Automotive - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• US wants cars to find each other through airwaves and warn drivers

  The U.S. Department of Transportation will propose making all new cars talk to each other so they can warn drivers of impending collisions.

• Ford enlists MIT, Stanford to drive automated cars

  Ford is enlisting top U.S. universities to make self-driving cars a reality, announcing Wednesday that it hopes researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology can come up with advanced algorithms to help vehicles learn where pedestrians and other automobiles will be located.

• The smartest cars may need 5G, Ericsson says

  Some of the most futuristic features envisioned in networked cars will depend on 5G mobile technology that probably won't be available in full until 2020, according to Ericsson's chief technology officer.

• Asleep at the wheel: Searching for super-smart cars at CES

  Cool, intelligent car? Check. Controller wristwatch? Check. Now all you need is the leather jacket and 1980s perm to be Michael Knight.

• Toyota drives in test version of FCV hydrogen car, headed to market in 2015

  Toyota chose the International CES this week to exhibit a test version of its zero-emission Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) concept car, which was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last fall.

• Chevy's 2015 Corvette Stingray to get telemetry recorder

  Chevrolet will offer owners of its new 2015 Corvette Stingray a high-tech system that's something of a cross between a dash-cam and a flight data recorder.

• Toyota to bring fuel-cell concept car to CES

  Toyota will use January's CES to unveil its fuel-cell concept car for the first time in North America.

• Home appliance makers connect with open source 'Internet of things' project

  Home appliances, cars and computers could soon be talking to one another thanks to an open source framework that has the backing of consumer electronics manufacturers in a new industry alliance.

• Transit strike boosts ride-sharing apps in San Francisco

  If there's any U.S. city whose citizens are likely to use technology to alleviate a transit strike, San Francisco is it. On Monday, ride-sharing and car-hailing services, many fueled by smartphone apps, reported increased use after a strike halted America's fifth-largest light rail system, the Bay Area Rapid Transit.

• AT&T to offer $5 day pass for mobile data on tablets

  AT&T plans to offer tablet users a US$5 day pass for mobile data service, as well as a $25 prepaid plan for 1GB over three months, in a bid to reach more types of consumers.

• Skully fits heads-up display into motorcycle helmet

  Ask a hundred entrepreneurs where they draw inspiration and you'll probably get a hundred different answers, but few are likely to be as unusual as that of Marcus Weller. The CEO of Skully Helmets came up with his idea for a high-tech motorcycle helmet after smashing into a car on a street in Barcelona.

• Novatel accelerometer checks how you drive

  Novatel Wireless' latest device for vehicle tracking can be self-installed and has an accelerometer and GPS combo that can keep a close eye on driving habits.

• Delft University wins World Solar Challenge car race

  A team from Delft University in the The Netherlands won the World Solar Challenge, a biennial cross-Australia race that puts solar cars up against harsh driving conditions.

• Dutch solar car on cusp of World Solar Challenge victory

  Nuna 7, a futuristic single-seater car capable of speeds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour, is on the verge of winning the World Solar Challenge, a biennial cross-Australia endurance race for solar-powered vehicles.

• Four-seater solar car hits 120 kph in cross-Australia race

  A solar-powered car carrying four people hit speeds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) as it raced across the Australian desert in this year's World Solar Challenge.