Cars

Ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show starting this week, Porsche introduced a new all-electric concept: the Mission E. The four-seat sport car is a first for the luxury car brand. The company is aiming for high performance with 440 kW output, 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and over 310 miles of range (500 km).

See gallery of pictures below.
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Los Angeles kicked off the National Drive Electric Week with a big surprise for everyone: a Chevy Bolt prototype and a Nissan LEAF 2016 in display. Green Car Reports managed to get a few pictures of the event.
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In a letter sent to the California Attorney General and US Attorneys, Consumer Watchdog, a consumer and taxpayer protection organization, is asking for an investigation in the oil industry’s mail scheme campaign against the fuel reduction provision in California’s Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act.

Last week we reported on California state Democrats dropping the fuel reduction part of the bill, which would have call for a 50% reduction in fuel consumption in the state by 2030 through increase fuel efficiency and more electric vehicles, for which Senate Democratic Leader Kevin De Leon directly blamed the lobbying effort. But Consumer Watchdog is going further by saying that the oil industry’s campaign used “mail fraud”.
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Earlier this year we wrote about the impressive growth of Tesla’s Superchargers, a network of DC fast charging stations for the company’s electric vehicles, now Tesla says its network has seen a 5 times increase in used for road trips over last summer.

Electric vehicles have long been thought to be impractical for long distance driving due to their generally short-range capacity, but Tesla installs its stations at strategic intervals along popular routes and combined with the Model S’ 200+ miles range, Tesla owners can have interesting road-trip experiences. 
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When Google originally showcased the newer low-speed “cute-mobile” self-driving car, it mentioned a goal of having about 100 of them on the road for testing within a couple years. Now, as the company is bringing its low-speed electric prototypes to Austin a year later, Sarah Hunter, head of policy for Google [X], has revealed that the company is expanding production of the cars (via The Guardian). Hunter says that Google is now producing at least a “few hundred” and hints at a potential future of mass-production…
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced a commitment to lease 288 electric vehicles, including 160 fully-electric vehicles (BEVs), which would give Los Angeles the largest city-owned fleet of pure electric vehicles. The city will also lease 128 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

100 of the BEVs will be used by the LAPD and the rest of the vehicles will go to the city’s Fire, General Services, and Water and Power departments.
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During a visit in Berlin at the end of the month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is scheduled to meet Sigmar Gabriel, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, for a public conversation titled “Economy for Tomorrow”.  The CEO’s visit in Germany coincides with the popular Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA), which runs from the 17th to 27th of September.

Tesla is not expected to bring anything new to the Frankfurt Motor Show considering the company’s predilection for unveiling products at their own events instead of at industry shows…
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The Chinese auto giant Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co, through its Beijing Electric Vehicle Co subsidiary, opened a research and development center in Silicon Valley. The center will be dedicated to electric vehicle research.

In its current “launch phase”, the R&D center has just over 20 employees and the company expects them to develop “4 to 6 models per year”.
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During a press conference late Wednesday night, Governor Jerry Brown announced that California Democratic lawmakers abandoned the drastic fuel economy provision from the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, which is currently being discussed in the State Assembly.

The provision in question was a requirement for a reduction of 50 percent of fuel used in cars and trucks in the state by 2030, which would have forced automakers to improve fuel efficiency and offer more electric vehicles in the state of California.
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Nissan confirmed through a press release this morning the details of the 2016 version of its flagship electric vehicle: the LEAF. Information leaked through a dealership earlier this year already disclosed that the LEAF 2016 will have a 30 kWh battery pack option, but today Nissan confirmed the information and expects the pack to allow for an EPA-rated range of 107 miles.
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Jaguar Land Rover is showcasing 3 new vehicle platforms for the Concept_e research at the CENEX Low Carbon Vehicle event which runs this week in the UK. The Concept_e platforms are coming out of a $25 million advanced powertrain research program partly backed by the UK government.

The concept platforms are intended for future generations vehicles and the company currently doesn’t have any plan to implement them in its lineup.
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Toyota launched its fourth-generation Prius last night in Las Vegas. Prius sales peaked in 2010 and this is the first major redesign since the glory days of the hybrid. The 2016 model stray from the iconic “Prius look” which is now very recognizable after selling over 3.5 million vehicles, but the exterior design still has an unconventional feel to it, especially because of the front-fenders which are very similar to the Mirai’s, Toyota fuel cells vehicle.

They also lowered the hood and the car is now a little bigger; 2.4 inches longer, 0.6 inches wider and 0.8 inches lower.
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On Tuesday, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas issued a new note on Tesla Motors reiterating an “overweight” rating and a price target of $465. Tesla’s stock closed at $248 per share Tuesday – representing a 86% potential upside. In the note, Jonas doubled down on his prediction disclosed in a previous note saying that Tesla will launch a “Uber-like” service to compete in the ride-sharing/taxi market, which he refers to as “Tesla Mobility”.

He said he would be “surprised” if the company didn’t explain their plan for such a service before the unveiling of the Model 3, which is expected in March 2016.
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In an effort to stimulate the electric vehicle market in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree requiring the owners of gas stations to install charging equipment for electric cars at their gas stations by Nov. 1, 2016 according to the Moscow Times. The requirement could very well be the most drastic government action to encourage electric vehicle infrastructure in any country.
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The German electronic and auto parts giant Bosch will introduce a new thermal management system at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which runs from the 17th to 27th of September, that could increase electric vehicle (EV) range by up to 25%.

The system would be especially advantageous for electric vehicles operating in a cold climate. 
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