Plug-in vehicles reach 32% of global registrations in September

Plug-in vehicles reach 32% of global registrations in September

Live•Nov 9, 08:30 AM•2 min read•
Takeshi Yamamoto
Takeshi Yamamoto

Plug-in vehicles reached 32% of global registrations in September, first reported by Cleantechnica. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 23% of registrations and set a record at 1.54 million, up 8% year over year, while plug-in hybrids fell 9%; year to date in 2026, BEVs were up 12% and PHEVs down 10%.

Global plug-in registrations rose 3% year over year to around 2.16 million in September, close to the all-time record of 2.17 million set last December.

Year to date, plug-in registrations were up 4% year over year: BEVs grew 12%, while PHEVs fell 10%. Their combined share for 2026 stood at 25%, with BEVs at 18% and PHEVs at 7%. The overall growth rate therefore hides a clear split between the two categories.

The Tesla Model Y led the model rankings with a record 165,000 registrations, up 17% year over year. Tesla Model 3 came second with 65,000, enough to move ahead of Geely Xingyuan and BYD Song despite a 4% annual decline.

BYD Song finished fourth at 54,519 registrations, up 19% and the fastest growth rate among the top five. An export push and the new-generation Ultra body helped lift the model.

At the make level, Tesla had a record 232,000 registrations, up 9% year over year. Toyota reached 61,332 for its fourth record in a row, finishing ahead of Volkswagen’s year-best 58,000 to become September’s best-selling legacy make.

Karachi restaurant’s homegrown robot waitress draws curious diners

A locally built robot waitress named Robia serves diners at a Karachi restaurant, first reported by Techxplore. Robotic staff remain rare in Pakistan, and the novelty has drawn families to The Sicilian, while customers still must take food from serving trays themselves or wait for a human staff member to assist.

Robia and her colleague Jojo are DIY creations of Pakistani engineer Syed Osama Aziz, who also established The Sicilian. Aziz developed the pair through his robotics company, Cobot, with help from friends.

The machines were made in Aziz’s workshop in Multan, in central Punjab, using mostly locally manufactured parts. He designed their circuit boards and programmed them in his own lab.

The build pairs mostly locally manufactured parts with some imported electronic components; Aziz also said equipment needed to make robots is not easily available in Pakistan.

Robia introduces herself in an electronic voice. Customer Ahmer Zameer said a robot also tells diners what they can order. Children reach out to touch the robots while parents take photographs and selfies.

Restaurant staff say the novelty has brought a surge in customers, some traveling from across Karachi to see the robots. Staff member Hellen said business had grown.

Aziz hopes to add camera-based processing and image-processing features. He said those additions would let a robot recognize people by looking at them, remember what they ordered last time and offer better suggestions.