Car Tech
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Pirelli seems to be keen on finding ways to not only re-imagine what its tires are capable of, but where it can infuse its technology outside of the car world. Hot on the heels of Pirelli’s colored, talking tires, the tire manufacturer has decided to try its hand at tackling the slopes with a set or rubber infused skis. Pirelli and Blossom Skis decided to tackle the task of minimizing vibration from skis. As a result, Pirelli infused a layer of rubber into the skis, which resulted in a 60 percent reduction in vibration along the way. Despite their birthplace, we wouldn’t expect...
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Route 66 edges closer to becoming a solar roadSolar Roadways, an Idaho-based startup, is eyeing up the iconic, cross-country Route 66 to potentially lay the familiar road with solar panels. We first learned of the plan a year ago, and since then Solar Roadways and the state of Missouri have collaborated to first install Solar Roadways’s...
Sean Szymkowski -
Tesla CEO Elon Musk launches Neuralink venture to merge human brain with AIFirst it was electric cars, and then came the mission to conquer space exploration and Mars. Now, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has set his sights on yet another lofty venture called Neuralink. According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Neuralink’s mission is to help human...
Sean Szymkowski -
Why doesn't the Koenigsegg Regera have a transmission?--Part 2Engineering Explained returns to correctly answer why the Koenigsegg Regera doesn’t have a transmission. Bad math. It happens to the best of us, even our friend Jason Fenske, the host of the channel. Jason previously walked us through why the Koenigsegg Regera doesn’t have a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Apple CarPlay adds shortcuts for most recently used appsThe Apple faithful will notice a very helpful update to their Apple CarPlay system upon upgrading to the latest iOS 10.3 update. Apple has announced CarPlay will now feature a quick-access shortcut for the user’s most recently used applications. The apps will constantly change based on what...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford details the GT’s 5 driving modes, launch controlThe first GTs are now in customer hands, but Ford is still revealing fresh details on the car. We previously learned that the car features five driving modes. They are selected via a small dial on the left of the steering wheel, and each gets a unique display setting for the main instrument...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The Lincoln Motor Company wants its drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. One way Ford's luxury brand is aiming to accomplish that goal is with a new, enhanced head-up display. In fact, Lincoln is claiming it has scored a benchmark with its all-new head-up display for the 2017 Continental sedan. The updated head-up display features new technology to enhance legibility in bright light, and is customizable. CHECK OUT: 2017 Lincoln Continental first drive review Lincoln says the new display is the biggest on the market and can even be seen with polarized sunglasses. The technology...
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How to do a burnout with a manual transmission, and what it does to your tiresRight off the bat, we're going to enter Pedantic Mode. We're really talking more about a brake stand than a burnout here. Yes, there's a difference and it involves how much tire destruction takes place. A burnout is all throttle induced, while a brake stand keeps you in place while the rear tires...
Jeff Glucker -
Self-driving Uber tests on hold after Arizona crashOne of Uber’s self-driving prototypes ended up on its side after a high-speed crash in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday. Fresco News has a Twitter post showing the crash site and reports that there were no injuries. While local police have confirmed that Uber’s prototype was not responsible...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Is Chevy working on active aero for a future Corvette?General Motors looks to have patented an active aerodynamics system that takes into account body movements when making adjustments. The concept of active aero is to adjust aerodynamic elements such as shutters or spoilers to deliver either lower drag or higher downforce. When done correctly, active...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
How the Rimac Concept_One's torque vectoring system does it allThe adoption of the electric motor into the automobile is changing many facets of the automotive industry at large. From entire propulsion methods, to power increases, and torque vectoring, we seem to merely be at the beginning. One of the more intriguing applications of electric motors comes from...
Sean Szymkowski -
Why doesn't the Koenigsegg Regera have a transmission?When the Koenigsegg Regera made its debut a little over two years ago, news that the hypercar would arrive without a transmission was a shock to many. No gears, no CVT, nothing. Thankfully, Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to help us figure out how the Regera can move at all, let alone...
Sean Szymkowski -
It’s common knowledge Bugatti goes above and beyond to produce its extraordinary hypercars, but new video proves the boutique automaker certainly does its due diligence when engineering a vehicle for the most extreme performance conditions. Video snippets posted to Twitter from James Mill of The Sunday Times show how rigorous Bugatti is when it comes to simulating the scenarios its cars will encounter in the most extreme circumstances. Specifically, Bugatti has created two pretty intense rigs to throw the car or parts of the car around: a suspension test rig and an engine rig. Here's...
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Thermal camera shows how hot brake rotors get during useIt’s common knowledge brakes heat up during use, but how hot can they get? Simply put, pretty darn hot. Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is back with another intriguing video made with help from a $55,000 FLIR thermal camera. This time, he points the camera at the brakes and takes some...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford and Magna team up on prototype carbon fiber subframeCarbon fiber is becoming more commonplace than ever, and in the name of weight savings, the material may be making its way into more and more components in more and more common cars. One of those components is future Ford subframes. A collaborative effort between Ford and the automotive supplier...
Sean Szymkowski -
Koenigsegg founder can track every customer vehicle from his phoneChristian von Koenigsegg had big dreams when he first began conjuring thoughts of building exclusive sports cars back in 1994. Those dreams not only included incredible performance but advanced technologies to ensure an exclusive experience available to only a handful. It seems Koenigsegg has met...
Sean Szymkowski -
Five racing technologies that have filtered down into Porsche road carsPorsche loves its motorsports. That's actually an understatement, as Porsche is devoted to motorsports in an incredibly passionate way. It's a good thing for Porsche customers, too, because a lot of racing-derived technology often works its way into the road cars. According to Porsche, here are the...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford making driving at night safer for pedestriansFor some, driving at night can be a daunting task. At times, it might even be downright terrifying. Lots of danger lurks in places where the lights don't shine as brightly. Plenty of you are reading this and scoffing at the idea of being afraid of driving when it's dark out. You shouldn't because a...
Jeff Glucker -
Your average new car has a throttle body and an intake manifold. The engine sucks in air through the air filter before it passes through the open throttle body and into the manifold. From there, it moves into the cylinders as called upon during the combustion cycle. You'll find one throttle body and it's used to feed air to all of your cylinders. Some cars, however, are fitted with a set of throttle bodies, one for each cylinder. This is referred to an ITB or Individual Throttle Body setup. One of the benefits of running such a setup would be that your throttle response is greatly improved...
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Ferrari 812 Superfast says what it does, does what it saysNow that we've had an up close look at the replacement for the F12 Berlinetta, Ferrari has clued us into the details on the 812 Superfast that we saw for the first time during last week's 2017 Geneva auto show. We already know that the car features a new 6.5-liter V-12 underhood that makes about...
Aaron Cole -
Intel to buy Mobileye in $15.3B dealIntel on Monday agreed to pay $15.3 billion to Mobileye, a leading supplier of driver assistance and self-driving technology. Mobileye’s claim to fame is its EyeQ technology which uses proprietary image recognition software to help self-driving cars see the world, and the company is already a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
How the aerodynamics of the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona compare to a modern Charger HellcatIn the late 1960s, Dodge wanted to go fast and win races. Its Charger 500 wasn't cutting it in the NASCAR field, though, so the automaker needed to make a change. You might think some light body changes would do the trick, but you'd be wrong. To turn the Charger into a slippery 200-mph machine...
Jeff Glucker -
See how hot a burnout gets through a thermal cameraWhat's the best way to end the life of a set of tires? If you have the mind of a fully grown child, a good burnout is the way to go. We all know that you're going to heat up the brakes and tires when you're playing these foolish games. But do you know just how much heat you're creating? Jason...
Jeff Glucker -
The 2018 McLaren 720S has 15 air inlets, and here's what each one doesMcLaren isn't letting its Super Series cars go stale. At the Geneva auto show, the British brand revealed its replacement for the brilliant 650S, the 720S, and it's wild. Crafted from carbon fiber, aluminum, and a smidge of pixie dust, the new 720S is hard to take in all at once. It has intricate...
Joel Feder