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Why this could be the perfect time for Apple to make a car play

While the automotive and technology worlds have been pouring billions into autonomous vehicles (AVs) and preparing to bring them to market soon as shared robo-taxis, Apple has mostly sat on the sidelines. Of course, Apple is the last company to ever make its intentions known, and the super-secret tech cult giant hasn't been totally out of the AV game based on the clues that have slipped out of its Cupertino, Calif., citadel over the past few years. Related: Apple self-driving cars are real — one was just in an accident News first broke in 2015 that it had assembled an automotive development team, in part by poaching high-profile talent from car companies, to work on a top-secret self-driving vehicle project code-named Titan. (Thank you very much, Nissan.) Apple also subsequently broke cover by making inquiries into using a Northern California AV testing facility and receiving a permit to test AVs on public roads in California. But then as the AV race started to heat up in the last few years, Apple reportedly began scaling back its car activities by downsizing team Titan. More recently, Apple's car project has shown signs of life with the hiring a high-level engineer away from Waymo and luring one Tesla's top engineers and a former employee back to Apple. It also inked a deal with Volkswagen to provide a technology platform and software to convert the automaker's new T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for employees at tech company's new campus. That is a far cry from giving rides to Wal-Mart shoppers, like Waymo is doing as part of its AV testing in Phoenix. But this could be the perfect time for Apple to enter the AV market now that ride-sharing is reaching critical mass and automakers and others are planning to deploy fleets of robo-taxis. Apple could easily establish a niche as a high-end ride-sharing service – and charge a premium – given its cult-like brand loyalty and design savvy. The growth of car subscription models could also play in Apple's favor since is already has many people hooked on paying for phones in monthly installments – and eager to upgrade when a new and better model becomes available. To achieve this, some believe Apple will fulfill co-founder and CEO Steve Job's dream of building a car. And as the world's first and only $1 trillion company it's sitting on a mountain of cash that certainly gives it the means. But other tech darlings like Tesla and Google have discovered how difficult it can be to build cars at scale.

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Ready for Rent, MOIA comes to US in 2018

Daimler is launching its "Smart Ready to Rent" service in Europe. Beginning this month in German and French cities, the rental scheme bridges the gap between short-term Car2go rentals and longer leases. Customers book the Smart model of their choice – including the emissions-free Electric Drive and the hotter Brabus versions – for a period of one day up to three months. As such, Smart Ready to Rent is useful to those who live outside of an urban center. Users can book a car online or through a dealer, and vehicles are collected and returned at the dealership. Read more at Green Car Congress. Volkswagen will launch its MOIA mobility arm in the US in 2018. The recently announced brand will take on public transportation as a competitor with services such as ride hailing and car sharing. VW is looking into forging partnerships with the likes of technology and ride sharing companies. The automaker also expects to show an electric shuttle-type concept in 2017 for pooling services, but will use the three-row VW Atlas crossover in the meantime until that concept reaches production. Look to see MOIA emerging in major cities along the US coasts. Read more at Automotive News. A new report from Lux Research suggests that most EV batteries are better off being recycled than reused. Once lithium-ion batteries have outlived their usefulness for automotive duty, some automakers (BMW, Nissan, and Toyota included) are looking at ways to use their remaining capacity, such as for stationary energy storage. The new report, though, says that reusing batteries offers "questionable returns on account of reduced performance." Better to be like Tesla, and just recycle them. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Related Gallery Smart ForTwo ED: Paris 2016 View 12 Photos Related Gallery 2018 Volkswagen Atlas Unveiling View 43 Photos News Source: Green Car Congress, Automotive News, Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Green smart Volkswagen Green Automakers Transportation Alternatives Electric recharge wrapup

VW confirms Golf GTD diesel coming to US for 2016

Part of the Volkswagen Golf recipe that has helped the car sell more than 30 million units in just under 40 years is the number of variants in which the hatchback is offered. Building on that range here in the US, Automotive News is reporting that we will finally be getting the sporty Golf GTD, likely as a 2016 model. It's the GTD, you'll recall, that crosses the performance abilities of the venerable GTI with a powerful and fuel-efficient diesel engine.
After speaking with Andreas Valbuena, Volkswagen product manager for the Golf, AN not only says that the GTD will for sale in the US in a couple years, it also estimates a baseline price of around $27,000, which would place it between the current pricing for the GTI and the Golf R. The GTD is launching in Europe this summer, but we won't be getting the seventh-generation Golf in the US for another year. The news about the performance diesel model isn't entirely unexpected - VW officials have been hinting at it for at least a year now, going so far as to import a sixth-generation model for media test drives on US soil, a task we happily took them up on last year.
The Mk VII GTD uses VW's 2.0-liter TDI engine with output increased to 184 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, allowing the car to sprint to 60 miles per hour in about seven seconds while returning more than 40 mpg in highway driving. We can't wait.