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Recharge Wrap-up: Range-extended EV taxis in London, 2016 Chevy Volt interior two years old

The first Metrocab range-extended EV taxis are operating on the streets of London. The cabs use a 12.2-kWh battery and two 50-kW motors, as well as a 1.0-liter gasoline range extender. Fuel economy is 98 MPGe on the ECE101 cycle, and total driving range is over 348 miles before needing to charge or refuel. Cabbies can expect to save GBP20 to GBP40 (about $30 to $60) per day on average. "The cash savings on fuel are significant, the ride and comfort outstanding, and my first customers are thrilled with the new cab," says the first operator of the new EV taxi, Preston Morris. "With its air suspension providing unrivaled comfort, panoramic glass roof for views of the city and silent powertrain, what's not to like?" Read more in the press release below. Chevrolet has had the interior design of the 2016 Volt finished for two years already, according to GM interior designer John McDougall. Beginning around 2010, GM received sketches from designers worldwide before narrowing it down to a handful of designs. Then the top three choices were molded from clay. The chosen theme was then refined for up to 18 months. "Every little thing you can imagine goes into that," says McDougall. "The glare angle from the windows, the placement of the controls, the placement of the seat. You have to create something that's beautiful and functional." Read more at GM Authority and at Inside EVs. More details have emerged about the Second Life Batteries Alliance. Vattenfall has announced a research project in partnership with BMW and Bosch to use retired EV batteries for stationary, grid-connected energy storage in Hamburg, Germany. Over 100 lithium-ion batteries from BMW i3 and ActiveE vehicles will make up a two-mWh storage unit for grid balancing, enough to power 30 four-person households for a week. The system is "compact enough to fit in a small building," says Bosch. Such storage systems are especially fit for storing and moving alternative forms of energy, which often fluctuate in supply more than electricity from a traditional power plant. Vattenhall will operate the storage unit for 10 years, with Bosch managing the batteries, during which time the three partners hope to learn more about battery applications and their performance over time. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below.

2016 Chevy Camaro teased as current-gen car prepares to hit 500k sales

Just as Chevrolet prepares to launch the sixth-generation Camaro, the current, fifth-generation car is about to hit a major milestone: 500,000 units sold in the United States. That's impressive, and to celebrate, Chevy has released this video, showing the Camaro Z/28 doing what it does best around a race track. But that's not all there is to see in this video. At the end, Chevy gives us a glimpse at the sixth-generation Camaro, expected to debut in the not-too-distant future. Have a look, and check out Chevy's press blast, below, for more details about the 500k sales mark. Related Video: Fifth-gen Camaro Approaches 500,000 U.S. Sales Production milestone caps five years as America's best-selling performance car DETROIT – Talk about a big family: Chevrolet expects to deliver the 500,000th fifth-generation Camaro in the United States this month. The fifth-generation Camaro has been a runaway success for Chevrolet since it went on sale in August 2009. Camaro sales passed Mustang in 2010, to become America's best-selling performance car – a title Camaro has retained for five consecutive years. In the process, the Camaro has helped bring new buyers to Chevrolet – with 63 percent of retail buyers new to GM. "The fifth-generation Camaro has clearly resonated with both long-time Camaro fans, and first time performance-car buyers," said Todd Christensen, Camaro marketing manager. "That sets the bar high for the next chapter of the car's history." Remarkably, the Camaro continues to gain momentum, even as the fifth-generation Camaro nears the end of production this year. In 2014, Camaro total sales increased 7.1 percent for its second-best year of sales since its introduction.

Chevy 'committed to marketing Bolt the right way'

The 2015 edition of the annual AltCar Expo in Santa Monica, CA in September was a relatively quiet affair. Attendance felt light compared to previous years. But that didn't mean there wasn't something happening that might have just as big an impact on the plug-in scene as anything that's ever happened in previous years at the Santa Monica Convention Center. I say this because of what GM's Shad Balch told me about Chevy's plans to market the upcoming Bolt electric car. This is GM's next-gen electric vehicle, which will have a roughly 200-mile range and may cost about $30,000 after tax incentives (maybe). To say he's excited to start selling this car is an understatement. Set aside the obvious challenge Chevy will have with cars named both the Volt and the Bolt, especially when some languages exchange the pronunciation of the letters B and V. Set aside the fact that, for now, Balch is dealing with his own company actively advertising against the product he's trying to get people excited about. Balch, GM's manager of new product and public policy communications, is tremendously positive about the Bolt's chances in the marketplace when it arrives in 2017 or 2018. "Driving an EV is, in every proof point, better than a gas-powered car, except for charging." - Shad Balch AltCar and the concurrent National Drive Electric Week represented the Bolt's West Coast debut, and Balch told me that the car's arrival in California shows how "Detroit recognized that they need to send it out to their number one market." The car's appearance outside of the Motor City was "The most encouraging part for us out here, being in the market ... to be able to explain that we are committed to marketing this car the right way. ... We're trying to make that known as much as possible, because that is the number one criticism that we hear. That's why events like these are so important, because we can't wrap up into a 30-second spot what these cars are capable of. I can't even explain it to you in 10 minutes what it's like. But the thing is, driving an EV is, in every proof point, better than a gas-powered car, except for charging." Now, there's a fairly decent chance that GM will hit the 250,000-vehicle limit for the $7,500 federal tax incentive right about when the Bolt comes to market, so I had to ask how the Bolt gets marketed if the price tag jumps up a few thousand dollars. Balch was straightforward. "Well, we would sell fewer cars," he said. "It's pure and simple. ...