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City of LA's electric vehicle fleet includes a Tesla Model S
For anyone who thought that Los Angeles' efforts to turn its traffic problems green would end after a partnership with Waze, think again. The City of Angels has committed to leasing 160 battery-powered electric vehicles and 128 plug-in hybrids for its municipal fleet. A post on the LAPD blog says that the police, fire, general services, water and power departments will split the former, while the general services will also take all of the latter. Mayor Eric Garcetti says that this move puts LA closer to its goal of becoming the "most sustainable city in America."
BMW i8 Concept Spyder takes to the road, sounds almost as gorgeous as it looks (video)
It's been less than a year since our first opportunity to get up close and personal with BMW's i8 plug-in electric car, and now the German automaker is back to tease a whole new beast. The Concept Spyder made a static appearance over the weekend, but today the sportier i8 has returned to the spotlight, with video footage in tow. BimmerPost managed to share some clips via YouTube, including a straight-cut-gear-fueled drive around a parking lot and across a lamp-lit bridge, somewhere in the Eastern U.S., believe it or not (take note of the I-95 sign in the first few seconds). You can also gawk at some side-to-side pans of the Spyder's exterior, with a few HD interior close-ups to boot. And where can you find said stimulating simulations? Buckle up and click past the break.Update: That's Miami there in the bridge scene. A perfect setting for the Spyder test drive.
BMW adds extra sportiness to its i-series lineup, unveils i8 Concept Spyder
We've swooned over BMW's i3 and i8 plug-in gasoline electric hybrids for some time now, so naturally our hearts raced today when the company announced its latest addition to the series, the i8 Concept Spyder. What you're looking at is essentially a sportier version of the i8 Coupe, with the appropriate accents and design tweaks to match. So, what's different in this variant of the nearly gull-winged wonder with a 96 kW / 131hp electric motor up front and 164 kW / 223hp gasoline engine on back? BMW notes that the vehicle features a shorter wheelbase and overall length (all while maintaining its 50-50 weight distribution), a slighter darker interior and refreshed paint job on its exterior, topless roof and even a pair of matching folded kickboards(!) that stow in the back. BMW hasn't mentioned when they'll be showing this Spyder in flesh, but as Autoblog notes, the New York Auto show is only a week way -- and we'll be sure to let you know if we spot it ourselves. In the meantime, you can zip over to Autoblog and the press release after the break for the details.
BMW i3 electric and i8 plug-in cars on display at Frankfurt
We've seen 'em as sketches and we've seen 'em having fun on the snow, but now, after getting a few upgrades, they're parked on the stage at Frankfurt. BMW rolled out its new i3 and i8 electric cars, part of a new sub-brand focused on efficiency and responsive driving -- though it'll ultimately be up to the driver to determine just how responsively these behave on the road. The i3 is a pure electric, 150km range (about 100 miles) and a very lightweight construction of both aluminum and carbon fiber. The i8, meanwhile, is a plug-in hybrid that is said to deliver about 87MPG and yet still get from 0 - 60MPH in under five seconds. Spunky, then. It also sports those funky laser headlights that are both far more efficient and far more awesome sounding than current LED models. This is what they look like in the flesh, and if all goes according to plan you'll be seeing them for yourselves when they enter production in 2013. %Gallery-133335% %Gallery-129536%
