Wednesday 16th May 2018. AUDI E-TRON LOOKS ALMOST PRODUCTION-READY IN NEW SPY PHOTOS Motor 1 has got hold of new spy shots of the forthcoming Audi e-tron quattro, and as were about 3 months away from seeing it on 30th August, it's pretty much finished. Motor 1 says: "Our talented spy photographers have sent us this batch of shots with a near production prototype of the EV, undergoing testing in southern Germany. Under the clothes will be an electric propulsion, which will produce somewhere in the region of 435 horsepower (320 kilowatts). What’s more important, the vehicle will be able to travel up to 248.5 miles (400 kilometers) at a single charge." The battery is 95kWh, and my take from the pics, it's very similar to the Mercedes EQC and the Jaguar I-PACE. There will always be comparisons to the Tesla Model X but it looks more compact.   BMW GROUP PASSES 250,000 MILESTONE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON THE ROAD "BMW Group has reached the major milestone of 250,000 of its electric vehicles being on the road around the world. Announcing its sales figures for April following a record-breaking first quarter, the German automotive giant revealed that it had shipped nearly 10,000 EVs in that month alone, pushing it past the quarter of a million mark." according to BusinessChief. "We are delighted to announce that there are now over a quarter of a million electrified BMW Group vehicles on the world’s roads,” said Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Brand BMW. "Combined sales of BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles were up 52% in April (9,831). We are well on track to deliver on our stated target to sell over 140,000 electrified vehicles this year."   'MILD HYBRID' KIA SPORTAGE DUE LATER THIS YEAR 48v mild hybrids are an attractive way for car makers to add some electrification without the expense of a hybrid or plug in hybrid system, whilst doing enough to lower the MPG. Kia look like they'll be doing that to their Sportage in the second half of this year reports Fleetworld: "The technology includes a compact 48-volt battery under the boot floor, charged using energy recuperated through a motor-generator connected to the engine’s crankshaft. It means the engine can switch off earlier and for longer, even while the car is moving, and lean on a 13bhp power boost from the motor while accelerating, both of which reduce fuel consumption."   TESLA MODEL 3 TRAVELS 515.7 MILES ON SINGLE CHARGE IN HYPERMILE RU We love a good story of hypermiling. Being very gentle with your right foot and possibly following trucks too closely which we don't recommend. And Teslarati have picked up on this "A Tesla Model 3 driven by Denver Tesla Club president Sean M. Mitchell just set a hypermile record, traveling 515.7 miles (830 km) on a single charge. The trip, which lasted 18 hours, started from Denver, CO and ended in Topeka, KS." He did it at 30mph, Chill mode was on and regen was on low. And of course you wouldn't try this attempt without the Model 3 Aero Wheels. @SeamMMitchell: "515.7 mi (830 km): Though well short of intentions, great to set the benchmark for longest hypermile in a #Tesla #Model3. The last 100 mi really cut into range (poor route planning). Decided to play it safe and stop early."   LEAKED EMAIL SAYS TESLA MAY HAVE HUGE BURST OF MODEL 3 PRODUCTION THIS WEEK CNBC reports on another email from Elon Musk. Now we know what he meant by Tesla being a leaky sieve of information. "The email said it is "quite likely" Tesla will make more than 500 Model 3 cars per day this week, which would be a 75 percent increase over last month, Electrek said. Tesla was not immediately available for comment. Musk also asked employees to identify any production bottlenecks."   CHINA'S FAW TO INVEST $260M IN BYTON "Chinese state-owned carmaker FAW Group has agreed to invest around $260 million in China-backed electric car start-up Byton as part of an ongoing series-B funding round, two people w