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Recharge Wrap-up: Control Tesla Model S from your wrist, NASCAR's E15 milestone

Tesla Model S owners can now control their car with Android Wear. A new, free app for the Android wrist devices, called Tesla Command, allows the user to control car functions such as the locks, horn, and sunroof from outside the vehicle. The developer promises more features are coming soon. Watch the video below for a demonstration, or head over to 9 to 5 Google to read more. NASCAR drivers have raced 6 million miles on E15 fuel. The stock car series reached the milestone on July 20 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR has been using Sunoco Green E15 gasoline since the start of the 2011 season, which the group credits with increasing horsepower and reducing emissions. The US Department of Energy notably approved the 15-percent corn ethanol blend after 6 million miles of testing. Read more at Domestic Fuel. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has decided to continue its incentive program for alternative fuel vehicles. Buyers of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids with batteries larger than 10 kWh will continue to get a $2,000 rebate (until December 31 or until 500 are sold, whichever comes first). Various EVs with batteries less than 10 kWh, as well as natural gas, propane and hydrogen-powered cars, will get $1,000 back. Electric motorcycles and scooters are offered a $500 rebate. Get more details at ABC 27. Toyota subsidiary Primearth EV Energy is set to expand production of nickel metal hydride batteries for hybrid cars. Due to high demand, production capacity will ramp up from 300,000 to provide batteries for 500,000 vehicles at its Miyagi prefecture plant. The company eventually plans to be able to produce batteries for 1.4 million hybrids per year. Primearth EV Energy currently supplies batteries for the Toyota Prius and Yaris hybrids, as well as Mazda's Axela (AKA Mazda3 in the US) hybrid. Read more at Economic Times. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Tesla Model S View 24 Photos News Source: 9 to 5 Google, Domestic Fuel, ABC 27, Economic TimesImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Green Plants/Manufacturing Tesla Toyota Ethanol Electric Hybrid Racing Vehicles recharge wrapup e15 android wear

GT Academy returns, and why Gran Turismo 6 demands a pedal/wheel setup

The path to become a racing driver is a difficult one. It requires starting early, with karts, and then building up through the years and if you're really, really good (and really, really lucky), a team will notice you and sign you up. Or, you know, you could just become really good at Gran Turismo, and beat out other like-minded fanatics for a seat in the GT Academy.
The racing school, which culls its students from the ranks of Gran Turismo players has already pumped out successful racers, most notably, Lucas Ordoñez, who has a second and third-place finish under his belt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the 2014 GT Academy kicking off April 21 and running through June 16, you could have a chance to be the next Ordoñez.
That won't be easy, though. We recently had a playthrough on GT6 the proper way - with a racing seat, pedals and a steering wheel, complete with column-mounted paddles. (Our setup looked just like the one you see above, though that image is from E3.) In other words, it was as close to driving an actual car as most console games can get.

Hyundai Prius-fighting hybrid spied wearing new camo

Hyundai's engineers certainly don't want the public to see its upcoming dedicated hybrid model in several of these new spy shots, but the company can't deny that the machine is on the way. These test cars were first spotted last summer as Prius-like five-door hatchbacks. However in these photos and the second set, it would seem that the model has morphed into a more sedan-like shape similar to the Chevy Volt. Unlike the last time we saw this car during arctic testing, the vehicle no longer is covered in plastic concealment. That obfuscation has been replaced with a very effective camo pattern on everything but the roof, and in several photos, workers are actively standing in the way of the spy shooters' lenses. Beyond the whole model's general shape, there are a few details to pick out, though. You can easily spot the outline of the brand's hexagonal grille up front. There appears to be a rather complicated air dam design there, too. In profile, the shape of the rear hatch creates an integrated spoiler at the back. While the camouflage makes it very hard to tell, we don't see a plug-in port on this example. According to our spies, this test car was being driven with a slew of other electrified models, including a BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf, and Kia Soul EV. Given that group, perhaps the engineers were specifically benchmarking the electric performance for this outing. Earlier reports suggest that Hyundai's latest hybrid could debut in the second half of 2016. Power reportedly comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with hybrid assistance and a lithium-ion battery. Plug-in and five-door hatchback versions are also rumored.