Recharge Wrap-up: No Charge To Charge expands, ethanol prices plateau?

Nissan has expanded its "No Charge To Charge" campaign to three new cities. Nissan Leaf customers in New York, Philadelphia, and Santa Barbara can now enjoy two years of free charging at participating stations. New buyers and lessees receive an EZ-Charge card that allows them free charging at ChargePoint, Blink Network, AeroVironment, and NRG eVgo chargers in their home market. With the expansion of the program, "No Charge To Charge" is now available in 26 markets throughout the US. Read more at Hybrid Cars.

Ethanol seems to have stopped following gas prices lower and lower. As oil and gas prices declined in the recent past, so did ethanol prices with its production increasing and stockpiles approaching 22 million barrels. Now, ethanol may have a new role as the costlier fuel, having reached the limit of how far its prices will drop while gasoline prices are expected to remain low for some time. Will this have an effect on production levels and ethanol export efforts? Read more from Platts.

GreenTech Malaysia took a Tesla Model S on a 787-mile road trip at virtually no cost. The first leg of the trip took the drivers from Bangi up to Kulim, a 238-mile journey, on a single charge. The Tesla charged using solar energy at a Tesla Home Charger temporarily installed at First Solar. The next day saw the car involved in demo ride sessions, before traveling to Penang, where it recharged overnight. Day three took the car to Serdang, where it recharged at a mosque, again using solar power. The return trip of 242 miles brought the car home with 11 miles of range to spare, having used an average of 187 Wh/km (301 Wh/mi). Read more about the journey at PaulTan.org.