In other news today:

• Speculation is building about a BMW  i5 – all-electric family car, possibly an MPV-ish hatch.
• Just reading more about the cylinder shutdown tech in the Audi A1 Sportback 1.4 TSI (detailed story at Autocar). Expect this to be rolled out across the VW Group in the TSI engines in due course (thanks, @paul_barker).
• Toyota’s just delivered its 400,000th hybrid in Europe. That’s three generations-worth of  Priuses, plus the Burnaston-built Auris Hybrid.

JLR has five Range_e prototypes (first seen at last year’s Geneva Show) running around on real-world road-testing, as part of the government-backed CABLED programme. This 24-month project is near to close now but has, say insiders, yielded loads of useful data and feedback from users.

Range_e is based on the Range Rover Sport – though this is not necessarily the model in which the tech will make its production debut – and has the standard-issue 245hp 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, new JLR eight-speed auto gearbox plus a 69kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery which can be recharged from a domestic power socket. All-electric range is around 20 miles – easily achieved in the tests so far, apparently – and total range 690 miles; combined fuel economy is 85mpg and CO2 emissions average 89g/km, and JLR promises that both road performance and off-road ability will be uncompromised (it’s permanent all-wheel drive, with front, rear and locking central differentials).

It starts up in all-electric mode – unless the battery has insufficient charge – and can run at normal urban speeds within the electric range; under acceleration or for high-speed cruising, the electric-drive supplements the engine. At the moment, it’s all automatic, but production vehicles will have selectable modes (i.e. sports or energy-saving) and the next stage of the programme is to fine-tune the switches between the different power sources and the different modes. As it stands, however, the prototypes are already pretty refined – albeit with some temporary measures such as cloth seats, to save weight (production models are unlikely to skimp on the sumptuous Range Rover leather, and weight will be saved by other measures, such as more aluminium components).

Though a conventional diesel-electric hybrid is scheduled to make its debut next year, a plug-in Land Rover model is still a few years from production. The good news, though, is that the technology is scalable and potentially suitable for application in all the models across the Jaguar Land Rover line-up, subject to issues of cost being resolved. Work also continues on plug-in petrol-electric and range-extender tech, as per the Jaguar XJ-based Limo Green demo car, and JLR isn’t ruling out all-electric or hydrogen/fuel cell cars at some point in the future either.

In other news today:

• EcoMotors, developer of the OPOC (opposed-piston, opposed-cylinder) engine, is running a design competition with students on the Art Center Pasadena and College for Creative Studies, Detroit, car design courses.  The compact, super-light OPOC engine allows for different packaging and positioning in a car’s body,  says EcoMotors, which has been funded by Bill Gates and thus stands a fighting chance of bringing its concept to fruition. More on the comp at Green Car Congress.

• The first Better Place battery-swap facilities, supporting lease-drivers of the Renault Fluence ZE, started operation in Israel this week. Roll-out in Denmark next.

• Bogota, Columbia, is to get electric taxis: it’s part of the C40-CCI network (Clinton Climate Initiative) and the cars will be supplied by BYD (e6) and Mitsubishi (i-MiEV). More at Green Car Congress.

BMW is looking for 700 drivers in seven US cities – Boston, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and Hartford – to lease the 1-Series ActivE electric car. It’s a 24-month programme, demanding $2,250 down and $499 a month. These are the only examples of the ActivE to be available, and all data and feedback will be collected to inform the development of the full-production i3. More about this (pay-to-play) field trial here.

• BMW’s US tech office is also partnering with cloud-computing experts Tendril to build a ‘show home’ in Mountain View, California, to support the launch of the ActivE. This demo smart house will feature a cloud-based energy management system which will control and monitor the car-charging equipment, solar panels, water heaters, appliances and communications with the grid. More at Green Car Congress.

• Sensible real-world, here-and-now stuff: turn your engine off if you’re stationary for more than a minute, says Transport for London. Not only will you save fuel, you’ll help reduce air pollution. Advice does not apply to those already driving cars with stop-start…

• Latest update on the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for Europe) ‘platooning’  experiments here: first successful demos have taken place. The Ricardo/Volvo Trucks-led consortium is testing autonomously-controlled vehicle convoys near Gothenburg; video showing how the tech works here.

• More from Green Car Congress, more cloud stuff: OnStar is working with Google HQ on monitoring charging of the company’s 17 Chevy Volts, using renewable-source energy. A smartphone app to prioritise renewable use could thus be included in the OnStar suite. Handy diagram to understand this at Green Car Reports, btw.

• Solar sunroofs: on sale soon, reports Treehugger. The BASF/Phillips OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) tech seen on last year’s Smart Forvision concept is near-production; solar-powered interior lighting plus photochromatic roof.

• Mercedes-Benz is going to sell the B-Class E-Cell extended-range EV in the US, reports Automotive News. The B-Class E-Cell prototype seen at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show had a three-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol engine which actd as a generator plus electric motor, and promised an all-electric range of 62 miles; total range was 373 miles. An announcement may be made at the New York Motor Show this coming April, says PlugInCars.com.

• Toyota has started testing an LMP1 Le Mans Prototype racer – and it’ll be a petrol-electric hybrid. Some consolation for Peugeot’s pulling-out of Le Mans; the Toyota is expected to make its debut at Spa in May prior to the 24 Hours itself.

• Can’t wait for the debut of the Fiat 500 Wagon? Or will this mini-estate not be big enough? Crazy coachbuilding firm Castagna Milano (the company behind Gadaffi’s Fiat 500 EV) has created a 500 stretch limo – and it’s all-electric. Very silly indeed. More at The Charging Point.

• The French government, meanwhile, is funding a project called e-MECA to develop high power density solutions for motor-generators. It’s coordinated by Valeo and will run for three years. More at Green Car Congress.

• Volkswagen E-Bugster (pictured) is a “serious proposal” for production, reports Autocar.

• Renault is running an EV-related design competition for students – and the first prize is a year’s-worth (up to £9000) of tuition fees paid. Second prize is a weekend for two in Paris. Check out www.designatwizy.co.uk for the lowdown; Renault will also be taking the Twizy on a campus tour, going to University College London, Birmingham City Uni, Manchester Metropolitan and Glasgow Uni next month to promote the two-seat city EV as a student transport solution.

Intriguingly, Hiriko itself is  said to be “capable of folding up for parking” (no further details on this as yet). It’s four-wheel-drive, and will boast state-of-the-art connectivity (the project consortium has also been working on autonomous and self-guided vehicle technology). It is designed for use as a public-access shared vehicle, to be hired via a smartphone booking/charging system.

Trials of the first cars will start later this year in several European and American cities – and whilst the first cars will be built in the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the plan is for them to be assembled in deprived areas of the cities where they will be used, reports The Guardian, thus creating local jobs and developing local engineering skills. The cars will also be owned and operated by local authorities, not private contractors. The first city to take part will be Malmo, in southern Sweden, where a three-car fleet will be deployed by the council.

• The UK government has announced an extension of the Plug-In Car Grants (for EVs and plug-in hybrids) till 2015, and vans are now eligible. The grants give up to 25% (or £5000) towards the cost of a new car, or 20%/£8000 towards a van.

• Skoda has started to test a fleet of 10 Octavia Green E Line EVs; these develop 60kW of power and can do 135kph; acceleration 0-62 comes up in a respectable 12 seconds. Skoda has also confirmed an electric version of its Citigo city car, coming 2014; this is a sister model to the Volkswagen Up/e-Up and Seat Mi. The E-Citigo will be good for an 80-mile range and 0-60 in less than 10 seconds. And also coming up: plug-in hybrid versions of the Octavia, Yeti and Superb, says Autobild.

• More on that Toyota 2000GT Solar EV: it was actually built by a team of off-duty Toyota engineers. Full story – and video – at The Charging Point.

• Mercedes-Benz is planning more Vito E-Cell variants. The initial 100-van test fleet has now completed 650,000km of evaluation-mileage. More at Green Car Congress.

The story that I’m thinking about, however, is the news on the potential revival of the Renault 5 (pictured). Well, not the 5 as we remember it, but a new-age sub-Clio-sized supermini which will be as ground-breaking as the original little hatchback was in its day. Surely that’s got to mean an electric powertrain, given Renault’s new focus, at least as an option? The company’s just radically slimmed down its UK line-up, axing the Wind, Modus, Espace, passenger-carrying Kangoo and even the Laguna, whilst going all-out to launch the electric Kangoo ZE van, Fluence saloon, Twizy scooter and upcoming Zoe city car.  Bring it on: a practical and utilitarian small hatch with clever interior packaging, clean lines and unpretentious styling, comfy suspension and – of course – an affordable price tag. But please make it more reliable than last time (I speak with bad memories of my first car, an ’88 5 GTX 1.7).

• Drayson Racing Technologies claims to have the world’s fastest electric racer: the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV develops 850hp from its four motors and can do 200mph. Unveiled at the Low Carbon Racing Conference (a prelude to the Autosport do at the Birmingham NEC this weekend), it’s a Le Mans prototype with induction charging and regenerative damping. More at the Charging Point.

• The EcoVelocity show is to return this year, May 10th-13th 2012, and it’ll be bigger and better – it’s moving to the ExCel centre, London Docklands. It’s in partnership with the Metro newspaper again, and the organisers are hoping to take it “to the next level” at the larger venue after its successful debut at the Battersea Power Station last year.

• IBM is working on a lithium-air cell battery which could give EVs a range of 500 miles, reports New Scientist. Issues of chemical instability when recharging are being solved, apparently.

• More electric racing: Quimera is teaming up with IMSA and the American Le Mans Series to develop an international series. Full details and release posted at Autoblog Green.

• Honda Accord: plug-in hybrid option for the 2013 US-market car. V6 engine, twin motors, a six-speed auto ‘box and an all-electric range of 10-15 miles.

• Aftermarket EV conversion of the day: the Toyota 2000GT Solar EV built by members of the Toyota Auto Fan Club in Japan. Story and very pretty picture at the GreenMotor blog.

• Registrations of scooters rose 12% last year in the UK, reports the Motorcycle Industry Association, as commuters turn to two-wheeled transport, prompted by rising fuel prices and parking costs. Full story at the Guardian.