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Toyota Prius remains best-selling vehicle in California, wireless charging tests underway

About one in every nine new cars in the US are sold in the California. If we're just looking at the four Toyota Prius hybrid variants, then the number becomes closer to one in three. Tesla Model S battery-electric vehicle sales? Try one in 2.7. For the second straight year, the Prius was the best-selling car in the Golden State. Toyota sold 69,728 Priuses there, almost a third of the more than 234,000 sold in the US in 2013. Prius sales in California alone were up almost 13 percent. And Toyota's ready to build upon that momentum with a new version of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, saying that it's testing a wireless recharging system in Japan's Aichi Prefecture and will start similar tirals stateside later this year. We'll make the wild prediction that some of those tests, which involves magnetic resonance, will be in California. Meanwhile, Tesla's numbers were, in their own way, were more impressive. The California-based automaker sold 8,347 of its Model S units in the Golden State out of about 22,300 nationwide in 2012, Bloomberg News reports. In all, advanced-powertrain vehicles accounted for 9.3 percent of California new-vehicle sales, compared to 3.8 percent for the country, Bloomberg says, citing Hybrid Cars and Baum & Associates. Check out Toyota's press release on its California sales below. Prius Medals In The Golden State Toyota Prius is best-selling vehicle line in California Wireless charging testing for Prius Plug-in TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prius took home the gold in 2013 as the most popular vehicle-line in California for the second year in a row. The Prius Family (Prius Liftback, Prius v, Prius c and Prius Plug-in) took the podium in both 2012 and 2013 as the best-selling California vehicle name plate. 69,728 drivers hit the road in 2013, according to the California Auto Outlook Report, while 61,893 Californians joined the family in 2012. In the Golden State, the Prius Family outsells all other hybrid competitors combined. California drivers lead the country in adoption of vehicles powered, either wholly or partially, by electricity. 9.3% of vehicles sold in the state run on some form of electricity, according to the report. But despite the growing number of hybrid competitors, Toyota's hybrid leadership remains unmatched. In fact, one out of every two hybrids in California carries the Prius name plate.

Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche Mission E charging for Tesla, net zero energy Toyota dealership

Porsche has confirmed that its Mission E charging infrastructure will also work with Tesla vehicles. The ultra-fast, 800-volt charging system will recharge the Mission E to 80 percent in about 15 minutes, and will also service new EVs from Volkswagen and Audi. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told Top Gear that development of the charging infrastructure "sounds easy but getting the details agreed is hard. We already have the clear technical concept. It can even work with Teslas, with an adapter." Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz, also tells Top Gear that they are "in talks" with Porsche regarding charging infrastructure. Read more at Top Gear, or from Electrek. An Oregon Toyota dealership is set to be the world's first net zero energy automotive dealership. The newly constructed, LEED Platinum certified Toyota of Corvallis produces more energy than it consumes, for which it is expected to receive Net Zero Energy certification. The 34,800-square-foot building is equipped with enough solar panels to produce as much energy that the dealership will use, with excess being put back into the grid, which will help during hours of peak demand. Toyota Motor Sales regional manager Steve Haag calls Toyota of Corvallis, "a first-of-its-kind template for the auto dealership of the future." Read more from Toyota. Valeo has introduced a new 48-volt hybrid system. The 48V e4Sport, as it is called, uses a 48-volt battery, electric starter-generator, electric supercharger, and eRAD electric rear axle drive for all-wheel drive. It maximizes regenerative braking and stores that energy for increasing torque with the starter-generator, and increasing acceleration with the electric supercharger. The system also supports all-electric driving modes. Valeo says the system is applicable across all vehicle segments, and works with both gasoline and diesel engines. Read more at Green Car Congress. PSA Group has created its own mobility solutions brand, called Free2Move. Free2Move will handle programs like car sharing, connected services, corporate fleet services, and affordable leasing programs for Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and other PSA partners. "For the PSA Group, mobility means not only making and selling excellent cars, but also offering a full range of mobility solutions," says PSA Group VP of Mobility Services Gregoire Olivier.

Recharge Wrap-up: Will.i.am's custom Tesla, Mahindra's Formula E livery

Take a look at Will.i.am's custom Tesla Model S caught on video in the wild in Beverly Hills. The over-the-top body kit comes from Black Eyed Peas member's own so-called car company, IAMAUTO. The deep-dish wheels appear to recede into nothingness, and the placement of the handles gives away the car's suicide rear doors, which a valet opens slightly at one point in the video. Overall, the custom job gives the EV a wide, low, and extremely chunky look. The man behind the camera gets a good view from a variety of angles, though whether there is actually a good angle for this particular Tesla is up for debate. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Teslarati. 1,635 Smart cars traveled in a parade through Hamburg, Germany as part of Smart Times 2016. At the 16th such gathering of Smart enthusiasts and their vehicles, the group beat the former world record of 1,427 parading cars at Smart Times 2014 in Cascais, Portugal. In addition to meeting with like-minded fans and showing off their fuel-sipping and electric runabouts, Smart Times attendees had the opportunity to test drive new models, talk to designers and tuners, enjoy live music, and meet beach volleyball players Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst, who arrived in a golden Smart Fortwo Cabriolet. There will be yet another opportunity to set a new record next year, when the Smart community will descend upon Salou, Spain. Read more from Daimler. ChargePoint is offering 10 percent off its ChargePoint Home EV charger. In honor of National Drive Electric Week, the deal on the 32-amp charging station is good until September 18, 2016. ChargePoint Home comes in hardwired and plug-in versions with either an 18- or 25-foot cable, and is for sale on Amazon. Read more from ChargePoint. Mahindra Racing has new livery for the third season of Formula E. The livery for the team's M3Electro racecar debuted at Donington Park for the first round of preseason testing. Mahindra held an online contest called #DrivenByDesign to choose its new look, with the winning design created by Spanish artist Adria Haro Jorba. Pininfarina Chief Designer Fabio Filippini chose Haro Jorba's design, which visualizes the car's aerodynamics and makes use of India's national colors. Learn more in the press release from Mahindra Racing.