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Recharge Wrap-up: Fiat 500X emissions, Japan EV sales down

The Fiat 500X exceeds EU emissions limits, according to environmental lobby group DUH. In dyno tests, DUH found NOx emissions in the diesel-powered 500X to be 11 to 20 times the limit with a warm engine, but closer to the limit with a cold engine. Testing of vehicles from Fiat and other automakers "point towards defeat devices," says DUH campaigner Axel Friedrich. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) offered no comment in response to the accusations. Read more from Reuters. A UK study finds that about 20 percent of the benefits from fuel efficient vehicles are negated by a tendency for people to drive them more. The study, which covers the years 1970 to 2011, finds a significant "rebound effect," when consumers use more of a cheaper energy source. It suggests these drivers drive more not because of the fuel efficiency, but because of the lower operating costs. "Until now, we didn't know the size of this effect for British motoring," says Dr. Lee Stapleton, Research Fellow for the University of Sussex Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand. "We found evidence of a significant, long-term rebound and expect our results to be of interest for public policy." Read more at Green Car Congress. Japanese EV sales have declined for the first time ever. Sales of electric vehicles slid 22 percent in 2015, leaving them at the same levels as 2012. Low gasoline prices are to blame, as well as the late arrival of the updated Nissan Leaf, which caused potential customers to hold off on their purchase. This allowed the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to take the lead as Japan's best selling EV. The Toyota Prius Plug-In came in third place in EV sales, with the BMW i3 close on its heels. Read more from EV Sales. Featured Gallery 2016 Fiat 500X: First Drive View 34 Photos Related Gallery Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S: Paris 2014 View 12 Photos News Source: Reuters, Green Car Congress, EV SalesImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Green Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Emissions Fuel Efficiency Electric recharge wrapup

Recharge Wrap-up: first Chevy Volt hits 200K miles, DriveNow launches in London with BMW i3 on deck

The first Chevrolet Volt has driven over 200,000 miles. According to the owner, Erick Belmer, the car, which he purchased on March 28, 2012, is "holding up flawlessly" with "no noticeable battery capacity loss." Belmer has a commute of about 220 miles per day, rotates his tires every 10,000 miles, and gets an oil change every 38,000 miles. Belmer still loves driving his "dream car" every day, and says it is "wonderfully engineered." Read more at Inside EVs. DriveNow has launched in London, and will include the BMW i3 as part of its carsharing fleet. Daimler shut down its Car2go operations there just six months ago. Currently, DriveNow members have access to the BMW 1 Series and Mini Countryman, but come spring of 2015, DriveNow, which is a joint venture between BMW and Sixt SE, will add 30 all-electric i3 EVs to its London service. DriveNow's rates for London are set at 39 pence per minute, with an hourly maximum cost of GBP20 (about 61 US cents and $31, respectively). The service currently operates in the boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney, with hopes of expanded service in the near future. Read more at Hybrid Cars or at Reuters. FIA's Formula E electric racing championship series received the Autosport award for Pioneering and Innovation. The award ceremony was a black-tie event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag accepted the award. "Many people in motorsport, when we started Formula E, didn't think we would make the first race," says Agag. "To announce we were doing a championship with cars that didn't then exist was a real challenge. But after that first race in Beijing, everything worked." Read more at Formula E's website. The Nissan Leaf has driven over a billion collective kilometers. That's more than 621.3 million miles. Nissan said in August that it expected to reach that mark by January, and it has done just that. To celebrate, Nissan Europe has created a video to thank its 147,000 Leaf drivers to bring the car to that substantial milestone in less than four years. Check out the video below. Featured Gallery 2014 Chevrolet Volt View 11 Photos Related Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos Related Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf: First Drive View 15 Photos News Source: Inside EVs, Hybrid Cars, Reuters, Formula E, YouTube: Nissan EuropeImage Credit: Chevrolet Green BMW Nissan Transportation Alternatives Electric Racing Vehicles recharge wrapup

Carlos Ghosn projects Renault-Nissan for #3 position by 2018

As the chief executive of both Renault and Nissan, Carlos Ghosn is one of the most powerful executives in the automotive industry. But at 60, he'll have to retire sooner than later: he's got three and a half years left on his contract at Renault, which mandates retirement by 65. But before his time is up, he intends to leave the Renault-Nissan Alliance among the top three automakers in the world. Currently the combined sales of Nissan, Renault and its various brands (including Dacia, Datsun and Infiniti) make the alliance the fourth largest carmaker globally, trailing behind Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors, but ahead of Hyundai, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Honda. But Ghosn sees the alliance's sales (and global market share) increasing in the next three years. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, Ghosn projected confidently that the alliance will hit the number three spot by 2018 – just three years from now. To get there, Ghosn knows that Nissan and Infiniti will need to increase their combined market share to 10 percent in the United States, growing around 2 to 3 percent each year between now and 2018. The challenge is that much more evident in North America where only half of the alliance participates. But it's not all about America. Ghosn also the Chinese market as equally vital to the alliance's success and that of its constituent automakers, projecting continued growth in China for the foreseeable future. He's also banked heavily on the Russian market, which may have dipped now, but in Ghosn's view is bound to recover. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Renault-Nissan Alliance Nissan Renault renault-nissan alliance