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Jay Leno burns rubber in Tesla Model S

Jay Leno has a pretty big soft spot for alternative-fuel vehicles. From his steam-powered relics to his beloved Chevrolet Volt, the comedian's automotive interests are nothing if not varied. In the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen stops by the Big Dog Garage to show off his company's new Model S. Jay gets a closer look at the five-door EV's interesting touchscreen controls, expansive moonroof and yes, even the third-row jump seats, before taking to the road. The clip explains why Tesla eschewed the chunky standardized EV charger for a more svelte unit and how the company managed to serve up impressive aerodynamics without sacrificing styling.
Leno takes the time to whir the Model S around the greater Los Angeles area before hopping on the freeway for a quick spin. This particular model features the largest battery pack available, which gives the Model S a total range of around 300 miles. Check out the clip below for a closer look.

Tesla Model S finally has its date with a dyno

The performance abilities - and even the burnout potential - of the Tesla Model S has already been well documented, but, surprisingly, we haven't yet seen the all-electric luxury hatchback strapped to a dyno. Fortunately, the crew over at Dragtimes has posted a video that finally gave us some real-world numbers for the family- and environmentally friendly Tesla.
As the article points out, the results might be off a little (on the low side) due to the run not starting from a dead stop, but the numbers are impressive nonetheless. Immediately upon throttle application, the dyno records almost 300 horsepower at zero miles per hour, and power peaks at 368 hp at around 55 mph (we imagine the "386HP" quoted on the video title is a typo) before trailing off to around 220 hp closer to the car's limited 130-mph top speed. This compares quite favorably to the power numbers provided by Tesla putting max output at 416 hp; the dyno provided no torque figures for the car. Dragtimes also believes this number bodes well for the car on the track, too, quoting a quarter-mile time of 12.2 seconds at 112 mph.
The video of the quiet, zero-emission dyno session is posted below, so check it out.

BMW shows 670-hp plug-in 5 Series GT concept

BMW quietly revealed a 5 Series GT concept earlier this week at an event in France, and it sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of a whopping 670 horsepower. Think the upcoming Model X crossover from Tesla sounds good? BMW has something that might be just as enticing for eco enthusiasts who like their cars to be green and mean. BMW quietly revealed a 5 Series GT concept earlier this week at an event in France, and it sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of a whopping 670 horsepower. That's right, a hybrid BMW hatch-crossover with more estimated power than the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. BMW's setup is called "Power eDrive," and it uses a 20-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that provides juice for two electric motors; they work with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This 5 Series GT would be able to travel for 62 miles under electric power. The prototype shows the high-performance potential of the system, but the 5 Series GT is "purely a concept," BMW spokesman Julian Arguelles told Autoblog. The GT made its global debut alongside plug-in versions of the 3 Series and X5. They used more basic eDrive systems with one electric motor teamed with a turbo four cylinder. BMW revealed the prototypes to illustrate its plans to increase production of plug-in hybrids. Its goal is to add plug-in variants to all of its "core-brand models," though specifics and timing are unclear. BMW Group Media information 1. BMW Group Innovation Days 2014: New drive technologies. (Introduction) The recently launched BMW i3 and BMW i8 are the first zero-emission vehicles in the premium segment, being designed respectively as dedicated all-electric and plug-in hybrid models. Their BMW eDrive technology promotes hallmark brand driving pleasure, while at the same time delivering major reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – all the way to zero tailpipe emissions when operating in all-electric mode. This is BMW Efficient Dynamics taken to its logical conclusion. For more than 15 years, the Efficient Dynamics strategy has inspired and shaped the development of new models across all the BMW Group brands, resulting in the development of highly efficient vehicles that combine dynamic performance with intelligent energy management. Today, thanks to Efficient Dynamics, the BMW and MINI brands offer premium models that set benchmarks in their respective segments in terms of their exceptional balance of performance and fuel economy.