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BMW NA chief: US won't get enough i3 EVs to satisfy demand

Nothing boosts the mystique of a new product like a "sold out" sign, and it appears likely that BMW will go that route with its first plug-in sold in the US. The German automaker won't likely import enough of its new i3 plug-in vehicles to meet US demand, Bloomberg News says, citing BMW North America chief Ludwig Willisch. Willisch added that once everything is up and running, the US will be the world's largest market for the i sub-brand of plug-in vehicles, which we know will also include the far racier i8 plug-in hybrid and likely other models as well. The i3 will arrive at US dealerships by the end of May and US dealers are investing $2.5 million in upgrades in part to accommodate the new i sub-brand. Last summer, BMW said its i3 would have a starting price of $41,350, not factoring in government tax credits nor the gas-powered range extender (which tacks on another $3,950). Both versions will be allowed into the high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, even with only one driver, in California though battery-powered version will get the unlimited white sticker (as opposed to limited green one). Check out our review of the i3 here.

Recharge Wrap-up: video touts Volvo electric buses, Nissan and BMW build EV chargers in S. Africa

Volvo is touting the advantages of electric buses in a new video. The short film, called Route 55, promotes the ElectriCity Project for public transport, and, more specifically, the new electric bus route in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new route debuts June 15 using Volvo electric and hybrid buses. In the video, two teenagers are seen waiting for the bus. As one boards, the other asks her out from the sidewalk, but she can't hear him over the noise of the diesel bus, which then closes its doors and drives away. The film asks, "What if this bus had been silent?" See the video above, and read more in the press release below. BMW and Nissan will build an EV charging network across South Africa. Through 2017, the two automakers will build fast-charging and AC stations around the country in order to encourage the adoption of EVs. Nissan has been selling the Leaf in South Africa since 2013, and BMW introduced the i3 and i8 in March. "In order for the introduction and expansion of electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to be successful in this market, we need to work together," says BMW South Africa Managing Director Tim Abbott. Read more at Automotive News Europe. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will provide the United Nations with 200 electric vehicles for the COP21 climate conference in Paris. The fleet of vehicles includes the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200, as well as the Renault ZOE, Kangoo ZE and Fluence ZE. The entire passenger car shuttle fleet will use all-electric vehicles as some 20,000 UN attendees descend upon Paris from November 30 to December 11. "Thanks to the Alliance's fleet of 100-percent electric vehicles, it will contribute to our goal of achieving a carbon neutral event," says French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development and COP21 President Laurent Fabius. "The technology of electric vehicles helps reduce greenhouse gases in the transportation sector efficiently." Read more from Renault. Visa will be the official title sponsor of the Formula E London ePrix. Officially called the "2015 FIA Formula E Visa London ePrix," the races on June 27 and 28 will be the last of the electric racing series's inaugural season. Visa Europe will award the Visa Fastest Lap trophy after the each round, and will have interactive activities at the race's eVillage.

Can the government mechanically force you to wear your seatbelt? [w/poll]

The National Highway Traffic Administration is considering the use of ignition interlocks in vehicles that would require the seatbelts of occupied seats to be fastened in order to drive the car, Automotive News reports, four decades after Congress moved to prevent manufacturers from installing them in cars sold in the US market. Following a transportation bill passed last year that lift some of the restrictions on seatbelt interlocks, automakers such as BMW are considering the benefits of using them in future cars. Now, before you go crying about your lost freedom, keep reading.
BMW said in an October 2012 petition that the use of seatbelt interlocks would allow the company to make lighter and more spacious vehicles, if the devices could be used in lieu of unbelted crash tests. The crash test has required the addition of bulky safety features, such as knee bolsters, that aren't as necessary when occupants are buckled up, especially when considering the dizzyng list of safety features that come standard on today's cars. Europe, which has a higher rate of seatbelt use than in the US, doesn't perform unbelted crash tests on cars sold there.