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Recharge Wrap-up: BMW to test autonomous cars, Korea bans sales of BMW, Nissan, Porsche models

BMW will test autonomous cars on public roads by the second half of 2017. The German automaker, with partners Mobileye and Intel, will operate a fleet of 40 self-driving vehicles using a "scalable architecture" that will be made available to other automakers. The partners plan to offer products ranging from key components to "a complete end-to-end solution" for autonomous driving. Since parting ways with Tesla, Mobileye also recently announced it would provide its technology to Lucid Motors. For BMW, it all leads up to its fully autonomous iNext model slated for introduction in 2021. See the video above, and read more in the press release from Intel. South Korea has banned the sale of certain models from BMW, Nissan, and Porsche over emissions cheating. Following an investigation, regulators determined emissions testing documents to be falsified. The country's Ministry of Environment has fined the three automakers a total of $5.9 million, and revoked the certification of 4,523 vehicles across banned 10 models. Six of the models were still on sale, while the other four have been discontinued. Read more from Automotive News Europe. China's prices for the Cadillac CT6 Plug-in are significantly higher than those announced for the US. The plug-in hybrid version of the luxury sedan recently went on sale with the two variants priced at RMB 558,800 and RMB 658,800. At the time of this writing, that's $80,420 and $94,812. Cadillac announced it would bring the CT6 Plug-In Í– which is built in China – to the US in the spring of 2017, starting at $76,090 before federal and local tax incentives. Hybrid Cars points out that China's own generous incentives could help to make it more competitive. The offering of a charger with free installation as well as an eight-year warranty on the electric powertrain should help, too. Read more at Hybrid Cars. A Connecticut court has ruled in favor of Tesla's gallery showroom in Greenwich. Last May, the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association brought the suit to block the showroom on Greenwich Avenue, which has now been dismissed by the Connecticut Superior Court. Tesla cannot offer test drives, sell cars, or operate a Supercharger at the location, but it can sell other branded items and educate the public about its vehicles. It's possible that the issue of Tesla's direct sales model could come up again this year in Connecticut state legislature. Read more at Teslarati .

Tesla's Musk could build flying or submersible car

You sometimes get the impression that Tesla CEO Elon Musk says wild things just to gauge people's reactions. You have to be crazy to think that the Hyperloop is ever going to happen. Train travel is barely accepted in much of the country. Recently, he boasted in an interview with Britain's The Independent newspaper that he could build a flying car and a submersible one. If he's to be believed this time, one of them might actually happen.
"We could definitely make a flying car - but that's not the hard part. The hard part is, how do you make a flying car that's super safe and quiet? Because if it's a howler, you're going to make people very unhappy," said Musk to the newspaper. Obviously, the flying car has been an automotive dream for decades, but it has always been so disappointing. Even the long-delayed Terrafugia Transition needs a runway to takeoff and can't just pop in an out of traffic like we all want.
While the flying car likely remains a pipe dream, Musk seems much more serious about the prospects of a vehicle that can go underwater. He told The Independent: "We will be making a submarine car. It can transition from being a submarine to a car that drives up on the beach. Maybe we'll make two or three, but it wouldn't be more than that." The man does have some experience in this area. He bought the submersible Lotus Esprit last year from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and planned to install a Tesla Model S powertrain in it. Now, let's see if either of these big ideas ever comes to fruition.

Tesla will expand Supercharger network across Europe

It's not as exciting as a new concept vehicle, but Tesla came to the Geneva Motor Show with its own bit of news: Europe will soon get more Superchargers, more Tesla stores and more service centers. More of the company's fast-charging stations means it'll be even easier for continental Model S drivers to get from the North Sea to the Mediterranean for free and without emissions. Tesla said it expects sales in Europe and Asia to nearly double North American Model S sales by the end of 2014. Tesla is getting ready for those extra sales by opening more than 30 new service centers and stores there. The number of Superchargers in Europe will grow fast enough so that, "By the end of this year, we expect you will be able to travel almost anywhere in Europe using only Superchargers," according to CEO Elon Musk. The company has talked about European expansion before, but there are only 14 Superchargers installed in Europe today. The company's expansion map shows growth happening by next winter, but doesn't give a predicted number of stations it will have in the ground by then. Tesla Commits to Further Expansion in Europe GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Supercharger locations and service centers enhance customer experience In order to serve a growing customer base in Europe, Tesla will open more than 30 new service centers and stores across the continent, the company announced today at the Geneva Motor Show. Tesla will also continue rapidly expanding its Supercharger network, allowing Model S drivers to travel long distances across Europe for free. The retail, service, and Supercharger expansions come as Tesla dials up its commitment to Europe, which continues to be a priority market for the company. In a recent trip to northern Europe to engage with customers, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk highlighted the rapid increase in the rollout of the company's Supercharger network for Europe. "By the end of this year, we expect you will be able to travel almost anywhere in Europe using only Superchargers," Musk said. In 2013, Tesla delivered 22,477 vehicles to customers worldwide. By the end of 2014, Tesla expects combined sales in Europe and Asia to be almost twice as high as sales in North America. Part of that projected growth will come from the UK, where right hand drive versions of the Model S will soon be introduced.