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Recharge Wrap-up: Q50 Hybrid video, Iran's biodiesel weed

A new video from Infiniti showcases the Q50 Hybrid's kinetic energy recovery technology, borrowed from Formula One. The video details what is going on inside both the Q50 Hybrid and the racecar when it gathers energy to store for later use, offering better performance than an internal combustion engine alone. In the Q50 Hybrid, that electric energy helps the car accelerate from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. The video also serves to highlight the relationship between racing innovation and performance and efficiency improvements in production vehicles. See the video above. The 2015 Toyota Prius C has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The compact hybrid, updated for the 2015 model year, has been upgraded from a "poor" to "acceptable" rating in the small overlap crash test, placing it on the Top Safety Pick list. Beginning in the 2016 model year, cars will have to score a "good" rating on the test to make the list, which means further improvements will be necessary if Toyota wants the Prius C to maintain its safety status with the IIHS. Read more at Green Car Reports. A couple in Tennessee have been found guilty of scamming the state in a fake biodiesel scheme. John and Lisa Brichetto's Northington Energy LLC received a state loan to produce biodiesel in 2011, but the facility never started production and was later foreclosed upon. In addition to the $142,215 the Brichettos defrauded from Tennessee, the state also invested in utilities and roads, while the US Department of Agriculture also paid for site improvements. Read more from the Times Free Press. Researchers in Iran have developed a way to make biodiesel from a weed. Scientists at the Islamic Azad University have created two liters of biomass for biofuel from flixweed. Flixweed, also called herb-Sophia and tansy mustard, is a non-edible weed that grows in various climates with little to no effort. It was found to contain 22 percent oil and fatty acids, and the biomass contains oxygenated chemical components. "This issue is important because the atomic oxygen in the fuel of a car directly cuts exhaust and the dangerous carbon monoxide and cancerous particles suspended in air," says Mehdi Alami, a chemistry graduate working on the project. Read more at Press TV.

Zombie cars: 9 discontinued vehicles that aren't dead yet

Car models come and go, but as revealed by monthly sales data, once a car is discontinued, it doesn't just disappear instantly. And in the case of some models, vanishing into obscurity can be a slow, tedious process. That's the case with the 12 cars we have here. All of them have been discontinued, but car companies keep racking up "new" sales with them. There are actually more discontinued cars that are still registering new sales than what we decided to include here. We kept this list to the oldest or otherwise most interesting vehicles still being sold as new, including a supercar. We'll run the list in alphabetical order, starting with *drumroll* ... BMW 6 Series: 55 total sales BMW quietly removed the 6 Series from the U.S. market during the 2019 model year. It had been available in three configurations, a hardtop coupe, a convertible and a sleek four-door coupe-like shape.   BMW i8: 18 total sales We've always had a soft spot for the BMW i8, despite the fact that it never quite fit into a particular category. It was sporty, but nowhere near as fast as similarly-priced competitors. It looked very high-tech and boasted a unique carbon fiber chassis design and a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but wasn't really designed for maximum efficiency or maximum performance. Still, the in-betweener was very cool to look at and drive, and 18 buyers took one home over the course of 2021.   Chevy Impala: 750 total sales The Impala represented classic American tastes at a time when American tastes were shifting away from soft-riding sedans with big interior room and trunk space and into higher-riding crossovers. A total of 750 sales were inked last year.   Chrysler 200: 15 total sales The Chrysler 200 was actually a pretty nice sedan, with good looks and decent driving dynamics let down by a lack of roominess, particularly in the back seat. Of course, as we said regarding the Chevy Impala, the number of Americans in the market for sedans is rapidly winding down, and other automakers are following Chrysler's footsteps in canceling their slow-selling four-doors. Even if Chrysler never really found its footing in the ultra-competitive midsize sedan segment, apparently dealerships have a few leftover 2017 200s floating around. And for some reason, 15 buyers decided to sign the dotted line to take one of these aging sedans home last year.

Recharge Wrap-up: TRD Toyota Prius, new Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell dealer

A new study predicts that biofuels capacity will grow to 61 billion gallons per year by 2018. The findings from Lux Research also suggest that biodiesel and ethanol will make up 96 percent (about 5.76 billion gallons) of that. Sixty-four percent of biofuels will come from the Americas, led by the US and Brazil, but with Colombia and Argentina emerging as important producers. Other large emerging producers are China, Indonesia, and Thailand in Asia, and Portugal, Poland, and France in Europe. A large share of next-generation biofuels are expected to come from waste oils. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Images of Toyota Racing Development equipment for the 2016 Prius have leaked. The images show what are likely cosmetic upgrades for the JDM version of the hybrid, including a rear spoiler, front spoiler lip, extended side skirts and a selection of wheels ranging from 15 to 18 inches. Also shown are LED daytime running lights and a dual-tip, centrally mounted exhaust. Expect to see the official reveal of the TRD Prius at the Tokyo Motor Show, where there will surely be more details about the add-ons, including the possibility of some interior features. See the leaked images and read more at Motor1. A fourth Hyundai dealer in southern California now sells the Tucson Fuel Cell. Keyes Hyundai in northern Los Angeles has met the requirements to sell the hydrogen-powered CUV. So far, Hyundai has delivered more than 75 Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles, which have logged almost 700,000 miles on southern California roads. "Keyes Hyundai is thrilled to be added as a qualified dealer for Hyundai's zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen electric vehicle," says David Kohan, the dealership's general manager. "Our location in the northern Los Angeles region makes it even more convenient for local residents to conveniently acquire their new Tucson Fuel Cell CUV, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions." The other qualified dealerships are located in Anaheim, Carson and Tustin. Read more in the press release below. Keyes Hyundai In Los Angeles Added To Growing Collection Of Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Dealers Keyes Hyundai Joins Tustin Hyundai, Win Hyundai in Carson and Hardin Hyundai in Anaheim as a Qualified Hydrogen Fuel Cell Dealer LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Keyes Hyundai in Los Angeles became the fourth qualified dealer for Hyundai's zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen electric vehicle today. Hyundai is the only manufacturer in the U.S.