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Tesla in talks with BMW about batteries, charging collaborations

With Toyota and Daimler no longer holding Tesla shares, the electric vehicle company might be looking for a new partner – possibly a Bavarian one. In a new interview with Germany's Der Spiegel, CEO Elon Musk confirmed that he has had talks with BMW execs about future collaboration. "We are talking about whether we can collaborate in battery technology or charging stations," Musk said in the interview, according to Reuters. However, a Tesla spokesperson has tempered things by saying no formal agreements are in place at the moment. In the same interview, Musk reportedly praised BMW's use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic in its i sub-brand offerings, and said he would like to have a battery factory in Germany in the next five or six years. The possibility of technological cooperation between Tesla and BMW has been a hot topic this year. In June, Musk reportedly met with BMW execs, and the two companies were also rumored to have met with Nissan to discuss charging technology. When Daimler sold off its shares, there was talk of it opening the way for possible collaboration between the two automakers, as well.

Tesla behind lobbying push to ditch side mirrors

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration passed a law yesterday forcing new cars in the US to come with standard backup cameras by May 2018, and if Tesla has its way, this could be just the beginning of changing how motorists see out of their vehicles. The electric car manufacturer has teamed up with the 12-member Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers lobbying group (which represents major companies like General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen) and filed a petition on Monday asking NHTSA for permission to replace sideview mirrors with cameras.
Currently, side mirrors are required on cars in the US, and they can't legally be replaced by camera technologies filling a similar role. The petitioners' chief argument is that sideview mirrors add drag and decrease fuel economy. According to Automotive News, Tesla founder Elon Musk has been lobbying for laws that allow automakers to use sideview camera systems exclusively for the last two years, but claims it's nearly impossible for a single person to change the regulations.
Sideview cameras have been on concept cars for decades, but augmenting external visibility with cameras and sensors has been a growing trend in production automotive technology over the last five years or so. Nissan uses its Around View Monitor to supplement mirrors with a bird's eye composite view of the vehicle during tight maneuvers, and the LaneWatch system from Honda displays a rear-facing passenger-side view to eliminate blind spots during lane changes. Tesla's early Model X concept (pictured above) had small pods on the side with cameras mounted in them, but more recent versions have switched to conventional mirrors.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla tour recounted, Smart using Renault electric motors

A man recounts his recent Tesla factory tour in a new video. When Michael Brown toured Tesla's Fremont facility on September 10, he learned a bit about the production process, saw the enormous stamping equipment Toyota left behind, and even caught a glimpse of the finished Model X SUV. Brown was told very few people in the factory had seen the production version of the Model X. Check out the video above, and read more Teslarati. Johnson Controls is expanding production capacity for Absorbent Glass Mat batteries for fuel-saving stop-start systems. With the market for stop-start batteries possibly growing from 22 million to 56 million by 2020, Johnson is investing $555 million from 2011 to 2020 to be able to build more batteries in the US, Germany and, China. The company is planning to build a $200-million battery plant in Shenyang, China capable of producing 6 million batteries per year. "Johnson Controls is currently the world's leading provider of batteries for Start-Stop vehicles and we plan to stay that way," says Johnson's Lisa Bahash. Read more at Green Car Congress. Renault will provide electric motors for the new Smart ED. The electric versions of the Smart Fourtwo and Forfour will use the same motor as Renault's Zoe EV. The batteries for the Smart cars will be manufactured by Daimler's own Deutsche ACCUmotive. The Renault-powered Smart Fortwo and Forfour Electric Drive are slated to go on sale in 2016. Renault and Daimler have had a working alliance responsible for 13 projects since 2010. Read more from Automotive News Europe. Related Gallery Tesla Factory News Source: Teslarati, YouTube: Michael Brown, Green Car Congress, Automotive News Europe Green Plants/Manufacturing smart Tesla Renault Electric Hybrid Videos recharge wrapup