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Fully Charged rolls into season 3 with VW XL1 and electric Land Rover

It's been some time since last we visited with British actor and electric car proponent Robert Llewellyn and his web-based video series, Fully Charged. The show, now sponsored by Ecotricity, has started rolling out its third season and now has available two episodes featuring a pair of truly unique – and diametrically opposed – vehicles. The first installment starts with some interesting numbers involving the host's Nissan Leaf and its energy consumption over the past 36,000 miles, but soon moves on to the ultra-aero, ultra-expensive Volkswagen XL1. Now, if you've already seen the footage from our own XL1 first drive review, there's not a lot new here except, perhaps, more enthusiasm and a better listen of the two-cylinder diesel kicking in. Still, it's a great reminder of a truly unique vehicle and we enjoyed the segment. The second episode features an electrified Land Rover Defender 110. This is a vehicle you'd more likely see on an African safari than at the local mall. It's not a home-built conversion either, but rather, something the company has put together "for the boffins to create the ideas and see if they work." Boasting a 50-mile range, it's certainly something we like to take on an off-road adventure. Llewellyn is given the chance to do just that, and though the course is somewhat milder than what we might attempt, it does feature a stretch of river and some rough, rutted tracks. You can watch both episodes by scrolling below let us know which vehicle you'd prefer in the comments. This writer is going with the four-wheel-drive. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Fully Charged Green Land Rover Volkswagen Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Videos robert llewellyn fully charged vw xl1

VW walks away from Aurora after self-driving startup partners with FCA

BERLIN — Volkswagen has ended its partnership with self-driving car software firm Aurora, two days after the Silicon Valley start-up said it would build autonomous platforms for commercial vehicles with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. "The activities under our partnership have been concluded," a VW spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday following an earlier Financial Times report on the move which said VW now wanted to work with Ford Motor Co on autonomous driving. Ford's majority-owned subsidiary Argo AI is building an automated "driver" that could compete with Aurora's technology. Aurora said Tuesday "Volkswagen Group has been a wonderful partner to Aurora since the early days of development of the Aurora Driver." The company's statement added that it continues to work "with a growing array of partners." The autonomous vehicle industry is still in its infancy, and alliances and strategies are fluid. Aurora has sought to remain independent and serve a number of would-be autonomous vehicle makers rather than be acquired. Aurora, which said in February it had raised $530 million in new funding, also has partnerships with Hyundai Motor Co and China's Byton to develop and test self-driving systems for automakers, fleet owners and others. After announcing its partnership with Aurora in early 2018, VW last June began discussions with Ford to develop a range of commercial vehicles, later extending the discussions to include electric vehicles and Argo's autonomous driving technology as part of an alliance designed to save billions in costs. VW and Ford have not announced partnerships involving electric or autonomous vehicle technology. Green Chrysler Fiat Ford Volkswagen Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles

Feds allege widespread Volkswagen cheating on clean-air rules

Volkswagen intentionally installed software in nearly a half-million diesel vehicles that helped the cars evade substandard results on emissions tests, the federal government charged Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation to the German automaker, saying the company's software broke the law by violating two provisions in the Clean Air Act. Circumventing the standards meant affected cars emitted as much as 40 times the allowable level of certain pollutants. Both the EPA and California Air Resources Board have launched investigations. In its notice of violations, the EPA said Volkswagen officials admitted to installing and concealing what they call a "defeat device," which was designed to detect when the cars were undergoing official emissions tests – and only turn on emissions controls during that time. "Our goal now is to ensure that the affected cars are brought into compliance, to dig more deeply into the extent and implications of Volkswagen's efforts to cheat on clean air rules, and to take appropriate further action," said Richard Corey, executive officer of CARB. The allegations cover approximately 482,000 vehicles sold in the United States over the past seven years. Cars involved include diesel versions of the Jetta, Beetle, Audi A3 and Golf manufactured between the 2009 and 2015 model years. Passats manufactured for the 2014 and 2015 model years are also included. Federal officials note there is no safety danger to motorists, but the cars will be recalled for repairs. If true, Volkswagen faces a fine that could run in the hundreds of millions of dollars -- likely higher than the $300 million charge the EPA levied last November at Hyundai and Kia for exaggerating the fuel-economy in several models. The charges also put a tremendous dent into the company's plans to increase sales of its "Clean Diesel" vehicles in North America. In a written statement, Volkswagen Group of America acknowledged it had received the notices from the EPA and CARB. "VW is cooperating with the investigation; we are unable to comment further at this time," it said. Federal officials said the defeat-device software was uncovered during an independent analysis by researchers at West Virginia University, who in working with the International Council on Clean Transportation, a non-governmental organization, raised questions about emissions levels.