BMW has announced the creation of a sub-brand devoted to “green” technology. The brand will be called “BMW i” (not too catchy) and will launch its first two vehicles in 2013. They will be the “i3”, an electric “city” car, and a plug-in hybrid, the “i8”. BMW is investing $500 million to make them at their plant in Leipzig, Germany. Both cars will have lightweight bodies composed of an aluminum chassis and a passenger cell made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic to offset the weight of the vehicles’ batteries.
A proposed Nashville, Tennessee, ordinance would give special parking privileges to about 35,000 registered fuel-efficient cars, by allowing them free access to downtown metered parking spaces. Under the ordinance, drivers of economy cars wouldn’t have to feed meters, but would apply every year for a $10 window sticker. Qualifying cars would include hybrids, plug-in electrics, as well as fuel efficient IC vehicles. Several city council members called the motion elitist and said they wouldn’t vote for it.
Nissan has partnered with Renault to build an advanced Li-ion battery plant in Cacia, Portugal, to meet demand for its all-electric Leaf and the future Renault-Nissan Alliance electric vehicles. Due to begin production in late 2012, the new plant will create about 200 jobs and will produce 50,000 state-of-the-art batteries a year, in addition to the 160,000 batteries that will be produced at its other two plants in the UK and France. The Alliance aims to be a global leader in zero-emission mobility by the end of 2015 and says it will have the capacity to produce 500,000 electric vehicles and batteries a year.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is offering an electric-vehicle safety course to first responders across America. Crews will learn where high-strength steel is used in HV electric vehicles so they will know which tools will work best when cutting open these vehicles at the scene of an accident. They will also learn precautions to take when around battery packs, the location of cut points for occupant extraction and power cut-off procedures, reports Gizmag. The program will include information on EVs from GM, Ford and Nissan, as well as other EVs, as they come on the market.
