Recharge Wrap-up: Mercedes to add E350e, S550e to get wireless charging,

Mercedes-Benz will give its 2017 S550e plug-in hybrid wireless charging capability. Jochen Strenkert, head of hybrid powertrain development at Mercedes, told Auto Express that the car would soon get a wireless charging option. While inductive charging is growing in popularity in the aftermarket, no major automaker has offered it as a factory option so far. The S550e will also have a greater driving range than the current version on sale in Europe. It is expected to become available in the US in the summer of 2017. Read more at Green Car Reports, or at Auto Express.

Mercedes-Benz will add the E350e plug-in hybrid to its E-Class range. Its four-cylinder engine and electric motor will offer a total output of 286 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The entire E-Class range will be equipped with stop-start for increased fuel economy. The Drive Pilot feature, included in the Driving Assistance package, adds semi-autonomous driving, including Steering Pilot, Active Lane Change Assist and Evasive Steering Assist. Read more at Green Car Congress.

Gree Electric Appliances will buy a Chinese electric car company that controls a US battery manufacturer. China's largest air-conditioner manufacturer is diversifying its business, which will include producing EVs, as it issues new shares in order to purchase Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy. Zhuhai Yinlong controls Nevada-based Altair Nanotechnologies, which produces lithium-ion batteries. Zhuhai Yinlong is also China's seventh-largest producer of electric buses. "Over-reliance on a single product is increasing the company's financial risks, especially as the air-conditioner industry is having bad years," says independent researcher Liu Buchen. He adds, "Undoubtedly, the new-energy vehicle market boasts huge growth potential, but it is difficult to say whether that can be Gree's opportunity, given the fierce competition." Read more from China Daily.