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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla details factory expansion; Ford and SunPower raise money for Sierra Club

Tesla has revealed the details of the upgrade of its Fremont, CA factory. One major change is the addition of a dedicated production space for the dual-motor P85D version of the Model S. Robots will be doing the battery installation on the Model S to save some time, and new export docks allow Tesla to get the cars out the door and on the way to their new owners more quickly. The new robots that move the cars around the factory have been named after X-Men characters, which makes our inner geeks smile. Check out the factory upgrade in the time-lapse video below and read more at Teslarati or at the Tesla Motors Blog. A program in Beijing for privileged registrations for EVs hasn't had much success. Of the 1,424 lottery winners, only about 30 percent went on to register an electric car despite a two-month extension of the deadline to do so. Buyers are likely discouraged by the lack of charging infrastructure, which the city hopes to ameliorate with the addition of 1,000 new charging stations by the end of the year, and by requiring new and renovated developments to set aside parking specifically for EV charging. Read more at Green Car Reports. The UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies suggests that laws designed to protect dealers and consumers are stymieing the adoption of EVs. Laws like the ones certain states have in place that block or otherwise restrict Tesla's direct-to-consumer business model are not helpful for companies that want to introduce new products to the market. They prevent companies from passing on savings to customers for whom they would likely make the difference in a purchasing decision. One possible solution would be to allow exemptions to certain selling restrictions for a certain number of vehicles sold. "This could give automakers the degree of control needed to work out kinks with early customers, develop scalable processes for supporting PEVs, and ensure that effective dealer performance standards are in place before handing the reins over to wholly independent retailers," according to UC Davis ITS. Read more at the UC Davis website. Volkswagen says its environmental program, called "Think Blue. Factory," is meeting the automaker's own sustainability targets. The main purpose of the program is to move toward eco-friendlier carmaking at each of its plants worldwide.

Signature Edition Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake to get limited production run

The upcoming Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang keeps grabbing a horde of headlines thanks in no small part to the pony car's 5.2-liter V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft, magnetic dampers and other go-fast goodies. However, as the new contender enters the ring, Shelby American is saying goodbye to the old GT500 and the company's even more powerful Super Snake version with its new Signature Edition model. Limited to a total of 50 conversions on 2007-2014 coupe or convertible GT500s, the Shelby American Signature Edition packages some of buyers' most common choices into a single vehicle with a few extra touches, as well. The heart of it all is a 3.6-liter Kenne Bell supercharger to replace the V8's standard blower and take power up to a claimed 850 horsepower for the latest models. To keep things running at the proper temp, the mill gets an upgraded radiator, heat exchanger and aluminum cooling tanks, too. The rear brakes are also improved to slow this stallion down. In addition to the boosted power, buyers get some extra style. These special Super Snakes are available in all of the colors available on them from Ford, plus a range of shades for the stripe, and the wide body package can also be added as an additional option. The limited version wears 20-inch forged wheels from Weld that are 9.5-inches wide at the front and 10.5-inches at the rear and feature Signature Edition center caps. Inside, there's a commemorative badge with Shelby's signature on the airbag cover and Signature Edition floor mats. Finally, customers get a day training at the track to learn how to control this beast as part of the package. Orders for the Signature Edition are being accepted through January 31, 2015, and the modded model is priced at $44,995.00, which is in addition to the price of the stock GT500. Read below for Shelby American's full announcement of this limited Mustang. SHELBY AMERICAN'S SIGNATURE EDITION GT500 SUPER SNAKE PACKAGES TO HONOR FINAL 2007-2014 MODEL YEAR CARS NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · Shelby American to offer 50 total Signature Edition Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snakes · Special badging and stripe colors offered for every model year for first time in history · Offer expires January 31, 2015 LAS VEGAS – Dec. 20, 2014 –Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), has unveiled a Signature Edition Super Snake package to honor the end of production for the current generation Ford Shelby GT500.

Ford Mondeo with 1.5-liter EcoBoost debuts in China

Does the car above, posing fancifully in white, look familiar? Well, it should. Although it wears Mondeo badges in the form you see above for the Chinese market - as it does in Europe - the car is basically the same thing sold in the US as the Ford Fusion. Of course, it's what's under that shapely skin that counts.
Ford has chosen the Shanghai Motor Show as the venue with which to unveil its 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. We'd heard about the engine before, but now we have a few performance estimates to share: 133 kW of power (about 178 horsepower) and 240 Nm of torque (about 177 pound-feet).
Those numbers pretty much confirm previous rumors indicating about 177 in each category, and it's right on par with what Ford's own 1.6-liter EcoBoost produces. Ford is claiming best-in-class fuel economy as well, but no specific figures have yet been provided. In any case, we'll surely have all the data soon enough, as the 1.5-liter mill is destined for the US Fusion in 2014.