Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Hydrogen, Solar, GM, Toyota, Asia, China, USA



The Toyota FCV made its North American debut at the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival, and this time it's not sporting its usual blue sheet metal. This silver paint job shows a bit more contrast. Certain features stand out a bit more, especially the black strip that wraps around the grille and down the sides of the hood to the mirrors. This is the production version of the car's exterior, which will go on sale in California next summer. Toyota also had its Driver Awareness Research Vehicle, DARV 1.5, on display in Aspen. DARV 1.5 uses technology to decrease driver distraction and measure driver behavior to provide a safe driving score. See more of both cars in our image gallery.

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry (also know as FoxConn Technology Group) says it is planning to build electric cars that will cost just $15,000, according to The China Post. The world's largest electronics maker, which assembles mobile devices for Apple, promises that the cars will be highly connected. "When integrated with cloud computing, the Internet, smart traffic and smart cities in the future, people will be able to drive more easily and reduce car accidents more efficiently," says Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou. At a shareholder's meeting, Gou didn't comment on production timing or other details about the cars, nor would he answer questions about possible cooperation with Tesla Motors. Hon Hai made headlines in recent years after a series of employee suicides, which led the company to raise worker wages and install anti-suicide netting on its buildings.

EV advocates in Illinois took a 500-mile road trip to help temper range anxiety in potential buyers, says the Chicago Tribune. The demonstration, organized by the Illinois Green Economy Network, meant to show people that they can use electric vehicles to drive long distances without getting stranded with a dead battery. The drive began near Carbondale and traveled to 11 different community colleges with charging stations before terminating in Grayslake. Illinois has about 5,000 registered electric vehicles, and 450 public and private charging stations.

General Motors is building three acres of new solar arrays to produce an expected 400,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy per year. The new arrays at GM's Swartz Creek processing center and Flint engine plant will be completed this fall, contributing to the company's 38 megawatts of solar power from facilities around the world. By 2020, GM hopes to be using 125 megawatts of renewable energy, which includes landfill gas and biomass energy use. GM received a Project of Distinction Award from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Solar Electric Power Association at the annual PV America East Expo in Boston for its solar microgrid in Baltimore. GM is the automotive leader in solar use, according to SEIA, and among the top 25 US companies. Read on for more details in the press release, below.Continue reading Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota FCV wears silver, Foxconn's $15K EV, solar power at GM

Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota FCV wears silver, Foxconn's $15K EV, solar power at GM originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 30 Jun 2014 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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