cars stories

Flying cars go hybrid, still don't actually exist

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - 7:55pm

The closest thing to a flying car that we've realistically developed are various types of drivable planes that don't fit into our futuristic fantasies all that well. If this flying car concept ever gets produced it'll finally signal that the future has arrived, especially since it's an eco-friendly gas-electric hybrid.

Volumetric 3D HUDs bring augmented reality to your car

Evan Ackerman

Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 12:49pm

This head-up display uses lasers to project 3D graphics out into the world around you, and it could be the future of automotive GPS systems.

Volkswagen concept turns your entire car into a GPS display

Evan Ackerman

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 - 10:46am

A year and a half ago, AIDA was a friendly robotic head from MIT and Volkswagen that lived in your dashboard and gave you driving directions. AIDA 2.0 does away with the robot, but turns everything the driver can see into one giant navigation and information display. Good luck paying attention to the road now.

Your car's steering wheel is actually dirtier than a public toilet seat

Raymond Wong

Thursday, April 28, 2011 - 5:15am

Talk about disgusting. When I first found out that touchscreen devices were crawling with filth, I nearly threw up. A new report from researchers at Queen Mary University in London reveals car steering wheels are nine times more dirty than public toilet seats. How's that for gross?

Michelin concept car design challenge brings the craziness

Evan Ackerman

Monday, April 25, 2011 - 4:55pm

Every year, the Michelin Design Challenge gives the design community the opportunity to go completely nuts and create vehicles with little, if any, basis in reality. By the look of things, this year was no exception, and we've got a gallery of the 13 weirdest concept cars from the competition.

Lasers may end the 150-year reign of spark plugs

Monday, April 25, 2011 - 1:45pm

Spark plugs have been around for a long time — 150 years or so. But vehicles may soon upgrade to a more modern tech for their engine-starting needs: lasers.

Protean Electric stuffs an entire powertrain into your wheels

Evan Ackerman

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - 4:07pm

You know that big noisy thing at the front of your car? If Protean Electric has its way, all of that stuff is going to get crammed into your wheels, freeing up lots of weight and enough space for a small hot tub (or anything else). It's the future, man!

How this car gets 2,500 miles per gallon

Evan Ackerman

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 11:58am

It's not fast and it's not comfortable, but Canada's Alerion supermileage car trounced the competition at the Shell Eco-marathon, turning in a mind-bending fuel efficiency of 2,500 miles per gallon. That's about ten gallons to drive all the way around the planet at the equator, or about 90 gallons to get from here to the moon.

GM: Volt drivers getting 1,000 miles per tank

Evan Ackerman

Monday, April 11, 2011 - 1:49pm

Now that GM has sold a thousand of their Volt plug-in hybrids, they're starting to get feedback from owners about how the cars are performing in day-to-day use, and here's the number you care about: people get an average of 1,000 miles between fill-ups.

Plastics made from fruit could make cars lighter and stronger

Raymond Wong

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 9:56am

Who knew delicious bananas, pineapples and coconuts could potentially be used to build stronger and lighter cars? A team of Brazilian scientists have figured out a way to use fruit fibers to build extremely strong plastics that are up to four times stronger than petroleum-based plastic.

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More Sites

cars stories

Flying cars go hybrid, still don't actually exist

Volumetric 3D HUDs bring augmented reality to your car

Volkswagen concept turns your entire car into a GPS display

Your car's steering wheel is actually dirtier than a public toilet seat

Michelin concept car design challenge brings the craziness

Lasers may end the 150-year reign of spark plugs

Protean Electric stuffs an entire powertrain into your wheels

How this car gets 2,500 miles per gallon

GM: Volt drivers getting 1,000 miles per tank

Plastics made from fruit could make cars lighter and stronger

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