Recharge Wrap-up: Ludicrous Easter egg, mirrorless camera tech

Continental revealed fuel-saving technology at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Continental unveiled a camera system that shows side and rear views without the need for mirrors (and Valeo said it is working on a similar system). In addition to improving safety by removing blind spots, eliminating external mirrors reduces drag and does wonders for fuel economy (take a look at the Volkswagen XL1 for an example). The supplier also said it is working on more 48-volt electronics for hybrids, and a starter generator that decouples from the engine for quicker energy recapturing. Continental also said it is developing rubber made from dandelions that could reduce stress on rainforests. Read more at Automotive News.

The European Union has extended duties on biodiesel imported in the US until September 2020. The EU imposed the duties in 2009 in response to the US’s $1 per gallon tax credit, which the European Commission said hurts European biodiesel producers. “Even though the tax credit kept expiring several times, the US authorities have established a tradition of reinstating the tax credit in a retroactive manner,” says European Biodiesel Board Secretary-General Raffaello Garofalo. Read more from Reuters.

The Tesla Model S P90D’s Ludicrous Mode contains an Easter egg. Revealed in an Instagram video by Tesla Motors Product Specialist Denisse Ortegon the hidden gem plays on the “Ludicrous Speed” joke from the movie Spaceballs. In the car’s driving controls menu, sliding the Acceleration button to Ludicrous activates the feature, but tapping and holding the button for another five seconds brings forth an animation similar to when the ship Spaceball I accelerates through space at “Ludicrous Speed” (sans going to plaid). See the video below, and read more at Teslarati.

A video posted by @missortegon on Sep 13, 2015 at 8:32pm PDT