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Recharge Wrap-up: Derailing Malaysia's B10 plans, Tesla and Solyndra

Tesla Motors will lease the Solyndra building near its Fremont, California factory. The manufacturing facility is more than 500,000 square feet, but the cost of the lease and the production capacity remain undisclosed. The lease of the building, "located conveniently down the road from the Tesla Factory, gives us the space to expand our manufacturing and build more engineering labs as we build up production," says a Tesla spokesperson. The added manufacturing space will help Tesla meet its production goals for the upcoming Model X electric SUV. Trip Chowdhry, senior analyst at Global Research Equities, says that shifting some engineering duties from the Deer Creek facility to the new one could help solve current parking shortages, as well. Read more at Business Finance News. BMW has expressed concerns over Malaysia's planned B10 biodiesel mandate. Malaysia recently announced that it would use crude palm oil to make the B10 blend that would be required to be sold beginning in October, up from the current B7 mandate. "In our tests with B10 biodiesel worldwide, we have found technical challenges," says BMW Group Malaysia Managing Director and CEO Alan Harris, such as the fatty acid methyl ester in palm oil thinning motor oil. Mercedes-Benz also urges reconsideration of B10. The Malaysia Automotive Institute says it will include representatives from the auto industry in talks with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Read more from The Star. Pacific Ethanol's acquisition of a competitor, Aventine Energy Holdings, has been approved by shareholders. Pacific is buying Aventine for $192 million in stock. In 2009, ethanol suffered a price drop that forced Pacific Ethanol to decrease production and declare bankruptcy for four of its plants. Now its base extends from the West Coast to the Midwest, as Aventine Energy Holdings has four plants in Illinois and Nebraska. The merger more than doubles Pacific Ethanol's production capacity, making it the fifth-largest ethanol producer in the US. Read more from The Sacramento Bee. Related Gallery Tesla Model X View 15 Photos News Source: Business Finance News, The Star Online, The Sacramento BeeImage Credit: Tesla Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Tesla Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Ethanol Electric recharge wrapup

BMW recalls 6,073 units of i3 and Minis to replace airbag

BMW is replacing the passenger's side front airbag module on 6,073 vehicles in the US because of a supplier's manufacturing issue with the part. The affected models include the: 2014-2015 i3; 2014-2016 Mini Hardtop 2 Door Cooper and Cooper S; 2015-2016 Hardtop 2 Door John Cooper Works; and 2015-2016 Hardtop 4 Door Cooper and Cooper S. Because the airbag components aren't made correctly, they might not deploy with enough restraint in a low-speed collision. BMW isn't aware of any accidents or injuries from the problem, but this is still obviously a safety concern. According to company spokesperson David Buchko to Autoblog, customers will be notified about the issue by mail in November. As always, dealers will perform the replacements at no cost to owners. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Passenger Frontal Air Bag May not Deploy Properly Report Receipt Date: OCT 07, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V628000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 6,073 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) BMW I3 2014-2015 MINI COOPER 2014-2016 MINI COOPER S 2014-2016 MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS 2015-2016 Details Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger. REMEDY: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on November 20, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. BMW Statement: BMW has informed NHTSA of its intention to voluntarily recall approximately 923 BMW i3 vehicles to replace the passenger-side front airbag module.

BMW looking to fix i3 acceleration problem uncovered by Consumer Reports

The BMW i3 has been hailed in some quarters as the future of electric mobility, what with its innovative carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body and commitment to sustainable materials wherever possible. The modernist little hatch is even available with a 650cc two-cylinder gas engine with 34 horsepower to act as a range-extender for those who want it. However, that optional engine might have a drawback - at least for the moment.
Consumer Reports brought the problem to light when one of its drivers was behind the wheel of an i3 using the range-extender. When the driver attempted to pass another vehicle on a rolling, two-lane road, the BMW suddenly had no power to accelerate - a scary situation. CR started examining the car and found something pretty shocking: After driving at a constant speed for a while without any regenerative braking in range-extended mode, acceleration to 60 miles per hour plummeted from about 9 seconds normally to a staggering 27 to 40 seconds in their testing.
A BMW spokesperson told CR that it knows about the problem and has a fix coming next spring that also works on current models. The upgrade includes a state of charge indicator, a warning about loss of power and uses the car's navigation to boost the battery before driving on rolling terrain. It is not clear if the severe power deficiency will also eventually result in a recall.