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Recharge Wrap-up: Elon Musk in Reddit AMA; Honda releases annual environmental report

Elon Musk will answer questions in a Reddit AMA tonight. The "Ask Me Anything" event will begin at 9:00 pm EST, and will last one hour. Musk will answer as many reader questions as he can in the allotted amount of time. Reddit's /r/TeslaMotors board is selecting official questions from users to pose to Musk as well. If you have any aching inquiries for the CEO of Tesla and Spacex, you probably don't want to miss this. Read more at Clean Technica, or at Reddit. Powertree Services plans to build solar-powered EV charging at San Francisco apartment buildings. The group will rent parking spaces at apartment buildings and put solar panels on the roof. Tenants with EVs can pay a monthly fee to charge their cars at their own apartments and Powertree Services parking spots around town. It takes the responsibility of building and maintaining the chargers off the building owners, but provides them with some revenue from renting the space to Powertree. Read more at Treehugger. The market for environmentally friendly cars will remain strong despite cheap oil prices, according to IHS Automotive Advisory Services. James Chao, director of the company's Asia-Pacific region, says his clients are still very focused on fuel economy. IHS has predicted green car production to triple by 2020 from 2014 figures. Hyundai and Kia, who are clients of Chao, have new EVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles on the way - a seemingly "unfocused" plan that Chao defends. "Especially at times when uncertainty is dominant, it could well be referred to as being prudent," he says. Read more at The Korea Herald. Honda has released its annual North American Environmental Report. In the report, Honda notes environmental progress it has made over the last year in a number of areas. It points out the introduction of the 2014 Accord Hybrid and the FCV Concept. It enumerates reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in transportation, use of its products and even from Honda's suppliers (however, there was a 0.7 percent rise in CO2 emissions during manufacturing due to, or rather "despite a significant increase in production"). Honda is using less water, and producing less waste - only 0.8 kilograms are sent to the landfill per car manufactured. Honda also worked with SolarCity to get solar panels on 1,650 rooftops in the US. Read more on Honda's website. Marco Andretti will race in the Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix.

Honda to reveal production Civic Type R in Geneva

Honda has been working on its new Civic Type R for some time now. We drove a prototype over a year ago, and have since seen the Japanese hot hatch as a pre-production concept twice now – once in Geneva last year, and again in Paris. But at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March, the Japanese automaker will finally present the production version. Previewed in the teaser video above, the new Civic Type R promises to be among the kings of the hot hatchdom, packing a new 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC engine and extreme styling. Unfortunately this version won't be coming to the US, but according to recent reports, another version will. Alongside the production pocket rocket, Honda will mark the European debuts of the NSX, Jazz (known to us as the Fit) and the new HR-V subcompact crossover at the Swiss expo, where it will also showcase its new McLaren-Honda F1 racer and the FCV concept. 28.01.2015 Civic Type R and NSX Supercar Lead Host of Premieres From Honda at 2015 Geneva Motor Show - Honda to unveil flagship performance models with world premiere of production Civic Type R and European premiere of NSX - Production models of all-new Jazz and HR-V to be unveiled, as well as first showing in Europe of FCV Concept fuel cell vehicle - 2015 McLaren-Honda F1 racer showcased ahead of season opener Signalling a new era for the Honda brand in Europe, every model in the range will be new or refreshed in 2015, with many being unveiled in production guise for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Performance cars for road and track, family cars and a fuel cell concept will all feature on the Honda stand. The return of two performance legends Geneva will see the global premiere of the Honda Civic Type R production car. The 'race car for the road' will be the most extreme Type R ever built, with blistering performance and thrilling dynamics that set new standards in the segment. A world-first application of Honda's new 2.0 litre VTEC Turbo engine, aggressive function-led styling and pioneering new chassis technologies combine to deliver one of the most immersive and rewarding driving experiences available in any sector. For fans keenly anticipating the launch of Honda's latest hot hatch icon, a dedicated Type R microsite goes live on 28 January.

McLaren MP4-X concept shows innovation won't die in F1's future [w/video]

Despite things like turbocharging and kinetic-energy recovery, today's Formula One cars look more or less like the ones that lapped the world's race tracks 20 years ago. Sure, they're much more aero intensive, but the basic look is the same. McLaren, which probably had some serious free time this season considering its misfortunes, has imagined a futuristic F1 car that adopts many innovative and somewhat controversial additions. It's called the McLaren MP4-X, and the most obvious change is the closed cockpit. The death of Jules Bianchi, the accidents involving Maria De Villota and Felipe Massa, and even the death of Ayrton Senna could have all potentially been avoided by adopting a strong closed-cockpit design, like the one advocated here by McLaren. It's also worth pointing out that this design is a boon for aerodynamics. Inside that cockpit, drivers would enjoy an augmented reality display system, sort of like that used by F-35 Lightning II fighter pilots. There'd also be an independent head-up display that McLaren claims could be used to transmit info about race position and flag status. So basically, the kind of data you'd get playing Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo. Speaking of safety, the MP4-X's entire chassis, beyond the closed roof, would be far safer thanks to the use of "negative-stiffness material structures." Essentially, these materials can soak up the force of an impact and then bounce, for lack of a better term, back into shape. And if you're thinking like we are, this sounds like McLaren wants 900-horsepower bumper cars. Of course, 900 hp is speculation on our end. McLaren is deliberately vague on the powertrain of this concept. Advanced hybrid powertrains aren't surprising, although the team's mention of inductive, wireless charging on tracks sounds like the stuff of Formula E's dreams. In a move that McLaren says "tears up the rulebook," the MP4-X would see a return of ground effects. The underbody would feature enormous venturi tunnels to suck the car to the track. Alongside active aerodynamics that tweak the its shape for turns and straights, this concept McLaren would be both more slippery and offer more downforce than today's cars. There's a lot more on the MP4-X concept than we can talk about here, so head over to McLaren Honda's official website for all the nitty gritty details on this car's advanced systems, including solar cells, advanced tire sensors, and even virtual logos. It all sounds very, very cool.