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Toyota, Mazda form electric car technology venture

TOKYO — Toyota has established a new venture to develop electric vehicle technology with partner Mazda, seeking to catch up with rivals in an increasingly frenetic race to produce more battery-powered cars. Policymakers in key markets like China are pushing a shift to electric cars over the next two to three decades, while relatively new rival Tesla is gaining momentum and diesel cars are going through the fallout of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, pressuring traditional automakers to crank up plans for fully electric vehicles (EVs). At the same time, declining battery costs are enabling more power to be packed into cars, making an electric car future easier to imagine. Toyota said in a statement the new company will develop technology for a range of electric cars, including mini vehicles, passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks. Toyota will take a 90 percent stake in the joint venture, called EV Common Architecture Spirit Co Ltd, while Mazda and Denso Corp, Toyota's biggest supplier, will each take 5 percent. The plans build on a partnership announced in August when Japan's biggest automaker agreed to take a 5 percent stake in Mazda and two said they would jointly develop affordable electric vehicle technologies. Although Toyota is providing most of the financial firepower and existing EV know-how, Mazda's engineers have gained the admiration of the industry with breakthrough technologies such as its compression ignition engine announced last month. Shares in Mazda surged to end the day 3 percent higher, while those in Denso rose 1.8 percent. Toyota shares were flat. Both automakers are somewhat behind rivals, with neither having a fully electric passenger car on the market yet. After years of focusing on bringing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to the market, Toyota last year set up a division to develop electric cars which is led by President Akio Toyoda, and said it plans to introduce EVs in China in the coming years. Toyota has also announced it will bring a game-changing solid-state EV battery to market by 2022. That division would continue as a separate entity from the new joint venture, a Toyota spokeswoman said, while adding that the two teams would co-operate on technology development. Mazda has an R&D budget a fraction of Toyota's, which has made it difficult to develop electric cars on its own. Even so, it has said it plans to launch EVs in 2020.

Spongebob Squarepants Toyota Highlander gets Tanked in Vegas

In 2006, I bought a Scion xB (the super upright, first-generation one), and I always had this wild dream of turning the xBox into an aquarium after it had run its course in my personal test fleet. Long story short, that never happened. But apparently the folks at Toyota got wind of my idea - only, well, this isn't exactly what I had in mind.
Let's just start at the beginning here. This is a 2014 Toyota Highlander - you know, the redesigned one that bowed in New York earlier this year. I haven't driven it yet, but I'm sure it's plenty nice and will appeal to all sorts of families. Families with kids. Kids who like cartoons. Cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants.
Which brings me to our next talking point: the collaboration between Toyota and Nickelodeon for the Spongebob-themed wrap that covers every inch of this Highlander. This isn't the first time we've seen the yellow cartoon sponge on a Highlander - Toyota unveiled a differently wrapped version earlier this year - but this one features more of an aquatic, under-the-sea sort of theme. Perfect, considering the main point of this crossover's reason for being at SEMA.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW i8 Futurism Edition, Tesla picks Hankook for Model 3

BMW Italia has created a special edition BMW i8 to celebrate 50 years of the German automaker in Italy. The BMW i8 Futurism Edition, made in partnership with Garage Italia Customs, replicates artist Giacomo Balla's "Lampada ad Arco" on the car. The special edition i8 will take part in the 2016 Mille Miglia, following a BMW 328 driven by BMW Italia President and CEO Sergio Solero. The car "represents the pairing of a sports car of the future with Italian creativity and art," says Solero. See how it was made in the video above, and read more in the press release below. The Toyota Mobility Foundation has joined the New Cities Foundation (NCF) as a Global Strategic Member. The organizations will work together on research and initiatives to improve lives through better mobility. Toyota Group Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton will serve on the NCF's Board of Trustees. "Our expanded partnership with New Cities Foundation will allow us to advance our work by joining a global network of leaders who are focused on solving the most pressing challenges to cities around the world," says Newton. Read more from Toyota. Electric bus manufacturer Proterra has created a simulator to help fleet managers assess the benefits of using EVs. The Proterra EV Simulator allows for a comparison of its electric buses alongside diesel, CNG, and hybrid buses on specific routes within a transit system. It uses Google Maps plus data and algorithms from two million miles of real-world driving to compare costs, performance, and environmental benefits, taking into account variables like routes, local temperatures, and passenger loads. Proterra will display the simulator at the American Public Transportation Association Bus and Paratransit Conference on May 17. Read more from Proterra. Tesla has chosen Hankook as the tire supplier for its upcoming Model 3 EV. According to Korean network Arirang News, Tesla chose Hankook after sampling various offerings from companies around the globe. Hankook will build the tires specifically for the Model 3 with the goal of minimizing driving range losses. The value of the contract has not been disclosed. See more from Arirang News, and read more at Teslarati. BMW Italia and Garage Italia Customs present the BMW i8 Futurism Edition. The initiative is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of BMW history in Italy.