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Recharge Wrap-up: Eigg's renewable energy grid, Wulin City Car EV looks like i3

Scotland's Isle of Eigg's electrical grid relies solely on wind, hydro and solar power. It's the first grid of its kind after switching to renewable energy from noisy, unreliable diesel generators. Scotland's renewable resources are fodder for supporters of independence form the UK, and Eigg is a perfect example of that potential. Besides being a responsible community, it also seems like a lovely place to visit. Read more at Reuters. London Mayor Boris Johnson is calling for incentives for diesel vehicle scrapping. The goal is to improve London's air quality, encourage the purchase of clean vehicles and offset the inconvenience of charging diesel cars to enter the city's proposed Ultra Low Emissions Zone. Read more at Green Car Congress or in the press release below. BMW, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen are teaming up to create a better EV charging infrastructure in the UK and Ireland. As part of the Trans-European Transport Network (T-ENT) program, the group aims to create extended EV-friendly roadways with the UK Rapid Charge Network, connecting major cities on the islands. Plans for the network include 70 rapid chargers along 684 miles of road. The four manufacturers also want to extend the project to mainland Europe to encourage the adoption of EVs. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Wuling is working on an EV, called City Car, which liberally takes visual cues from the BMW i3. The City Car EV concept is slated to make its debut in November at the Guangzhou Auto Show, while a production version could make its way onto Chinese roads next year. We might have to wait until the debut to know what powers the City Car, as those details haven't been released yet. General Motors is a 43-percent stakeholder in Wuling. Read and see more at Car News China. Taxi customers in New York will enjoy greater payment flexibility with the new interoperability between RideLinQ and Way2ride apps. Now customers will be able to use either app to pay in any of the city's 20,000 green and yellow taxis. There's no need for separate apps for separate cabs, and no need for drivers to install any new equipment. The groups behind the apps hope to expand this functionality to other cities across the country. Read more in the press release below.

Witness this insane 736-hp VW Golf immolate its front tires

There's torque steer and then there's what we'll from now on dub "The Boba," as in Boba Kettler. The German tuner has a way with the Volkswagen Golf, and the MkI example you see above has been touched with 736 horsepower - that's right, 96 more ponies than a new SRT Viper, all trying to get to ground through those two front wheels.
The 2.0-liter, 16-valve engine has an 8,800 rpm redline and is aided by a Garrett GTX3582R turbocharger shoving 50 psi through the internals. Other upgrades include a new ECU (natch) and a six-speed 'box among other treats. The rubber is Toyo R888s - street-legal competition tires. The result is enough smoke for three Chinese New Years when the lights go green. Indeed, the standing start isn't its forte, but it can apparently get from 62 miles per hour to 124 mph in five seconds.
Watch it go in the video below. And know that this isn't even Boba's best work; he's got a 900-hp MkII Golf that'll do 0-62 mph in 2.3 seconds.

Giorgetto Giugiaro launching new design firm

Giorgetto Giugiaro may have sold his remaining shares in the Italdesign firm he started, but he's not about to retire from the business altogether. According to an interview with Automotive News Europe, he's starting a new design consultancy. And he's taking his son, Fabrizio, with him. After working for established design houses Bertone and Ghia, the celebrated designer founded Italdesign Giugiaro in 1968. In 2010 he and his son Fabrizio sold 90.1 percent of the firm to the Volkswagen Group, with Fabrizio initially carrying on as its chief designer before Wolfgang Egger replaced him. Just months ago, the Giugiaros sold their remaining stake and resigned their seats on the board of Italdesign. The move came hot on the heels of the departure of ousted board chairman Ferdinand Piech, a longtime friend of Giorgetto's and the driving force behind VW's acquisition of Italdesign. Just because they're no longer affiliated with Italdesign Giugiaro doesn't mean, however, that the Giugiaros won't be designing cars anymore. They're reportedly working on establishing a new design house, and are discussing potential contracts with unnamed Chinese and South Korean automakers. The father-son pair could set up shop in a refurbished existing location (as the pragmatic Fabrizio favors) or build a new studio from the ground up (as the visionary father prefers). We'll have to hold on to see what direction the new firm takes, but most of all, we'll be looking forward to seeing what designs it produces. News Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req.Image Credit: Volkswagen Design/Style Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Volkswagen italdesign giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro