Automotive news

Engineering

New management system can reduce traffic congestion at no extra cost

Rush-hour traffic congestion is a major headache for commuters and a real problem for city planners. Worldwide, a huge amount of time is wasted stuck in traffic. A study found that commuters in the U.S. lose an average of ...

Business

Solving the urban air mobility problem: Researchers develop an algorithm for future flying taxi companies

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a mode of transportation that avoids traffic congestion by flying people and cargo above it at low altitudes. It may sound like science fiction or something from the cartoon "The Jetsons," which ...

Automotive

A 5th recall for Tesla Cybertruck within a year, the latest due to rearview display

Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.

Automotive

Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs

China's meteoric rise as the world's powerhouse of electric vehicle production makes Western efforts to curb their exports a tough sell—and means they could even stifle the fight against climate change, analysts warn.

Automotive

GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew

General Motors reported a dip in third-quarter US auto sales Tuesday, but pointed to growth in sales of electric vehicles and said retail pricing remained steady.

Energy & Green Tech

Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom

Taxi driver Surendra Parajuli's decision to buy an electric cab would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when chronic power cuts left Nepalis unable to light their homes at night.

Automotive

France to subsidise clean car purchases to save automakers

France is preparing a package of measures to shore up automakers stung by the coronavirus crisis, including subsidies to encourage purchases of electric vehicles, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday.

Automotive

State texting bans are saving teen drivers' lives

In a finding that illustrates how distracted driving laws are saving lives, researchers report that car crash deaths among teens plunged by one-third during a period when the number of U.S. states with such laws on the books ...

Automotive

VW says to suspend production again as car sales drop

German carmaker Volkswagen will suspend production lines that have only just reopened after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions due to lower demand, according to an internal message seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Automotive

China car sales begin recovery after virus plunge

The lifting of coronavirus lockdowns in China has given the stuttering auto industry a jumpstart, with sales rising for the first time in two years as buyers return as the health crisis eases.

Business

Virus drives down Toyota profit forecasts

Toyota on Tuesday forecast a sharp drop in sales and operating profit over the coming year as the Japanese giant suffers from the "wide-ranging, significant and serious" fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic that has shredded ...

Automotive

China auto sales fall in April but loss narrows

China's auto sales declined again in April but losses narrowed in a sign the industry's biggest global market is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic as Beijing eases anti-disease controls, according to an industry group.

Business

German car sales plunge in April as virus hits key industry

Some 61 percent fewer new cars were registered on German roads in April 2020 than a year ago, official data showed Wednesday, as Europe's automobile powerhouse matched its neighbours' plunging sales for the industry.

Electronics & Semiconductors

Wirelessly charging electric cars as they drive

Stanford engineers have taken a big step toward making it practical for electric cars to recharge as they speed along futuristic highways built to "refuel" vehicles wirelessly.

Automotive

Top German court opens door to 'dieselgate' compensation

A top German court said Tuesday that a driver whose car was equipped with illegal emissions cheating software may be entitled to some compensation from Volkswagen, possibly paving the way for payouts to tens of thousands ...

Automotive

Top German court to hear first 'dieselgate' case

Herbert Gilbert is just one of tens of thousands of drivers who have sued Volkswagen for cheating emissions tests, but he will make legal history Tuesday when his "dieselgate" case becomes the first to reach Germany's top ...

Automotive

Fiat Chrysler swings to loss as virus hits production, sales

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Tuesday reported a first-quarter net loss of 1.7 billion euros ($1.84 billion) due to a steep decline in car sales triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, and said the impact on the second-quarter ...

Energy & Green Tech

Plastic camshaft module reduces carbon dioxide emissions

Plastic in cars reduces their weight. Currently, however, camshaft modules, which are a key component of powertrains, are still being made from aluminum. Now, a research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ...

Energy & Green Tech

Realistic lab tests for e-vehicle batteries

Thorough testing is paramount to the safety and reliability of the batteries that power electric vehicles. However, the lab tests conducted to date have been anything but realistic. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a ...