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Recharge Wrap-up: Mercedes stationary batteries, 2015 E-Mazing Race

Mercedes-Benz is following Tesla's Powerwall in selling stationary batteries for home, business, and industrial solar energy storage. The lithium-ion batteries will come in 2.5- and 5.9-kWh capacities, and can be linked together. Daimler's vehicle battery technology, "has proven to work for millions of driven kilometers in the toughest environments of heat and cold, which makes it the best candidate also for stationary use," says Harald Kroeger of Mercedes-Benz. Pricing is unavailable as of yet, but Mercedes promises "competitive" pricing when the batteries go on sale at the Intersolar trade fair (June 10 through 12) in Munich, Germany. Read more at Automotive News, or in the press release below. The third running of the E-Mazing Race competition for electric vehicles is underway in Canada. The race challenges drivers to earn the most points by charging at Sun Country Highway charging stations in a month. Contestants needn't have been at the official starting point nor cross the finish line; they just needed to sign up and download the race app to participate. More remote charging stations offer more points when charging, and participants can also win prizes for photos and using social media. The 2015 E-Mazing Race, which began May 27 and ends June 24, is meant to raise awareness of electric vehicles. Sun Country is working on expanding its EV charging infrastructure in the US, so don't be surprised to see the race encompassing most of North America in the future. Read more at Green Car Reports. Linde has opened a new hydrogen fueling station in Innsbruck, Austria. The station, located in the popular destination city that has twice hosted the Winter Olympics, will allow hydrogen-powered vehicles to cross the Alps and travel between Italy and Germany. The station is capable of 700-bar refueling and can fuel six cars per hour. It was built as part of the HyFive project to create hydrogen fueling infrastructure across Europe to facilitate the rollout of fuel cell vehicles. It is the second public hydrogen station in Austria. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below from Linde.

Mercedes goes boating again with G63 AMG-inspired Cigarette

Cigarette Racing has another Mercedes-Benz AMG-themed boat headed out to sea. After The SLS AMG-inspired 46-foot Rough Rider in 2010 and the C63 AMG Black Series-inspired 50-foot Marauder in 2012, this year's Miami Boat Show will introduce the 42-foot Huntress, theme provided by the G63 AMG.
The latest Cigarette homage is less overly racy than the ones before, befitting a watercraft modeled off a performance SUV, but don't let the looks fool: there are five Mercury Racing Verado 350SCi outboard engines, each one of them packing a supercharged inline six-cylinder with, natch, 350 horsepower. Those 1,750 horses will be good for 78 miles per hour when you've got some saltwater underneath you.
If you're in South Florida this week, Booth B-23 at the Miami Convention Center could be your best place to see it. Otherwise, like the 536-hp G63 AMG, it could be hard to catch. There's a press release with more information below.

Does Alex Rodriguez' Mercedes dealership have a PR problem?

Alex Rodriguez, in case you haven't heard, is seemingly the new Most Hated Man In Baseball, ostensibly replacing commissioner Bud Selig (for now). Rodriguez was slammed with a 211-game suspension due to his role in the MLB's latest steroid scandal in which "A-Roid," as fans have taken to calling the former superstar, was cited with steroid use and attempts to hide his involvement by "engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate" the investigation, according to the MLB's official report.
Why is this on a car site, then? Because Rodriguez' name is attached Alex Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz in League City, TX. An Ad Age report cites Mercedes-Benz USA in saying that A-Rod owns "about half'" of the dealership. Mercedes, for what it's worth, isn't going to any to any lengths to distance itself from its dealership or its controversial namesake, saying, "We never promoted the fact that A-Rod owned a dealership, so there's really nothing to 'distance' ourselves from. And since his activity is not illegal but rather prohibited by MLB, there's nothing actionable here."
With the scandal still a fresh piece of news and A-Rod's pending appeal, it's difficult to tell what sort of effect, if any, his name will have on the dealership's sales. Ad Age contacted the GM of Alex Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz to get the dealership's view, but no calls were returned. According to Mercedes, any name change is up to Rodriguez and his partner(s) at the dealership. Somehow, though, we think A-Rod has other things to worry about beyond his dealership's name.