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Automakers drop support for Trump effort against California emissions

WASHINGTON — Toyota, Fiat Chrysler (now known as Stellantis following its merger with Peugeot) and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump's effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California's emission-setting powers, "in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward" with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned "with the Biden administrationÂ’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards." Nissan in December withdrew from the challenge after GM's decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to "ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration." Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider TrumpÂ’s 2019 decision to revoke CaliforniaÂ’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles, as well as Trump's national fuel economy rollback. Asked to respond to the automakers' action, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said in a statement that "after four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America." California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the automakers on Twitter for "dropping your climate-denying, air-polluting, Trump-era lawsuit against CA" and urged them to join the voluntary framework. TALKS WITH BIDEN Separately, an industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.

Feds open investigation into recall of 1.7M Hyundais, Kias

US safety regulators have opened a formal investigation into the recall of nearly 1.7 million vehicles by Hyundai and affiliate Kia over engine defects, according to filings published Saturday. A South Korean whistleblower reported concerns last year to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which will probe the timeliness of three recalls carried out in the United States and whether they covered enough vehicles. Fines could be imposed on the automakers if the NHTSA determines the recalls were not conducted properly. The agency did not immediately comment on the probe. A Hyundai spokesman in Seoul the company "has conducted recalls in compliance with US regulations and procedure" and will "sincerely" cooperate with the investigation. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At that time, affiliate Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. Kim Gwang-ho, then an engineer at Hyundai, flew to Washington in August 2016 to tell NHTSA the companies should have recalled more vehicles over the problem, citing an internal report. He also reported several alleged safety lapses to both U.S. and South Korean authorities. On March 31, Hyundai expanded its original U.S. recall to 572,000 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles with "Theta II" engines, citing the same issue involving manufacturing debris, the NHTSA said. On the same day, Kia also recalled 618,160 Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles which use the same engine. The recall, which was also conducted in Canada and South Korea, cost the duo 360 billion won ($322.40 million). "TIMELINESS AND SCOPE" According to the filings published Saturday, the agency opened a probe May 18 into "both the timeliness and scope" of the "Theta II" engine recalls and their "compliance with reporting requirements." In August 2014, Hyundai agreed to pay a $17.35 million fine to settle a NHTSA investigation it delayed the recall of 43,500 Genesis cars to fix a brake defect linked to two injuries. NHTSA said in 2014 Hyundai "must change the way they deal with safety-related defects." Hyundai vowed to make improvements to how it handled safety issues after the fine. In 2015, the company retained former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as an adviser on safety issues.

Recharge Wrap-up: Elio unveils E1A, Hyundai UK prices Ioniq

Russia could launch a hyperloop project as early as December 2016. Hyperloop One recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Summa Group to explore the possibility, but now, Moscow's Deputy Mayor and head of transport Maxim Liksutov says that the project will begin by the end of the year. "In the next few years we'll see a major breakthrough in the development of technologies which will facilitate our lives," says Liksutov, speaking at the Moscow Urban Forum. "Hopefully, hyperloop technology will be developed, and, as far as I know, the pilot project will be launched in December. We will see how the theory works in practice." Read more at Electrek, or learn more from RT. Hyundai has revealed specifications and pricing for the Ioniq EV and Hybrid for the UK. The Ioniq Hybrid SE will start at GBP19,995 (about $26,093 as of this writing), with the Hybrid Premium and Hybrid Premium SE starting at GBP21,795 ($28,442) and GBP23,595 ($30,791), respectively. The Ioniq Electric starts at GBP28,995 ($37,838) for the Premium trim level, placing it in competition with the Nissan Leaf, while the Premium SE starts at GBP30,795 ($40,187). The Ioiniq Electric should be also be eligible for a discount of GBP4,500 ($5,872) through the UK's Plug-in Car Grant. Hyundai will announce prices for the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid before it goes on sale in 2017. The Ioniq Hybrid goes on sale on October 13, 2016, with the Ioniq Electric beginning a limited rollout before expanding sales to all UK dealerships in 2017. Read more at Electrek, or in the press release from Hyundai. India is launching a bus route fueled by 100-percent biodiesel. In an effort to help reduce air pollution (with the added benefit of saving on fuel costs), the Karnataka State Road Transport Corp. will operate the country's first all-biodiesel bus between the cities of Bangalore and Chennai. Last year, India's Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas removed its 20-percent biodiesel restriction on bus operators. Read more from Biofuels International. Elio Motors has built its first E-Series test vehicle, dubbed the E1A. Elio is touting the unveiling of its test car as a major milestone toward the launch of a fuel-efficient, three-wheeled production vehicle with a target price of $6,800.