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Recharge Wrap-up: Batty battery covers, Mercedes at Silvretta, new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid available in 2015

Apparently, Chevrolet Volt battery covers make suitable homes for bats. As part of an Eagle Scout project, Matthew Netherland created 30 bat houses out of scrapped Volt battery covers donated by Chevy. 22 of the bat houses will be set up near hydroelectric dams in Michigan. Each bat house will accommodate 100 bats, and divert the scrapped materials from the landfill. The battery covers also make great nesting boxes for wood ducks, which General Motors has previously set up at its Milford, Michigan Proving Ground. Last weekend was the Silvretta E-Auto Rally, which saw emissions-free vehicles cross the Montafon Mountains in Austria, including cars from Mercedes-Benz. These cars included the B-Class Electric Drive, B-Class F-Cell, SLS AMG Electric Drive and even the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. Also on hand for the Silvretta Classic Rally was a V8-powered C111, a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC and 300 SL Roadster. Read more in the press release, below. BMW has finalized pricing for the i8 in the US at $135,700 (plus $925 in destination charges). In addition to the base price tag, which we've known for a while, BMW Blog has the complete pricing guide with options and packages. Most of the i8 orders were the Pure Impulse World package, which includes various aesthetic upgrades. It also provides membership to the BMW i Pure Impulse Program, which allows you to "to enjoy innovative ideas and trends in a variety of areas, including home styling, culture, gourmet gastronomy, design and many more." Head over to BMW Blog for more information. The new generation of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will arrive later than the rest of the model lineup, confirms Car and Driver. While the gas-powered Sonatas get updated now for the 2015 model year, the Hybrid remains unchanged until late this year or early 2015, when it will arrive as a 2016 model. Hyundai is offering a 2015 Sonata Eco edition, but with 28 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg highway (32 combined), it's not quite as appealing as the current Sonata Hybrid's 36/40/38 figures. Read more here. In June, average US fuel economy was 25.5 miles per gallon, making it the fifth straight month above 25 mpg, according to University of Michigan. The average window sticker ratings from vehicles sold in June dropped slightly from 25.6 mpg in May. The year started at 24.9 mpg in January, and hasn't dropped below 25 mpg since.

1,207 Smart ForTwos parade around Budapest

Daimler's Smart division partied down with the Smart ForTwo cult by staging a parade late last week that totaled 1,207 vehicles. In all, about 2,500 people showed up at Budapest's Heroes' Square to listen to music and party like rock stars in tiny cars. The parade, which included what was undoubtedly a romantic cruise along the Danube River, was set up to commemorate the 15th anniversary of an early, large gathering of Smart enthusiasts. The timing was auspicious, since Daimler is readying the second generation of the two-seater that is slated for the 2016 model year. Daimler unveiled the 2016 Smart ForTwo last summer. The German automaker managed to keep the notably short length the same, though it did widen the vehicle by four inches. The model will debut in North America later on this year with an 89-horsepower engine. The car still weighs less than 2,000 pounds and approaches a top speed of 100 miles per hour for anyone intrepid enough to try to hit those speeds. Take a look at Daimler's press release about the Budapest parade below, and check out our First Drive of the 2016 Smart ForTwo here. smart times 2015 in Budapest: 2,476 smart fans in the Hungarian capital Stuttgart/Budapest, Aug 31, 2015 On 28 and 29 August 2015 2,476 smart fans from around the world came together in the Hungarian city of Budapest for this year's smart times. Historic Heroes' Square in the city centre was the venue for the 15th anniversary of the world's largest international gathering of smart fans. For the first time the smart times participants had an opportunity to tour the city on the Danube by night. A total of 1,207 vehicles participated in the final parade on the Hungaroring and through the city. The new smart fortwo cabrio was a special highlight, on show before its presentation at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. smartxchange discussions with smart experts When the event kicked off on 28 August the participants were able to enjoy all the different items on the agenda. The smart Club Village celebrated its premiere as a tent village for the best known smart clubs worldwide and formed the setting for the individual stations and stands on the extensive site. smartxchange was presented as a new interactive format for direct communication with smart fans. For the first time questions could be put to smart experts on the stage who offered interesting insights into the world of smart behind the scenes.

Smart ForTwo outruns police in Phoenix ... well, not exactly outruns

Well, this happened. A man was arrested after he led police on a long chase through metropolitan Phoenix in a silver Smart ForTwo, a car with 89 horsepower and a top speed of 96 mph. Worst getaway car ever? The action, if you can call it that, started Wednesday in suburban Gilbert, where police responded to a call about a suspicious man screaming in the parking lot of a Walmart. Fox 10 reports that the man refused to speak with police, got into his pint-size ForTwo and took off. Officers tried to pull him over, but the driver refused and ran several stoplights. From there, he headed west on Interstate 10, where the station’s helicopter captured nearly 41 minutes of decidedly unexciting footage in which you can see a police SUV briefly giving chase as the suspect drove west on the lightly trafficked freeway, appearing to drive at highway speeds. UPDATE: DPS pit-maneuvered the Smart car that fled Gilbert PD. 1 male in custody. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/YXBdciJPHP — jonathan roy (@JRFox10) April 22, 2020 Police reportedly eventually gave up the chase for unknown reasons. But the suspect was apprehended after police used a pit maneuver to get him to stop. Parent company Daimler discontinued combustion versions of the Smart in 2017 in the U.S. and stopped selling the brand altogether following the 2019 ForTwo Electric Drive. Chinese automaker Geely last year purchased a 50% stake in the automaker. Weird Car News smart