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Leonardo DiCaprio buys rights to VW emissions scandal story

The smoke – proverbial or otherwise – has yet to clear from the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal. But already they're negotiating over the book and even the movie rights to tell the story of the biggest debacle in the company's post-war history. The news revolves around Jack Ewing (no relation), European economics correspondent for the International New York Times. Ewing is preparing to write a book about the VW scandal. He's already sold the publishing rights to the as-yet untitled project to publishing house WW Norton & Company for a reported six-figure sum. Now movie producers are stepping in to buy the film rights to turn that book into a movie once it's finished. Paramount Pictures and Leonardo DiCaprio's production Appian Way have reportedly already acquired the movie rights. It remains unclear at this point, however, whether DiCaprio might act in the film as well as help produce it. His studio Appian Way produced several films in which Leo has starred in recent years, including The Aviator, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street – but has also produced many movies without him. Of course, this isn't the first time DiCaprio has appeared on these pages. A longtime proponent of clean transportation, he was among the first Hollywood celebrities to drive a Prius, inspired the creation of the Fisker Karma, and partnered with Venturi to launch a Formula E electric racing team. It'd take some magic transformation to make DiCaprio look like Martin Winterkorn, or really any of the senior executives at Volkswagen. But whatever his involvement, we think The Wolf of Wolfsburg has a nice ring to it. Then again, so does Rolling Coal. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Victoria Will/Invision/AP Celebrities Green TV/Movies Volkswagen Videos vw diesel scandal

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla charging times compared, VW's 70s hybrid tech

A video shows the difference in Tesla Model S charging speeds with different chargers. The video compares the 60- and 80-kWh versions of the car using a Tesla Supercharger, a CHAdeMo fast charger and Tesla's High Power Wall Connector (HPWC). With the Supercharger, both models charge from to 80 percent in 44 minutes. It's over an hour and a quarter for both cars with the CHAdeMo, but they're about neck and neck in terms of time. The HPWC takes the longest, with the 60-kWh car finishing long before the 85-kWh version. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Volkswagen had prototype hybrid technology back in the 1970s. A book called The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles by Sheldon Shacket describes the technology used in Volkswagen's Hybrid-Electric City Taxi prototype, which was based on the Type II microbus. It used the automaker's 1.6-liter air-cooled flat-four (borrowed from the Beetle) along with a Bosch DC shunt electric motor and 11 lead-acid batteries. Interestingly, the hybrid taxi prototype also featured an electric sliding door and a bulletproof bulkhead separating the driver from the passengers. Read more at Jalopnik, and at Green Car Reports. Country music star Lee Brice is going on tour fueled by biodiesel. Partnering with nonprofit environmental organization Reverb, Brice is using the biofuel to travel to college campuses. "We're hoping to offset the environmental impact of the tour by supporting clean energy projects and using buses and trucks fueled with locally produced biodiesel," says Brice, who is personally focused on natural preservation and water conservation. Read more at Domestic Fuel, or at The Boot. Related Gallery Tesla Model S: Quick Spin View 33 Photos News Source: Teslarati, Jalopnik, Green Car Reports, Domestic Fuel, The BootImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Celebrities Green Tesla Volkswagen Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Electric Hybrid Videos recharge wrapup

U.S. opens probe into whether VW vehicles infringe Jaguar Land Rover patents

WASHINGTON — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Monday it is opening in investigation into whether Volkswagen AG infringed on patents held by Jaguar Land Rover for a system used for off-road driving. In November, Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of Tata Motors, filed a complaint with the ITC seeking to prevent the import of some VW Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi models with "certain vehicle control systems" that allegedly infringe on it patents held for its Terrain Response system. The models include the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and AudiÂ’s Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad, and E-Tron vehicles and the VW Tiguan. The ITC said it has made no decision on the merits. VW said in a statement it was examining the action and determining its next steps. "We will of course cooperate with investigating authorities. While we cannot comment on any details of the proceedings, we strongly believe that the claims have no merit and will robustly defend our position," VW said. Many automakers offer a suite of off-road powertrain controls, but JLR claims Volkswagen's tech is more than just similar.  Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said the vehicles "have used JLRÂ’s patented inventions without payment or permission" notably a patent for an "improved system for driving a vehicle on different driving surfaces, in particular off-road." JLR says its Terrain Response technology uses the patented technology to maximize performance on off-road driving surfaces, including grass, snow, mud, sand and rocks.