Recharge Wrap-up: Kia Niro caught at Nurburgring, Tesla & Ben & Jerry

Sat, May 30 2015

The Kia Niro hybrid was spied testing at the Nurburgring. The prototype of the 2016 Niro — which originally appeared as a concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show Â— is heavily camouflaged, so it is hard to tell which exterior features have been carried over. Its plate is registered to a hybrid, but other powertrain details are unavailable (the concept was equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and electric drive system good for 158 horsepower). When it goes on sale, positioned below the Soul in Kia's lineup, it will only be available as a hybrid, with a plug-in hybrid version expected in later years. See the video above, and read more at Autoevolution and at Hybrid Cars.

A new report from IHS Automotive predicts the EV charger market to surpass 12.7 million units by 2020. In Japan, the number of EV charging stations has surpassed the number of gas stations. The Netherlands, UK and Norway are the leaders in EV chargers in Europe, while Germany and France are slow in their infrastructure growth, relative to their size. CHAdeMO is the more popular charging standard worldwide, but CCS is expected to close the gap. According to the report, PHEVs will become more abundant than BEVs in 2016, and will remain so for a while. Read more at Green Car Congress.

Kandi Electric Vehicles has signed a strategic agreement with telecommunications company ZTE Corporation and EV leasing company Zhejiang ZuoZhongYou Electric Vehicle Service (ZZY). The three groups will work together to improve Kandi's "Micro Public Transportation (MPT)" carsharing program. They'll collaborate on promotion, creating a research institute, doing research and development for wireless charging and making their operating system easier to use, among other endeavors. "We are excited to connect Kandi's innovative MPT model with ZTE's cutting-edge technologies," says Kandi Chairman and CEO Hu Xiaoming. "By leveraging ZZY's premium services, our goal is to accelerate MPT's market penetration, maintain our leadership position and achieve greater success in China's booming EV industry." Read more in the press release below.

Ben & Jerry's debuted a new ice cream flavor at the Tesla Motors factory in Fremont, CA. Tesla built a special Model S in honor of the event and the new flavor, which is called Save Our Swirled. The flavor was introduced to help promote awareness about climate change, and the front trunk of the Model S held a petition for attendees to sign from Ben & Jerry's nonprofit partner, Avaaz. Pints of Save Our Swirled also include a link to the petition. So what exactly is the Save Our Swirled flavor? Ben & Jerry's describes it as "Raspberry Ice Cream with Marshmallow & Raspberry Swirls & Dark & White Fudge Ice Cream Cones." Climate change awareness has never sounded so delicious. Read more at Teslarati.

Kandi Forms Strategic Partnership With ZTE and ZZY to Promote Micro Public Transportation

Leaders in Micro Public Transportation, Wireless Automotive Charging and Electric Vehicle Leasing to Focus on Technology, Performance and Operating Efficiency

JINHUA, China, May 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (the "Company" or "Kandi") (Nasdaq:KNDI), today announced that Kandi Electric Vehicles Group Co., Ltd. (the "JV Company", a 50/50 Joint Venture between Kandi and Shanghai Maple Guorun Automobile Co., Ltd., a 99% owned subsidiary of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. 00175HK) signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement (the "Agreement") with ZTE Corporation ("ZTE") (0763.HK/000063.SZ), a leading international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for Mobile Internet, and Zhejiang ZuoZhongYou Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd. ("ZZY"), an electric vehicle ("EV") leasing company.

Under the Agreement, Kandi, ZTE and ZZY will combine their expertise and resources to promote the Micro Public Transportation ("MPT") program with advanced wireless charging technologies. The parties will jointly:

-- Market the MPT program in China and conduct R&D for automotive wireless charging and other core EV technologies.

-- Establish a research institute, which will focus on key topics, including MPT operation optimization, big data analysis and self-service EV rental.

-- Apply for China's National Program on Key Research Projects to resolve technological challenges for EVs.

-- Enhance the MPT operating system with a focus on performance efficiency and user experience.

-- Explore and develop an information platform for the MPT program, which facilitates the expansion of the EV infrastructure network.

"We are excited to connect Kandi's innovative MPT model with ZTE's cutting-edge technologies," commented Mr. Hu Xiaoming, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kandi. "By leveraging ZZY's premium services, our goal is to accelerate MPT's market penetration, maintain our leadership position, and achieve greater success in China's booming EV industry."

By John Beltz Snyder