LAPD, Dortmund, Route Monkey, Ho Huy, Tritium.

BMW preferred over Tesla: The LAPD has decided to lease 100 BMW i3 after it has been testing various EV over a year, reportedly including Tesla. The Model S had proven too expensive for the police force. The i3 will be charged at 100 EV charging stations by Greenlots and four rapid charging stops. The city of Los Angeles is looking to acquire 100 more electric cars of hitherto unknown make this year.
latimes.com, greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com

Fleet electrification: The German city of Dortmund intends to replace half of its fleet of 100 cars and 200 vans with electric vehicles by 2020. Currently, there are 13 electric cars, 10 pedelecs, and 8 electric vans in operation and another 10 light utility EV shall be acquired this year. All can be charged at Dortmund’s 100 charging stations. In fall, the hospital will start a pilot renting EV to staff.
wdr.de (in German)

Routing recharged: Scottish Route Monkey received 285,000 GBP to create an online portal and app for EV drivers. The tool will point out the best route for electric cars as it takes into account available charging points, driving conditions, charge time, and the battery’s state-of-charge.
thenational.scot

Vietnam’s cabs electrified: Vietnamese Ho Huy seeks to set up a taxi service with 10,000 electric cabs. Vietnam’s second largest cab operator, Mai Linh Taxi, recently announced it would replace its 20,000 strong fleet with EVs by 2020. If both plans succeed, soon more than half of all the country’s 50,000 taxis could be electric.
vietnambreakingnews.com

Faster charging Down Under: Tritium collected 5m AUD from the government in Queensland as well as from private investors to upgrade to 150 kWh charging. Apart from making the Veefil stations more powerful, the Australian firm is working on a new home charging option.
reneweconomy.com.au