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Recharge Wrap-up: Couple wins Toyota Mirai; Tesla Gigafactory wages reported

A couple who won a Toyota Mirai at the Los Angeles Auto Show are among the first people to own the new fuel-cell sedan. Marianne Ellis bought the winning ticket - auctioned off by the Environmental Media Association to fund environmental programs - as a possible 30th anniversary gift for her husband, David. The excited couple picked up their ceremonial keys at the LA Auto Show on Wednesday. "For us, it's about being at the cutting edge of change," says Marianne Ellis. "It's a chance to support environmental causes and clean energy, while showing it's possible to make a car like this part of your lifestyle." The Mirai will go on sale in California in the fall of 2015. Read more in the press release below. The salaries for 6,500 full-time employees at Tesla's Gigafactory battery production facility have been reported. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the 4,550 production associates and 200 material handlers will be paid $22.79 an hour. 460 equipment technicians and 360 quality technicians will get $27.88 an hour. 930 engineers and senior staff will earn $41.83, or $87,000 a year. Tesla plans to staff 6,500 people at the Reno, Nevada-based Gigafactory by 2020. Read more at the Reno Gazette-Journal or at Teslarati. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has elected its governing board members. The board leaders include Sprague Operating Resources Chairman Steven J. Levy, Minnesota Soybean Processors Vice Chair Ron Marr, American Soybean Association Treasurer Mike Cunningham and Nebraska Soybean Board Secretary Greg Anderson. NBB also filled four more spots on the board, discussed federal policies, began program planning and recognized outstanding member involvement in the biodiesel industry. Read more at Biodiesel Magazine. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has reported progress on renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production. The DOE calls electrolysis, photoelectrochemical, biological and solar-thermochemical key areas of hydrogen production and has made advances in each. The DOE is looking into technological advancements in making the clean fuel and ways to reduce production costs. The DOE has also outlined various plans for the 2015 fiscal year with regard to advancing hydrogen technology, with the goal of getting hydrogen prices in line with other fuels. Read more at Green Car Congress. Toyota Mirai Winners Celebrate The Future November 19, 2014 TORRANCE, Calif. (Nov.

Toyota teases mysterious RND Concept

Toyota is being very secretive about its newly teased RND Concept. The image above is all that the Japanese automaker is showing at the moment, and it's not much to go by. However, the wait to find out won't be very long, as the automaker is unveiling this very mysterious vehicle on January 26 in the UK. Making the RND even more intriguing is that this isn't just a concept pointing the way towards some nebulous future vehicle. Toyota claims that the model is production ready, and the automaker already has pricing, supply and manufacturing space prepared. We likely shouldn't expect a super luxury sedan or sports coupe, though, because Toyota says that the RND is meant for "the widest possible market." Could it possibly be some sort of inexpensive, electric vehicle like the Renault Twizy, then? With just the hind of a taillight, a slash of chrome and what might be an intake, there's not much styling work to go on here. Although, Toyota is making huge promises about the design; it claims the RND "has the potential to transform the look of every vehicle on the road." It's odd to see an automaker other than Tesla reveal a new vehicle outside of a major world auto show, which piques our interest about what Toyota is doing here. Read the company's press release below and let us know what you think the Japanese automaker is up to in Comments. THE NEW TOYOTA RND CONCEPT: SNEAK PREVIEW First details of new model released ahead of world debut next week Toyota is breaking with motor industry convention by revealing a new product outside the familiar surroundings of an international motor show. Instead its new RND Concept will make its world debut in the UK on 26th January, ready for fast-track development that should see it changing the face of motoring within weeks. The first image released today hints at how the concept's design marks a radical shift in direction for Toyota, taking the "fun-to-drive" qualities of its cars to a higher level. Although presented as a concept, Toyota acknowledges the RND will be unveiled in its production-ready form. Manufacturing and product supply have been secured and on-the-road pricing has been fixed at a level that will make the RND Concept accessible to the widest possible market. Toyota is confident, too, that the RND Concept's impact will go far beyond its own model range, having the potential to transform the look of every vehicle on the road.

Xcar tours Toyota's Secret Racing Collection

Toyota Motorsport GmbH has dabbled in just about every form of motorsport you could think of. The Japanese automaker's European racing division has made its mark in Formula One, Le Mans, rally, hillclimbing... it's even made some road-going prototypes. And Xcar managed to gain access to its inner sanctum. As a result of all its various racing activities, the German facility has an enviable collection of racing machinery, housed in a hall underneath one of its wind tunnels. We couldn't even begin to wrap our heads around the sheer amount of money that's been poured into all these racers and prototypes, or how much they'd be worth on the open market today if Toyota ever had to liquidate its unsurpassed collection. But you can scope them all out in the artfully shot and expertly narrated video above.