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The Tesla Model S was the best-selling EV of 2015

According to numbers crunched over at Hybrid Cars, the Tesla Model S was the best selling pure electric vehicle last year with 50,366 deliveries. These numbers might not tell the whole story, since Tesla reports deliveries made in 2015 that might have been sold in a different calendar year, while other makers are tallying sales. However, it's inarguable that the Model S ended up in more worldwide driveways than the second-place Nissan Leaf, which did about 43,000 sales. In the US alone, Leaf sales were down 42.8 percent year-on-year, from 30,200 in 2014 to 17,269 last year, and that decline also increased throughout the year. That marks a great finish to a great start to 2015, when Tesla took the lead in EV sales in the US for the first quarter. On top of that, as of last year the Model S becomes the second-best selling EV ever, with 107,148 deliveries since the middle of 2012. It trails the Nissan Leaf, with well over 200,000 worldwide sales. The Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera combo takes a close third, with about 106,000 sales. The Nissan and Chevy rivals both launched at the end of 2010, a 16-month head start on the Tesla. Down the charts, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV which continues to be forbidden fruit for our market notched 39,000 sales. The BYD Qin PHEV sold 31,898 examples in China, and BYD would take the overall victory from Tesla with 58,728 deliveries if you counted all of its EV and PHEV production, such as its electric buses. The BMW i3 nabbed fourth place with 24,057 global sales. In 2011 the Munich automaker said it wanted to sell 30,000 i3s annually by 2014, but by the time the car launched the company considered 15,000 annual sales 'great for now,' so the 2015 number seems a fine place to wind up. Related Video: News Source: Hybrid Cars Green BMW Chevrolet Mitsubishi Nissan Tesla

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan and Endesa launch V2G project; BMW denies Apple will use i3

Nissan and Endesa will work together to deliver a mass-market vehicle-to-grid (V2G) system. The technology would allow users to charge their vehicle during off-peak hours, and sell energy back to the grid during periods of high demand. The two companies are looking to launch V2G technology in Europe, as well as exploring second-life projects using retired EV batteries for stationary energy storage. V2G allows users to lower the cost of ownership of their EV, and also helps stabilize the grid, particularly in countries that use a large amount of renewable energy. Endesa will demonstrate its V2G technology system in Madrid on March 12. Read more from Nissan. BMW denies reports that Apple will build a car based on the i3. German magazine Auto Motor und Sport said that such a deal was in the works, and that the Apple car could be sold by Apple and serviced by BMW. "We are in regular talks with companies from the IT and telecommunications sector, including Apple, concerning topics like connected vehicles," says BMW. "Developing or building a car is not a topic of these discussions." Anonymous sources say that Apple could have a car available for production in 2020. Read more at Automotive News Europe. BluepointLondon will take over the management of 60 EV charging stations from Transport for London. The 60 chargers are in the boroughs of Southwark and Sutton, and Bluepoint expects to take over management of charging infrastructure in other London boroughs as well. "A better maintained and more extensive charging infrastructure will mean more drivers are able to use electric vehicles and join the early-adopters who are already helping London reach lower emissions level," says BluepointLondon Director Christophe Arnaud. "We are very excited to be playing our part." BluepointLondon aims to manage 6,000 charging points in London by 2018. Read more in the press release below. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) offers plug-in hybrid conversions for GM light-duty trucks. The PHEV drivetrain offers all the performance of the original model, but reduces consumption and emissions by as much as 80 percent. It offers 30 to 40 miles of all-electric range plus enough energy to act as an idle-free power supply for tools and the like without depleting range. The EDI drivetrain can even be used to charge other EVs. Says EDI's Charlie Travis, "The light duty truck class is an important and high-volume vehicle category for fleet owners.

The 2016 Pebble Beach Concept Lawn was nuts as always

The Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is like the smallest, most expensive car show you can imagine. A bunch of unobtanium concepts and almost-production models line an irregularly shaped putting green for people to stare at while on their way to see other, older insane cars. This year's crop was a particularly good one. We'll walk through the gallery above in order: That's a new Ford GT. Not quite a concept, but it's not in production yet, so we'll let it slide. Then there's the one-of-a-kind Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo that was recently bought by a Saudi Prince along with a matching Chiron. Next up is the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster, which was unveiled last week and is already sold out. This orange automobile is BMW's 2002 Hommage with its latest livery, a Jagermeister-themed affair called Turbomeister. This silver Infiniti, the Q80 Inspiration Concept, is an oldie but a goodie. It first appeared in Paris in 2014. The extremely long automobile after that is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, which was unveiled in Monterey this year. The 6 in the name is because it's 6 meters, or about 18 feet, long. Most of that's the hood. Next we have the one-of-99 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe, which continues to be beautiful. After that is a Fisker Karma with a V8, the VLF Destino. Thank you, Bob Lutz. The black sedan you see after that is the Cadillac Escala Concept, which also made its debut in Monterey this year. Then we have a Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge. Not a concept, but exclusive enough to join the others. Next is the McLaren 570GT customized by MSO that arrived for Pebble 2016. It has special design touches plus an electrochromic panel to replace the normal glass roof. The light blue car is the Genesis New York concept. The name didn't change even though it was in Monterey. Then we have the large and in charge Lincoln Navigator concept, taking up two regulation concept spots. The red car with suicide doors is Acura's Precision Concept, which we first saw at the Detroit show this year. Another non-concept, the Lexus LC 500h at least looks futuristic enough to be a show-specific car. And here's a 2017 Maserati Quattroporte, which is definitely not a concept. A Bentley Mulsanne EWB, because why not? It's not available in the US, so that almost qualifies for concept status. Then there's a reproduction Lister Knobbly, which we could stare at all day.