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ROEV lets you use multiple charging networks with one account

It may be a textbook case of a first-world problem, but any EV driver who doesn't want to carry two or three plug-in vehicle charging station cards when one would do is about to get a little smile on their face. This morning at the LA Auto Show, the new ROEV Association was announced that will let EV drivers carry just the one card. While you would think the all-caps ROEV stands for something, none of the pre-announcement materials nor the website explain it that way. Instead, it seems to just be a play on rove, which makes a lot of sense. There are three charging networks involved in ROEV: Blink, ChargePoint, and EVgo. Conveniently, these are the three largest in the US and have a combined 17,500 public chargers across the country. If you've got an account with one of these three networks, once ROEV goes into effect (expected in the spring of 2016), you'll be able to use that card at any participating charger without signing up for another account. Your personal details are kept private, ROEV says, and the companies coordinate behind the scenes to make it work. Pricing details were not disclosed. Besides the three main charging networks, two automakers are also founding members of ROEV: BMW and Nissan. ROEV says that Audi and Honda have also have already joined the Association and the organization wants to pull in all EV stakeholders to make electric vehicle charging easy. Fans of EV technology will note that ROEV has nothing to do with promoting either the CHAdeMO or the SAE Combo (CCS) fast charging standard. The Leaf is a CHAdeMO car while the i3 uses CCS, for example. The charging networks, of course, provide both kinds of plugs and don't promote one over the other. Tesla and its Supercharger network are not involved in ROEV, but Tesla drivers can, of course, participate in ROEV.

The 2017 Alpina B7 xDrive isn't as cool as the BMW M760i

Steve Ewing is good people, but when it comes to big BMWs, he talks nonsense. He argues, incorrectly, that the new Alpina B7 is somehow cooler than the new M760i. Here's why he's wrong. No surprise, but the bulk of the pro-M760i argument comes from under the hood. Yes, both cars produce 600 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, but it's where the power comes from that really matters. The M760i's power is just much more accessible, with peak torque coming in at just 1,500 rpm, while the Alpina makes owners wait until 3,000 rpm for max twist (a fact Ewing glosses over). The V12 also offers up all 600 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, 250 rpm earlier. Sure, the Alpina is 0.3 seconds faster to 60 miles per hour – it does the deed in 3.6 seconds to the M760's 3.9 seconds – but it relies on a tweaked transmission setup to do it. Not only that, but big automakers like BMW are usually quite conservative about performance figures, so it's still a bit early to hand a medal to the aftermarket. Here's the other thing about the engines – Nigel Tufnel would prefer the M760i. See, the Alpina has a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8, but the M760i has a 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12. To paraphrase Tufnel, "This one has a V12." We rest our case. Other changes between the two cars are largely in the eye of the beholder – we can talk about the transmission, suspension, and xDrive changes until we're blue in the face, but we simply don't have enough information about the two setups to make substantive arguments – some people might prefer the subtler styling of the M760i. We're not going to blame anyone for liking the more aggressive look of the Alpina, with its big, quad-tipped exhaust, meaty front splitter, or aggressive side sills. And those 21-inch Alpina wheels? Easily the coolest styling detail. You can get a closer look at them, and the Alpina's other changes, in our live gallery from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: Power, Dynamics and Luxury combined for class-leading performance and a superior driving experience – the all-new 2017 BMW ALPINA B7 xDrive. - Unique combination of high-performance drivetrain with 600 bHP and xDrive all-wheel drive system provide a 0-60 mph acceleration time of just 3.6 seconds. - Most advanced suspension and chassis technology with ALPINA calibration including for the first time Integral Active Steering for ultimate dynamics and comfort.

Electrify Expo is an all-electrified auto show like the old days

In late July, Autoblog swung by Washington, D.C. to check out the Electrify Expo. Now in its third year of nationwide shows, the Electrify Expo calls itself “North America's largest electric vehicle festival filled with over 1 million square feet of the world's top electric brands.” At every stop, visitors can find out about, crawl around in, drive and ride just about any personal conveyance that uses a battery for propulsion. Truth be told, when the show's PR team reached out to us with an invite, we only considered going after finding out about an area showcasing battery-electric tuner cars. EV tuning is undoubtedly going to be huge—eventually—which got us curious about these early days. We figured weÂ’d brave whatever the rest of the expo was to find out whatÂ’s the equivalent of nitrous for a Tesla. See, the EV event scene is still such that one never knows if theyÂ’ll show up to a mix of science and county fairs with a few cars on display just for truth in advertising, or if theyÂ’ll show up to a parking lot with 26 cars, 10 of them locked, 10 of them homemade, and 6 guarded by promotional hires desperate to tap all your identifying info a tablet before dispensing dubious and superficial information. Which is to say, we didnÂ’t expect much. And that makes us chuffed to report: Electrify Expo is great. We hadnÂ’t been strolling the lot outside the old RFK Stadium for five minutes before thinking, “This feels like an old-school auto show!” The exclamation to that point came from a group of four who cut me off to reach the C40 Recharge in the Volvo booth, one of them exclaiming as if he were the group expert and as if his friends were deaf, “THATÂ’S THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ONE! AND ITÂ’S BEEEE-YOUUUUU-TI-FULLLLLL!” I wasnÂ’t there to judge, I was there for the enthusiasm. Automakers had built small, simple, open booths, parked cars in them, then provided visitors the kind of interactions that will do the most good for anyone wondering about or interested in an EV. We only saw two cars that were off limits, the new Volkswagen ID.Buzz and the Ford F-100 Eluminator. Volvo wouldnÂ’t let me get an espresso from their chic little trailer, either, unless I visited the EX90 Experience trailer first. Otherwise, it was a free-for-all. Tesla had a large booth full of cars. BMW had two i7s open for everyone to sit in, next to the Ford booth with that Eluminator and an unlocked Mustang Mach-E GT and F-150 Lightning showing their cooler-chest-frunk trick.