Polaris, Brammo, Porsche, Scion, Gigafactory, Toyota, McLaren.
Polaris buys Brammo’s motorcycle business: The investment will allow Brammo to focus solely on designing, developing and integrating electric drivetrains. Polaris’ will help market vehicles using Brammo technology and utilize the assets acquired to manufacture electric motorcycles later this year.
puregreencars.com, electriccarsreport.com
Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 unveiled: The second generation of the Le Mans racer features a more angular nose than last year’s design. The hybrid drivetrain will consist of a V4 gasoline engine, an electric motor to power the front wheels, as well as two recuperation systems.
autosport.com, jalopnik.com, greencarcongress.com
Toyota kills Scion iQ: Due to ever falling sales figures, the company is pulling its Smart lookalike off the market. The electric variant had already been cancelled with fewer than 200 units built. Scion as a brand will continue to exist. If it will venture into the electric or hybrid market again remains to be seen.
greencarreports.com
Gigafactory update: Recent construction permits for Tesla’s battery plant in Nevada reveal that just laying foundation will cost some 16 million dollars and the first phase of structural steel construction another 15 million. The total cost of the project is estimated at 5 billion dollars. Right next door, the company Switch will build what will be the world’s largest data centre.
forbes.com (Tesla), gigaom.com (Switch)
Toyota recall: In the U.S., the carmaker is calling back 5,000 Prius V from model years 2014 and 2015 due to possible issues with the Occupant Classification System (OCS). The system is responsible for activating and deactivating the passenger seat air bag and may not have been calibrated correctly.
puregreencars.com, autoblog.com
McLaren P1 GTR headed for Geneva: The track-only hypercar will be unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show as a world premiere. The GTR features a tweaked version of the hybrid system from the P1 road car and only existing P1 owners will get a chance to buy it.
roadandtrack.com (with video), topgear.com
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