Nissan, Chevy Bolt, SCP, VW Phaeton, BMW X5 xDrive40e.

Leaf with 544 km range? Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced at a shareholder meeting that “in the near future,” Nissan will offer EV mobility “comparative to today’s conventional vehicles.” Then a video emerged, demonstrating what appears to be a Nissan Leaf with a range of no less than 544 kilometers. Ghosn added that “later this year, you will hear more about our initial steps to increase EV range.”
transportevolved.com, greencarreports.com, dailykanban.com

Chevy Bolt on camera: Chevrolet has released a video of a Bolt testing vehicle, though still heavily camouflaged. Some 1,000 engineers are currently working on the EV and have built no less than 55 prototypes by hand. The promised 200 km range has allegedly been exceeded during test drives.
insideevs.com, slashgear.com, autoblog.com

EV from Ireland: Irish company Swift Composite Prototypes (SCP) says it is working on a lightweight electric car, called ALEX eroadster. A first prototype is said to be ready mid-2016 and low-volume production could start by the end of 2016. Several universities such as Queens University Belfast and Dublin City University are involved in the planning behind the Irish eRoadster.
businessetc.thejournal.ie

VW Phaeton PHEV: German Automobilwoche has learned that the next-generation Phaeton will also be available as a plug-in hybrid variant, when it becomes available late next year or early 2017. The U.S. and China would then be Volkswagen’s main focus for its luxury sedan.
worldcarfans.com, europe.autonews.com

Testing the BMW X5 xDrive40e: Motoring Research also got to test the new BMW plug-in. Andrew Brady is certain that “you’re unlikely to use the X5 xDrive40e in electric-only mode very often,” since “too much darting will soon use up the battery’s juice.” It is also getting some fierce competition from Volvo’s XC90 that, due to better fuel economy figures, qualifies for road tax exemptions, while the BMW doesn´t.
motoringresearch.com