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Why this could be the perfect time for Apple to make a car play

While the automotive and technology worlds have been pouring billions into autonomous vehicles (AVs) and preparing to bring them to market soon as shared robo-taxis, Apple has mostly sat on the sidelines. Of course, Apple is the last company to ever make its intentions known, and the super-secret tech cult giant hasn't been totally out of the AV game based on the clues that have slipped out of its Cupertino, Calif., citadel over the past few years. Related: Apple self-driving cars are real — one was just in an accident News first broke in 2015 that it had assembled an automotive development team, in part by poaching high-profile talent from car companies, to work on a top-secret self-driving vehicle project code-named Titan. (Thank you very much, Nissan.) Apple also subsequently broke cover by making inquiries into using a Northern California AV testing facility and receiving a permit to test AVs on public roads in California. But then as the AV race started to heat up in the last few years, Apple reportedly began scaling back its car activities by downsizing team Titan. More recently, Apple's car project has shown signs of life with the hiring a high-level engineer away from Waymo and luring one Tesla's top engineers and a former employee back to Apple. It also inked a deal with Volkswagen to provide a technology platform and software to convert the automaker's new T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for employees at tech company's new campus. That is a far cry from giving rides to Wal-Mart shoppers, like Waymo is doing as part of its AV testing in Phoenix. But this could be the perfect time for Apple to enter the AV market now that ride-sharing is reaching critical mass and automakers and others are planning to deploy fleets of robo-taxis. Apple could easily establish a niche as a high-end ride-sharing service – and charge a premium – given its cult-like brand loyalty and design savvy. The growth of car subscription models could also play in Apple's favor since is already has many people hooked on paying for phones in monthly installments – and eager to upgrade when a new and better model becomes available. To achieve this, some believe Apple will fulfill co-founder and CEO Steve Job's dream of building a car. And as the world's first and only $1 trillion company it's sitting on a mountain of cash that certainly gives it the means. But other tech darlings like Tesla and Google have discovered how difficult it can be to build cars at scale.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla's largest private Supercharger order, Sec. Foxx talks safety in innovation

Tesla will deliver its largest order yet for a private Supercharger station. The all-Tesla Teo Taxi fleet servicing the Montreal-Trudeau Airport will have 12 charging stalls in its private station. The two-stall Superchargers Tesla sells for private use are capped at 60 kW, unlike the 120-kW chargers Tesla operates for public use. Tesla doesn't disclose the price of its private Superchargers, but rumors suggest a two-stall charger costs around $60,000, but can come free with a large order of vehicles. Read more at Electrek. French zero-emission delivery service Cetup set a new range record for the Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 EV equipped with a fuel cell range extender. The drivers logged 228 miles over 10 hours and 36 minutes, with a fully charged 22-kWh battery pack and four pounds of hydrogen in the tank. This took place at night in and around the city with lights and heat turned on, averaging 22 mph. "Reaching such impressive performance with a first generation vehicle delivered in January 2015 is remarkable," says Fabio Ferrari, founder and General Manager of Symbio FCell (the company that provides the car's fuel cell). "The new versions of our Kangoo ZE-H2, currently in production, reduce the hydrogen consumption even more. Beyond, a new 700 bar option will get us close to the 500 km range mark." Read more at Green Car Congress. EVgo has taken on JMPR as its public relations agency. As the EV charging service continues to grow, JMPR will help bring awareness to EVgo through various campaigns targeted at consumers, potential partners, and policy makers. "Electric vehicle charging is critical to EV adoption and is set to explode over the coming years," says EVgo VP of Product Strategy and Market Development Terry O'Day. "EVgo is positioned to further build out our industry-leading fast charging network. We are excited to work with JMPR and tell the story of how EVgo is at the forefront of powering the electric vehicle revolution." Read more in the press release from JMPR. US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx spoke about electric, automated, and connected vehicles during a visit to the International Transportation Innovation Center (ITIC) in Greenville, South Carolina. Foxx highlighted the importance of safety, and discussed roadside sensor systems, camera-based vehicle side collision avoidance, and cybersecure wireless charging infrastructure.

Tesla Recalls Wall Charger Adapters To Prevent Overheating

Tesla Motor Company, maker of the Model S electric car, is recalling 29,222 wall charger adapters following reports of overheating in owners' garages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall Tuesday morning. Tesla said the problem lies in the Universal Mobile Connector (UMC) adapters, which can lead to the adapter, cord or wall outlet overheating during charging. The danger was discovered when a garage caught fire in California in November. It has since resulted at least five incidents that were reported to NHTSA's complaint database. "These are very rare events, but occasionally the wiring isn't done right," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, according to Bloomberg. "We want people to have absolute comfort, so we're going to be providing them with an upgraded adapter." The new adapter will include a thermal fuse that will shut off charging if overheating is detected, Musk said. Tesla sent a software update to its customers to deal with the overheating issue back in December, which was designed to trigger a 25 percent reduction in charge current when it sensed a potential overheating. Tesla said about 2.9 percent of Model S buyers have returned their UMC adapters because of defects. Related Gallery Electric Cars And Hybrids Don't Have To Be Frumpy Recalls Tesla