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The Scoot Quad is Nissan's small step toward EV car sharing

Halfway up Laguna Street, the panic set in. I might not make it up this hill. With my foot depressed all the way to the floor, I sucked in my stomach and started to pray. Yet again, I found myself in an unconventional way to get around on four wheels – but this time, I was on my own, and behind the wheel. Meet the Scoot Quad, aka Nissan New Mobility Concept, aka Renault Twizy. The many aliases reflect the path of descent from its development as a quirky French electric vehicle to its proliferation as a model for car sharing. The Quad resides in San Francisco as part of the Scoot fleet of shared electric vehicles and it's most certainly not for sale. As the line blurs between those who share cars for personal reasons and those who use them for business purposes, Scoot and Nissan came to an agreement in which a small number of New Mobility Concepts would join the Scoot fleet – which currently includes over 300 motorbikes. The added value of Scoot is the capacity for one-way rentals around the city, as well as a dedicated network of charging stations. "We think it's just the best way to get around the city for everyone," said Scoot fleet vice president Mike Waltman, explaining how 10 New Mobility Concepts made their way to San Francisco. Charging time is about four hours on a Level Two charger, made possible through Scoot's network of stations around the city. The one-plus-one Twizy has been in production since 2012 and on sale in certain overseas markets, but it's entirely new for the United States, and it wears the Nissan badge here – kind of. No major changes were made to the Twizy when it became the New Mobility Concept, and similarly none were made in its "transformation" to the Quad. It sports the same insectile shape and the rear profile of a top hat, as well as an identical powertrain: a 13-kilowatt motor that produces 17 horsepower, routed to the rear wheels through a single-speed automatic transmission. Charging time is about four hours on a Level Two charger, made possible through Scoot's network of stations around the city. Its top speed is 50 miles per hour, but Nissan installed a governor at 25 mph to conform to US low-speed vehicle requirements. New Scoot members are required to successfully pass an exam before beginning to use the service, so that was my first order of business. After spending about 35 minutes going through a series of informational videos on the Scoot app, as any new member would do, I was ready to ride Scoot motorcycles.

Nissan should kill the Quest and bring the Mitsubishi Delica D:5 to America

Enthusiasts don't have much reason to get excited about minivans. But if there were something cool to revitalize interest in the segment, I think American consumers would take notice. A quick browse through Mitsubishi's current catalog of global offerings turned up something interesting, and, now that Nissan has brought the diamond-star into its multi-headed global alliance, the Japanese automaker has a unique opportunity to throw caution to the wind and give America something fun. First, let's acknowledge that the Nissan Quest is a completely reasonable and current minivan entry. But it's not exactly a hot seller. The Quest was the seventh-best-selling minivan in the United States last month. The people-hauler's 209 sales in September of 2016 represent a 68-percent decline over the previous year. Granted, the Quest was trending upward for the year prior to last month's drop, but even the Quest's best full year of sales would just manage to match the number of Toyota Siennas or Chrysler Pacificas sold in a decent month. Put simply, the American market wouldn't miss the Nissan Quest if it were to disappear from dealership lots altogether. I don't think the Nissan Quest is a bad vehicle. The problem is that it's just like every other minivan sold in America. Nothing about the Quest stands out against its competitors, which basically makes it a redundant vehicle with no solid reason to exist. What Nissan really needs, in my humble opinion, is a minivan that stands out from the crowd. I offer the following solution: Bring the Mitsubishi Delica D:5 to the United States. Badge it as a Nissan to take advantage of that brand's larger dealer network; even call it the Quest Q:5 if you must. But don't change much else. I have a feeling Americans would show some interest in an eight-passenger, all-wheel-drive, multi-purpose vehicle like the Delica that's about the same overall length as the Nissan Rogue. As an added incentive to capture as many buyers as possible, offer both the 2.4-liter gasoline engine and the 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel that are available in other markets. Since the Delica D:5 is based on the same GS platform as the Dodge Journey, it could probably accommodate a Pentastar V6, too, but that doesn't really seem necessary. Instead of being a powerhouse, the Delica should be about fun and efficiency, with an adventurous off-road streak.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan and Endesa launch V2G project; BMW denies Apple will use i3

Nissan and Endesa will work together to deliver a mass-market vehicle-to-grid (V2G) system. The technology would allow users to charge their vehicle during off-peak hours, and sell energy back to the grid during periods of high demand. The two companies are looking to launch V2G technology in Europe, as well as exploring second-life projects using retired EV batteries for stationary energy storage. V2G allows users to lower the cost of ownership of their EV, and also helps stabilize the grid, particularly in countries that use a large amount of renewable energy. Endesa will demonstrate its V2G technology system in Madrid on March 12. Read more from Nissan. BMW denies reports that Apple will build a car based on the i3. German magazine Auto Motor und Sport said that such a deal was in the works, and that the Apple car could be sold by Apple and serviced by BMW. "We are in regular talks with companies from the IT and telecommunications sector, including Apple, concerning topics like connected vehicles," says BMW. "Developing or building a car is not a topic of these discussions." Anonymous sources say that Apple could have a car available for production in 2020. Read more at Automotive News Europe. BluepointLondon will take over the management of 60 EV charging stations from Transport for London. The 60 chargers are in the boroughs of Southwark and Sutton, and Bluepoint expects to take over management of charging infrastructure in other London boroughs as well. "A better maintained and more extensive charging infrastructure will mean more drivers are able to use electric vehicles and join the early-adopters who are already helping London reach lower emissions level," says BluepointLondon Director Christophe Arnaud. "We are very excited to be playing our part." BluepointLondon aims to manage 6,000 charging points in London by 2018. Read more in the press release below. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) offers plug-in hybrid conversions for GM light-duty trucks. The PHEV drivetrain offers all the performance of the original model, but reduces consumption and emissions by as much as 80 percent. It offers 30 to 40 miles of all-electric range plus enough energy to act as an idle-free power supply for tools and the like without depleting range. The EDI drivetrain can even be used to charge other EVs. Says EDI's Charlie Travis, "The light duty truck class is an important and high-volume vehicle category for fleet owners.