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Recharge Wrap-up: BMW, Nissan team up on chargers, CNN loves Tesla Model X

CNN Money calls the Tesla Model X "the new king of crossover SUVs." In its round-up of its favorite luxury SUVs of 2015, CNN places the electric ute on the top of its list. The Model X's EV powertrain, excellent acceleration and handling and cool design and technology features (including much attention paid to its slick Falcon Wing doors) earn it high praise. See the video above, and read more at CNN Money or from Clean Technica. Tesla has plans to open offices in Korea and South Africa. Tesla has registered in Korea as Tesla Korea Limited under co-CEOs Todd Maron (Tesla general council) and Susan Repo (Tesla Financial Services). It will have an office near Seoul. Tesla is also reportedly opening an office in South Africa in January, with GreenCape CEO Evan Rice acting as Business Development Manager. Rice will work to build a market for Tesla's PowerPack stationary energy storage systems. Read more from Korea Times, from htxt and from Teslarati. BMW and Nissan are partnering to build 120 new fast charging stations in the US. The public, 50-kW DC chargers, operating on the Greenlots charging network, will be deployed in 19 states in order to support Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 drivers, and to help promote EV adoption in the US. The chargers will support both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo charging. "Together with Nissan, we are focused on facilitating longer distance travel so that even more drivers will choose to experience the convenience of e-mobility for themselves," says BMW's Manager of Connected eMobility, Cliff Fietzek. Kia also recently partnered with Greenlots to provide charging for Soul EV drivers. Read more in the press release below. BMW AND NISSAN PARTNER TO DEPLOY DUAL FAST CHARGERS ACROSS THE U.S. TO BENEFIT ELECTRIC VEHICLE DRIVERS • A total of 120 dual-port 50kW DC Fast-charging stations have been installed across 19 states to support longer distance electric vehicle travel for Nissan LEAF and BMW i3 drivers. • These publicly available Greenlots-networked charging stations include both CHAdeMO and CCS (Combo) connectors, suitable for all DC Fast charging-capable electric vehicles in the U.S. WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ and NASHVILLE, TN - December 21, 2015... BMW and Nissan are joining forces to offer public DC Fast charging at 120 locations across 19 states in an effort to support Nissan LEAF and BMW i3 customers and to promote increased adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) nationwide.

Toyota-BMW sports car to gain all-wheel drive, supercapacitors?

Sales of salt are skyrocketing following the latest rumor of the planned joint-venture sports car from Toyota and BMW. The whisperings indicate that project will spawn both a replacement for the BMW Z4 and a long-awaited Toyota Supra successor based on the FT-1 Concept shown above. Word is that the new cars will feature front-engine, all-wheel-drive layouts with plug-in hybrid technology. This news would appear to run somewhat counter to earlier reports that BMW and Toyota are teaming for a six-figure hybrid supercar.
According to Autocar, the project will benefit from the experience Toyota gained with the TS030, its hybridized Le Mans prototype. The evidence for this is, of all things, a Toyota Yaris - in particular, the Yaris Hybrid R that was shown at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show last September. That car used a 300-horsepower, 1.6-liter gas engine, while a pair of 60-horsepower electric motors provided all-wheel-drive push (an additional motor also sent additional juice to the front axle). The 414-system-horsepower drivetrain used supercapacitors in place of the traditional lithium-ion batteries of traditional hybrids.
For the production sports cars, Autocar claims that the Yaris Hybrid R's setup will serve as the basis for the new powertrain, although it won't be a direct carryover. Instead, a 2.0-liter BMW engine will be paired with Toyota-designed, BMW-built motors.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive plug-in hybrid headed to Frankfurt

With six confirmed public debuts scheduled for the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW is definitely going to have its hands full. While we've already driven models like the 4 Series and the i3, one of the more interesting introductions is a "concept" plug-in hybrid version of the new F15 BMW X5 called the BMW Concept X5 eDrive.
As the second concept to wear the eDrive name, this X5 combines a 95-horsepower electric motor with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine to balance performance and efficiency. On the green side of things, BMW says that the eDrive system allows the X5 to reach speeds of 75 miles per hour and a range of 19 miles (although we're guessing not at the same time) under electric power only, to go with fuel consumption of about 62 miles per gallon US (3.8 liters per 100 kilometers). For performance, this plug-in can still accelerate from 0-60 in under seven seconds, and drivers can select from three PHEV modes: one that operates the system automatically, an all-electric mode and a Save Battery mode to preserve the battery's current state of charge.
Aside from the obvious plug port on the left front fender, the X5 eDrive is differentiated from the 2014 X5 with slightly restyled front and rear fascias, subtle blue accents tying in with the BMW i line and lightweight, aero-tuned 21-inch alloy wheels. There is no definitive word on whether the Concept X5 eDrive will make it to production, but judging by BMW's recent commitment to plug-in vehicles, we wouldn't be surprised to see an X5 PHEV on the roads within the next couple of years. We'll see the Concept X5 in just a few weeks in Frankfurt, but until then, scroll down for the official press release.