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Recharge Wrap-up: BMW tests AdBlue pumps, Drivr is a Tesla taxi service

BMW is testing AdBlue pumps in Germany. AdBlue fluid is used to remove NOx from diesel exhaust, and it is stored in its own tank within the vehicle. Filling AdBlue is easy enough for drivers to do it themselves, and with the proliferation of diesel vehicles in Europe, a pump filling system could make more sense than using the current hand-held containers. BMW is testing AdBlue pumps at three fueling stations in Munich and Berlin to help develop further AdBlue dispenser technology. Read more at Green Car Congress. Drivr Green Personal Transportation is a Tesla taxi service in Cincinnati. Two former employees of Tesla Motors founded the startup, which bills itself alongside ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Customers book a ride online, and are picked up by a Tesla Model S. The ride costs $2.50 per mile with a $15 minimum. Drivr currently operates three cars with seven drivers, with plans to lease another 10 Teslas and employ up to 30 drivers. The service will also be expanding to Denver soon, according to the website. Learn more at the Drivr website, or read more at Clean Technica. Ford is opening a research and development facility in Silicon Valley. The Ford Research & Innovation Center, which will be located less than three miles from Tesla Motors headquarters in Palo Alto, California, is expected to be one of the automotive industry's largest R&D facilities. "We're driving to be both a product and a mobility company, and ultimately to change the way the world moves," says Ford CEO Mark Fields. Read more at Automotive News. Law firms advising Fisker Automotive have been denied a $2.50-million fee enhancement in the car company's bankruptcy. Brown Rudnick LLP and Saul Ewing LLP were denied the extra fees, as a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled there is "no evidence" that the firms provided anything more than what they originally expected. In denying the fee enhancement, the judge cited a "very high bar" for such awards. Read more at Law360. Featured Gallery BMW Tests AdBlue Pumps in Germany Related Gallery Tesla Factory News Source: Green Car Congress, BMW, Clean Technica, Drivr, Automotive News Green BMW Fisker Ford Tesla Transportation Alternatives Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup

BMW discussing supercar collaboration with McLaren

BMW is reportedly considering a new halo supercar. But rather than go it alone, word has it that the Bavarian automaker is discussing a potential partnership with McLaren to make the idea a reality. This according to Britain's Car magazine, which suggests that negotiations are well underway. The proposal would see the BMW supercar based on the same architecture that will to underpin Woking's P16 project that's set to replace current 650S. Rather than use the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that McLaren developed together with Ricardo, the Bimmer version would use Munich's own engine: a 4.0-liter V8 with quad turbochargers – two conventional spools and two more electrically driven chargers. Their combined effect would net an expected 750 horsepower. Further differentiations on McLaren's carbon monocoque architecture for use in the BMW would include custom bodywork, aerodynamics, and interior fitments to include a unique instrument panel. Production, however, would be handled at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, to the tune of several hundred units per year. The project would take the place of several aborted programs undertaken internally at BMW. One called for an entirely unique supercar developed in-house, referred to internally as the M100. When that project was aborted so that BMW could concentrate on the i sub-brand, BMW's own skunkworks shifted its focus to developing a more performance-focused version of the i8, known by some as the i8 CSi. When that project was canned as well, discussions with McLaren commenced. It wouldn't be the first time BMW would outsource development of its own supercar, or even the first time BMW would collaborate with McLaren on such a project. Initial development work on the original M1 in the 1970s was undertaken by Lamborghini before being taken in-house. And, of course, BMW provided the engine for the legendary McLaren F1. Meanwhile McLaren performed a similar function for Mercedes-Benz with the SLR, demonstrating Woking's experience in building flagship supercars for German automakers. This latest project could suffer the same fate as the M100 and i8 CSi programs. But if it is approved, it could yield both coupe and convertible versions, with the first slated to surface at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017 and reach dealerships in 2019.

Guess what BMW's '30 Years M3' special edition celebrates

It's anniversaries on top of anniversaries at BMW in 2016. The company celebrated its 100th year of existence at an elaborate celebration in March, last week we got a new hommage concept to mark five decades since the iconic 2002 debuted, and now, in time for the holiday weekend, there's this limited-edition M3. Wait, that's not what this holiday is for? This celebratory sports sedan gets the not-quite-grammatical name of "30 Years M3," which is totally grammatical when translated back into German ("30 Jahre M3"), and BMW plans to build just 500 of them for the whole world. We don't yet know how many will come to the US, but seeing as ours is one of BMW's larger markets, we are at least banking on "some." What makes it neat besides rarity? It comes with pretty much everything you can get on a standard M3, including the Competition package with its 444-horsepower engine tune, Adaptive M suspension, and Active M differential. To that it adds an M exhaust with black tips, the requisite dash plaque, shouty door sills, and unique "30 Years M3" badges on the fender gills. The interior has special seats with gray or blue inserts and stitched headrests, plus seat belts with M three-stripe trim. (And yes, the cars in the photos say "30 Jahre M3," but we already explained that, right?) And then there's the paint. It will be available in Macao Blue metallic, a color that was available for special order on the E30 M3. And if there's any car that deserves some celebration, it's the original M3. Happy 30th, neat car. Related Video: