Car Tech

Researchers at the Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA) in Michigan have made a discovery that could lead to batteries that are smaller and cheaper to produce than lithium-ion units found in most electric cars sold today but with superior range. The key is magnesium, which is already...

You see that switch down by your knee. You can see that it has numbers and letters. You don't fully understand what it all means, but you're itching to test it all out. That's the drive selector, and before you slam it into 4Lo you should watch the video above. Engineering Explained is here to walk...

Bentley has released a new app for the Apple Watch that will allow back seat passengers to have control over a number of in-vehicle functions form their wrists. The app will allow passengers in the new Bentayga to control the vehicle's seats, audio systems, and climate control, via the vehicle's...

Google and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] have confirmed a partnership in the area of autonomous cars. As part of the partnership, Google’s autonomous car technology, which includes various sensors and complex software systems, will be fully integrated in about 100 Chrysler Pacifica...

Ford's EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 has been one of the best light truck engines on the market since it was introduced in 2011. For 2017, it promises to get better. That's because the Ford is not only installing the second-generation of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost in the 2017 F-150, but also pairing it with...

Electric car brand Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] says it is developed a HEPA air filtration system designed to clear up the outside world before it enters a vehicle's cabin. The filtering system is so clean that Tesla claims you could "survive a military grade bio attack" using it. HEPA, an acronym for...

The 2016 Toyota Tacoma is fitted with the standard setup you'd find in any truck that wants to go play in the dirt. There's two-wheel-drive and both four-wheel-high and four-wheel-drive-low. Additionally, Toyota offers the Tacoma with a number of other bits of tech to make your off-tarmac journey a...

BMW says it will begin offering an emergency call system on its motorcycles that can summon first responders at the press of a red SOS button on the handlebar. The system is essentially the same as the Intelligent Emergency Call button the automaker has offered in Europe on its cars for more than...

The future of diesel engines in the United States and possibly elsewhere is in doubt as a result of ongoing emissions cheating scandals, but automakers aren’t giving up on the technology just yet. At the recent 2016 Vienna Motor Symposium, BMW presented a quad-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6...

Volkswagen used this week’s 2016 Vienna Motor Symposium to present its next-generation 4-cylinder engine. The new engine, dubbed the EA211 TSI evo, is a turbocharged 1.5-liter unit equipped with variable turbine geometry (VTG) like that found on high-performance engines from Porsche. VTG...

It’s been nearly ten years since Lexus introduced to the U.S. market a system through which its big luxury sedan, the LS, could park itself. Since then there have been many luxury models, and even some relatively inexpensive mainstream models, to adopt versions of such a system, which sizes...

Europeans will now have access to Ford Motor Company's [NYSE:F] newest line of diesel engines, which fall under the EcoBlue banner. Ford today unveiled the 2.0-liter version of its EcoBlue, but it says that more new turbodiesels are headed to showrooms in Europe. ALSO SEE: FreeValve camless engine...

Engineering outfit FreeValve, a sister company to Swedish supercar marque Koenigsegg, is developing a new type of engine that does away with the camshaft. The so-called “camless” engine relies on pneumatic valve actuators to open valves, which are then closed by air pressure or springs...

Your turbocharger. It's the snail of mystery attached to your engine, allowing it to breathe in more deeply. With the wonders of forced induction, a smaller engine can create the horsepower and torque of a larger-displacement engine. There are many parts to a turbocharger, which means you might...

Honda’s new Clarity Fuel Cell will soon be joined by plug-in hybrid and battery-electric variants. The Clarity Fuel Cell goes on sale in late 2016. It’s powered by a 174-horsepower electric motor that draws its energy from a battery that can be charged on the run by a hydrogen fuel cell...

Owners of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S and Model X electric vehicles who didn't pony up for the automaker's Autopilot semi-autonomous system can test it out for a month for free. If they like it, they can add the software—the hardware is already there—for $3,000. The prize for...

No, this isn't a story diving into the different models in the Volkswagen family. Instead, it's our friend Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained examining the differences between gasoline and diesel engines. It goes a bit deeper than spark plugs and glow plugs. The primary difference between the...

One of the companies looking to turn Elon Musk's "Hyperloop" dream into reality wants to tap into the auto industry for experienced engineers. "This is real. This is happening," said Brogan BamBrogan, CTO and co-founder of Hyperloop Technology Inc, in a talk at the 2016 SAE World Congress...

BMW says its M Laptimer app will now allow users to control a GoPro camera via the company's iDrive controller and infotainment screen. When users start up the M Laptimer, they'll also automatically activate their GoPro camera (as long as it is connected via an iOS device). Turning the M Laptimer...

Hey #StanceNation...listen up, because Engineering Explained has a few words of advice for you. Well, not just for you but for everyone out there who's thinking about modifying their suspensions. There's the cheap and easy way. Not surprisingly, this is also the dumb way to modify your car, and...