Range is an estimated 93 miles, and BMW claims that with quick charging it can get back to 80-percent charge in less than an hour.

Munich Re said insured claims from March's disaster stand at around $30 billion, compared with the $44 billion the government estimated for Katrina.

Annualized net costs were estimated from recent SEER-Medicare linkage data, which included claims through 2006 among beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with a cancer diagnosis.