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Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota to go electric with Aygo? Renault Zoe bests BEVs in e-Rallye Monte-Carlo

Toyota could sell the Aygo hatchback as an EV. Toyota Europe CEO Johan van Zyl says that the A-segment city car could be a candidate for all-electric power. "We see a stronger growth of that type of thinking in cities where they're saying, 'We'd rather have emissions-free vehicles so it should be a plug-in or a pure-electric vehicle,'" he says. As the Aygo is produced alongside and shares most components with the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1, it's possible those cars could see a plug-in version in the future as well. Read more at Hybrid Cars. The Renault Zoe took first and second place in the battery electric category of the 2016 e-Rallye Monte-Carlo. Defending Renault's title for a third year, two of the updated Zoes with improved range topped the category, taking second and third place overall. A hydrogen powered Toyota Mirai bested the Renaults by taking first place overall. 34 crews entered the competition, which took them from Fontainebleau, France to Monaco over four days. Read more from Renault. Teslarati talks to Youseph Tanha (AKA Yoshi) about his Tesla Transformer comic art project. Tanha, who cohosts the TransMissions podcast, commissioned artist Brendan Cahill to sketch a comic book cover featuring the Tesla Model X as a Transformer. The result is the Voltic (a name borrowed from Grand Theft Auto 5), an impressively reimagined Tesla Transformer that launches missiles from its falcon wing doors. While it doesn't necessarily fit into IDW's Transformers storyline, the commissioned piece does capture the imagination of comic fans and Tesla enthusiasts alike. Read more at Teslarati. Singapore is launching an EV carsharing program. The nation's Economic Development Board and Land Transport Authority have commissioned Bollore Group's BlueSG to operate the fleet of 1,000 EVs and 2,000 charging points by 2020, with 125 cars and 250 charging points available by the middle of next year. The program – sort of similar to the BlueIndy program in Indianapolis – is part of an effort to reduce pollution. "The future of transport in Singapore will look very different from today," says Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Khaw Boon Wan. "Most people will not see the need to own a car." Read more at Wards Auto.

Toyota's 'Fueled by Oil Creek' gases up hydrogen's history

Hey, Toyota. We got a question for you. If you're using a small Pennsylvania town to highlight the technological and ecological advances of the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, why are those vehicles going to be sold only in California this fall? The Japanese automaker has released an online documentary video (the second in a series) showing what advantages hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have over gas-powered vehicles, and uses Titusville, PA, as a backdrop. Some students from that town, which was an oil boomtown in the 19th century, take water from that town's Oil Creek (ah, symbolic), uses electrolysis to split that water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, then shows how the resulting hydrogen can power a Toyota Mirai for as far as 300 miles. Fueled by Oil Creek runs about five minutes. Toyota debuted sales of the Mirai last year in Japan and will start selling the car in California in October. The model will be priced at $57,500 and will be offered with a three-year lease option of $499 a month (with $3,649 due at signing). Toyota also said earlier this year that it would spend about $170 million upping production capacity for the Mirai. Take a look at Toyota's press below and watch the video above. Petroleum Past Helps Fuel Hydrogen Future Water from Pennsylvania's Oil Creek Becomes Hydrogen Fuel for Mirai Second Video in Toyota's "Fueled by Everything" Series June 03, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (June 3, 2015) – A creek, a little high school chemistry, and a former oil boom town open to a hydrogen-fueled future. This is the story of "Fueled by Oil Creek," the second online video in Toyota's multi-part "Fueled by Everything" series aimed at highlighting renewable sources of hydrogen fuel, leading up to launch of the 2016 Toyota Mirai. Directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay, the 5-minute video takes viewers to Titusville, Pennsylvania where, in 1859, an oil well changed the American energy landscape. Flash forward to 2015. Local high school students in the film collect water from the aptly named Oil Creek for a lesson in electrolysis, separating water into oxygen and hydrogen gas using an electric current. The resulting hydrogen gas powers the hydrogen fuel cell electric Toyota Mirai to travel up to 300 miles on a full tank. The only tailpipe emission is water, just like the fuel source.

Toyota will retrofit late-model cars with new technology

Toyota will inaugurate a service called Kinto Factory that will add modern features like electronic driving aids to select late-model cars. The program will launch in Japan in January 2022, and it aims to let motorists benefit from new technology without having to buy a new car. Kinto Factory will initially offer customers two basic services: upgrading and remodeling. Upgrading is defined as retrofitting safety and convenience functions, like emergency braking assist, a blind spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert, and a hands-free tailgate or trunk lid. Remodeling involves replacing worn or damaged parts inside and out, such as the upholstery, the seat cushions, and the steering wheel. Personalization will join the list of services at a later date, partly because it involves gathering data on how drivers use their car. The list of cars eligible to receive a makeover from Kinto Factory include the Prius, the Prius c (which is called Aqua in Japan), the Prius V (known as the Prius ? in its home country), the Lexus UX (pictured), and the Lexus NX. Since the program is launching in Japan, Kinto Factory will also work on vehicles we've never seen on American roads, like the Vellfire (a big minivan) and its upscale Alphard derivative. Pricing information and availability will be announced closer to the program's launch. Toyota notes that each upgrade will be available individually, so customers will be able to select precisely what's added to their car, and that all of the parts will be backed by a warranty. As of writing, Toyota hasn't announced plans to bring the Kinto Factory program to the United States. However, it added that the upgrades detailed above represent the program's first step, and it clarified that it's open to the idea of expanding the service in overseas markets.