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Recharge Wrap-up: Aoxin Ibis could be Tesla competitor in China, Nissan Qashqai ZEOD due this year

Zero Motorcycles is expanding its North American dealer network. With more retailers selling the electric motorcycles, Zero has added three new regional sales directors. "We are enjoying a great response to our 2015 line of motorcycles and accessories, and it's driving accelerated growth," says Zero's Mike Cunningham. "To support and sustain this momentum, we are investing in a bigger, stronger team and partnering with leading motorcycle retailers." More sellers are getting on board as electric motorcycles appear more and more viable, and they're finding it's bringing in a new set of enthusiastic customers. Zero recently revamped its production process to meet the expected increase in demand for 2015. Read more in the press release, below. Chinese automaker Aoxin New Energy, has built an electric car that is set to compete with the Tesla Model S. The aluminum and carbon fiber Aaoxin Ibis (pictured) is longer than the Model S, but weighs less than the Tesla at 4,034 pounds. It offers 181 horsepower and has a top speed of only 94 miles per hour, but it boasts a driving range of about 285 miles per charge. Its upscale interior borrows its looks from the Tesla, with its digital gauges and large, central touchscreen. Read more at Car News China, or at Green Car Reports. Nissan will likely debut a Qashqai ZEOD concept later this year. The plug-in hybrid version of the compact crossover borrows its ZEOD moniker - which stands for Zero Emissions On Demand - from Nissan's hybrid Le Mans racer. It's possible it will borrow its powertrain technology from the Renault Eolab Concept, which could mean a 1.0-liter engine paired with an electric motor. Based on the success of the Qashqai in Europe, it's not unlikely that the plug-in version will debut there (Green Car Reports is betting on Frankfurt). Read more at Green Car Reports. Zero Motorcycles Expands North American Network Strong Demand Fuels Double-Digit Dealer Growth and Additions to Sales Team SANTA CRUZ, Calif., March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry, announced today that three new regional sales directors have been added to the company's roster in the first quarter of 2015. The expansion of the sales team comes in response to rapid growth within the dealer network and reflects Zero's commitment to delivering world-class products and service.

Nissan Qashai gets the Juke R treatment

It would appear that we're a little behind the times on this one, but a UK-based tuner of the Nissan GT-R is creating its own take on the lustworthy Juke-R starting with the Nissan Qashqai crossover. Severnvalley Motorsport claims to be the leading authority for tuning of the current GT-R in Europe. The outfit is now turning its attention to stuffing the drivetrain of a GT-R under the body of a Qashqai+2 - a seven-passenger compact crossover similar in size to our Nissan Rogue - resulting in the Qashqai-R.
The project started back in March when Severnvalley took delivery of a new Qashqai. After stripping the crossover down to its bare essentials and building a custom jig to support the body shell, it was then transferred onto an awaiting GT-R chassis. The crew aimed to keep Qashqai's appearance as stock as possible, but fender extensions and hood vents were required to accommodate the sports car underpinnings.
The white Qashqai-R seen above will be tuned to produce 900 horsepower, while a black version will get bumped up to 1,000 hp. And, looking at the build photos, we surmise that this project will take nothing less than a herculean feat of supercar determination before it's through.

Recharge Wrap-up: No Tesla Gigafactory deal with California, BMW i3 recalled

Before the Nevada announcement was hinted at, a deal to incentivize a Tesla Gigafactory in California fell through. Tesla was looking for around $500 million in incentives, which the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development was willing to offer in tax breaks along with making the permit and environmental processes easier. According to Senator Ted Gaines, there still remained "a gap between what Tesla wanted and what California was willing to offer," the contents of which were undisclosed. California could still be chosen for another of Tesla's battery plants, should those ever materialize. Read more at The Desert Sun. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will consider allowing a bit of compliance flexibility to its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations for some automakers. CARB will hold a hearing to discuss giving intermediate volume manufacturers (IVMs) - carmakers that do between 4,501 and 60,000 new vehicle sales in the state - some leniency catching up to the larger manufacturers when it comes to clean vehicle production. The ZEV regulation changes take into account the amount of revenue IVMs have available for developing the cars, particularly plug-in hybrids. Read more at Green Car Congress or see the notice from CARB here. Certain units of the BMW i3 are subject to an airbag recall. For cars built March 31, 2014, the passenger airbag inflator may have been assembled incorrectly, which could keep it from deploying when needed. Owners will be notified by BMW, and the problem will be fixed for free. The recall also affects certain 2014 Mini Cooper models. Learn more at the NHTSA website. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is providing 200 electric vehicles to telecommunications company Orange in France. The cars, which will include the Nissan Leaf, Nissan e-NV200, Renault ZOE and Renault Kangoo ZE, will be used mostly for carsharing. Through the program, Orange employees can book a car for work or personal travel using a smartphone. The Alliance will also help Orange install charging stations for the new cars. The addition of the EVs to the fleet will help Orange achieve its goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2020. Read more in the press release, below. Jianghuai Automobile Company (JAC) is delivering its first 100 EVs to the US. The shipment is part of a larger order of 2,000 cars to be sold by GreenTech Automotive in the US market. Read more at ECNS.