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Recharge Wrap-up: Uber,'s free BMW 7 Series rides, Belfast's DeLorean EV

BMW used Uber to give people free rides in the new 7 Series. While the new generation of BMW's luxury flagship goes on sale in the US on October 24, lucky Uber customers in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles got a sneak preview and free ride on October 17 and 18. The partnership also allowed potential customers to test drive the car with a BMW product specialist. "With our new 7 Series being the most innovative vehicle in its class, it's only fitting that we partnered with Uber to offer a unique and exciting way to experience our flagship model prior to retail launch," says BMW's Jason Chan. Read more from BMW. BMW is using manure to power its South Africa production facility. As part of a broader goal to get all its energy from renewable sources, BMW will get as much as 4.4 megawatts of electricity from a biogas plant that produces power from gas emitted by manure and other organic waste. At full capacity, it will supply about 25 to 30 percent of the BMW plant's power. "We are a big consumer, so that's a lot," says BMW spokesman Diederik Reitsma. "It's waste no longer wasted." Read more at Bloomberg. Visa Europe has extended it partnership with Formula E. Visa Europe signed on as the Official Payment Partner of the electric racing series for the European leg of last season, and has now expanded its commitment for the next three seasons. The company lends its name to the championship's Visa Fastest Lap Trophy. "Formula E is driving the change towards an electric future and reinventing motorsport, while here at Visa, we're reinventing payments by pioneering technologies to make payments faster, simpler and more secure," says Visa Europe's sales and marketing chief, Mark Antipof. "We seek partners that match our commitment to innovation and leadership, so it was therefore natural for us to extend our support of this evolutionary sport through a global sponsorship for the next three years." Read more from Formula E. Queen's University Belfast is set to unveil its electric DeLorean DMC-12 on October 21, 2015. The date is notable for being the day to which Marty McFly traveled in Back To The Future using Doc Brown's DeLorean time machine. In what is likely the first DeLorean to be built in Northern Ireland since 1983, students and staff from the university's School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have restored the car and converted it to run on electricity.

BMW i3 takes to the track, circles it in a way you don't expect

So, who wants to see a BMW i3 race around a track. That's what we thought. It's not a long video, but it is entertaining, and the way the urban EV does a 'loop' at second 25 certainly caught out eye. The i3 is scheduled to go on sale in the US later this year and will start at $41,350. The diminutive electric vehicle has a top speed of 93 miles per hour and can hit 62 mph in 7.2 seconds. We found it a hoot to drive, but we're not sure if hardcore BMW performance fans will totally 'get' this car's performance. The i3 is great at what it does, but it wasn't born to hit the race track. After seeing this video, though, we want a crack at it, skinny wheels and all. You can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse here, where Chris Neff writes, "The i3 basically turns in on itself. This is one sharp turning radius, take a look at 24 seconds into the video. We were actually trying to get the i3 to do doughnuts, but the computer would not let the rear brake loose, still, you can see how it held and how sharp we were turning....about 27 times in a row." Watch all 49 seconds below. And wonder with us if whatever aerial device was used to get the shot that ends at four seconds in was destroyed just after the video cuts away.

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: