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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.

Pininfarina teases its Tesla- and Bugatti-baiting EV supercar

Pininfarina isn't being bashful when it comes to getting into the car business. The Italian design house has revealed a sketch of the PF0 Concept, an electric supercar aimed directly at the world's fastest and most expensive vehicles. With upward of 1,000 horsepower, along with an expected price in the millions of dollars, this extreme EV is meant as a calling card for Pininfarina's upcoming range of electric cars and SUVs. So should the likes of Tesla, Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti and Lamborghini be worried? Pininfarina might be new to building its own cars, but the company has many decades of experience designing and engineering some of the most desirable cars of all time — including many of the finest supercars to have worn a Ferrari badge on their nose. As we reported earlier this year, Pininfarina has teamed with Indian auto manufacturer, Mahindra, to develop a range of high-end EVs. With this roughly $500 million investment, not to mention some engineering help from Croatian supercar manufacturer, Rimac, Pininfarina aims to start high. The company will first introduce a hypercar, based on the PF0 Concept, within two years, then bring along a range of more affordable electric cars and SUVs. These will more directly take on the likes of Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, and Tesla Model X. So yes, if you're in the business of building expensive cars, especially ones with a lot of batteries positioned inside them, Pininfarina's plans for the PF0 (that's a zero, not the letter "O," by the way) should make you sit up and take notice. "Automobili Pininfarina is a pioneering new business created to service the most discerning clients in the world," said Michael Perschke, CEO for Automobili Pininfarina. "Our product portfolio will launch with an innovative, zero-emissions hypercar that represents the progression we aim to make at the pinnacle of the luxury and sports car market." According to its press release, Pininfarina is currently presenting its "business and product plans to prospective retailer partners, clients and media in New York this week." After its tour of the Big Apple, look for Pininfarina to officially reveal the PF0 Concept during Monterey Car Week in August. Related Video: Design/Style Green Bugatti Lamborghini Porsche Tesla Electric Future Vehicles Luxury Performance Pebble Beach supercar mahindra hypercar Rimac

Porsche close to fix for 911 GT3 engine fires

It looks like 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 drivers might actually get to drive their cars again soon. Reports of fires affecting the track-ready Germans first began about a month ago. Then, a few days later, the automaker confirmed two of the five alleged blazes and said owners shouldn't drive their cars until further notice. Porsche then went so far as to offer to pick up the GT3s and transport them to the nearest dealer until the problem was identified and a fix was found. Finally, there appears to be a repair.
"We know the reason and the problem-solving measures. We're testing them," said Porsche CEO Matthias Müller to Bloomberg. The technical fix will be released to owners shortly.
The recall affects all 785 GT3s that have been sold so far, but there have been no reported injuries caused by the fires. When it first announced the safety campaign, Porsche said: "Internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet."