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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.

Renault appoints Dacia Logan creator to head its Nano-rival program in India

After watching the Tata Nano post sales numbers smaller than its engine displacement, Renault gave up on its much publicized intention to build a truly inexpensive car to rival it. Then, a month ago, reports emerged that Renault was resuming work on a couple of low-priced cars for emerging markets, but this time it would work with its in-house partner, Nissan. That plan envisions an offering for €3,000 ($3,888 US) and another for €5,000 ($6,400 US), both of which would be more spendy than the Nano but might avoid the charge of being cheap - and nasty - and instead be considered affordable.
A report in Reuters talks to the man in charge, Gerard Detourbet, who has been in Chennai, India since at least August working on the program. Detourbet led the Dacia Logan project and is considered "Renault's low-cost car specialist" and "the father of entry-car programs." This one is reportedly codenamed A-Entry and will create a "'sub-entry' architecture" that will provide roominess beyond the vehicle's price and class, and use an engine with a displacement of 800 cubic centimeters.
It isn't aimed at the Nano, though - it means to take on the products that make up 45-50 percent of India's car market, like the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon. According to Reuters, out of the 2.6-million-strong Indian car market the Maruti Suzuki line-up alone nabs one million registrations annually. The Alto 800 begins at 244,000 rupees ($4,440 US), the Eon at 300,000 rupees ($5,559 US), the Chevrolet Spark at about 316,000 ($5,750 US); if Renault can nail its price targets it will just about bracket those three and be right in the game.

Nissan EV design is diverging in three directions

As the movie awards season kicks into high gear, Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura appears to be implying that his company's electric-vehicle design prospects are about to go from Philomena into The Wolf of Wall Street territory. Nakamura, speaking with Motor Authority at the Detroit Auto Show last week, allowed that the design of the five-seat Nissan Leaf is fairly conservative and will remain so given that the model continues to be the most practically-minded EV from the company. In the near future, though, Nissan is planning to head in different directions. Specifically, an all-electric sports car and a two-seat commuter vehicle that could come with in-wheel electric motors that will allow the designs to get more radical. How radical? Well, we've heard Nissan may bring the BladeGlider concept (pictured) it unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show late last year to production. It has a narrow front and wider rear and a 1+2 seating arrangement. Beyond that, Nissan has the two-seat Esflow concept vehicle it showed off in 2011 that could provide some hints, since it's expected that some of the design components from that car will be worked into the upcoming production models.