2011 Bmw 128i Base Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Chevy Bolt wins 2017 Green Car of the Year

We knew that a plug-in vehicle was going to win the 2017 Green Car of the Year award this year, given that all five finalists have a way to charge up. And when Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, announced the winner – the 2017 Chevy Bolt EV – he said that the car itself represents one of those times in the auto industry when everything is about to change. Similar to the invention of the starter motor, things are about to get different. For now, though, the fact that the Bolt EV won an award sounds like the same old thing all over again. Just this week, it was named Motor Trends Car of the Year and to the Car And Driver Top 10 list. The other four finalists for Green Car of the Year included the Toyota Prius Prime, the Chrysler Pacifica, the Kia Optima (including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models) and the BMW 330e iPerformance. Last year, the winner was the 2016 Chevy Volt. Did Green Car Journal make the right selection this year? See the award ceremony below.

BMW i introduces home energy storage using i3 batteries

What happens when you take the battery out of a BMW i3 and put it into a grid-connected box? According to BMW, you get a home energy system that, "integrates seamlessly with charging stations and solar panels." It should also give i3 owners a bit more value out of their used cars, if BMW ever explains how they can sell their cars or the batteries back to the company for use in a system like this. Announced at the EVS29 event in Montreal today, BMW's stationary energy storage system solution uses i3 batteries to store excess electricity when available for use in power outages or when demand is high. While the system uses new 22- or 33-kWh i3 packs now, it "can be expanded to incorporate 2nd Life Batteries as they become available in the market." BMW says that the average US household used 15-30 kWh of electricity a day in 2014, so the BMW's packs would hold enough juice for a day or two, depending on the situation. Currently, BMW is testing out repurposing used Mini E batteries in a solar electric grid system at the BMW Group Technology Office in Mountain View, California. Related Video: Battery storage system electrified by BMW i announced at EVS29 in Montreal. The BMW i3 battery system – from the power source of the Ultimate Driving Machine – is integrated into an intelligent storage solution for residential and commercial applications. Montreal, Quebec June 21, 2016. ... BMW i, a leader in innovative electromobility since 2011, announced a stationary energy storage system solution integrating its BMW i3 vehicle battery at the Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition 29, making it the first automotive manufacturer to utilize a complete automotive high-voltage battery for energy storage. The battery storage system electrified by BMW i, enables customers to more fully realize their commitment to sustainability – and to take the next step towards energy independence. With this system, which integrates seamlessly with charging stations and solar panels, customers can offset peak energy costs and also enjoy the added security of an available backup energy supply during power outages. The system utilizes BMW i3 high-voltage batteries and can be expanded to incorporate 2nd Life Batteries as they become available in the market. This strategy will extend the useful life of the battery for the owner, even beyond in-vehicle use.

Autoline streaming live from Detroit Auto Show right now

As you can already see, the Autoblog team is digging deep to bring you everything from the Detroit Auto Show media days today and tomorrow, with obsessive coverage of all of the new sheetmetal, hot concepts and industry news. But we're hardly alone in Cobo Hall, and our friend John McElroy and his Autoline team have fired up a live video webcast with interviews from the show floor that you can watch right now by scrolling below. The daily streaming broadcasts start at 1:00 PM Eastern today and tomorrow, with a large number of A-list executives, designers, and product planners from both domestic and foreign automakers are expected to sit in. Interviewees scheduled to appear include Al Gardner, President and CEO of Chrysler; David Zuchowski, brand-new President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America; Doug Scott, Truck Group Marketing Manager at Ford; and Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer at Kia. For the live feed and a full list of guests for both days, scroll below. Live broadcast by Ustream [Pop-out Chat Window] Day One Al Gardner, President and CEO, Chrysler Brand Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America Doug Scott, Truck Group Marketing Manager, Ford Tim Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer, Global Chevrolet Heiko Schmidt, Head of C-Class Product Planning, Mercedes-Benz USA Filip Brabec, Product Planning Manager, Audi of America Day Two Bob Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Global Cadillac Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor America Mike Manley, President & CEO, Jeep Brand Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer, Kia Tom Kearns, Chief Designer, Kia Design Center America Jim Lentz, COO, Toyota Motor NA Tony Nicolosi, President & CEO, Volvo Cars North America Jose Munoz, Executive VP & Chairman, Nissan Americas Auto News Detroit Auto Show Audi BMW Chrysler Ford Kia Videos Detroit Autoblog 2014 Detroit Auto Show autoline Peter Schreyer