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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X towing drag race, Porsche 918 salvage auction

Watch an Alfa Romeo 4C drag race against a Tesla Model X towing an Alfa Romeo 4C. The ridiculous (or, perhaps more appropriately, ludicrous) race appeared in MotorTrend's Instagram, which was then shared on Facebook by Tesla Motors Autopilot Program Director Sterling Anderson, along with the comment, "Fun fact: many high-performance cars cross the quarter mile line faster when towed by a Model X than they do on their own four wheels." While we can't quite see the actual results of the drag race in the video, it appears to be a close one. Check it out in the video above, and read more from Electrek. A Porsche 918 Spyder has gone up for auction. Unfortunately, it's a salvage auction, and said performance plug-in hybrid is totally mangled. The gut-wrenching photos reveal an even sadder detail, as the car's odometer shows it only logged 92 miles before being involved in what appears to have been a terrible wreck (though the listing describes the miles as "not actual"). The current bid on the Copart auction site is up to $106,000, and the listing shows a $600,000 repair estimate. The very expensive hunk of metal and carbon fiber is located in Long Island. Check out the listing for yourself, or read more at MotorAuthority. GKN Driveline says that German drivers are more interested in plug-in hybrids (especially with all-wheel drive) than conventional hybrid cars. In a poll of more than 1,000 drivers commissioned by GKN, 75 percent preferred PHEVs to standard hybrids, while 61.2 percent said that 50 kilometers (31 miles) of electric range is enough for their daily driving duties. About 81 percent are "wary of hybrids," most believing them to be a poor value. 52 percent said their ideal car would combine a plug and all-wheel drive. "We believe that plug-in hybrids with all-wheel drive make sense," says GKN Automotive President of Engineering Peter Moelgg, "and the public's positive response to vehicle programmes that offer this combination – like the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, BMW i8, and Porsche 918 Spyder – can only continue to grow." Read more in the press release below. NEW RESEARCH REVEALS GERMAN DRIVERS PREFER PLUG-IN HYBRIDS Lohmar, Germany, 22 March 2016: Drivers now consider plug-in hybrid vehicles to be more attractive and practical than conventional hybrids, a survey commissioned by GKN Driveline has revealed.

Bond manager has odd advice for Tesla: stop making cars

Tesla Motors said in the release of its first-quarter earnings Wednesday that it will boost its quarterly production on its Model S luxury sedan to as many as 9,000 from the approximately 7,500 it made during the first three months of the year. Bond manager Jeffrey Gundlach doesn't believe that's a good thing. Gundlach, founder of DoubleLine Capital LP, told Bloomberg News that, while Tesla is a better investment than fast-growth companies like Twitter, the automaker would improve its financial results by halting production of its vehicles and dedicating itself to making battery packs for other automakers. A spokesman for Tesla, whose shares are up almost 40 percent this year, declined to comment to Bloomberg. We'll just sit here and imagine Tesla-powered Nissan Leafs and Chevy Volts. Back in the real world, aside from its own vehicles, Tesla makes battery packs for the Toyota RAV4 EV and for some versions of the Smart Fortwo ED and the B-Class EV. Tesla and Toyota first announced their collaborative effort in 2010, which included Toyota's equity investment in Tesla as Tesla prepared to take over the old NUMMI plant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tesla said Wednesday that it took a $49.8-million first-quarter loss. Compare that to a year-earlier net income of $11.2 million. That's despite boosting revenue 10 percent from a year earlier to $620.5 million. That's largely because Tesla's selling, general and administrative costs more than doubled from a year earlier to $117.6 million.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla software suggestions, 'Audi at home' car sharing

Norwegian Tesla buff Bjorn Nyland wants the Tesla community to offer suggestions for the Firmware 7.1 over-the-air update. 7.0 includes a variety of small changes to the interface design, which Nyland discusses in depth in the video above. He offers constructive criticism, especially for things like the placement of certain data within the display. He calls upon other drivers to suggest their own changes and features they'd like to see in future updates. Nyland plans to tweet at Elon Musk once there are enough comments with hopes that Tesla will take the community's suggestions into consideration. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. A survey of NRG eVgo stations found that drivers use DC fast charging over Level 2 charging by a ratio of 12 to 1. While businesses might prefer to install a Level 2 charger because it is cheaper and could help convince the customer to linger longer while they wait for a charge, this study suggests that DC charging could actually be a better way to attract customers. But the question is how to make DC charging sustainable for businesses with regard to the costs. Read more at Green Car Reports. Audi is launching its vehicle sharing program at luxury residences in San Francisco and Miami this week. Called "Audi at home," the program provides residents with a fleet of Audi vehicles at their disposal at either hourly or daily rates. The cars – the S7, S5 Cabriolet, SQ5, TT Roadster, Q7, and RS5 Cabriolet – are all of the Prestige trim level. Drivers needn't worry about mileage charges, tolls, fuel costs, insurance, or cleaning. Just reserve the car online, and drop it off at the property's valet when finished. Audi at home is launching at the Lumina luxury condos in San Francisco and at the Four Seasons Residences in Miami, with expansion to more cities planned for the future. Read more from Audi. Ballard is partnering with bus manufacturer King Long to build fuel cell buses in China. The two companies will work together to design and deploy the hydrogen-powered buses first in China, then in King Long's global network. "We are delighted to be working with the second largest bus OEM in the world on this important fuel cell bus design and market opportunity," says Ballard President and CEO Randy MacEwen. "Together, we are looking to optimize the design in order to improve performance, while lowering cost.