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Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric equate BMW i3 with the Internet

BMW fancies its new i3 electric car as something revolutionary – which, to be entirely honest, it is. But while we as automotive enthusiasts might know this, the general populous may not, which is why the German company is shelling out what is no doubt a substantial sum of money for a spot during this year's Super Bowl. Starring former Today Show hosts Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel, the spot, called Newfangled Idea, focuses on another arguably misunderstood technology – the Internet. Starting with a now-humorous segment from 1994 that sees the pair discussing the then-new idea of the Internet – what does "@" mean? – Katie and Bryant then find themselves in an i3, asking very similar questions. Take a look at the video, up top, and then scroll below for the outtakes and a short behind-the-scenes segment from the clip. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault ZOE wins Zenn Monte-Carlo Rally, BC revives EV rebates

Renault ZOE EVs took the top four places in the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally. Renault's cars finished first in consumption, regularity and overall standings. ZOEs took the top four spots overall and in the regularity tests, and the top five places for consumption. Renault entered four teams - two with professional drivers (finishing first and second), one piloted by journalists (placing third) and another by bloggers (taking seventh place). Another individual team entered the race with their own ZOE and finished fourth overall. The electric vehicle race took place over 130 miles and seven and a half hours. Read more in the press release from Renault below. British Columbia has reinstated its Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive Program. Phase two of the program, which starts April 1, is expected to put another 1,700 plug-in cars on BC roads. It's funded by the province's Innovative Clean Energy Fund, which gets its money from carbon taxes. Customers can receive rebates of up to C$5,000 for EVs, while fuel cell vehicle customers could get back up to C$6,000. Drivers can also get up to $C3,250 for scrapping cars built before 2000. BC is also investing in more charging infrastructure, EV fleets and outreach. See the video above, and read more from British Columbia government website and at Green Car Reports. BMW is noticing increased sales of its i3 EV tied to government incentives for electric cars. "We can see a clear connection between sales figures and political initiatives," says BMW Group CEO Norbert Reithofer. "Wherever governments offer tangible incentives for e-mobility, the registration figures for the BMW i3 soar." Last year, BMW sold about 2,000 i3s in Norway and 3,000 in California. In Germany, where BMW only sold about 2,100 i3s, Riethofer suggests the government needs to do more to support clean cars. "The German carmakers have delivered their part of the bargain. The ball is in now in the court of policymakers," he says. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Renault ZOE takes the top four places in the 6th ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally Following a sparkling victory last year, Renault ZOE has put in yet another remarkable performance at the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally with four ZOE models taking the top four spots.

China sticking to its guns on EVs for the future

Automakers are obviously free to develop whatever next-gen, zero-emissions tech that they want. However, if a company wants to get on the good side of the Chinese government, that strategy better include some plug-in vehicles. The authorities there are lending major support to plug-ins at the moment, and its forcing the auto industry to play along. According to Bloomberg, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and BMW are all launching dedicated EV brands with their joint venture partners, and as many as 40 electric models could hit the Chinese market this year alone. However, analysts don't think the vehicles are going to sell well. Instead, the launches are essentially a way for companies to play nice with the government and help get the approval to build factories in the country. Take Toyota as an example. The company is pushing the future of hydrogen hard with promotional films for the Mirai and engineers talking down fast-charging EVs. Still, the Japanese automaker is getting ready to launch two EV brands in China with its joint venture partners, according to Bloomberg. China's push for alternative fuels has been happening for a while, but it really kicked into high gear last year. The government has set a goal to improve fleet-wide economy by 40 percent by the end of the decade in order to spend less importing oil and for the population's health. The plan has shown some success so far with hybrid and EV sales growing early in 2015. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Kin Cheung / AP Photo Government/Legal Green BMW Hyundai Toyota Volkswagen Green Culture Technology Electric tax incentives chinese government