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New European charging network will offer speeds up to 350 kW

It's about to get easier to fast-charge your electric vehicle across Europe thanks to four major automakers working together in a new joint venture. BMW, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), Ford, and the VW Group (Audi and Porsche) have all signed a Memorandum of Understanding to install about 400 DC fast charging sites in Europe. As you may know, there are different types of fast chargers, but the ones that this group is talking about installing will be able to charge an EV in much less time than other stations. That's because these chargers will offer power levels of "up to 350 kW." Compare that to what's generally considered the current gold standard, the Tesla Superchargers, which have rates of up to 145 kW and a statement not that long ago from a Ford exec that suggested that 150 kW chargers would be the new normal. Of course, the Tesla chargers use the company's proprietary connector and the new network the JV is setting up will use the CCS standard. The first new stations will go up in 2017 and those 400 sites are just the beginning. A joint statement by the JV says that EV drivers will "have access to thousands of high-powered charging points" by 2020 along highways and main roads. "The charging experience is expected to evolve to be as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations," the companies said. While not every electric vehicle will be able to take advantage of the 350 kW charging rate, the companies involved would be silly to build the infrastructure without vehicles that can handle that kind of energy flow. The JV says it would welcome participation from other automakers and will cooperate with interested regional partners. Related Video: News Source: Daimler Green Audi BMW Ford Mercedes-Benz Porsche Volkswagen Electric fast charging

Win an electric car and celebrate Earth Day

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. Enter to win this giveaway or any other Omaze experience now through April 23, 2021 and receive 500 extra entries into any campaign plus a chance to win $10K with code GOGREEN500. Simply add the discount at checkout. Whether you like it or not, there will come a day when most, if not all of us, will be driving electric cars. For some of us that day can't come soon enough, and in honor of Earth Day we've put together a list of our favorite car giveaways so you can save some green while being green.  Win a 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S and $20,000 - Enter Here If there’s one thing Porsche is good at, itÂ’s making fast, beautiful cars, and the Taycan Turbo S is no exception. Making 750 horsepower, 774 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 161 miles per hour, punching the accelerator will surely throw you back in your seat. In fact, its 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds matches that of the quickest Porsche 911 ever made, the Turbo S. The difference between this Taycan Turbo S and that 911 Turbo S, of course, is that the only reason youÂ’ll ever need to stop off at a gas station is to fill up on snacks. That and the fact the Taycan doesn't actually have a turbo anywhere in the car. We wouldnÂ’t be reaching for a bag of FlaminÂ’ Hot Cheetos, though, because this incredibly comfortable leather interior is immaculate, and weÂ’d hope to keep it that way. Enter here for a chance to win this prize worth $220,000. Win a Himalaya Land Rover Defender 110 EV and $20,000 - Enter Here The Land Rover Defender is an icon: an intense, luxurious off-roader that turns heads and can crawl up nearly anything. The problem? For the past 20+ years it hasn't been available in the United States and it's never been what youÂ’d call environmentally friendly. But this Defender is different. ItÂ’s vintage, restored by Himalaya and itÂ’s all-electric. At 275 horsepower, you wonÂ’t be thrown back in your seat, but the 406 lb-ft of torque helps make this an incredibly capable rock crawler.

Porsche to introduce new Boxster Spyder, Macan GTS this year

Dig the new Porsche Cayman GT4 but really wish it came in open-top form? Love the Boxster GTS but wish it had more punch? Well we've got good news for you, friend, as that seems to be precisely what Porsche has in store. Among the new models the Volkswagen Group has lined up for this year will be a new Porsche Boxster Spyder. Although no details were announced along with the name, there are a few elements we can look forward to. The new Boxster Spyder is tipped to be essentially an open-top version of the Cayman GT4, but just how many of the latter's components will make the jump from coupe to convertible remain to be seen. The GT4 packs the 3.8-liter flat six from the 911 Carrera S with 385 horsepower, channeled to the rear wheels through an old-school six-speed manual transmission. It also has carbon-ceramic brakes, revised aero, and a stiffened suspension. The Spyder version of the previous Boxster arrived in 2009 with a modest 14-horsepower boost, a retuned suspension and a good 176 pounds trimmed off its curb weight thanks to the elimination of the motorized soft top, air-con and other components. That's not all Porsche has in store for 2015, though. The German automaker has also confirmed a Macan GTS is in the works that promises to explore the little crossover's performance potential. Projecting just what Porsche will do to Macan to give it the GTS treatment, though, is a little tricky. Sure, the German automaker already offers GTS of the rest of its lineup, but just where that model slots in to each line varies. On the Boxster and Cayman, it slots in between the S and GT4/Spyder. For the 911, it serves as a mid-point between the Carrera S and the GT3. And with the Panamera and Cayenne, the GTS bridges the gap between the S and Turbo models. Considering both the Macan S and Macan Turbo pack twin-turbo V6s, the Macan GTS could serve as a mid-point between the S and Turbo with around 350-360 hp, or (more likely) top the range with upwards of 420 hp. One way or another, though, we can expect upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and trim to complete the package. Most of the rest of the announcements made in VW's annual report we either already knew about or are of little interest, but the document also confirms new Lamborghinis on the way, including two new versions of the Aventador (likely to be the new SV coupe we just saw and an SV roadster) and three more of the Huracan as well, including two Spyder versions of the latter.