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Hyundai Tucson Adventuremobile ready for camping at SEMA

A troop of customized 2016 Hyundai Tucsons will be making their way to the company's SEMA Show display in Las Vegas, NV, this year, and now there'll be one more in attendance, too. Joining hardcore offroad and high-horsepower takes on the crossover is the Adventuremobile from tuner John Pangilinan for those that love the outdoors but still need a vehicle to commute to work during the week. The Adventuremobile has everything for a camping excursion. There's no worry about where to rest in the wilderness thanks to a roof-mounted tent that sleeps two, and solar panels keep electronics topped up. An LED light bar should mean no problems finding the perfect spot, either. Even the cabin is a comfy place for a drive to the campsite with an upgraded stereo and Katzkin leather upholstery. The crossover looks rugged thanks to a coat of army green paint, but this tuned Tucson keeps the rest of the mods fairly realistic for the average adventurer. For a little added ability offroad, there's a 1.5-inch suspension lift and Toyo Open Country A/T II tires on some Rays wheels. The powertrain also gets some small tweaks with some new plumbing by AEM and a Magnaflow exhaust. The whole package seems like a great tool for spending a weekend in the woods. JOHN PANGILINAN CREATES TUCSON ADVENTUREMOBILE FOR SEMA FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 19, 2015 – John Pangilinan, the renowned Southern California tuner known for creating vehicles that blur the lines between lifestyle and automotive, has released details on his 2016 Tucson SEMA build. Dubbed the "Adventuremobile," the vehicle blends Hyundai's new crossover platform with a passion for the great outdoors, perfect for the weekend getaway. The car will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT, in Las Vegas. The "Adventuremobile" is just as home on the daily commute as it is lugging gear up into the mountains for the weekend out of town. Most obvious is the addition of a Treeline Tamarack roof-top tent, with ample room to sleep two campers, and Goal Zero solar panels to power all of their accessories. The exterior has been beefed up with the addition of an Aries bull bar and side steps, Rigid Industries LED lights, and the vehicle has been finished in a BASF army green paint scheme by Strasse Sport. A custom 1.5-in.

Renault invests in French electric car plant upgrade

PARIS — Renault will invest more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to increase electric vehicle production capacity in France and add new models, the carmaker said on Thursday. The Zoe production line in Flins, west of Paris, will double its maximum output with the battery-powered subcompact's next upgrade, the company said in a statement, and its northern Douai factory will tool up to build electric cars on a new architecture shared with Japanese affiliate Nissan. "The acceleration of our investments in France for electric vehicles will increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of our French industrial sites," said Renault Chairman and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, who also chairs Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors and heads the carmakers' three-way alliance. The Cleon plant will triple its electric motor production capacity, while Maubeuge in eastern France receives tooling investment for the next Kangoo van including its electric version, Renault said. Reporting by Laurence Frost. Related Video: Image Credit: REUTERS/Jacky Naegele Green Plants/Manufacturing Nissan Renault Electric

Recharge Wrap-up: utility sells discounted Powerwall, Nissan-Renault builds 340K EVs

Vermont electric utility Green Mountain Power is selling discounted Tesla Powerwalls to its customers in hopes of balancing the grid. The battery packs would be used not just to help customers store renewable energy for home solar systems or as backup power, but also to occasionally discharge power back to the grid when needed. In addition to this decentralized energy storage being useful to customers, it also benefits the utility by taking demand off energy generating infrastructure during periods of peak demand. The pilot project will put 500 Tesla Powerwalls in customers' homes. Learn more at Green Car Reports, or in the story from Vermont Public Radio. Together, Nissan and Renault have built 340,000 electric cars. The allied Japanese and French automakers hit 100,000 EVs in July 2013, 200,000 in November 2014, and a quarter million in June of 2015. The Nissan Leaf, which first went on sale at the end of 2010, makes up the bulk of the EVs the Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold. Renault delivered its 50,000th Zoe EV in April 2016. Leaf sales have declined in the US in recent months, due at least in part to the anticipation of the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan, however, is expected to update the Leaf with a 200-mile driving range in the coming years. Read more at Green Car Reports. Students at the Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT) in Karnataka, India have built what they call the Hybrid Water Car. The car uses a system to electrolyze hydrogen from water and add it to the fuel for more efficient combustion. The system has been placed into a chopped up, lightweighted Maruti Omni. While the benefits of onboard hydrogen electrolyzers have been debated for some time, the BIT students don't plan to stop there, as their next project car will be fueled completely by hydrogen. Read more from Car and Bike. Facebook has hired Rich Heley away from Tesla. The former Tesla VP of Product Technology is making the move to the social media giant's new Building 8 research lab. Heley joined Tesla in November 2013 after working at Apple. Read more at Automotive News.