by‑city launch could force a price‑driven showdown with Waymo, testing whether Tesla’s manufacturing advantage can translate into real‑world market share.

cleantechnica.com · Oct 22

Britain’s Buses Became More “Productive” While Running Less Service

England’s regional bus networks carried about 1.85 billion passenger journeys in 2024/25, roughly 93 % of pre‑pandemic levels, while service mileage recovered to only 86 % of 2019/20. The resulting passenger‑per‑mile ratio is about 8.5 % higher than before COVID‑19, indicating greater “productivity” as operators trim under‑used routes and concentrate resources where demand remains strong. Analysts note that this metric masks important questions about network coverage, such as whether essential destinations stay reachable and how feeder services affect overall accessibility. Comparisons with London, which kept mileage stable, and Dublin, which expanded service and surpassed pre‑pandemic ridership, illustrate that service levels are driven by policy choices as much as by fare revenue. New legislation, the Bus Services Act 2025, now obliges authorities to identify socially necessary routes whose removal would harm access to employment, health care, or essential services, acknowledging that revenue alone does not capture a route’s full value.

💡 It shows that post‑pandemic bus planning is shifting from pure cost recovery toward balancing efficiency with social equity, a tension now codified in law.

cleantechnica.com · Oct 22

The All New, Never Seen Anything Like It, Fourth Generation EV Platform…

General Motors unveiled its fourth‑generation electric‑vehicle platform at the Forward event in New York on Oct. 21, centering on a new lithium‑manganese‑rich (LMR) battery chemistry developed with LG Energy Solution. The LMR cell promises roughly 33 % higher energy density than the lithium‑iron‑phosphate packs currently used in many mass‑market EVs, while costing a similar amount. GM says the chemistry, validated in just one month through AI‑driven modeling of 300,000 designs, will appear in its highest‑volume models, delivering longer range from lighter packs. The platform also features smaller electric motors, a 40 % reduction in drive‑unit parts, and a zonal architecture that cuts the number of vehicle control computers dramatically, lowering cost and freeing interior space. GM expects the architecture to speed EV rollout.

💡 By betting on a unique battery chemistry rather than industry‑standard chemistries, GM aims to leapfrog range constraints and lock in cost advantages before rivals catch up.