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Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan Leaf in Puerto Rico, BMW i3 REx tax-free in NJ, BC2BC cancelled [UPDATE]

*UPDATE: Nissan has released a video of the Leaf in Puerto Rico, so we've embedded it below. Envia Systems will develop battery technology for United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). The $7.7 million contract, co-funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), involves a 36-month development program focusing on high-energy cathode and anode material for lithium-ion batteries and pouch cells for electric vehicles. The goal, of course, is to create better energy storage for less money in an effort to make commercial EVs more efficient and affordable. For the DOE, this also equates to energy security, energy independence and national security. Read more in the press release at the bottom of the page. The US and China have agreed to work together more closely on EVs, energy and climate issues. US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz went to Beijing for the sixth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to meet with leaders. While there, Moniz and Wu Xinxiong of China's National Energy Administration (NEA) signed a memorandum of understanding allowing the DOE and NEA to share information regarding oil reserves. The groups will meet yearly to learn more about how each other manages petroleum stockpiles and policy. Moniz also met with Minister Miao Wei of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and signed an MOU to cooperate on electric vehicles and "related technologies," including the "inter-operability of electric vehicles." Read more at the Energy Department website. August's BC2BC all-electric vehicle rally, billed as the largest gathering of electric vehicles, has been cancelled. The event, which was to include a drive up the entire coast from Mexico to British Columbia with smaller events along the route, failed to bring in the needed sponsorship to hold the rally for its third year. A Facebook post from organizer Tony Williams also cited loss of venue and lack of support from automakers - "particularly Nissan and Tesla" - as hardships. The event was scheduled to take place August 9 through 17, with only battery electric vehicles invited to take part - no plug-in hybrids or range-extended vehicles. Williams said he'd only try a similar event in the future if sponsorship were provided up front. Read more at Green Car Reports. The Nissan Leaf will finally go on sale in Puerto Rico.

Nissan Cube dead for 2015

Another class cut-up has graduated from our motor pool. The Nissan Cube's indefatigable weirdness was likely both its chief selling point and its Achilles Heel, but Autoblog sources say that after a six-year run in the US, the niche player has been scrubbed from the Japanese automaker's lineup.
The move is hardly unexpected - there was confirmation from Nissan Canada that it was pulling the plug on the asymmetric little front-driver in its market back in May, and sales have not exactly been sparkling here in the States, either. In June, Nissan shifted just 336 Cubes, down 23.8 percent year over year. So far this year, Nissan has sold 2,294 units, a sales pace off 30.9 percent versus 2013. At its peak in 2010, the Cube remained firmly a niche vehicle, selling 22,968 units.
Nissan North America's Dan Passe, senior manager of product communications, maintains that "We are continuing to sell the 2014 Cube and we haven't made an announcement about future model plans," but Autoblog sources indicate that an official announcement will be coming in the next couple of months, and the Cube has been conspicuously left off of an exhaustive 2015 lineup "Charting the Changes" announcement released on Tuesday.

Recharge Wrap-up: Lucky fan to drive Porsche 918 Spyder, Avis Denmark has 861 Nissan EVs

A Tesla Model S customer shares his story of ownership over the course of 120,000 miles. Dante Richardson describes new software updates as being akin to anticipating the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks. Over the many miles he's driven the car, he has only learned to enjoy it more. "I don't know if it's the software updates or some of the other changes that have occurred with the car, but I find myself increasingly enamored and happy with the car as time has passed," Richardson says. His Volvo C70, in the meantime, usually sits idle as he opts to drive the Tesla. Read more at Tesla's website. A Facebook fan from Austria has won the opportunity to drive the Porsche 918 Spyder more than 622 miles. As part of a celebration for Porsche accumulating 10 million likes on the social media platform, Ingo Georges Vandenberghe will drive from London to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, via Wales and the Cotswolds, stopping occasionally to have other fans meet up to see and sign the car. It's a rare opportunity for the lucky driver, as every example of the high-performance Porsche hybrid has been sold. Read more at Hybrid Cars, and learn more about the celebration at Porsche's microsite. Avis Denmark now has the largest fleet of Nissan electric vehicles in Europe. The company has ordered 401 new Nissan e-NV200 vans and 60 Nissan Leafs for its leasing scheme. This is in addition to the 400 Leafs the Avis added to its fleet last year. "We had great success already with the Nissan Leaf in Denmark and we leased all of the units we purchased from Nissan very quickly, which has led to us ordering more," says Kasper Gjedsted, managing director of Avis Denmark. "To follow up that success we have decided to add the e-NV200 vehicle to broaden our offering and appeal to new types of customers." Read more in the press release below. AVIS ORDER CREATES EUROPE'S LARGEST FLEET OF NISSAN ELECTRIC VEHICLES - AVIS Denmark orders 401 Nissan e-NV200 vans and 60 Nissan LEAF electric cars - Combined with last year's order of 400 LEAFs, Avis now has largest EV fleet in Europe Copenhagen, 29th April 2015 - Nissan and AVIS Denmark have signed a deal to create the largest fleet of Nissan electric vehicles anywhere in Europe, with a new order of 401 Nissan e-NV200 vans and a further 60 units of the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF.