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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X assembly video, autonomous Apple test car spotted?

A video from Tesla shows factory robots assembling a Model X. The teaser video is titled, Team of robots gives Model X its backbone, as the machines are working on the car's structural support. It gives a rare glimpse into the underpinnings of the Model X, and it also reminds people that the cars are being built despite previous delays. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. A Chinese electric vehicle company has hired multiple executives from BMW's i sub-brand. Sources close to the matter tell Automotive News Europe that Future Mobility, an EV company backed by Tencent Holdings and Foxconn Technology Group, has hired Dirk Abendroth as VP of software and connectivity, Benoit Jacob as VP of design, and Henrik Wenders as VP of marketing. The former BMW employees will join former BMW i8 project manager Carsten Breitfeld, who is Future Mobility's CEO. Abendroth and Wenders confirmed their new positions at the Chinese company, while Benoit didn't immediately respond to ANE. A BMW spokesman declined to comment. Read more at Automotive News Europe. A blogger at TechRadar claims to have spotted a possible Apple autonomous test vehicle. Author Michelle Fitzsimmons says the white, unmarked Ford Transit was kitted out with various apparatuses, including Lidar sensors and cameras on the roof. While she originally thought it could be a van from Apple's Maps service, the Lidar and a couple other oddities lead her to speculate that it is actually using self-driving technology. If not testing autonomous features itself, the van could also be gathering data for a future driverless vehicle. Read more at TechRadar, or from Apple Car Fans.

BMW recalls 200k SUVs in two campaigns

The Basics: NHTSA has announced two recall campaigns for BMW crossovers. The larger of the two affects 188,668 examples of the X3 and its slant-back counterpart, the X4. The second relates to a smaller number of 21,493 examples of the X5 and X6. Both reach back as far as 2011 and up to the current 2017 model year. The Problem: In the larger recall, the lower child-seat anchor bars may become damaged when used with European-type ISOFIX connectors. In the smaller campaign, water and debris could get into the universal joint on the front driveshaft, causing damage and potential failure. Injuries/Deaths: BMW reports that it is unaware of any injuries to have resulted from either issue, and discovered the problems through its own quality-control processes. The fix: Dealers are being instructed to weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars in the first case, and replace the entire front driveshaft in the second. Both procedures are set to commence in July. If you own one: Expect to hear from the manufacturer in order to arrange service at your local dealership. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Possible Damage to Lower Child Seat Anchor Bars Report Receipt Date: MAY 23, 2016 NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V333000 Component(s): CHILD SEAT Potential Number of Units Affected: 188,668 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011-2017, X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i and X3 xDrive35i, vehicles manufactured July 2, 2010 to April 14, 2016, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014 to March 31, 2016, and 2015-2017 x4 xDrive28i, X4 xDrive35i and X4 xDriveM40i vehicles manufactured March3, 2014 to April 15, 2016. The affected vehicles have lower anchor bars for securing child restraint seats that may become damaged when using the European-ISOFIX-type, rigid-style connector, child restraint system. CONSEQUENCE: Damaged lower anchor bars may increase the child's risk of injury in the event of a crash. REMEDY: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars and the vehicle body, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on July 12, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Daimler, Toyota, BMW to lead $10-billion hydrogen investment

Daimler, BMW, and Toyota are leading a group of 13 companies pledging to invest more than $10 billion during the next five years to spur enough infrastructure-building and technology advancements to get more of the general public to buy hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The automakers, which also include Honda and Hyundai, as well as companies such as Shell, AirLiquide, Linde Group, and Total SA, are part of what they're calling the Hydrogen Council. The group made its announcement in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. The Hydrogen Council will pledge to accelerate its rate of hydrogen-related investments, which currently stand at about $1.5 billion annually. The coalition says its work represents a continuation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, in which many of the companies agreed to address the issue of climate change. The group says that hydrogen, which emits water vapor when used in fuel-cell vehicles, "can play an important role in the transition to a clean, low-carbon, energy system." The Hydrogen Council also vowed to push global governments to accelerate public investment in hydrogen-related infrastructure. Relative to other drivetrain technologies, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are in their relative infancy in terms of adoption because of the high cost of both building fuel cell vehicles and setting up a hydrogen-refueling infrastructure. Toyota is the only automaker that sells a production fuel-cell vehicle in the US. The Japanese company, which introduced its Mirai domestically in late 2015, sold 1,034 of them in the US last year. Daimler subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz, used Tuesday's announcement to remind people that it would start selling its GLC plug-in hydrogen fuel-cell crossover this year. There are only 33 publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations in the US, including 30 in California, and one each in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Carolina, according to the US Department of Energy. By comparison, there are more than 15,000 electric-vehicle charging stations with almost 40,000 outlets in the US. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 News Source: Daimler/Hydrogen Council via Bloomberg, Automotive News-sub.req. Green BMW Honda Hyundai Mercedes-Benz Toyota Hydrogen Cars infrastructure mercedes f-cell