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Recharge Wrap-up: Honda FCV Concept comes to Detroit, Toyota seeks young green energy fellows

Honda will bring its FCV Concept to the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The hydrogen-powered concept made its Japanese debut in November, and will now make its way to North America for the first time. The FCV concept improves upon the design of the FCX Clarity with a more striking appearance and roomier interior. Its smaller powertrain packaging means more space for people, and the FCV Concept seats five passengers. Honda also expects the next-generation fuel-cell car, which is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in March 2016, to cost less and have a range of over 300 miles. Read more in the press release below. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive has been awarded an environmental certificate from the TUV Sud technical inspection authority. The certificate is based not just on the vehicle's operation, but the entire lifecycle of the car, including production and recycling. The B-Class Electric Drive produces 24 percent less CO2 over its lifecycle than the Mercedes-Benz B180 when using the EU electricity mix, and 64 percent less when powered by hydroelectricity. Mercedes credits not just the use of electricity, but also the car's energy management system - such as its radar-based regenerative braking - for its carbon reductions. Read more in the press release below. Scania will test a wirelessly charged plug-in hybrid bus in Sweden. Beginning in June 2016, the bus will be put to daily use in Sodertalje. One of its stops will have a wireless charging station where the bus will recharge for six to seven minutes before continuing on its route again. The charger is located under the road surface and the bus positions itself above it to charge inductively. About $1.3 million will come from the Swedish Energy Agency to fund the test project, which could save up to 90 percent of fuel costs. If expanded to a fleet of 2,000 buses, it could save up to 13 million gallons of fuel each year. Read more at Green Car Congress, and in the press release below. Sandia National Laboratories and Linde are teaming up to expand hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The two groups have signed an agreement to research and develop new hydrogen stations, as well as ways to make fuel cell vehicles more desirable for consumers. They are looking at ways to incorporate hydrogen into existing fuel stations where possible, and make sure that it is able to be done safely.

Mercedes-AMG developing halo car with new 12-cylinder engine

The SLS AMG was once the jewel of the Mercedes-Benz performance lineup, a commanding supercar the presence of which could be felt a football field away. The AMG GT has taken that crown with its seductive 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine – a veritable bulldog cloaked in an alluring silhouette. But Mercedes was always clear: this was a Porsche 911-fighter. It was even called a "baby SLS." Now it appears in the world of three-starred performance halo-cars, Mercedes may be playing its own Game of Thrones. To be clear, the GT will remain top dog for some time to come, and that lineup "will expand," we're told. A Black Series is still at least a year or more away, and we could see another model in the AMG GT family beyond that. But a recent conversation with a Mercedes-AMG product planner in Austria revealed that a new halo car is in the works, one that will slot above the GT. It will likely draw power from a new 12-cylinder that's now in development, one that will be mated to an electric motor and battery pack. This ultra-hybrid setup could boast the greatest performance of any Mercedes yet. Crucially, it will have better fuel economy, good enough to justify its existence in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. As for the new 4.0-liter V-8 in the AMG GT, you can expect to see a lot more of it, starting with the E63 AMG, sometime after the next Mercedes-Benz E-Class launches next year. Related Video:

Mercedes-Benz S-Class spied once again

As evidenced by how little camouflage the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been caught wearing lately, it can't be too much longer until the car will get its official debut. In our newest shots of the yacht-sized luxo sedan, the cladding still covers up the headlights, front fascia and most of the rear end, but we finally have an almost undisguised look at the rest of the car's lines.
Considering previous spy shots had more camo that better (or fully) concealed the S-Class' body, some of the more obvious things we see in these images include the prominent grille, the CLS-Class-inspired bodyside creases, the pointed trunk opening and, most interestingly, a lack of fancy exhaust outlets. Unlike other S-Class prototypes we've seen, this car does not have integrated outlets, but it does have two pipes on the left side of the car. All current S-Class models in the US and Europe feature a dual exhaust layout on each side of the car, so while some of our questions about the car get answered, it would appear that more are just arising.