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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla will sell Model S on Alibaba in China, Wrightspeed electrifies garbage trucks

Tesla will sell cars in China using Alibaba's Tmall website. Customers will be able to use the Chinese shopping site to place an $8,200 deposit toward a Model S. Tmall will feature 18 preconfigured versions for customers to choose from, which won't offer quite the level of customization as Tesla's US site. Bloomberg's Jamie Butters calls it a "defensive move" on Tesla's part, and still expects the company to sell cars in China the traditional way. Watch the video at Bloomberg or read more at Bidness Etc. Tesla co-founder Ian Wright's company Wrightspeed is converting garbage trucks to EVs. The same brand that created the exciting X1 EV is making trash collection much cleaner. "Garbage trucks are the perfect driving cycle for us: they get two or three miles per gallon, drive 130 miles a day with 1,000 hard stops that chew on the brakes," says Wright. The system puts an electric motor at each of the truck's drive wheels, and includes an on-board generator that runs on diesel or natural gas to extend driving range. Read more at Xconomy. British company Hillside Leisure is converting the Nissan e-NV200 into a camper van. The electric RV, called the DalburyE, debuted at the UK's Motorhome and Caravan Show in Birmingham. It sleeps up to four people, and features a pop-up roof, a gas stove, fridge, sink and other amenities. It's a great way to take full advantage of an RV park's electrical outlet to charge the van while camping in it. Read more at Transport Evolved, and see more photos at Hillside Liesure's blog. Featured Gallery Tesla Model S View 10 Photos Related Gallery Nissan e-NV200 Electric Van View 24 Photos News Source: Bloomberg, Bidness Etc, Xconomy, Transport EvolvedImage Credit: Tesla Green Nissan Tesla Electric recharge wrapup

Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault-Nissan at COP21, fast charging viability

Nissan and Renault's combined fleet of 200 EVs drove over 175,000 kilometers (about 108,700 miles) during the COP21 environmental summit in Paris. The largest fleet of EVs for any international conference served as shuttles for attendees, saving almost 182 barrels of oil and 18 tons of CO2 emissions. In addition to providing the Nissan Leaf, Nissan e-NV200, and Renault Zoe EV shuttles, the Renault-Nissan Alliance also set up a network of 90 chargers to support the fleet. 13 of the 27 quick and semi-quick chargers will remain in place for public use. Read more in the press release below.Siemens names Ann Arbor, Michigan for its first Center of Excellence for Intelligent Traffic Technology. The company will implement new and upgrade existing traffic technologies in the city, including cloud-based traffic management software, local controller software and an adaptive traffic control system designed to improve traffic flow and safety. In a college town with highly varying numbers of students and visitors throughout the year, "the need to move traffic in and out of the city efficiently is crucial not only for economic and environmental impacts, but for quality of life for Ann Arbor residents," says Marcus Welz, president of Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems. Many Ann Arborites (your author included) would surely agree. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the release from Siemens.A study in Ireland found that public fast charging could soon become commercially viable. The researchers found parking spots to be the most popular public charging locations, and that fast chargers saw the most frequent use, suggesting commercial viability for the infrastructure in the short- to medium-term. The study also found that most drivers prefer to charge at home, and do so during peak hours. Incentivization could be necessary to break people from this habit. Read more at Green Car Congress.