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Recharge Wrap-up: Portland's Electric Avenue, hacking a Tesla

Portland, Oregon has opened a city block set aside for electric vehicles. Dubbed "Electric Avenue," the EV-only zone replaces one that was taken over by new construction. The new Electric Avenue is an improvement, though, with four universal, 50-kW fast chargers and two Level 2 chargers. Currently, charging is free when customers pay for the metered parking. Portland's original Electric Avenue became a gathering place for EV drivers and an opportunity for companies to test charging technology. Read more at Ecomento. Hackers Kevin Mahaffey and Marc Rogers discussed hacking a Tesla Model S at the Def Con hacking conference. They outlined the car's vulnerabilities, particularly regarding the central information display, instrument cluster and the gateway. The hackers were able to exert control over certain subsystems, but they also pointed out some of the ways in which the car is protected from outside manipulation. Among other things, they were able to turn the car on and off, lock and unlock the doors, control the brakes under five mph, and shift the car into neutral above five mph. Tesla, who was also on hand for the presentation, has patched many of the vulnerabilities. Read more at Tom's Hardware. The BMW i3 is now available through DriveNow in Copenhagen, Denmark. After the carsharing program's success with the electric car in Germany, the UK and US, BMW (which owns DriveNow along with car rental company Sixt) has created a fleet of 400 i3 EVs in the Danish capital. With the help of bus operator Arriva, the BMW fleet is interconnected with public transportation. "Here in Copenhagen we are now already witnessing mobility of the future," says BMW's Dr. Bernhard Blattel. "It is on-demand technology, interconnected, quiet and electric." Read more in the press release below. Four hundred BMW i3 for interconnected mobility in Copenhagen. BMW i supports the improvement of life-quality in cities; Electric car sharing as the key component; DriveNow with the BMW i3 shortly also in Copenhagen, directly interconnected with public transport. Copenhagen. Following the successful introduction of the BMW i3 to the DriveNow fleets in Germany, the UK and the USA, the next major step is being taken with the commissioning of 400 BMW i3 in Copenhagen on September 3rd 2015. What is new here is an all-electric fleet which is also interconnected with public transport.

BMW M3, M4 let loose on the 'Ring

We just posted our first drive of the 2014 BMW 435i yesterday, but for those wanting even more power from this stylish coupe, help is on the way. From the sounds of it, BMW will be showing off a production-ready concept previewing the M4 next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but until then, we have some new spy shots of the performance coupe being tested at the Nürburgring, along with its four-door counterpart, the M3.
Despite all the camouflage, it doesn't take much imagination to picture what both cars will look like, since we can clearly see the more aggressive front fascia and beefier brake setup. One interesting element we see on both cars is a double bubble roof that is almost certainly made from carbon fiber. Based on our report earlier, both the M4 Coupe and M3 Sedan are expected to debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.

BMW exec says public chargers not important for EV success

What has BMW learned from years of electric vehicle test programs and working with Mini E drivers and the ActiveE Electronauts? According to BMW board member Herbert Diess, it's that public charging is not an important piece of the puzzle of making EVs a success. The way those early EV drivers used their vehicles told BMW that, "public infrastructure is not really very important because most people are charging their cars at home," Diess recently told Wards Auto. It's a message we've heard before. Diess' personal experience fits with this conclusion, he said. After driving his company's new i3 city EV for over a year, "not once have I touched public charging." Of course, the i3 does let the driver search for public charging stations and BMW has a partnership with ChargePoint, and Diess is not hinting that BMW is totally against the idea of public charging. Still, Diess' comments are not likely to find a warm welcome with everyone in the EV scene. An August 2012 UCLA study titled "Financial Viability Of Non-Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Stations" (PDF) clearly states: Adoption by consumers will largely be a function of the electric vehicle charging options available. Studies show that most EV charging currently takes place in the home (Carr 2010). Even so, in order for EVs to gain widespread consumer adoption, it is critical for an infrastructure of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSEs) to exist outside the home. Even BMW's own electric drivers have been sending mixed messages. In 2010, a study of Mini E drivers found that 87.5 percent said a public charging infrastructure is necessary, though 75 percent later said they could manage without such a network.