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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.

2015 Hyundai Genesis earns IIHS TSP+ [w/video]

Hyundai has just earned itself another Top Safety Pick+ award, following on the success of the Elantra way back in August 2013. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has certified the new, second-generation Genesis luxury sedan as a TSP+ following a successful round of crash testing.
The Genesis secured the prestigious ranking with the help of a "good" rating in the notorious small-overlap front crash test. Data from dummies showed that there was a low risk of serious injury in the 40-mile-per-hour impact.
Beside the small-overlap test result, the Genny scored a "superior" on the frontal crash test, while the moderate overlap, side, roof strength and head restraint scores were "good."

Surprise Costs Have A Cost: Why we turned down the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell

They say you can always tell the pioneers. They're the ones with the arrows in their backs. Unfortunately, that was our experience pursuing – and eventually rejecting – the new hydrogen fuel cell-powered Hyundai Tucson. I first heard about Hyundai's new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2013. As a tech buff, the thought of driving a new, clean technology vehicle sounded exciting. Best of all, Hyundai was wrapping the new vehicle in a smart, familiar package, as a loaded current-generation Tucson SUV. The FCV Tucson was billed as $499 a month with $2,999 down, with free fuel and free maintenance. Our family needed a new, small, fuel efficient SUV, so I signed up for information on the upcoming lease program. Someone has to go first. Why not us? In the spring of 2014, I learned more at a Clean Fuel Symposium, held on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The panel was packed with experts on alternative fuel vehicles. One spokesperson outlined the chicken or egg problem with alternative fuels like hydrogen: fuels first or vehicles? Another said something that I should have heard more clearly. "If the argument [to move to alternative fuel vehicles] has to start with a change of behavior from consumers, that's a hard row to hoe." I would soon to learn what an FCV would really cost, both in hours and in dollars. Nonetheless, I was ready to try jumping the hurdles and get an alternative fuel car. A low impact on the environment, plus free fuel and a solo car pool lane sticker? What could go wrong? My wife was a much harder nut to crack. My habit of jokingly calling it a "nuclear-powered" car probably didn't help much either. Our conversations went like this: "A what kind of car?" "Hydrogen fuel cell." "What?" "It's essentially an electric car." "Don't those things have a really short range?" "Yes. That's what the hydrogen is for. You fill it with hydrogen to fill the fuel cell, instead of charging it overnight like an electric car." "Where do you get hydrogen?" "Well..." It turned out the nearest hydrogen station was in Burbank, about 13 miles from our house. In LA traffic, that could be more than half an hour's drive each way. Since there's an excellent bakery in Burbank (Porto's), I told my wife I was fine with taking the time each week to fuel up every 200 miles or so.