Automotive and Transportation News

September 1, 2016

Vulnerabilities in Cars Linked to Smartphones

Sitting in Traffic Jams Is Officially Bad for You

New Class of Cheap Flexible Fuel Cells

Electric Vehicles Help Address Climate Change

Latest Headlines

updated 11:43pm EDT

Flywheel Technology Could Create New Savings for Light Rail Transit

Aug. 30, 2016 — Two engineering professors have examined the use of flywheel technology to store energy generated when light rail transit trains decelerate and stop. Trains such as the LRT ... read more

Structural, Regulatory and Human Error Were Factors in Washington Highway Bridge Collapse

Aug. 26, 2016 — When an important bridge collapsed on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Washington, in 2013, questions were raised about how such a catastrophic ... read more

New Technology May Give Electric Car Drivers More Miles Per Minute of Charging

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have designed a thin plastic membrane that stops rechargeable batteries from discharging when not in use and allows for rapid recharging. ... read more

Clever Car Racking and Intelligent Software Double Number of Cars in Shipping Containers

Aug. 25, 2016 — Shipping cars could be safer and more efficient than ever before, thanks to ... read more

How Cars Could Meet Future Emissions Standards: Focus on Cold Starts

Aug. 22, 2016 — Car emissions is a high-stakes issue, as last year's Volkswagen scandal demonstrated. Wrongdoing aside, how are automakers going to realistically meet future, tougher emissions requirements to reduce ... read more

Plug-in Hybrids Drive Electrically Half of the Time

Aug. 16, 2016 — Plug-in hybrids drive electrically with power from the grid 55% of the time. Battery electric vehicles are driven more in total and in everyday ... read more

Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Solutions including electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, vehicle connectivity, and automation are ... read more

Using Nanotechnology to Give Fuel Cells More Oomph

Aug. 8, 2016 — Applying nanotechnology to fuel cells gives them more oomph, report researchers. The project is part of a $13 million program to advance fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage ... read more

People Not Technology Will Drive Success of Autonomous Vehicles

Aug. 2, 2016 — As the world moves closer to autonomous and self-driving vehicles, road safety experts are turning from technology to psychology to better understand the road to safer ... read more

Idle Hands: New and Improved Idlebox Tool to Aid in Reduction of Idling

July 26, 2016 — IdleBox, an electronic education and outreach toolkit aimed at promoting idling reduction across the country, has now been relauned. The new IdleBox is now available to anyone seeking an ... read more

Off-Road Scooter Opens Up Countryside to Mobility Impaired

A Wheel to Electrify Your Bicycle

BMW Sets out Vision for the Future

Google And Fiat Chrysler Join Forces To Make Self-Driving Minivans

Cheaper, More Powerful Electric Car Batteries Are on the Horizon

Aug. 9, 2016 — The White House recently announced the creation of the Battery500 Consortium, a multidisciplinary group led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and ... read more

Research Pinpoints Most Dangerous HGV Designs

July 29, 2016 — HGVs with high cabs have the most blind spots and pose the greatest risk to vulnerable road users, research has ... read more

Students Build the World's Lightest Electric Paraglider Trike

July 29, 2016 — A group of students has tackled an engineering challenge by custom building lightweight aircraft inspired by paragliders and ... read more

Streetcar Tracks Increase Risk of Bike Crashes

July 26, 2016 — One-third of bike crashes in Toronto's downtown involved the city's streetcar tracks, according to a new study that suggests that separated bike routes could reduce risk to ... read more

Partially Automated Cars Provide Enough Benefits to Warrant Widespread Adoption

July 18, 2016 — Engineering researchers have concluded that the public could derive economic and social benefits today if safety-oriented, partially automated vehicle technologies were deployed in all cars. The ... read more

Could More Fuel-Efficient Engines Lead to More Global Warming?

July 13, 2016 — Auto industry experts predict that more than 50 percent of cars on the road by 2020 will use a relatively new type of fuel-efficient engine. This transition, however, has raised questions about its ... read more

Advancing Self-Driving Car Design, Other Shared Human And Machine-Controlled Systems

July 13, 2016 — Computer scientists have described a new approach to managing the challenge of transferring control between a human and an autonomous ... read more

Study Links Recession Recovery, Increase in Commercial Truck Fatalities

July 11, 2016 — New research findings reveal unexpected health consequences of economic recovery on fatalities involving large, commercial vehicles. Research has shown that when the economy improves, motor vehicle ... read more

Electric Assist Bikes Provide Meaningful Exercise, Cardiovascular Benefits for Riders

July 7, 2016 — A new study shows that using an electrically-powered bicycle on a regular basis can provide riders with an effective workout while improving some aspects of cardiovascular health, especially for ... read more

Technique from Biology Helps Explain the Evolution of the American Car

July 1, 2016 — Researchers have taken a unique approach to explain the way in which technologies evolve in modern society. Borrowing a technique that biologists might use to study the evolution of plants or ... read more

Moral Dilemma With Driverless Cars: Who Gets Protected, the Driver or Pedestrians?

June 23, 2016 — A new study shows that the public is conflicted over safety scenarios concerning driverless cars, taking a notably inconsistent approach to the safety of autonomous vehicles, should they become a ... read more

Researchers Find New Ways to Make Clean Hydrogen, Rechargable Zinc Batteries

June 17, 2016 — New technologies have now been developed to tackle two of the world's biggest energy challenges -- clean fuel for transportation and grid-scale energy ... read more

Innovative Approach Makes for a Smoother Ride

June 16, 2016 — Moving through water can be a drag, but the use of supercavitation bubbles can reduce that drag and increase the speed of underwater vehicles. Sometimes these bubbles produce a bumpy ride, but now a ... read more

How 4-D Simulation Can Help Construction Projects Come in on Time, Budget

June 7, 2016 — Researchers have developed an advanced technique to avoid costly delays often associated with massive public transportation infrastructure ... read more

Making Airport Surface Traffic More Efficient

June 7, 2016 — Many major European airports are unable to expand. This means that aircraft departures, arrivals and surface traffic movements will have to be sped up. A new system designed to make surface movements ... read more

Nanocars Taken for a Rough Ride: Single-Molecule Cars Tested in Open Air

June 1, 2016 — Researchers have characterized how single-molecule nanocars move in open air. The research will help the kinetics of molecular machines in ambient conditions over ... read more

Top Driving Distractions for Teens as '100 Deadliest Days' Begin

June 1, 2016 — New research looks into the causes of teen crashes. Phase II of the report examines teen crash videos to determine trends in driver distraction. The results show that teens increasingly text and ... read more

Tax on Plug-in Vehicles Is Not Answer to Road-Funding Woes, Study Shows

May 27, 2016 — Given declining revenues from gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and the need for new ways of funding road infrastructure, state and federal policymakers are considering or have enacted annual ... read more

Tests Show Drivers Can't Accurately Judge Speed of Approaching Train

May 25, 2016 — Drivers can see trains approaching but cannot accurately judge their speed when proceeding through a passive level crossing, a study has ... read more

Self-Driving Truck Acts Like an Animal

May 25, 2016 — Researchers are finding inspiration in evolution’s biological counterparts in the development of a driverless truck. The first public demonstration of the vehicle will take place on a Dutch ... read more

Tuesday, August 9, 2016