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Chevy Volt outsells Nissan Leaf for first time since October 2013

It's been a rough summer so far for both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, the first two plug-in vehicles from major automakers that ushered in the modern plug-in era. In June 2015, sales were down from their 2014 levels. The Leaf was down 11.6 percent and the Volt was down 31.1 percent. For July 2015, things didn't get much better. July 2015's Volt sales of 1,313 were down 35 percent from July 2014 and are down 34.8 percent for the year-to-date. Nissan, on the other hand moved only 1,174 Leafs last month, down 61.1 percent. So far this year, Leaf sales are down 30.2 percent. What's interesting with this steep decline in Leaf sales is that allowed the Volt to outsell the Leaf for the first time since October 2013. Back then, the Volt sold 2,022 compared to the Leaf's 2,002 units. So far, Nissan has sold 83,312 Leafs in the US since the EV went on sale in late 2010. Chevy has sold 80,292 Volts. Even though Tesla doesn't release monthly sales figures, there's a good chance that the pricey Model S was once again the best-selling EV in the US in July, as it was in the first three months of 2015. At that time, Tesla delivered an average of just under 2,000 Model S EVs a month. We might get some insight into more recent numbers during the quarterly investor call on Wednesday. As we've said before, the low sales for the aging plug-ins can be explained by the fact that both the Leaf and the Volt are due for upgrades. The second-gen Volt is coming in a few months. Nissan is being cagey about when the updated Leaf will arrive, but given these latest sales figures, we wouldn't be surprised if the undisclosed timetable gets move up somehow. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo looks awesome in red

As we reported the other day, Nissan has a whole raft of concepts it's bringing to the Tokyo Motor Show this year, but the Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo is perhaps the most striking. Or at the most least colorful. Now if you're thinking that we've already seen Nissan's concept for the popular racing sim, you're absolutely right. It debuted last summer ahead of the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. But sinister as it looked in gray, this time it's been done up in bright red – Fire Knight red – according to the automaker. And as you can see for yourself in the gallery above, it looks awesome. Of course the Teatro for Dayz is still the main novelty here. Envisioned as a theater on wheels (hence the name), the Teatro packs the company's electric powertrain technology that we've already come to know from the Leaf. The interior is all smooth and white, serving as a sort of blank canvas of sorts – ostensibly allowing for a broad range of personalization. The minicar could point the way towards a successor to the equally quirky Cube that has, in its present iteration, been on the market since 2008. Or it could just be a showpiece for its home-market show, which only comes around every other year. Either way, you can check it out in the second image gallery. While you're doing that, we'll be staring at that red supercar concept for a while longer, and wondering how closely it might presage the next-generation GT-R. Nissan to show Teatro for Dayz, Gripz, Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo and more in Tokyo YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today released an overview of its exhibit at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight and open to the public from October 30 through November 8. Among the exhibits will be Teatro for Dayz, an innovative concept that signals a new direction in mobile technology. Designed especially for the digital native generation, this vision of near-future vehicles departs from convention and marks a shift in perception.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nikola One to debut in December, UK charging to outnumber gas stations by 2020

Nikola Motor Company plans to unveil its Nikola One electric truck prototype on December 2, 2016. The company, based in Salt Lake City, says it has "engineered the holy grail of the trucking industry," according to founder and CEO Trevor Milton. "We are not aware of any zero emission truck in the world that can haul 80,000 pounds more than 1,000 miles and do it without stopping. The Nikola One requires only 15 minutes of downtime before heading out for the next 1,000 miles." Nikola also has plans to build emissions-free power plants. Read more in the press release from Nikola, or at the company website. Nissan says EV charging stations will outnumber gas stations in the UK by 2020. The UK had just 8,472 gas stations at the end of 2015, down from 37,539 in 1970. Extrapolating that to 2020, the UK is expected to be home to fewer than 7,870 fuel stations. By then, and possibly much sooner, charging stations are expected to surpass 7,900, up from 4,100 in 2016. Growing interest in EVs, infrastructure expansion, and better batteries mean that "the tipping point for mass EV uptake is upon us," according to Nissan EV Manager Edward Jones. Read more from Nissan, or at Green Car Congress. BMW is expanding its ChargeNow service to 25 markets. In a partnership with EVgo, BMW i3 and i8 customers will have the option of an annual or pay-as-you-go ChargeNow membership with service in cities around the country, with "introductory pricing" available until July 31, 2017. For those i3 owners in California already enrolled in the DC fast charging program, their free access is expiring. See more details about the program and its locations in the BMW i forum, and read more at Green Car Reports. Featured Gallery Nikola One Electric Semi Truck Related Gallery BMW i3 Gesture Parking News Source: Nikola, Nikola, Nissan, Green Car Congress, Green Car Reports, The Circuit Green BMW Automakers Nissan Green Automakers Truck Commercial Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles recharge wrapup