Car Tech

If you’re like us, you have a passion for road trips and a serious preference for certain brands of food, gasoline and coffee. If you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, a new application may be just the thing to turn road trip frustration into road trip bliss. Called RoadAhead, the app will...

We expected the eBay Motors app to arrive in March, but it missed that deadline by a couple of months. Now that it's finally arrived, can the app redeem itself by preserving eBay's standing as a worthwhile shopping destination? There's no denying that eBay has lost luster over the past few years...

The concept of powering a car on waste products has been around for a while, and indeed it's an idea that's very attractive for a sustainable fuel future. Why let waste go to waste? Scientists have already explored methane power harnessed by the gases that escape from good old "number twos", but...

We all know about the growing popularity of collision avoidance systems. As recently as this week, we've even heard about developments on the autonomous car front. Problem is, most of those systems depend on vehicles going it alone, using radar and other technology to avoid hazards in their way...

It's 7am, and your alarm is blaring to raise you bleary-eyed from your slumber. You grab breakfast, chuck some clothes on and get ready to head to work. As you step into your car, a message appears on the central screen. "What is your destination?". You press a button marked "Work". Although you...

Glass roof panels are becoming a popular option in modern cars. Taking the old sunroof and moonroof a step further, you can enjoy all the view you'd get in a convertible with none of the gusts of wind. The glass roof isn't without its problems though. If you live in a hot and sunny climate you'll...

Dandelion flowers may look pretty to some but to many, they're a weed that needs uprooting throughout the warmer months to prevent them from taking over the garden. What better to provide the basis of a renewable source for rubber than a plant that grows abundantly and quickly? Ford and the Ohio...

Over the past couple of decades, cities across Europe and North America have launched bike-sharing programs. Some have been free and open to anyone, some have required membership, and nearly all have failed miserably. But Shelby Clark thinks he can make sharing work for cars, and his company...

Google has been hitting the headlines pretty hard the past couple of days. Its Android operating system is still hammering the smartphone market, its new music service is causing a commotion, and the company is prepping to settle a hush-hush Justice Department investigation into its advertising...

Want a sports car or muscle car but don't want the expense of higher fuel bills and insurance costs? Want to enjoy the rumble of a big V8 but don't want to wake the neighbors every morning when you leave for work? Your wishes have just been answered, and for only $40. What you need is the...

Touchscreen displays have revolutionized our gadgets, both in and away from our automotive lives. Now, they're set to get even better to use. From iPhones to satellite navigation systems, many of our electronic gadgets use the technology, and that's only going to increase as makers strive for ever...

Electronics giant Pioneer has revealed the latest in the world of automotive satellite navigation technology, with its new AVIC-VH09CS double din unit showcasing the first production example of an in-car ‘augmented reality’ system. Using a wireless windshield-mounted camera, the system...

GPS navigation systems and internet-based route planners allow you to pick the quickest or shortest route to your destination. However, until now there hasn't been the option to pick the greenest route, allowing you to use the least fuel and reducing your journey's emissions. Researchers at the...

The unthinkable can happen all too easily. In the large vehicles that many of us drive, a significant blind spot to the rear below the window line can hide children playing behind your vehicle, and the consequences can be tragic. As a result of as many as two children a week killed in back-over...

Audi is at the forefront of LED lighting on road cars, and the German maker is now ready to reap the benefits in racing too. The company has announced that it intends to use LED lighting technology on its 2011 Le Mans contender, the R18 TDI. The new closed-cockpit racer, designed with the intention...

Most of the past week's headlines have been dominated by news about disastrous storms in the Deep South, flooding in the Midwest, and of course, the death of Osama bin Laden. But in the middle of all that, there's another important story that's been overlooked by many media outlets: yesterday...

The first generation of Audi and MIT's collaboration on a futuristic in-car interface system produced a somewhat creepy, ostensibly friendly, in-car robot. The second generation, previewed in the video below, looks more like the product of a sci-fi movie, aiming to redefine the way we look at...

Mercedes-Benz was late to the telematics game, but now that its mbrace system has been available for a while, it's looking like a trailblazer, compared to systems just hitting the market--Hyundai's Blue Link, Kia's UVO and Toyota's Entune, among them. At the recent New York Auto Show, we talked...

Integrating smartphones with in-car vehicle technology is nothing new. Bluetooth connection for making calls, and playing music and plugging in via USB has been around for years. Full integration of smartphones into a car's systems hasn't really been seen yet beyond the concept stage. One of the...

Kids these days don't know how good they have it. The most entertainment many of us could muster on a long journey was playing I-spy, or maybe kicking our siblings and getting away with it when they complained. In-car DVD has made long trips a much quieter experience for parents, and now a deal...