AutoExpert

The '$75,000: Do the "right" thing' problem: You can buy a Tesla Model Y, or a RAV4 Hybrid + rooftop solar.
One of these options will leave you 4 tonnes of CO2 better off.
And it's not the option many people want it to be.

A viewer asked me recently an innocent, and seemingly simple, question: Why are EV fires in the news all the time, and yet power tool batteries (which use the same fundamental tech) are so ubiquitous and seemingly safe? The answer opens a wormhole into the non-linearity of complex systems and failure mechanisms.
Prepare to bleed from the ears.

Volvo is recalling almost 35,000 EX-30 battery EVs globally (almost 3000 here in Australia) because the batteries mught just catch fire without warning.
All you have to do to enter this lottery is charge to 100%, and see what happens.
They don't actually have a fix. The 'fix' (if you can call it that) is to refrain from charging beyond 70%, indefinitely.
But that's OK because ... net zero. Obviously.

We all paid $600 million in 2025 for EV sales to remain, essentially, stagnant. (Up 1.1 per cent over two years.)
Unincentivised hybrids are selling their ta-tas off, however, and likewise unincentivised PHEVs are 'boom town'...

Kia's sales apocalypse with the Tasman continues - which is awesome news for you if you want a massive discount.