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Recharge Wrap-up: meet the '66 ZelectricBug, DOE announces home-scale H2 refueling competition

The US Department of Energy has launched the $1 million H2 Refuel H-Prize competition to create small- to medium-scale hydrogen refueling systems. The systems could be home-scale systems that produce hydrogen using utilities at home for refueling, or medium-scale systems to supply locations such as retail centers, apartment complexes or small fleets. The DOE sees hydrogen fueling infrastructure as the biggest obstacle to fuel-cell vehicle adoption and putting the production and refueling in the hands of the consumer could be a way around that obstacle. Read more at Energy.gov and at Green Car Congress. Hyundai has announced a new six-speed automatic transmission with integrated electric motor for new hybrid models. The new configuration puts most of the hybrid powertrain components within the transmission, and the torque converter has been eliminated. The new engine clutch reduces drag with fewer clutch discs, and the mechanical oil pump has been replaced with an electric one. The result is fewer energy losses, improved efficiency and greater mileage. Read more at Hybrid Cars in Reuters or in the press release from Hyundai below. Zelectric Motors has completed its electric 1966 Volkswagen Beetle rebuild, and has put it up for sale. The '66 ZelectricBug, as it's called, is powered by a 50-kW electric motor and 20-kWh battery pack, and offers 120 pound-feet of torque. It has a range of 80 miles, and is capable of at least 100 mph. The stock transmission has been rebuilt. It also has some new goodies like high-performance sway bars, custom shocks, and LED lighting. The '66 ZelectricBug is priced at $45,000. Check it out in the video below and read more at Hybrid Cars. A startup called Alevo says it will build a billion-dollar factory in North Carolina to make longer-lasting lithium iron phosphate batteries. Alevo has purchased an old cigarette factory in Concord for $68.5 million, but it's unclear whether or not the company has secured the $1 billion investment to begin producing batteries. The company plans to create 2,500 to 6,000 jobs and produce several gigawatts worth of batteries per year, which is a tall order for a relatively unknown company. Read more at Gigaom, or in Alevo's press release below. Tesla owners in Shanghai will be exempt from the city's $12,000 registration fee. About 400 people have already received the free license plates in Shanghai, where the government wants to encourage alternative fuel vehicles.

West Virginia researcher describes how Volkswagen got caught

The cheating scandal engulfing the world's largest automaker started with a road trip. In the spring of 2014, researchers from West Virginia were evaluating the tailpipe emissions of diesel cars made for the American market by European manufacturers, something never before studied in the academic realm. Excited by the prospect of breaking new ground, the team of two professors and two students wanted to gather as much data as possible. "And being academics, we went a little overboard," said Arvind Thiruvengadam, one of the students. "Being academics, we went a little overboard." Overboard included driving the cars for more miles than they needed to test and verify results. Drivers put about 1,500 miles on each of the first two cars in the study, a Volkswagen Jetta and BMW X5, along California roadways. For their final car, a Volkswagen Passat, they wanted even more mileage. So they took the car on a road trip from Los Angeles to Seattle and back again, collecting data from more than 2,000 miles of testing. The road trip was Volkswagen's undoing. When the West Virginia team returned to Los Angeles, they were befuddled by the test results. In theory, the Passat should have spewed the lowest levels of pollutants among the three cars. Equipped with the more modern selective catalytic reduction technology, the team expected to find minimal levels of nitrogen oxide. But the car, which had been certified at a California Air Resources Board facility prior to the start of the road trip, had elevated levels of NOx that were 20 times the baseline levels established beforehand. The researchers, comprised of professors Gregory Thompson and Dan Carder and students Marc Besch and Thiruvengadam, knew their on-board equipment functioned properly because, early in their research, they had double-checked its accuracy after recording sky-high NOx readings from the Jetta that showed 30 times the level of its baseline testing at the CARB facility. It was particularly noteworthy because the Jetta contained the first-generation Lean NOx Trap technology, not the more efficient SCR, yet both produced large discrepancies. The BMW, on the other hand, performed as expected. Today, Thiruvengadam is careful to say the research team never suspected Volkswagen of cheating on emissions testing, nor did the researchers report such a finding. They merely reported their findings to CARB officials who then further investigated.

VW rolls out new California camper van

Volkswagen introduced the sixth-generation Transporter van a few months ago, ushering in a new era for the once-iconic VW bus. But the Transporter isn't the only version Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles bases on its core van chassis. It also offers the Caravelle, the Multivan, and this, the new the California camper. Based on the T6, the latest California is now being rolled out for what you might call "outdoor recreation enthusiasts." Depending on which configuration you choose, it can fit up to seven people on the road and sleep up to five. VW has thrown everything into this van, literally including the kitchen sink. It's also got beds, a pop-top, and a dual-burner gas range. The new VW California can be had in three trim levels (dubbed Beach, Coast, and Ocean) and with a range of gasoline and diesel powertrain options. That is, where it can be had, because despite the name, the California (like the rest of VW's commercial vehicles) isn't actually offered in California or any of the other 49 states in the Union. Off on holiday – advance sales of the new California have begun - In three equipment lines: Beach, Coast and Ocean - Entry-level prices from just ˆ41,429.85 - New TDI and TSI engines – lower fuel consumption and stop/start function as standard - Modern infotainment, assistance systems and DCC suspension Hannover, 10 June 2015 – Advance sales of the new California have started at dealerships in Germany. Prices start at ˆ41,429.85 (Beach with 62 kW TDI). The California is now available in three equipment lines: Beach, Coast and Ocean. The California Beach is the entry-level model. It is the perfect combination of a 7-seat passenger car and a motorhome with up to five berths. Equipped as standard with a manual pop-up roof and two different layouts (double reclining bench seat with storage compartment or folding triple bench seat with multiflex board), it provides the ideal base for everyday life and travelling. Naturally, the integrated roller blinds enable the creation of privacy and shade, just as the ability to turn the front seats around enables driver and passengers to sit together in a cosy seating group. In combination with the removable camping table within the sliding door and the folding chairs in the tailgate, you are always equipped for outings of all kinds. New to the range is the California Coast.