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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla factory loses power, plant genes modified for biofuel

Tesla's Fremont factory was shut down on Friday morning when a crane knocked out power to the facility. No injuries were reported and Tesla didn't say what effect the outage would have on production. Read more from SFGate or from CNBC. Researchers have genetically modified a plant for lower-viscosity seed oil to make biodiesel. With the viscosity of many plant-based oils being too high for use in modern high-pressure conditions required by emissions laws, this breakthrough is promising. Kansas State University scientists have added Euonymous Alatus (burning bush) genes to the Camelina Sativa plant to produce a thinner seed oil more suited for use in biofuels. Camelina grows easily, and since it isn't a food crop, concerns of genetic modifications are minimal. Testing of the oil in fuel could begin next year, after harvesting a large enough supply. Read more from Green Car Reports and from The Topeka Capital-Journal. The EPA's Mobile Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) could cause problems for higher ethanol blends. According to an editorial from Urban Air Initiative president David VanderGriend, MOVES is biased against ethanol blends, using test fuels that don't reflect the characteristics of real-world consumer fuels. "We must stop the MOVES model from being implemented, or all of the industry's other initiatives will be undermined," says VanderGriend. "States will have their hands tied and will simply not be allowed to approve higher blends." Read the column from Ethanol Producer Magazine. A Citroen C-Zero driver experienced unexpected fees when turning in the car at the end of its lease. The final bill included inspection and transportation fees under the "Damages" section of the report, totaling over GBP300 (about $470). The author has found no mention or documentation of such fees prior to collection, and is contesting the charges. Read more at EV Meerkat, where the author will update readers while Citroen customer service looks into the matter. Featured Gallery Tesla Factory Related Gallery Citroen C-Zero News Source: SFGate, CNBC, Green Car Reports, The Topeka Capital-Journal, Ethanol Producer Magazine, EV MeerkatImage Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma Government/Legal Green Plants/Manufacturing Tesla Citroen Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Ethanol recharge wrapup

Dodge Demon 170 reveal experience, Supercharging a non-Tesla and the BMW XM | Autoblog Podcast #774

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They start off with what it was like to be at the reveal for the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 out in Las Vegas. From there, they explore news of the 2024 Acura Integra Type S being revealed to have 5 more horsepower than the Civic Type R. And to round out the news section, there's an Explorer EV out, but it's only for Europe. After that, the two discuss the cars they've been driving, including the 2023 BMW XM, VW Jetta Sport with a manual transmission, our long-term Toyota Sienna minivan and what it was like to charge our long-term Kia EV6 on a Tesla Supercharger. Lastly, the pair spend some money to help a listener buy a car for their daughter who is just starting to drive. Autoblog Podcast # 774 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News Dodge reveals the Challenger SRT Demon 170 in Las Vegas The Acura Integra Type S will officially have 320 horsepower Electric Ford Explorer revealed in Europe What we're driving 2023 BMW XM 2023 VW Jetta Sport Supercharger experience with long-term Kia EV6 Long-term 2023 Toyota Sienna Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reveal

Tesla Model S now the least-stolen car in the US

When is a Honda Accord more appealing than a Tesla Model S? When you're a thief. The Accord continues to reign as the most-stolen car in the US but the Model S is now claiming a new and interesting title: the least-stolen car in America. Last year, it wasn't even on the list. Of course, sometimes a Model S is stolen and the most famous case ended with tragic results. Last year there was an eight-way tie for "least-stolen." For the record, last year there was an eight-way tie for "least-stolen," made up mostly of SUVs and CUVs. The rankings were listed by a value called "claim frequency," which is how many were reported stolen per 1,000 units produced and where lower means it is stolen less. With a 0.4, these were the vehicles least wanted by thieves in 2013: Dodge Journey, Volkswagen Tiguan, Audi A4, Acura RDX, Toyota Matrix, Lexus HS 250 hybrid, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson. This year, the Tesla clocked in with a 0.15. The average vehicle has a claim frequency of 3.51. Tesla has, of course, worked hard to make the Model S an unlikely target. It can be shut down remotely, it can be tracked and it has a hacker princess and cash prizes working to protect from other attacks. Tesla's Alexis Georgeson told AutoblogGreen that Tesla hasn't been able to verify the "least-stolen" moniker but said that, "We take the security of our cars very seriously and relentlessly continue to improve our vehicles via over-the-air updates, an ability unique to the industry. We will continue to work to stay ahead by providing the most sophisticated tools and technologies in our cars and working closely with security researchers to identify and address potential vulnerabilities." Value Walk says that another reason for the low theft rate is that there might be very low demand for Model S parts, since the cars are still under warranty and there aren't many on the road. Still, the claim frequency is a fair comparison, and by that metric the Tesla Model S looks just awful to at least one group of people.