Viper plant, home electricity, rainwater reuse

Plans for the former Dodge Viper assembly plant, the reuse of electric vehicle batteries to power homes in Japan, and a system to use captured rainwater to wash a windshield were among the items promoted by automakers recently.

• Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced plans for the shuttered Dodge Viper assembly plant, which closed at the end of August 2017. The automaker says it will convert the factory to a display space for nearly 400 concept cars and historic vehicles along with nearly 22,000 square feet of meeting space. FCA's vehicle collection, which is currently spread among a number of locations, has a 1902 Rambler as its oldest item. The repurpose facility, renamed Conner Center, might be open to the public in the future but will initially only be used for FCA functions.

• Nissan has announced that used batteries from its electric LEAF model will help light up a town in Japan. The automaker has teamed up with the 4R Energy Corporation to install streetlights in the community of Namie. The lights will be powered by a combination of solar panels and used batteries. The system, which operates independently from the main grid, is part of Namie's ongoing recovery efforts following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

• Ford has spotlighted an invention of two young siblings in Germany, whose idea won first place in a local science competition. Daniel and Lara Krohn proposed a system to capture and filter rainwater, which could then be used as a windshield washer. Ford engineers noted that water use by vehicles is expected to increase as more fluid is needed to clean devices such as sensors and cameras used in automotive systems, and that the company is also working on ways to capture water from rain and condensation. Ford created a full-sized prototype of the Krohns' invention and found that the windshield washer reservoir was able to fill up after just five minutes of rainfall.