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Tesla's Musk could build flying or submersible car

You sometimes get the impression that Tesla CEO Elon Musk says wild things just to gauge people's reactions. You have to be crazy to think that the Hyperloop is ever going to happen. Train travel is barely accepted in much of the country. Recently, he boasted in an interview with Britain's The Independent newspaper that he could build a flying car and a submersible one. If he's to be believed this time, one of them might actually happen.
"We could definitely make a flying car - but that's not the hard part. The hard part is, how do you make a flying car that's super safe and quiet? Because if it's a howler, you're going to make people very unhappy," said Musk to the newspaper. Obviously, the flying car has been an automotive dream for decades, but it has always been so disappointing. Even the long-delayed Terrafugia Transition needs a runway to takeoff and can't just pop in an out of traffic like we all want.
While the flying car likely remains a pipe dream, Musk seems much more serious about the prospects of a vehicle that can go underwater. He told The Independent: "We will be making a submarine car. It can transition from being a submarine to a car that drives up on the beach. Maybe we'll make two or three, but it wouldn't be more than that." The man does have some experience in this area. He bought the submersible Lotus Esprit last year from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and planned to install a Tesla Model S powertrain in it. Now, let's see if either of these big ideas ever comes to fruition.

BMW shows 670-hp plug-in 5 Series GT concept

BMW quietly revealed a 5 Series GT concept earlier this week at an event in France, and it sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of a whopping 670 horsepower. Think the upcoming Model X crossover from Tesla sounds good? BMW has something that might be just as enticing for eco enthusiasts who like their cars to be green and mean. BMW quietly revealed a 5 Series GT concept earlier this week at an event in France, and it sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of a whopping 670 horsepower. That's right, a hybrid BMW hatch-crossover with more estimated power than the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. BMW's setup is called "Power eDrive," and it uses a 20-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that provides juice for two electric motors; they work with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This 5 Series GT would be able to travel for 62 miles under electric power. The prototype shows the high-performance potential of the system, but the 5 Series GT is "purely a concept," BMW spokesman Julian Arguelles told Autoblog. The GT made its global debut alongside plug-in versions of the 3 Series and X5. They used more basic eDrive systems with one electric motor teamed with a turbo four cylinder. BMW revealed the prototypes to illustrate its plans to increase production of plug-in hybrids. Its goal is to add plug-in variants to all of its "core-brand models," though specifics and timing are unclear. BMW Group Media information 1. BMW Group Innovation Days 2014: New drive technologies. (Introduction) The recently launched BMW i3 and BMW i8 are the first zero-emission vehicles in the premium segment, being designed respectively as dedicated all-electric and plug-in hybrid models. Their BMW eDrive technology promotes hallmark brand driving pleasure, while at the same time delivering major reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – all the way to zero tailpipe emissions when operating in all-electric mode. This is BMW Efficient Dynamics taken to its logical conclusion. For more than 15 years, the Efficient Dynamics strategy has inspired and shaped the development of new models across all the BMW Group brands, resulting in the development of highly efficient vehicles that combine dynamic performance with intelligent energy management. Today, thanks to Efficient Dynamics, the BMW and MINI brands offer premium models that set benchmarks in their respective segments in terms of their exceptional balance of performance and fuel economy.

Recharge Wrap-up: QR code hints at Tesla Supercharger in Mexico, Lyft tests scheduling

A QR code in a parking garage hints at an upcoming Tesla Supercharger in Mexico. The mysterious QR code directs to a tweet from Elon Musk where he affirms that Tesla will expand its charging network into Mexico "this year." The folks at Teslarati reached out to the automaker, and a spokesperson responded by saying, "Yes, we can confirm that we are planning on having our first Supercharger in Mexico in Cuernavaca City." That's about 50 miles south of Mexico City, where the country's lone Tesla store is located. Read more at Teslarati. Lyft is testing out a ride scheduling system for its ride-hailing service in San Francisco. When requesting a ride, users can select a pickup time up to 24 hours out, ensuring they'll be able to get where they need to go. Users can cancel or change the time up to 30 minutes before their scheduled ride. Lyft says it plans to expand the scheduling service to more users this summer. Read more from Lyft, or at Green Car Congress. Renault is partnering with other automakers and charging operators as part of the EU's Fast-E charging project. Fast-E seeks to install fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, financed by the EU and nine companies, including Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan. The 278 charging stations will be installed every 50 miles along the major roadways by the end of the year, at a cost of about $20 million. A sister project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia plans to add another 30 charging stations in those countries. Read more in the press release below. Renault is a partner of the European fast-charging project Fast-E in Germany • Official launch of Fast-E project co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, including Renault, in Berlin and Brussels. • 241 charging stations installed in Germany and 37 in Belgium by the end of 2016. • A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia adds another 30 charging stations. The 278 charging points set up every 80 km along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, will allow drivers of electric vehicles to "refuel" and extend their car's range. The total investment of the EU-funded cooperation is approximately ˆ18 million. Every one of the multi-standard fast-chargers spread out over four countries have AC and DC connections, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles' batteries easily and quickly. Electric vehicles can be charge up to 80% on the charging stations within an hour.