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Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg told Car & Driver that they are engineering their twin-turbo V8 engine to run without a camshaft. The far-flung world of infinitely variable engines will soon be upon us. More »
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Car technology has advanced to the point that many drivers have no clue just how much their machine is driving them. Autopia's Keith Buglewicz explores the latest tech that's affecting how we drive — for better and worse. — Ed. More »
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With buttons multiplying like barnacles on the surfaces of steering wheels, researchers in Germany developed a single touch-sensitive disc to replace them. If you can't use your iPhone while driving, why not turn your steering wheel into a iPhone? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5810477&view=rss&microfeed=true As if the spy video we featured previously wasn't enough proof, today we've confirmed that the smallest BMW i family offering, the i3, will be coming to market in 2013 with a rear-wheel-drive powertrain, and the electric motor powering those wheels will be mounted amidships. More »
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From microcars to high-end speedsters, future cars will share one common theme — controls through touch screens rather than buttons, if the concepts of last week's Geneva Motor Show are any indication. More »
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A new system from auto supplier Magna turns a car's rear window into a giant subwoofer, using a combination of exciters, a 200-watt amplifier and a special sealant that allows the glass to vibrate at low frequencies. More »
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In what is equal parts must have accessory for new Camaro fan boys and strange mixture of car love and technology, check out the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro PC Rides Computer found on craigslist just in time too late for Christmas. More »
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Alex Severinsky, a Soviet emigrant who began his career developing antitank-warfare instrumentation, patented a system for powering gas-electric hybrids in 1994. Toyota used his system for the Prius without permission or payment. Until this week. More »
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Car dashboards are beginning to mimic the latest in consumer electronics as automakers try to suck in the iPod-generation as new car buyers. Here's the ten most high-tech dashboards on production cars you can buy this year or next. More »
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The Air Force has successfully fired a plane-based laser at the hood of a test car, successfully melting it. It's like the plot of Real Genius come to life! More »
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Ever get the feeling automakers are trying to remove you, the driver, from the driving experience? Well you should, because they are. Here's 25 automotive technological "advancements" designed to make you irrelevant and redundant. More »
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Is technology making imbeciles of us all? Boing Boing Gadgets’ Lisa Katayama argues chronic GPS usage has put her in touch with her inner Pinky rather than helping her be a better driver. More »
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A New Jersey-based Burger King has announced they'll install a kinetic energy harnessing speed bump in their drive-thru to tap into the unused power generated by the hundreds of cars that pass through daily. More »
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When a police officer asks for proof-of-insurance, most people reach for their card. When it's expired, most people take the ticket. Paul reached for his iPhone and saved himself $200 and a suspended license. More »
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Chrysler debuted their HAL 9000-like next-gen Uconnect system in the Chrysler 200C Concept and it proved to be an impressive piece of tech. It's so impressive that we, uh-hem, had to "hack" it. More »
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Yesterday at the second annual CAR2CAR, a forum on, you guessed it, car-to-car communications, Audi revealed a future where its cars would play nice and talk to others. Specifically, the multi-ringed German brand showed off three examples where their system can talk to cars from other brands to receive warnings from approaching emergency vehicles, to emit data after a crash and to warn other vehicles of a potential collision. But that's just the car-to-car side. The really interesting stuff is on the infrastructure-to-car side. Audi was touting the results of a study experiment in Ingolstadt, where the timing of 46 traffic lights was optimized by equipping three with WLAN-based communications technology to facilitate communications with vehicles heading toward the lights. Calculations provided by the Technical University of Munich, a venture partner, suggest a 20% reduction in stops at traffic lights post-optimization. That's obviously good for those of us looking to save time, but it also helps in the pocketbook as well because the reduction creates a corresponding improvement in fuel efficiency. Just assuming an hourly volume of 1,000 vehicles in Ingolstadt –- the stop reduction reportedly saves around 185,000 gallons of fuel annually. Not too shabby if you ask us. Hit the jump for the full release. More »
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An electromagnetic sensor system capable of automatically detecting the presence of large animals on or near roadways and alerting drivers to their presence is being tested in Colorado. So far, the system appears to be working; the only problem might be the drivers themselves. Colorado is trialing the system on a road where up to 70% of all accidents involve vehicles colliding with animals. But how does it work? More »
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Ever been curious what takes place under the Tesla Roadster’s hood in the absence of internal combustion? Well, here’s an explanation of what the parts are and and what they do, conveniently numbered so you can follow along at home. Make the jump to see why "Tesla mechanic" would be a totally cush job. More »
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Nissan's revealed plans to install what it's calling the "ECO Pedal" system in models next year. The technology makes the gas pedal press upward when it senses motorists are speeding up too quickly. Although Nissan says the system can help drivers improve fuel efficiency 5 to 10 percent, we say it's the ultimate nanny technology that should never see life. More »
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Our friends at PickupTrucks.com tell us a company called Ethanol Boosting Systems (EBS) is developing turbocharged gasoline engines that can rival diesel torque output for a third of the price. By combining high compression, huge boost numbers, port fuel injection and the key component — direct ethanol injection, EBS has designed an engine that can take advantage of gasoline's lower price and better emissions characteristics while producing a Peterbilt-like torque curve. Sounds like a brilliant idea — but PUTC doesn't claim EBS is working with a Detroit automaker yet. We, on the other hand, happen to have heard somewhere down the line that they're working with Ford. Now that we've got that settled — how does it work? More »
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General Motors is building a prototype windshield capable of enhancing a driver's vision with lasers. No, this isn't the automotive equivalent of LASIK, but rather a system for identifying road markings and making them more visible to drivers during difficult conditions. The system is being developed with older drivers in mind, and of course won't be able to completely compensate for bad vision. So how does it work? More »
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A company by the name of AUO has managed to develop an oval-shaped LCD display, which could change the appearance of next-generation instrument panels. The ovoid LCDs don't just look good, but they could allow for customizing instrumented data. Of course, the technology is far from being integrated into your next vehicle purchase, but it's good to see the baby steps being taken. [Ubergizmo] More »
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Using a Lincoln MKZ with an interior that looks an awful lot like the 2010 Ford Fusion (mostly due to the gigantic screen), a company by the name of Medtronic is developing an in-car system capable of monitoring blood-glucose levels specifically for diabetics. The diabetic-driver will wear a continuous glucose-monitoring system that will communicate wirelessly with the in-car infotainment system via Bluetooth. More »
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A lot of times when people see a modern car accident or push on a plastic bumper, they wonder why cars aren't built the way they used to be. Well, a lot of it has to do with human survivability. If you've ever had high school level physics you'll understand the following formula: More »
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The problem topic of older drivers remains a hot-button issue, and with the Baby Boomers plowing toward retirement, the number of older drivers on the road is expected to double over the next few decades. To address the politically sensitive implications of this progression, the MIT AgeLab has converted a Volvo XC90 into an Aware Mobile. The crossover is outfitted with a collection of sensors and doodads, not help the elderly drive, but rather to properly determine when a senior should hand in his or her keys. More »
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At the 2008 Automotive Engineering Exposition, Toshiba demonstrated a new technology with the potential to change how drivers view the lowly side mirror. By replacing a vehicle's standard side mirrors with cameras that feed live footage to monitors inside the vehicle, the Toshiba Smart Mirrors can display a yellow, green or red line when another vehicle is getting too close. More »
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Featuring a host of Human Machine Interface, lighting, surface and display innovations, 3M and Visteon have created the X-Wave to showcase technology they'd like to bring to the automotive market. The two companies have combined expertises—Visteon with in-car tech and 3M for transmissive optical film and other materials—to find new ways to display information, provide lighting and interact with drivers and passengers. The first thing you'll notice looking at the interior of this adapted X5 is the center console. The buttons are hidden behind its surface, illuminating when the car is on. In lieu of the tactile push a physical button delivers, the virtual buttons react by way of haptic feedback, vibrating or clicking when pressed depending on programming. More »
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Toyota's Crown Hybrid is getting one hell of a feature that will make the walkers of the world happy: night vision pedestrian recognition. Complex pattern recognition system cameras will recognize when pedestrians are walking alongside the road and put a nice yellow square around them on a camera view on the driver-side LCD instrument panel. The ideal driving speed for the system to work is between 10 and 40 mph, so the system is pretty useless hauling ass through a park Bruce-Willis-action-movie style. It only recognizes pedestrians, but Toyota is working on an advanced version that would be capable of recognizing bicycles and animals, as well. With gas prices going bonkers, the roads will be clogged with more and more pedestrians and bicyclists, so any extra precautions could be helpful for dealing with the gangs of hobos sure to be wandering our roads as the dollar weakens. [DVICE] More »
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Delphi, makers of all kinds of vehicle electronic gadgetry, will become the first manufacturer to use what is being called "segmented display cell." SDC is a type of e-ink used in electronics and will soon be implemented into a wireless bi-directional keyfob. SDC will make integrating displays into keyfobs a little more reasonable. SDC also looks a hell of a lot better than the third-party jobbers with displays that look like those handheld videogames from the 1990s. This technology isn't just about looks, either. More »
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Scientists and researchers at Stanford must have quite the fascination with David Hasselhoff and his KITT because they are working on making the talking-car technology a reality. The lead on this team, Clifford Nass, says that a more intelligent car that knows about the driver and communicates with the driver can help provide a safer and more engaging driving experience. More »
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Researchers at Lehigh University are developing a way to make it easier for wheelchair-bound individuals to dock a wheelchair in the back of a minivan. The system utilizes lasers and radio frequency technology to automatically guide a wheelchair onto the forklift-style platform that is in the rear of the van. This is similar to how the spacecraft Jules Verne docked with the International Space Station or how my Roomba robotic vacuum will automatically dock with its charging cradle. More »
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Microsoft is again shilling its technology out to the masses, but this time offering up its car infotainment system, better known as SYNC, to the Hyundai-Kia Auto Group. The 2010 models will be the first to include the Microsoft entertainment system that still remains nameless as Ford has the name SYNC locked down by the balls. For the time being, the system used by Hyundai and Kia will be similar to that offered by Ford, FIAT and most recently with Suzuki (who decided on the Suzuki TRIP name), but the group is looking at new capabilities that could be added like navigation and emergency call services. Press release below the jump. More »
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Yes, we know, being a pedestrian or cyclist can be dangerous, but that won't stop us from driving however the hell we want, as long as this futuristic design never sees the light of day. This new conceptual idea for crosswalks is a bit too i, Robot for us. Rather than just having pretty painted lines—this crossing would also include a plasma laser barrier that makes cyclists and anyone doing an Abbey Road impression more visible and helps avoid those nasty vehicular manslaughter charges. We wonder what happens if a vehicle were to cross the barrier? More »
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Kambiz Salari, a researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has used a very simple method to solve a consequence of driving a truck. Salari has applied for a patent that will reduce the aerodynamic drag that accompanies driving a truck by essentially placing a box fan immediately behind the cab. The report shows that 65 percent of fuel burned while driving a truck at 70 mph on a highway is to compensate for the drag and using a fan-type device will reduce the aerodynamic drag and boost the mileage rating. Forget about the fan and improved mileage, we'd rather see a truck manufactured like the one documented in the patent. that's pretty damn stylish, to be honest. [New Scientist] More »
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The first-ever Formula 1 night race is still on track for September and more details have arisen about some of the safety precautions that will be taken to ensure to well-being of all everyone involved. In addition to the special lighting system installed at the Singapore track, 35 LED flags will be situated around the track to make the drivers more aware, especially when the flag-waving race official will be harder to see at night. More »
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A "luxury car manufacturer" from southern Stuttgart has invested a lot of money into something that isn't even real. We're thinking it was the brainchild of Dr. Z., but the unnamed company has picked up six of the ridiculously expensive Christie HD8K 1080p DLP high definition projectors that creates virtual factory floors and production plants to maximize production efficiency. It's quite the elaborate setup as individuals have to don special 3D goggles to get the full, stomach churning experience. More »
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One of the advantages of the internal-combustion engine (or the external-combustion engine, for that matter) is that you get vast amounts of waste heat for use in making the vehicle's passenger area nice and toasty when it's cold out. However, an increasingly large group thinks that an engine technology that squanders two-thirds of its energy on waste heat leaves something to be desired, so legions of engineers are now working on plug-in hybrids and full electric cars. Thing is, without all that hot water coming out of the engine all the time, how do you keep the vehicle's occupants from freezing their tuchuses off while at the same time refraining from sucker-punching the batteries by making heat in the same manner as your toaster? Antarctic-grade parkas will do the job, but the engineers seem to think that the next generation of thermoelectric semiconductors are the way to go. [MIT] More »
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We knew that Microsoft was going to look to hawk its Sync system elsewhere—especially with its booming popularity and the soon-to-be expired Ford contract. Now we know who is first to the free market table Alpine and Continental, two aftermarket manufacturers, are already working on integrating the voice command and entertainment system into their own products. Perhaps even more interesting, due to its early popularity, Microsoft is already working on the next generation of Sync and it has a super-exciting codename! More »
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We all known that sleeping drivers is a leading cause of automobile deaths and accidents, but researchers are learning of less technological ways to combat dozing drivers: blue lights. The latest studies show that sleepy drivers should take a 30-minute blue light "bath" to combat drowsiness while driving. Why would one choose blue lights instead of coffee, energy drinks and cigarettes? More »
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Anybody that has ever tried to put those damned tire chains on can smile and know that the age old midwest winter traditional may soon be extinct thanks to Q Celsius, a new tire that has retractable studs. The Q Celsius takes its name from James Bond's gadget man, Q, and operates with a switch inside the vehicle. More »
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