Last week, the first hydrogen-powered 2015 Hyundai Tucson FCV (fuel cell vehicle) arrived in California. The only reason for their presence in California is to satisfy the laws of CARB (California Air Resources Board). This state's laws aimed at improving air quality are the toughest in North America. Hyundai says that they make no profit off selling these SUVs. However, according to CARB's scale of credits, each Hyundai Tucson FCV that is leased up until the 2017 model year will earn 26 credits, the equivalent of $130,000. Why a dollar equivalent? It is so that these credits can be sold to other companies. In January 2011, electric car manufacturer Tesla claimed that it has sold $13.8 million in credits to Honda since 2008. At the moment, Hyundai is not interested in selling these credits. Rather, the company is accumulating them to offset their sales of less fuel efficient vehicles.

Hyundai and Kia are recalling just over 570,000 vehicles due to a fire risk. The companies estimate about 1 percent of the affected units are believed to have the identified problem.

Hyundai has shared a video showcasing the robot it has developed that takes charge of… charging an EV’s batteries. One can think of a host of situations where this technology will prove beneficial.

Hyundai says it will continue to equip its vehicle interiors with physical buttons rather than going with solely touch-sensitive commands. The automaker cites safety reasons among others to explain its strategy.