Tesla touchscreen recall, methane-powered fuel cells, California opposition dissolves: Today’s Car News
Several major automakers let up on their resistance to California’s Clean Car Standards. Karma is testing fuel-cell systems fueled by liquid methane. And Tesla is recalling all those troublesome Model S and Model X touchscreens. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.
After pressure from the federal government, Tesla is recalling 135,000 Model S and Model X vehicles for issues with touchscreen displays—leading to the loss of the rearview camera display and other safety-critical functions. The recall will start March 31, and the fix will of course be done free of charge.
With a new President in office, both Toyota and Fiat Chrysler are among the automakers that have dropped their opposition to California and its ability to set its own, stricter emissions standards. This happened seemingly in coordination with an industry group’s proposal to start talks on fleet standards that would be lower than those set during the Obama administration.
California-based Karma Automotive has announced that it’s planning to test a hydrogen fuel-cell system that will use onboard reforming—and thus be fueled by liquid methane, possibly from landfills. It’s a revival of an old idea that was often discussed by R&D teams or laid out as a hypothetical in concept cars before the latest high-pressure hydrogen tanks, and before battery packs became more affordable and energy-dense.
Over at Motor Authority: The first fully electric vehicle from Hyundai’s Genesis luxury brand will reportedly be an SUV, likely to be badged the GV60. It’s built on Hyundai’s global E-GMP platform, capable of an 80% charge in 18 minutes for some models.
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