BYD undercuts luxury rivals with its first 7-seat premium MPV in the UK

This is a car story, not a home energy upgrade story, so it doesn't affect your house directly. But it's worth a quick mention: BYD's luxury brand Denza launched the D9, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid minivan, in the UK. Prices start at £75,000 for the Elegance trim and £85,000 for the Ultimate trim, both undercutting the Lexus LM hybrid, which starts around £97,645.

The D9 uses a plug-in hybrid setup with two electric motors and a 1.5-liter gas engine that mainly works as a generator. Its 58.5 kWh battery gives about 130 miles of pure electric range, with a combined gas-and-electric range up to 590 miles. BYD's fast-charging tech can take the battery from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes, and from 10 to 97 percent in nine minutes, even at very cold temperatures.

None of this connects to home energy upgrades or rebates. If you're weighing an EV or plug-in hybrid purchase alongside home electrification, the main thing to note is that plug-in hybrids like this one still have a gas engine and tank, so they don't eliminate fuel use the way a fully electric vehicle would. If you're also thinking about installing a home EV charger, the type of vehicle you choose, plug-in hybrid or full electric, affects how much charging capacity you actually need at home.