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Tesla, BMW and Nissan meeting in secret to discuss charging tech

It's interesting what's happening in the electric vehicle field. It used to be that BMW and Tesla were competitors. Then – and of course they're still competing, especially in the public mind – they were working together on ... something. Maybe. And now, the Financial Times reports that the two luxury automakers are meeting with Nissan. Again, maybe. The scuttlebutt is that the three companies are interested in working together on something to do with charging electric vehicles, potentially a global recharging standard. Currently, when it comes to fast charging, BMW uses the SAE Combo standard, Nissan uses CHAdeMO and Tesla uses its own Superchargers. The meeting was prompted by Tesla opening of all of its patents the other day, FT says. Speaking during the recent annual shareholder meeting, Musk said he was "more than happy to have other manufacturers" use Tesla's Superchargers but that, "there is no other electric car that can accept anything close to 135 kilowatts." Let's assume the technical hurdle can be overcome. With any potential patent/licensing problems out of the way, these discussions with BMW and Nissan might be revolving around this other angle that Musk mentioned: "They (other automakers) just have to contribute to the capital cost, so figure out what percentage of the time are their cars using the Supercharger network and then they can make a contribution proportionate to their customer usage of the Supercharger network." That certainly sounds like something that could take some time to figure out. News Source: Financial TimesImage Credit: Elbilforeningen / Flickr Green BMW Nissan Tesla Electric supercharger chademo sae combo

BMW offering glitch fix for i3 with range extender

The BMW i3 has received quite a bit of acclaim since its release, with the electric powertrain grabbing a spot on Ward's 10 Best Engines list and the high-tech machine earning the nod as 2015 Green Car of the Year. However, Consumer Reports uncovered a vexing problem with the range-extended version of the hatchback that has plagued it until a recent software update. While CR was driving the range-extended i3 last year, it discovered that when the internal combustion engine was running during low states of charge, hard acceleration could suddenly cut back with no warning to the driver. This was especially problematic when passing. BMW knew about the issue and promised a software update in the spring. That improvement is now available. BMW spokesperson David Buchko tells Autoblog that the software update adds a percent-of-charge indicator to all models of the i3 to let drivers know just how much juice is left. For the range-extended model, it also provides a warning of possible power reduction when the charge reaches two percent. According to Consumer Reports, the revision lets the car anticipate needing more reserve power based on the topography from the navigation system, as well. For any i3 drivers who want the upgrade, they need to visit a dealer for installation, according to Buchko, but it should be come at no cost to owners. Related Video:

BMW dismisses Tesla tie-up talk

Despite recent rumors to the contrary, don't expect to see much collaboration between Tesla and BMW in the near future. Based on some rather prickly statements from the German automaker, Elon Musk might have even burnt some bridges in Bavaria with his latest proclamations. The spat stems from Musk's recent interview with German magazine Der Spiegel where he discusses future collaboration with BMW on "battery technology or charging stations" and the possibility of a battery factory in Germany. But apparently, any future tie-ups are news to the Bavarian automaker. In an interview with the German business publication Wirtschafts Woche, an unnamed spokesperson for the company claims Musk said it all for PR value and swats down most of the statements. BMW has no intention of acquiring Tesla shares, and they aren't working together on any tech. There's not much chance for future cooperation on a battery factory in Germany, either. BMW believes that the cells can just as easily be purchased from suppliers, like other auto parts. The one slight concession is that the spokesperson said that the German automaker would be willing to supply Tesla with carbon fiber. That's not an exclusive offer, though, and the company is open to negotiate such a deal with any interested automaker.