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Recharge Wrap-up: Hydrogen Hyundais and Tesla tax breaks

The 70 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cells owned by customers in southern California have driven a cumulative 475,000 miles. "Over the past year, Hyundai's Tucson Fuel Cell owners are showing the world today that this technology represents the next generation of zero-emissions transportation," says Hyundai's Mike O'Brien. "Building momentum for fuel cell vehicles and their real-world applications, these customers are sharing their experiences of how the Tucson fits seamlessly into their daily lives." A new video from Hyundai shares the story of a year of ownership for one such customer. Dave Uselton took delivery of his Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell in June of 2014. Other drivers' experiences have been shared in video on a dedicated website. See the video above, and read more in the press release below. The first of 200 fast charging stations as part of France's Corri-Door project are now operational. The Corri-Door project aims to have all 200 charging points installed by December 2015. The universal chargers can quick charge an electric vehicle to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. The first two are now online at the Bosgouet Nord (A13) and Tardenois Nord (A4) service stations. The chargers will be installed along major motorways throughout France at intervals of about 50 miles. Read more in the press release from Renault. California may give Tesla $15 million in tax cuts in exchange for jobs. After losing out on having the state be home to the Gigafactory, Governor Jerry Brown's GO-Biz agency is proposing the tax cuts in order for Tesla to buy equipment and property and create 4,400 jobs in California. In all, GO-Biz is proposing $49.5 million in tax relief to California companies in return for 11,000 new jobs. Last year, California lost out on the Gigafactory when Nevada offered $1.3 billion in tax breaks — an amount Governor Brown said would be unfair to taxpayers. Read more from CBS Sacramento.

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt's new, improved powertrain; Inabikari wants to build Tesla Model X fighter

We knew the 2016 Chevrolet Volt's new powertrain would provide more range, but we didn't know how much. According to GM's Executive Director Larry Nitz, it is about 12 percent more, overall. "I can't think of a powertrain we've re-engineered more extensively within a five-year period than this one," he said. The battery, electric drive system and gasoline generator have all been reworked to allow for an overall driving range of up to 425 miles, with electric range speculated to reach 42 miles or more. The new Volt will also benefit from 20 percent quicker low-end acceleration, weight reductions and improvements in NVH. Read more at Hybrid Cars and at the SAE website. Hyundai's FCEV research and development boss, Dr. Sae-Hoon Kim, is optimistic about the future of hydrogen mobility in Japan. With the Tucson Fuel Cell already in production ahead of Toyota's FCV, Hyundai has a foothold in the hydrogen car scene. Kim believes that since the Fukushima disaster, Japan's attitudes toward energy make it friendly to a growing hydrogen economy. He also says that hydrogen won't be limited to Hyundai, with Kia getting all the battery EVs. "Both types are for both companies," Kim says. "For the moment, volumes are small and it is not wise to have Hyundai and Kia competing." Read more at Just Auto. The Latvian/German startup Inabikari is using crowdfunding to build an electric crossover for Europe. The Rev.01 EV hopes to compete with Tesla's upcoming Model X with a range of over 400 miles and a five-second 0-60 time. The group currently is trying to raise initial funds through an Indiegogo campaign, with hopes of more investment in the future and sales beginning in 2017. See the video below, and read more at Hybrid Cars and at the Inabikari website. Fuel economy and emissions regulations could lead to some interesting design changes to automobiles. The World Light Duty Test Procedure, set to replace the New European Driving Cycle in 2017, will push automakers to find new ways to reduce drag on their vehicles. For better aerodynamics, we could see traditional side-view mirrors replaced by cameras that display what they see on screens inside the vehicle. Another likely change will be the introduction of smaller, narrower wheels. Improving the average drag coefficient from 0.32 to 0.20 could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 20 percent. Read more at Automotive News Europe.

Hyundai pulls motorsports in US, parts ways with Rhys Millen Racing

Automakers don't necessarily undertake racing programs in proportion to their size. A company like Ferrari or McLaren, for example, may be small, but their racing programs are huge. The inverse could be said of a company like Hyundai, which has grown to rank among the largest automakers in the world, but has traditionally maintained a relatively short reach when it comes to racing. And now it's getting even smaller as the company is shutting down its entire motorsport program in the United States. Not that the program was that big to begin with in the first place. Although Hyundai recently launched a factory effort in the World Rally Championship, in North America its competition activities revolved essentially around Rhys Millen Racing, the California-based outfit with which the Korean automaker has tackled Pikes Peak, Formula Drift and the Global RallyCross Series – the latter of which Millen describes as "arguably the fastest most exciting form of racing to hit the US in years." But now Millen has announced that Hyundai has withdrawn from their partnership that has stood for six years. Without support from the automaker, Rhys Millen is putting up his Hyundais for sale or rental to any privateer team interested in getting in on the RallyCross action, while the team looks for a new partner with which to move forward. As for Hyundai, it seems the automaker may have stretched its motorsport budget a little thin with the WRC effort, on which it will now apparently rely to establish its racing cred. We reached out to Hyundai for clarification on its future motorsport plans in America, but representatives weren't immediately available for comment. We will update this story when and if we hear back.