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Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche buys stake in carbon fiber partsmaker, Formula E runs on solar

The US Department of Energy is providing $35 million in new funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. The money will fund projects to advance technology and speed up adoption of fuel cell applications like light-duty vehicles. Categories for possible projects include deployment of fuel-cell electric hybrid vehicles, mobile refueling and one called "Crosscutting: America's Climate Communities of Excellence." Other possible projects include research and development for hydrogen production, delivery and fuel cell manufacturing. Read more from the DOE. Porsche will buy a 25.1-percent stake in carbon fiber parts manufacturer Capricorn Composite GmbH. Capricorn has provided parts for Porsche's LMP1 racecar and 918 Spyder. The deal will give the automaker better access to the lightweight material going forward, and will "build on joint work over many years in the motor-sports industry and secure the future," according to Porsche. Porsche's parent company Volkswagen owns almost 10 percent of Capricorn's competitor SGL Carbon SE, but an expansion of that ownership could be thwarted by BMW, which controls more of SGL's stock. Read more at Bloomberg. The electric racecars running in the Formula E Miami ePrix will use solar energy. Florida Power & Light (FPL) will provide the electricity the cars will be using for the race on March 14, and its Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center provided the electricity the cars used during the announcement event. "Our partnership with Formula E and the Miami ePrix is another example of our commitment to advancing zero-emissions solar energy and the use of electric vehicles in Florida," says FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. FPL currently operates two other solar plants, with plans to install 1 million solar panels at three more power plants by the end of next year. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: First Drive View 51 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix View 28 Photos News Source: DOE, Bloomberg, Domestic FuelImage Credit: Porsche Government/Legal Green Motorsports Porsche Alternative Fuels Electric Hydrogen Cars recharge wrapup

Porsche Supercup racer dies in crash in Australia

Even with great strides made towards increasing the safety of motor racing, fundamentally it's still a dangerous sport. And now it has claimed another life.
That life belonged to one Sean Edwards, an accomplished GT racing driver. Edwards was killed at Queensland Raceway in Australia, riding shotgun in a Porsche 996 GT3 while acting as instructor. The driver was airlifted to hospital with critical injuries. Sean Edwards was 26.
The son of former F1 driver Guy Edwards (whose car he drove in the filming of Rush), Sean won the European GT3 Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and drove a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to repeat victories at the 24 Hours of Dubai as well as this year's Nürburgring 24 Hours. Edwards had been competing in the Porsche Supercup, whose standings he currently leads with just two rounds to go, and could be crowned champion posthumously.

Volkswagen Group previews its wares on eve of Geneva show

The Volkswagen Group is comprised of 11 brands producing 240 vehicles across 49 factories throughout the world. So the best way to show off the range of the VW family is to cram a few thousand journalists and VIPs into a massive makeshift stand to outline the Group's goals, what's in the pipeline and what you'll be able to buy later this year.
To that end, VW pulled out all the stops on the eve of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, bringing along 10 vehicles from across the range. We'll be delving into the details of each over the next two days of show coverage, but before that happens, you can read all about what we saw tonight from the cheap seats after the break.