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Recharge Wrap-up: QR code hints at Tesla Supercharger in Mexico, Lyft tests scheduling

Renault takes part in Fast-E.

A QR code in a parking garage hints at an upcoming Tesla Supercharger in Mexico. The mysterious QR code directs to a tweet from Elon Musk where he affirms that Tesla will expand its charging network into Mexico "this year." The folks at Teslarati reached out to the automaker, and a spokesperson responded by saying, "Yes, we can confirm that we are planning on having our first Supercharger in Mexico in Cuernavaca City." That's about 50 miles south of Mexico City, where the country's lone Tesla store is located. Read more at Teslarati.

Lyft is testing out a ride scheduling system for its ride-hailing service in San Francisco. When requesting a ride, users can select a pickup time up to 24 hours out, ensuring they'll be able to get where they need to go. Users can cancel or change the time up to 30 minutes before their scheduled ride. Lyft says it plans to expand the scheduling service to more users this summer. Read more from Lyft, or at Green Car Congress.

Renault is partnering with other automakers and charging operators as part of the EU's Fast-E charging project. Fast-E seeks to install fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, financed by the EU and nine companies, including Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan. The 278 charging stations will be installed every 50 miles along the major roadways by the end of the year, at a cost of about $20 million. A sister project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia plans to add another 30 charging stations in those countries. Read more in the press release below.

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Renault is a partner of the European fast-charging project Fast-E in Germany

• Official launch of Fast-E project co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, including Renault, in Berlin and Brussels.
• 241 charging stations installed in Germany and 37 in Belgium by the end of 2016.
• A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia adds another 30 charging stations.

The 278 charging points set up every 80 km along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, will allow drivers of electric vehicles to "refuel" and extend their car's range. The total investment of the EU-funded cooperation is approximately €18 million.

Every one of the multi-standard fast-chargers spread out over four countries have AC and DC connections, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles' batteries easily and quickly. Electric vehicles can be charge up to 80% on the charging stations within an hour.

RENAULT IS NUMBER ONE IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN EUROPE

Renault sells more electric vehicles in Europe than any other car manufacturer and had a market share of over 23 percent in 2015. Indeed, nearly one out of every four electric vehicles sold in Europe comes from the French manufacturer. The Renault electric vehicle product range includes the compact five-door hatchback ZOE, the Kangoo Z.E. and Kangoo Maxi Z.E. vans, the agile two-seater Twizy and the compact carrier Twizy Cargo.

About Fast-E:
Under the leadership of the charging station operator Allego, the project Fast-E brings together nine companies in the industry, including three charging station operators (RWE Effizienz, enviaM and Allego) as well as four car manufacturers (Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, RENAULT SAS, NISSAN CENTER EUROPE), DB Energie GmbH, a subsidiary of DEUTSCHE BAHN and the Hamburg-based company hySOLUTIONS, which, as a competence centre in several charging infrastructure projects, is responsible for the integration of new drive technologies in urban transport. The quick-charging stations installed as part of the project employ the Combined Charging System (CCS) and CHAdeMO, each with up to 50 kW power output, as well as a type 2 connector with 43 kW power output. The project is expected to end in December 2017 with the completion of the accompanying studies; the charging infrastructure will continue to operate commercially thereafter.

About Allego:
Allego operates a charging infrastructure network for electric vehicles in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. The company, headquartered in Arnhem and having subsidiaries in Germany and in Belgium, has a neutral market position as a pure operator and is independent from suppliers in regards to charging technology. This helps Allego ensure maximum flexibility and a high degree of reliability in the availability of charging facilities. The special focus in the development and operation of charging technology for electric vehicles lies in the creation of a comprehensive network of normal and quick chargers. For this purpose, the company has already installed 86 quick chargers on Dutch, German and Belgian motorways.

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