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Recharge Wrap-up: Jason Hughes builds 1,000-hp EV, BMW considers Thai battery factory

Tesla hacker Jason Hughes is building his own 1,000-horsepower electric vehicle. To propel the insane DIY EV, Hughes is using two Tesla performance drive units powered by two Chevrolet Volt battery packs and six Tesla battery modules. Controlling them with a custom control board, Hughes expects to be able to wring out 500 hp from each motor – one at the front and one in the rear. He also predicts a driving range of 120 to 150 miles between charges. It also appears that Hughes, also known as wk057, has set up a website dedicated to the project. Read more at Electrek, and watch Hughes' first test video above. BMW might build a battery factory in Thailand. According to Thai Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang, the German automaker is considering building the plant for about $57 million, with construction beginning in the middle of 2017. Thailand is discussing possible tax incentives for BMW, says Atchaka, with the hopes of making the country friendlier to plug-in hybrids. "Hybrid vehicles are still expensive now but once there is a factory established and batteries are available this will make it affordable for consumers." Read more from Automotive News Europe. Samsung is investing $449 million in BYD. Shanghai Samsung Semiconductor bought 52.3 million shares of BYD, which will use the funds to expand its battery production and for research and development of alternatively powered vehicles. Samsung is leveraging its recent investments in the auto industry to make up for slowdowns in other electronics hardware. Samsung says its investment in BYD will help grow its semiconductor business. The purchase by Samsung and other investors dilutes BYD Founder, Chairman, and CEO Wang Chuanfu's stake by almost two percent, down to 18.8 percent. Read more from Automotive News. Related Gallery BYD Electric Buses News Source: Electrek, YouTube: Jason Hughes, Automotive News Europe, Automotive News Earnings/Financials Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Automakers Tesla Green Automakers Electric recharge wrapup

Alex Zanardi back in the driver's seat with BMW

If there's ever been an inspirational story in the pantheon of motor racing history, surely it's that of Alessandro Zanardi. The Italian driver worked his way up the motor racing ladder, making it into Formula One and winning two CART championships for Chip Ganassi Racing back before the series re-merged into IndyCars. Tragedy struck in 2001 when he lost both his legs in a crash at the Lausitzring in Germany, but rather than accept his fate, Alex pushed on. Fitted with prosthetic limbs, he learned to drive a racing car with hand controls and got back in the driver's seat.
Zanardi drove for BMW in the European Touring Car Championship and then in the World Touring Car Championship that replaced it, landing on the podium several times despite his physical disadvantage. He left racing in 2009 to train for the Paralympics, winning two gold medals in London, but Alex apparently couldn't shake the racing bug. BMW modified one of its M3 DTM racers with hand controls for him to test later that year. And now he's returning to motor racing full time.
BMW has just announced that Zanardi will be driving a Z4 GT3 in the Blancpain Sprint Series, the successor to the FIA GT Series and short-distance counterpart to the Blancpain Endurance Series. The car has been modified with the hand controls the Bavarian automaker's racing department fitted to the aforementioned M3 DTM and will be fielded by the ROAL Motorsport team with which Alex challenged for the European Touring Car Championship last decade.

2015 BMW X3 gets a new nose, diesel power

The second-generation BMW X3 launched in late 2010, and while it's never really wowed us, it's still a solid offering in a highly competitive class. In an effort to keep things fresh, BMW has given its X3 a nip/tuck for the 2015 model year, but perhaps the biggest news (for the US market, anyway) involves what's found underhood.
In addition to the 2.0-liter turbo-four and 3.0-liter turbo-six, BMW will now offer an X3 xDrive28d, fitted with - you guessed it - the 2.0-liter turbodiesel inline four-cylinder engine found in the 328d sedan. Output for this engine is rated at 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, and BMW says this oil-burning mill will help the X3 reach 60 miles per hour in just under eight seconds. The automaker hasn't released any information about real or predicted fuel economy figures for the diesel X3, as yet.
What's more, BMW will once again offer a two-wheel-drive X3 in the States - the sDrive28i. Pricing for the refreshed 2013 X3 starts at $39,325, not including $925 for destination. Opting for that diesel will set you back $42,825. Scroll down for the official press release, and check out a new brace of shots live from the soft-roader's Geneva Motor Show debut.