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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla road rage video, Mazda tests EVs vs. hybrids

A Tesla Model S driver was caught driving recklessly in a dashcam video. On Toronto's Don Valley Parkway, the driver of a white Model S can bee seen speeding along the left shoulder. Another car moves partway onto the shoulder to block the driver, who moves back into the left lane. As traffic slows, the driver pulls back onto the shoulder and speeds away. The folks at Teslarati suggest that this serves as an example of why vehicle autonomy could make the roadways safer. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Formula E will be broadcast live on Italy's Rai network for the next two seasons. The programming will include the live races, as well as practice and qualifying highlights, podium celebrations, interviews and other pre- and post-race coverage. "It's a great opportunity for Formula E and motorsport fans to have Rai broadcasting the live races of our series in Italy," says Trulli Formula E team owner Jarno Trulli. "It's a step forward to make the series grow and get stronger after a successful first season. I'm looking forward to cooperate with Rai and show the Italian fans what we are truly doing with our technology." Read more from Formula E. A new study links a decline in cancer risk to California's air quality regulations. The study from CARB found that cancer risk from toxic air contaminants declined 76 percent from 1990 to 2012, a time period that corresponds with regulations targeting those contaminants. Even as the amount of diesel miles driven has steadily increased, cancer risk from diesel particulate matter has declined significantly. The paper predicts that cancer risk will continue to drop as a result of controls on toxic emissions. Read more at Green Car Congress. Mazda is conducting consumer trials of hybrid and electric vehicles in Japan to gauge reception. Depending on whether hybrids or EVs prove to be more popular, Mazda will adopt one of the two types of powertrain for future production vehicles. The automaker is currently testing an electric Mazda2 against a hybrid Mazda3. While this round of testing is focused on the automaker's home market, Mazda may need to expand trials to the US in response to tightening regulations in California. Read more at Green Car Reports.

Mazda Miata could get retractable hardtop in New York

The upcoming New York Auto Show just got a little more exciting because Mazda could debut the latest MX-5 Miata with a power retractable hardtop there. The best evidence comes from Autocar, which has an image of Mazda's invitation. The message promises a "world premiere" in the Big Apple and further teases, "Help us blow the lid off the New York Auto Show." The last Miata PRHT made up 52 percent of the roadster's sales mix in the US, so creating another one is an easy decision for the company. According to Autocar, expect the new roof mechanism to be lighter and more compact than the previous design. It would still add some weight compared to the cloth top, but customers would get the added insulation and security from the hardtop. With the NC PRHT as a guide, don't expect many changes for the new other than the roof. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque with either the six-speed manual or automatic should still make for an exciting drive. The hardtop just makes life a little more comfortable if you have to deal with rain or snow for part of the year. We can't wait to see it. Related Video:

Illinois’ pro-union stance kills bid for Toyota-Mazda plant, report says

Mazda and Toyota are fielding bids from states eager to land its new prize: an all-new $1.6 billion U.S. plant where the Japanese automakers would jointly build electric vehicles and employ around 4,000 workers. Now we can apparently scratch Illinois off the list of contenders. According to Automotive News, the Land of Lincoln has been disqualified due to a lack of shovel-ready sites and the state's lack of a right-to-work law curtailing union membership. Mark Peterson, the president and CEO of economic development agency Intersect Illinois, told the publication he's been informed Illinois is not among the three or four finalists for the facility. It's believed those finalists are all in the South. Peterson said that "many national site consultants charged with making recommendations for corporate relocations and expansions will not even consider a state that is not a right-to-work state. In this case, the three states I am told are still in the running are all right-to-work states." The Midwest may be the ancestral home of U.S. automotive manufacturing, but the South has made major inroads in recent decades, with the likes of Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota all opening plants there, among others, thanks to lucrative tax incentives and the absence of labor unions. Recent years have also seen so-called right-to-work laws, which prohibit union dues and membership as a condition of employment in organized workplaces, spread to traditional labor strongholds such as Michigan and Wisconsin. The new joint venture plant, which would start operating in 2021, would be capable of producing 300,000 vehicles a year, with production divided between the two automakers. Mazda and Toyota would also take small stakes in one another as part of the deal. It's expected that at least 15 states have submitted proposals to attract the plant. Expect the Illinois news to trigger a new round of debate over the role of organized labor in the modern economy.Related Video: Image Credit: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Mazda Toyota