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Unplugged Performance, BBS offering flashy 21-inch Model S wheel upgrade

Owners of the Tesla Model S love their cars. They love the emissions-free driving, the luxury and technology, range, looks and especially, it seems, the performance. The Model S isn't just clean, it's fast and fun. Now, Tesla owners looking to give their baby some hot shoes have an enticing new option, as Unplugged Performance has announced a set of 21-inch BBS wheels specific to the Model S. Unplugged Performance used its own experience with the Tesla Model S to identify its strengths and weaknesses to improve upon the factory wheels. The Unplugged Performance wheels use the same flow-formed manufacturing technology as the ones BBS supplies for the Ferrari F430 Challenge, providing plenty of strength. The Model S being a relatively heavy car, Unplugged Performance engineered the UP-01 to be able to support 2,145 pounds per wheel, nearly double the car's weight. Beside sheer strength, the BBS UP-01 wheels bring more to the table. Unplugged Performance designed the wheels to reduce the moment of inertia, offering better acceleration, deceleration and efficiency. The team also focused on wheel harmonics to provide a smoother ride with less vibration making its way into the cabin. The wheels are designed to work with all of the original Tesla components already on the car, such as lug nuts and tire pressure monitoring system, even the regular Model S 245/35ZR21 and P85+ 265/35ZR21 tires. Of course, the wheels need to look good, too. The UP-01 rims are coated in Asteroid Graphite that Unplugged Performance designed to go with any of the Tesla factory body colors. The wheels come with two sets of center caps: four branded with BBS and four Tesla factory center caps, to suit the driver's preferred look. The wheels also come with stainless steel wheel protectors made by BBS, which can be replaced in the case of any curb damage. The set comes with one spare wheel protector and additional ones can be purchased if needed. The wheel set is for sale at the Unplugged Performance website, priced at $3,995. Read on for more details in the press release from Unplugged Performance, below. BBS and Unplugged Performance Release Tesla Model S Upgraded Wheel Set Legendary F1 Wheel Maker BBS Partners with Unplugged Performance for Exclusive Tesla Wheel Hawthorne, CA – 10/06/2014 – Unplugged Performance, the leading Tesla-focused performance organization, announces the UP-01 wheel upgrade package co-developed and produced by world renowned wheel manufacturer BBS.

Recharge Wrap-up: Shell stops AK ocean drilling, Lego Tesla Model S

Shell says it will halt exploratory drilling near Alaska's coast. While the oil giant has found some oil and gas below the waters, the amount it is finding is not worth the high costs of drilling. Shell also cites "the challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment in offshore Alaska" as part of its decision to move on from drilling in the Chukchi Sea, but it is possible public protests had an impact, too. Read more at Treehugger, and in the press release from Shell below. The University of Central Florida's Electric Vehicle Transportation Center will host the EV Transportation and Technology Summit from October 20 to 22 in Cocoa, Florida. The summit is geared toward businesses and organizations with the goals of increasing EV awareness, reviewing current and near future technology, and pointing out deployment achievements and challenges. While its coverage will be more general, the event will focus especially on planning and infrastructure requirements. Learn more at Hybrid Cars, or at the event website. The Tesla Model S still looks good when scaled down for a Lego minifig. A man named Cole Edmonson created a tiny brick version of the iconic EV, and managed to retain the car's distinguishing good looks. Edmonson provides a write-up detailing the process of creating the small, plastic Tesla copy. It's considerably more complicated than one would think. Check out the whole process at Brick Replicas, and read more from The Brothers Brick. Renault and Donfeng will build an electric car in China based on the Fluence ZE. The joint venture between the two automakers - called Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) - will produce the car in its Wuhan plant in 2017. The car will be sold solely in the Chinese market under a local Dongfeng brand. "This EV agreement illustrates Renault's engagement as partner of COP 21," says DRAC CEO Jacques Daniel. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below. Dongfeng and Renault agree to produce electric vehicles in China On the occasion of the visit of ZHU Yangfeng, Chairman of Dongfeng Group, at the Renault R&D center, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) announces the production of its first electric vehicle in China. As part of the Joint Venture between Dongfeng and Renault, DRAC will produce an electric vehicle that is based on the Fluence Z.E.

Daimler CEO says nobody is making money on EVs right now

What do you charge for a vehicle you're going to lose money on? If you're Mercedes-Benz and the vehicle in question is the B-Class Electric Drive, you offer it for lease for just 399 euros ($498) a month with a down payment of 8,473 euros ($10,582). If Daimler was going to price it honestly, it seems, the number would have to be a lot higher. "Nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable." – Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche That's according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who spoke to reporters in Spain recently and said that, "You can reasonably say that nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable in its own right. Manufacturers will not see a return within a reasonable time on the billions they're investing now." There are ways to make money in EVs, of course. Just ask Daimler, which recently sold its stake in Tesla for a cool $780 million. Zetsche has some EV-critical company in executives like Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has said his company loses over $10,000 on each Fiat 500E it sells. Other automakers – e.g., Tesla, Nissan – are much more positive about their financial bet on EVs, but no one is opening all their books to the public to prove this. Tesla, which worked with Mercedes on the B-Class ED, will have an earnings call with investors later today, so perhaps we'll learn something new in a few hours. The B-Class ED lease deal is for 36 months, based on an MSRP of 39,151 euros ($48,895) in Europe, including the 19 percent VAT. You can read more in the press release below. Commercial release of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: Local emission-free driving from ˆ399/month Stuttgart, Nov 03, 2014 With its high-torque electric motor, the B-Class Electric Drive delivers lively and superior driving pleasure – with zero local emissions. The B-Class Electric Drive is now available to order, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2014. Prices start at ˆ39,151[1]. The B-Class Electric Drive can be leased through the Mercedes-Benz Bank from ˆ399 a month[2]. Further information on the full range of tailor-made leasing and financing offers as well as specific pricing examples are available at http://www.mercedes-benz-bank.de. Quiet and local emission-free driving is ensured by a 132 kW electric motor, which, as is typical of an electric drive, delivers its maximum torque of 340 Nm right from the start. The result is noticeably powerful acceleration from rest.