Recharge Wrap-up: Halliburton pays to clean up LA air, Wheego switches role to autonomous tech supplier

The EPA is requiring Halliburton to pay for clean air projects around Los Angeles schools. In a settlement over operating a diesel truck fleet in violation of the Clean Air Act, Halliburton Energy Services must pay more than $400,000, of which $180,600 will go toward reducing pollution in the LA area, with another 75,000 cleaning up air in the San Joaquin Valley. From 2012 to 2104, Halliburton operated 61 heavy duty diesel trucks without the required particulate filters in California. The money will pay for air filtration systems at schools located near major highways. Read more at My New LA, or from the EPA.

Wheego is transforming itself from an EV maker to an autonomous and electric vehicle technology supplier. Wheego Electric Cars sold a handful of small electric vehicles in the US. Wheego Technologies, as it is now called, will still develop EV tech, but is also developing autonomous driving technology using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Wheego recently obtained a self-driving vehicle testing permit in California, but is aiming its products at Chinese customers. "I think most of the US OEMs have the mentality that everything needs to be built by themselves," says CEO Mike McQuary. "That has been the culture and the mindset." Read more at WardsAuto, or at Hybrid Cars.

Tesla is providing vehicles to the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) for a ride-hailing service. HART is looking to lease the vehicles for its HyperLINK project to provide first/last-mile service for transport riders. Tesla tells Electrek the relationship is only transactional in nature, and that any services will be handled entirely by HART. As such, it appears to be completely separate from any upcoming Tesla Network. Read more at Electrek.