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Recharge Wrap-up: Detroit Electric teaser video, Nissan Leaf is Good Housekeeping "Tried and Tested"

Detroit Electric has a new teaser video and has updated its brand in preparation of the introduction of the SP:01. The refreshed logo uses a blue and white color palette, and the company has also given its website a new look. The teaser video, which gives a sneak peek at the exterior of the SP:01, shows the car taking form in the midst of an electrical storm. Watch the video or learn more in the press release below. Abengoa is celebrating the grand opening of a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, KS. When running at full scale, the refinery will produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol a year. The plant will also generate enough electricity to power itself and put some back into the grid. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was on hand for the dedication, saying, "Every gallon of cellulosic ethanol produced and used to fuel our vehicles reduces the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions by greater than 60 percent as compared to conventional gasoline." Learn more at Energy.gov. Good Housekeeping has named the Nissan Leaf one of its "Tried and Tested" vehicles. The magazine called the Leaf SL its top "Roomy Electric" vehicle in its November issue. The magazine's research institute evaluated the EV based on track and road driving, ergonomics and convenience features. Good Housekeeping made note of the car's "impressive" range, but according to Nissan's Fred Diaz, "the real beauty of the Nissan Leaf is that it's roomy and, best of all, fun to drive." Read more in the press release below. Quasar Energy Group produces compressed natural gas from sewage and garbage. It uses things like grains leftover from brewing Budweiser, food waste from a baseball stadium and sewage sludge to produce the gas through anaerobic digestion. The compressed gas can then be used to power cars like Chevrolet's Bi-fuel Impala, which goes on sale later this year. Chevrolet likens the situation to the Delorean time machine in the Back To The Future movie series, which uses garbage to fuel its fusion generator. Watch the video and read the press release below to learn more. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid: 48 mpg for $28,645

With the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, General Motors wants to show it's as serious about mainstream hybrids as it is about mainstream midsize sedans. Keeping with the theme, Chevy announced the Malibu Hybrid will have a serious price tag of $28,645. Chevy said Thursday the 2016 Malibu Hybrid will go on sale in the spring, with that price also including an $875 destination charge. That's about $3,000 more than where the Ford Fusion Hybrid kicks off, and about $2,000 more than a Toyota Camry Hybrid LE. The big news being pushed with the Malibu Hybrid, however, is the fuel economy. GM says it's capable of 48 miles per gallon city and 45 highway, for a combined rating of 47 mpg. That's better than any other 2016 midsize hybrid sedan. Power comes from a 1.8-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor with a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, producing 182 combined horsepower. That's competitive with both the Camry and Fusion. Chevy also likes to say it's roughly the same system as the one installed in the 2016 Volt – although with a smaller battery, larger gas engine, and without the plug – so the Malibu Hybrid has that halo effect going for it. With both this Malibu and 2016 Toyota Prius, there's a lot of activity around gas-electric hybrids amid lowering fuel prices and a raft of plug-ins and full-electrics. The gas-only 2016 Malibu was found to be, "at least good again," so the 2016 Malibu Hybrid should be able to attract those who want a competent midsize sedan with excellent fuel economy that awaits EPA verification. We'll go with that thought until we get to drive it. Related Video: NEXT-GEN CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID LT STARTS AT $28,645 Projected to offer 48 MPG city using technologies borrowed from Volt DETROIT – The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid LT, which achieves a General Motors'-estimated 48 mpg city, will be available this spring with a starting price of $28,645. "The Malibu leverages knowledge and technology directly from the second-generation Chevrolet Volt," said Steve Majoros, marketing director of Chevrolet Cars and Crossovers. "By leveraging technology, we are broadening our level of expertise and lessons learned to bring consumers a world-class hybrid." With an all-new, hybrid powertrain that uses a slightly modified drive unit and electric motors used in the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, the Malibu Hybrid offers a GM-estimated 48 mpg city, 45 mpg highway – and 47 mpg combined, unsurpassed in the midsize car segment. Official EPA estimates are pending.

Chevy admits there's confusion over Bolt and Volt names

Offering the possibility of 200 miles of driving range and the potential for a price of about $30,000, the Chevrolet Bolt is an incredibly enticing vehicle, and it has an opportunity to be a big player in the EV world. However, the hatchback has been plagued by one problem since the moment it debuted – the name. Bolt sounds very similar to Volt, Chevy's extended-range plug-in, and they can be easy to confuse in a conversation. That's not the best quality to have when trying to get a new vehicle's name out there among customers, and General Motors North America president Alan Batey told the Detroit Free Press that the company is aware of the problem. While the EV is definitely going into production, the model might be wearing a different moniker when it hits showrooms. "We're still in the decision phase. It could go either way," Batey said to the Free Press. He indicated the automaker still has about a year before a final decision is necessary. The Bolt will be built at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Michigan and will likely go on sale around 2017. That will put the Chevy on the market at roughly the same time as the 200-mile Tesla Model 3. Batey didn't seem too concerned, though. "Unlike Tesla, we can spread the cost over a whole lineup," he said to the Free Press. The future doesn't look quite so bright for the Spark EV, though. Batey suggested that it might not last once the longer-range Bolt fills that niche in the lineup. Related Video: