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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.

BMW planning to stretch i3 into i5 family hauler?

If you're sweet on the new BMW i3 but wish it had more space to carry people and stuff, we've got good news for you. According to Autocar, BMW is planning on stretching the platform that underpins the i3 to create a new model, expected to be called i5.
The stretch job would add an extra four inches of legroom in the back and another six inches of rear overhang to the benefit of cargo space. The result would create a vehicle longer than the current Mini Countryman - although the next Countryman is likely to be even larger. As Autocar points out, the process of extending the i3's composte passenger cell likely wouldn't be as difficult or cost-intensive as lengthening a conventional metal chassis, although the rear doors would need to be re-engineered.
Whether the resulting vehicle would more closely resemble a hatchback, wagon, minivan or something in between remains to be seen, however BMW is said to have already registered the nameplates i1 through i8, signalling that the possibility is at least there to add more members to its new EV family.

BMW could expand 'i' lineup

Well, this isn't exactly a surprise. BMW CEO Harald Krueger (shown above) has hinted that the i3 electric car and the i8 plug-in supercar could soon be blessed with a bouncing brother, perhaps in the form of the oft-rumored i5. Specifically, Krueger told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (as reported by Automotive News) that there was certainly room in the middle of the i sub-brand's current two-model lineup "from the number point of view." The exec declined to offer any additional information. Unlike the i3 and i8, which are their own unique products independent of the rest of the BMW range, the i5 will allegedly be based on 5 Series sedan. It would also eschew the all-electric approach of the i3 in favor of a new and different version of the plug-in hybrid powertrain used in the i8. Rather than that car's turbocharged, three-cylinder gas engine, 129-horsepower electric motor, and 357 total system hp, the rumored i5 – according to our most recent report – would be significantly more powerful. There are rumblings that the new model would have anywhere from 544 hp to 640 hp, with at least two electric motors (one on each axle, making it effectively all-wheel drive). On top of the high performance, the i5 will have no issue running on EV power. According to one report, there'd be up to 78 miles of electric range, and would run purely on electricity up to 36 miles per hour. Even then, the gas engine would only join the party when under hard throttle. What do you think? Will BMW come out with a four-door PHV that could potentially outrun the current M5? Have your say in Comments. Related Video: