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Recharge Wrap-up: GKN electric AWD, $8,500 for Tesla brake repair

A Tesla owner in Canada was quoted $8,500 to repair the brakes in his 2012 Model S. Tesla waived the labor costs, bringing the total price down to $5,824.75. Tesla said that since regenerative braking means the regular brakes get less use, occasional hard braking can help keep them working properly. Also, the salt on the roads in winter leads to corrosion of both the rotors and the calipers. Tesla suggests yearly brake service in harsh climates. Read more at Clean Technica. GKN is launching an electric all-wheel-drive system using its eAxle technology. BMW will be the first to use the system – which is optimized for compact vehicle platforms – in its 2 Series Active Tourer plug-in hybrid. On its own, the electric axle drive offers up to 70 kilowatts (94 horsepower) and 1,475 pound-feet of torque, enough to propel a vehicle up to almost 78 miles per hour under electric power alone. It can also disengage from the driveline when it's not needed in order to reduce rotating losses at higher speeds. Read more from Green Car Congress. The Orange County Transit Authority's (OCTA) first zero-emission, hydrogen powered bus uses a fuel cell from Ballard. The 40-foot ElDorado National Axess bus, powered by Ballard's FCveloCity fuel cell, was funded by the Federal Transit Administration's National Fuel Cell Bus Program. "Clean energy mass transit alternatives, such as this new fuel cell bus in Orange County, are a tremendous example of what can be done to help address clean air challenges," says Ballard Vice President Karim Kassam. "We are excited by the progress being made at OCTA and by others in California." Read more in the press release below. Ballard Module Powers First Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Bus for Orange County Transportation Authority VANCOUVER, CANADA and ORANGE COUNTY, USA – On May 23rd representatives from Ballard attended a ceremony to unveil the first zero-emission fuel cell bus to provide service for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), one of the largest transit agencies in California. The OCTA bus is the 6th American Fuel Cell Bus (AFCB) configuration delivered in California. Karim Kassam, Ballard Vice President - Commercial said, "Clean energy mass transit alternatives, such as this new fuel cell bus in Orange County, are a tremendous example of what can be done to help address clean air challenges.

Musk: Tesla's first battery swap station to open before end of year

For us, the lede was certainly buried in this Automotive News post about the new Tesla D models. In a casual way, AN lets us know that, Tesla CEO Elon Musk "said that Tesla plans to open its first [battery swap] station, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, within the next two months." Well, that's news, isn't it? The last time we hear anything official about the Model S swap stations, which can replace an empty battery pack with a full one in just 90 seconds, was a long time ago. Tesla first showed off the technology in June of 2013 and claimed that the first station would open in California in the fourth quarter of 2013. Since then it's been ... quiet as the electric vehicle company was busy with other projects. In fact, while Tesla was busy getting the D ready, starting to sell the Model S in a number of new countries and working on the Gigafactory as well as new models, some people were thinking that the whole battery swap stations were a hoax, despite that demonstration with journalists in attendance and a series of questions answered. Now that we're 60 days away from the first battery swap station – available, as always, in California first – we're excited to see how it actually works in the real world.

Tesla wants court to dismiss Georgia dealer lawsuit

Like the fire that forced Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara to flee Atlanta in Gone With the Wind, the battle between Tesla Motors and Georgia's auto dealers is heating up. In late August, the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA), which represents about 500 dealerships, filed a petition to prevent Tesla from selling its electric vehicles in the state. Tesla is now requesting a Georgia judge to throw out the petition, the Atlanta Business Chronicle says. The issue, as with states such as Texas, New Jersey, Virginia and Arizona, is that dealers say Tesla violates state law by selling vehicles directly to consumers instead of through third-party dealerships not owned by the company. Tesla insists that the company is best suited to oversee all distribution channels because of the uniqueness of the product and plans to open stores in Atlanta's Buckhead area and Decatur next week. The judge won't hear the case until next month. For now, Tesla is allowed to sell as many as 150 vehicles a year in Georgia under a zero-emissions vehicles provision. There's precedent elsewhere for things to improve in states where Tesla and dealers clashed. In August, the company reached a compromise with the state of Pennsylvania that will allow Tesla to open five stores in that state. Of course, there is a precedent for things to go the other way, too.