https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/automotive-news/ en-us Tech Xplore covers the latest in car tech Researchers at University of Tsukuba reexamined the causes of the Fukuchiyama Line derailment that occurred in April 2005, analyzing how train drivers acquire and use operational knowledge/skills, and simulating how the railway organization functioned as a whole. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-human-error-skill-fukuchiyama-line.html Engineering Fri, 08 May 2026 12:20:07 EDT news697461301 In managing airport traffic, small errors can cause catastrophe. A group from the CMU Robotics Institute's AirLab used the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's Bridges-2 supercomputer to create World2Rules, an AI that draws from airport data and historical crash reports to help human controllers spot collisions before they happen. Their paper is published on the arXiv preprint server. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ai-tool-airport-traffic-avert.html Automotive Fri, 08 May 2026 11:20:03 EDT news697456622 Each year, international shipping moves over 80% of global trade and emits around 1 billion tons of greenhouse gases. Heavy fuel oil remains the industry's workhorse, prized for its reliability and energy density but notorious for its carbon footprint. As the International Maritime Organization pushes toward net-zero emissions by 2050, the search for viable carbon-free fuels is on. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ship-hydrogen-sea-sidestep-storage.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 08 May 2026 09:40:03 EDT news697450081 A group of Rice University students has turned a single-semester course project into a peer-reviewed research paper, demonstrating a new way to make high-performance composite materials both stronger and more resistant to catastrophic failure. The study, published in Composites Part B: Engineering, introduces an architectural approach to improving carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, materials widely used in aerospace for their strength and light weight but known for their vulnerability to sudden, brittle failure. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-university-students-classroom-published-paper.html Engineering Thu, 07 May 2026 17:20:04 EDT news697392961 How do increased gas prices affect the usage of hybrid cars? A new research article in the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists studies how drivers of plug-in hybrid cars respond to fuel prices and finds that when the cost of gas goes up, so does electric charging, improving the environmental performance of hybrid vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-higher-gas-prices-usage-electric.html Automotive Thu, 07 May 2026 14:40:05 EDT news697383422 A study by TU Graz shows that women have a 60% higher injury risk in car accidents compared to men. This is especially true for female passengers and older women. The findings suggest that the safety systems and legal test standards should be adjusted. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-reveal-women-higher-injury-men.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 07 May 2026 10:00:09 EDT news697365661 This past winter, people in Trondheim caught glimpses of a boat that seemed to fly over the water out on the fjord. Many also took part in test trips. NTNU researchers have investigated what it will take for people to trust a boat that runs almost without a crew on board. The findings are published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-electric-hydrofoil-ferry-trialed-emission.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 05 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news697216681 For nearly a month, a Croatian company has been rolling out what it says is Europe's first robotaxi service on the streets of Zagreb, with AFP among the first journalists to try it on Tuesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-europe-commercial-robotaxi-croatia.html Automotive Tue, 05 May 2026 15:48:32 EDT news697214892 At high speeds, even the smallest movement can have major consequences. When an aircraft tilts sharply during flight, the air around it does not flow smoothly. It twists into powerful, swirling currents that can destabilize the entire vehicle. These swirling structures, known as vortices, can behave unpredictably, sometimes causing aircraft to pull to one side or rotate unexpectedly. In extreme cases, they can damage critical components such as sensors or wing flaps. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-flight-angles-affect-turbulence.html Engineering Mon, 04 May 2026 15:20:02 EDT news697125241 Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have developed a more accurate way to predict conditions inside wind tunnels that are used to study how air behaves at speeds up to four times faster than the speed of sound, or more than 3,000 miles per hour. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-accurate-conditions-tunnels.html Engineering Mon, 04 May 2026 07:00:04 EDT news697096022 In a world where cell phones and cars guide us everywhere, we've come to trust global positioning as much as we trust our own senses. What happens when that trust is broken? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-portable-detector-gps-spoofing-real.html Security Sun, 03 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news696694221 Electric vehicle sales in China and Europe have reached a threshold or "tipping point" that has triggered an irreversible shift away from their petrol and diesel-powered equivalents. For their article published in Nature Communications, researchers analyzed global sales from 2016–23 and observed that EV sales were increasing exponentially across 32 countries, with the global fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles doubling every 1.5 years. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-electric-vehicles-europe-china.html Business Fri, 01 May 2026 09:20:08 EDT news696845701 From driving cars to flying drones, as autonomous robots take on more responsibility, they also face more human-like dilemmas—including what to do when rules collide. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-autonomous-robots-equal.html Robotics Fri, 01 May 2026 09:00:05 EDT news696843961 On average, car crashes cause more than 40,000 deaths per year in the United States. Technologies like seat belts, advanced airbags, and automated braking systems have improved car driver and passenger safety, but pedestrian deaths due to crashes have actually increased by 48% over the last decade, reaching about 7,500 fatalities in 2022. Transportation researchers comb through police crash reports to identify infrastructure countermeasures that will help in the greatest number of cases. However, sometimes improving the average situation isn't enough. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-pedestrian-deaths-ai-rare-patterns.html Automotive Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:20:04 EDT news696781547 Automated vehicles have been steadily rolling out in U.S. cities, but scaled deployment still faces a daunting challenge: proving the technology can safely navigate the complexity of real-world driving. Virginia Tech researchers estimate that traditional testing methods could take decades—or hundreds of millions of driving miles—to validate the full range of situations an automated vehicle may encounter. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ultimate-driver-automated-vehicles.html Engineering Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:20:10 EDT news696765721 For many people, the rollout of smart technology across the UK's road network has been clouded by fears about the removal of traffic-free safety lanes. Traditionally, motorway hard shoulders offered motorists a safe haven into which they could steer stricken vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-smart-motorways-halted-safety-future.html Automotive Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:13 EDT news696764719 Uber on Wednesday unveiled a new feature allowing users to book a hotel room directly from its app, the latest step in its push to become a one-stop shop for everyday needs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-uber-hotel-app.html Automotive Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:52:04 EDT news696685892 If a city's suburban railway network is expanded, additional flats are likely to be built in an agglomeration that is better connected as a result. The opposite also holds true: If new buildings spring up like mushrooms in a suburb, this will call for an expansion of the transport infrastructure. Urban development and transport therefore have a mutual relationship. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-traffic-roads.html Engineering Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:40:05 EDT news696684721 Understanding how people use the spaces they inhabit—where they live, work, and gather—is key to effective urban planning that meets their needs. For example, knowing which routes are most commonly used to travel from residential neighborhoods to workplaces, and during which time periods, makes it possible to adjust bus routes and frequencies, and to optimize traffic control resources. Identifying meeting, leisure, and event spaces, as well as the time periods when crowds are largest, is useful not only for keeping the public informed, but also for strengthening cleaning and transportation services and developing promotional strategies. The more accurate this information is, the more it will help public administrations to plan urban space and services in effective and realistic ways. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-cell-based-reshape-city-bus.html Engineering Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:40:07 EDT news696615841 Even though he wanted to bike commute from his Capitol Hill home to the University of Washington, Jared Hwang often took transit because he struggled to find a good bike route. Apps like Google Maps and Strava might suggest hilly, busy streets simply because they have bike lanes. He even headed to Reddit to crowdsource ideas. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-bikebutler-personalized-routes-riders-based.html Software Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:00:02 EDT news696587041 Cyclists can feel safe at the very moment they are most at risk, according to new Monash research that could reshape how cities design shared streets. The study, published in Accident Analysis & Prevention, found that after a vehicle overtakes a cyclist, riders often experience a short "perceptual relief period" where they feel safer, even though the risk from vehicles behind them remains high. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-cyclists-safer-busy-streets.html Computer Sciences Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:40:08 EDT news696586982 Traffic jams are a problem in large urban areas. How can they be solved without expanding the road network? This is a challenge that researchers are attempting to address. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-drones-ai-cities-combat-traffic.html Engineering Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:40:06 EDT news696511621 As more UK drivers switch to electric vehicles (EVs), experts at the University of Glasgow have shared research that improves understanding of the behaviors and charging demands of EV drivers, that can help with the efficient deployment of public charging infrastructure and improve the overall driving experience. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ev-drivers-habits-uncover-britain.html Automotive Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:20:10 EDT news696503669 Connecting ships to charging stations is a bit of a hassle when you are out at sea. But with a new magnetic charging plug for boats—it is about as easy as putting a cup in a cup holder. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-play-solution-enables-offshore-electric.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:40:08 EDT news696508141 Chinese tech firms WeRide and Lenovo will expand their partnership to deploy 200,000 autonomous vehicles globally over the next five years, a WeRide statement said on Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-china-weride-eyes-autonomous-cars.html Hi Tech & Innovation Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:08 EDT news696504270 Vision Zero begins with a simple but powerful premise: No loss of life on the transportation system is acceptable. Despite the ambitious nature of this goal, the United States has made little meaningful progress toward its realization. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-uncovers-pedestrian-deaths.html Engineering Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:40:05 EDT news696500941 China's top automakers are showcasing their latest models and technologies from intelligent driving to ultrafast charging in Beijing as they compete with global rivals in overseas markets. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-beijing-auto-chinese-carmakers-flaunt.html Automotive Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:00:01 EDT news696243042 A joint study by the EHU-University of the Basque Country and the BC3 research center reveals that EVs are concentrated in households with high incomes, higher levels of education and located in urban areas, which highlights a social divide in accessing them. The study, published in Energy Economics, concludes that current government grant schemes do not address this inequality, and proposes linking grants to income levels. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-electric-vehicle-owners-higher-incomes.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:06 EDT news696249002 Tesla's much-touted autonomous "robotaxi," called the Cybercab, has started production, CEO Elon Musk said on Friday, the same week that the carmaker reported first-quarter profits that beat expectations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-tesla-robotaxi-production-cybercab-ramp.html Automotive Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:05 EDT news696243246 Thousands squeezed into the world's biggest car show Friday, snapping selfies beside Chinese electric vehicles as automakers showcased AI, humanoid robots and flying-car ambitions in a cutthroat market. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-chinese-ev-makers-center-stage.html Automotive Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:24:46 EDT news696223440