Car Tech

Sometimes, it's better to let proven concepts remain. Case in point: a car's gear selector. New patent findings from the United States Patent and Trademark Office show Ford wants to reinvent the wheel (pun totally intended) with a peculiar steering wheel-mounted gearshift unit. A patent drawing...

BMW’s new plug-in hybrid 5-Series, the 530e iPerformance, will eventually get wireless charging capability. It will mean no longer have to bother with plugging the car in for charging. Instead, you simply position the car over a inductive charging plate plugged into a wall outlet. BMW says...

Tesla on Thursday started taking orders for its newest energy product, glass roof tiles incorporating solar panels. Tesla has four different designs for the roof tiles, which the company calls Solar Roof tiles, though only two are available for order at present. Tesla is taking a $1,000 deposit and...

The Lamborghini Huracán Performante is the king of the Nürburgring. It currently holds the track's quickest lap time of 6:52.01, and it ousted the Porsche 918 Spyder in the process from the top spot. How did it get there? We're glad you asked. So is Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained...

Wearable technology—think Fitbit, Apple Watch, and the like—has become a staple for many of us. The technology allows users to keep tabs on their overall health and encourage more active lifestyles. However, Ford thinks the same kind of technology used in wearables can be implemented in...

By this point, as we enter the middle of May, most drivers who use soft-compound winter tires have likely switched them out for a set of all-season rubber, or even some higher-performance summer-only tires. However, what happens if you keep those winter tires on your car and run them in warm...

A number of automakers are offering 9- and 10-speed transmissions. Some are even looking at 11-speed units. The Volkswagen Group had planned to join the fray with its own 10-speed dual-clutch transmission, though the project has been axed. The information was confirmed to Automotive News...

BMW CEO Harald Krüger in a press conference on Thursday outlining the company’s financial results revealed more details about the planned iNext. iNext is the code name for BMW’s next model from its i sub-brand for electrified and self-driving cars. Production is due to start in...

Porsche is embracing the digital, interconnected age we live in by setting up shop in Silicon Valley. The German sportscar/crossover maker announced plans to open a digital technology center to complement ongoing work at its Ludwigsburg-based digital division. According to Reuters, Porsche's intent...

As part of a self-driving car trial, 40 BMW 7-Series luxo-barges will soon hit the road—without the need for drivers, thanks to Intel's advanced computing technology capable of grabbing 4 terabytes of data every 90 minutes. BMW and Intel yesterday kicked off their self-driving vehicle trial...

Last summer, an American startup by the name of nuTonomy made headlines following the launch of the world’s first taxi service implementing a fleet of self-driving cars. Albeit a trial only, the service, which covered a few streets in Singapore, provided an early look at a likely future where...

Samsung has joined the long list of automakers and tech firms racing to develop self-driving cars and the software that controls them. The Korean conglomerate, along with roughly 20 other firms, was recently granted permission to test self-driving cars on public roads in South Korea. Samsung has...

It's no secret Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a pretty ambitious guy who likes to look to the future, and his latest prediction keeps pace with those of the past. In only two years, Musk believes, fully self-driving cars will be on the road. Musk made the prediction during a recent TED talk where he also...

While the horsepower wars continue, automakers are searching elsewhere to see where precious time can be shaved off of a hot lap. Porsche, in particular, is looking to redefine the rear diffuser. New patents published on April 27, 2017, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office show a rear...

You off-roaders out there know all about disconnecting your own sway bars. You crave articulation, and you'll disconnect parts of your vehicle to get it. For those who don't seek out tough trails and mud-covered body panels, the idea of a disconnecting sway bar might be an odd concept. It's less...

As the internet of things continues to invade our daily lives, companies are taking advantage of the seamlessness that technology can offer for customers. To capitalize on the potential, Mercedes-Benz is integrating Google Home and Amazon Alexa connectivity with its native vehicle services. It's...

As technology companies and automakers race to be the first to introduce a mass-market driverless vehicle, Waymo is taking a significant step toward an autonomous future. Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, has announced it is now accepting applications to be a...

Last year’s death of driver in a Tesla Model S that crashed while in Autopilot mode is a strong reminder that self-driving technology is still in its infancy. That doesn’t mean the technology isn’t advancing at a rapid rate. In fact, as early as this year we’ll see the first...

Engineering Explained is back with a new video, this time on how to replace the rear differential in a Honda S2000. In this case, the swap stems from our host, Jason Fenske, using this opportunity to change out gear sets, switching from a 4.1 final drive ratio to a 4.44, to get quicker acceleration...

You've decided to lay out the cash for a brand-new Porsche 911. There's an ocean of options ahead of you. Colors and materials. Packages and sub models. However, perhaps you should start here: rear- or all-wheel drive? It's a big question. One dictated largely by where and how you drive...