https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/automotive-news/ en-us Tech Xplore covers the latest in car tech Electric vehicle batteries could last twice as long, preventing costly replacement, with a new approach to heating and cooling the batteries, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The system is designed to work with voltage and charging data that today's battery management systems already collect, rather than requiring new sensors inside the battery. It is best suited for lower-power Level 1 and Level 2 charging, which is common at homes, workplaces and public parking areas, and is expected to cover most EV charging demand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-smarter-diagnostics-silicon-ev-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:40:09 EDT news702127861 A new approach to battery recycling could turn today's electric vehicle waste into the building blocks of tomorrow's higher-performing batteries. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an environmentally friendly method to upcycle cathodes from used lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries into a more powerful battery material known as lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), which can store more energy than LFP. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-spent-ev-batteries-life-higher.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:40:08 EDT news702122515 Two-wheeled vehicles with conventional stability-control systems must lean to change direction, making it difficult for rider-assistance systems to determine whether a rider is intentionally cornering or experiencing instability that could lead to a fall. To address this challenge, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, have developed a rider-intent-aware control system that can distinguish between the two and provide stabilization support only when needed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-smart-bicycle-riders-falling.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:40:05 EDT news702044701 The key to making longer-lasting electric vehicle batteries may not be specialized materials or new chemistry, but simple physical pressure, according to new research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-physical-pressure-ev-batteries-environmental.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news702035581 A bio-inspired robotic bird capable of mimicking the key movements of kestrels is helping researchers unravel the mysteries behind the species' exceptional hovering capabilities. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-robotic-bird-uncover-mysteries-flight.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:00:06 EDT news701944741 Although electrified versions of vans, buses and semis cost more upfront on average than their diesel-powered counterparts, the overall calculus behind adopting greener vehicles is currently in flux. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-batteries-fuel-cells-overhaul-emissions.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:00:05 EDT news701452081 Next-generation electronic devices like newer computers and other high-power devices require more energy to run. When they are working hard, the intense heat they generate can limit their performance and reliability. That's why scientists are trying to find better and more sustainable materials to help cool devices down. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-bacteria-based-cooling-material-electronics.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:40:05 EDT news701539981 The carbon-reduction benefits of electric vehicles vary across cities in China, as richer cities can transfer much of their carbon emissions from power generation to less developed cities, burdening them with additional costs, a new study led by UCL researchers has found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-china-ev-boom-shifts-power.html Business Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:20:05 EDT news701511481 The aviation industry accounts for a large portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Biobased, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can mitigate climate impacts, but transitioning to SAF faces critical supply chain constraints. A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has developed a method to produce jet-grade fuel from food waste, contributing to a circular bioeconomy. In a paper published in Nature Sustainability, they focus on technical and economic considerations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-food-jet-fuel-simpler-refining.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news701366222 Scientists have developed a practical way to make ultra-black coatings to meet demand for trendy, luxury vehicles in China. The coating, described in a paper published in Matter & Light, is made up of a composite of carbon black pigment and carbon nanotubes. The resulting color is a deep jet black that also meets automotive standards, opening the door for car manufacturers to develop distinguished, high-end models in darker-than-ever hues. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-blacker-cars-darker.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:00:16 EDT news700896962 Researchers have developed a new kind of lidar system that simultaneously measures the location, speed and material properties of objects in a scene. This type of information could be useful for applications such as robotics, autonomous driving and remote sensing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-lidar-material-properties.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:00:07 EDT news700902828 As summer approaches, you might be planning a road trip. A recent study from the University of Georgia explores how you can stay safe while driving in the rain. Vehicles can hydroplane when water gathers on a road, causing tires to lose their grip. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-hydroplaning-shallow-mm.html Automotive Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:00:08 EDT news700919401 Autonomous vehicles are already a reality on some of our streets and could become a major part of future transportation systems. Safety, of course, is the main concern, as with all vehicles. To help evaluate and improve its autonomous driving technology, U.S. driverless vehicle company Waymo has created a virtual representation of human driver behavior in near-crash situations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-waymo-unveils-virtual-driver-autonomous.html Engineering Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:40:05 EDT news700402963 Researchers at a Scottish university have demonstrated a 100kW fully superconducting aviation motor that could help pave the way for an electric aircraft. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-100kw-fully-superconducting-aviation-motor.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:20:08 EDT news699631322 NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is preparing for some of its most significant flights yet. The X-plane is about to begin a new block of test flights that will include its first time flying faster than the speed of sound and other mission-critical objectives. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-nasa-supersonic-flight.html Engineering Fri, 29 May 2026 09:20:07 EDT news699264722 A popular sodium-ion battery designed by the company Hina and used in cars and large-scale energy storage systems in China matches performance parameters and production quality of Tesla's lithium-ion batteries, finds new research published in Cell Reports Physical Science. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-sodium-ion-batteries-rival-tesla.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 28 May 2026 11:00:04 EDT news699090481 When it comes to snow groomers, excavators or crane vehicles, how can their operation be optimized even in difficult conditions and made safer for people in and around the vehicle? An international research team, including the Institute of Visual Computing at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), investigated this question as part of the THEIA-XR project. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-disco-lasers-groomers-tracks-cues.html Engineering Thu, 28 May 2026 10:20:09 EDT news699180357 Researchers at Adelaide University have discovered a promising new strategy that could deliver fast battery charging. The team, led by Professor Shi-Zhang Qiao, an ARC Industry Laureate Fellow in the University's School of Chemical Engineering, created pouch battery cells using interfacial anion-reduction catalysis to record a charge of more than 85% after six minutes. The cells also provided about 240.4 watt-hours per kilogram after fewer than six minutes of charging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-minutes-recharge-battery-advance-rewrite.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news698586361 As electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows in the United States and globally, the demand for EV batteries and their critical materials—such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite—is expected to surge dramatically. This makes the resilience of the supply chain underpinning battery production increasingly important. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ev-battery-imports-domestic.html Business Thu, 21 May 2026 11:40:02 EDT news698582221 The experimental plane Solar Impulse 2, which completed a historic round-the-world trip in 2016 without using jet fuel, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico recently, its owner revealed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-historic-solar-plane-gulf-military.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 14 May 2026 03:13:00 EDT news697947149 Despite regional variability in climate, electricity sources, congestion, and the wide variation in individual driving patterns, electric vehicles generate less greenhouse gas emissions and do not cost more than comparable gas-powered vehicles for drivers and vehicle fleet owners in most parts of the United States, according to a new study by MIT researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-drivers-evs-emissions-benefits.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 12 May 2026 12:40:03 EDT news697807801 Fast charging shortens the life of vehicle batteries, but is necessary on longer journeys with electric vehicles. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have now developed a new AI method that adapts fast charging to the health of the battery. Their study shows that battery life can be increased by almost 23% without extending the charging time. All that is required is an update of the vehicle's software. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-smart-ai-electric-vehicle-batteries.html Automotive Tue, 12 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news697803481 A crucial clue to simultaneously increasing electric vehicle (EV) driving range and battery lifespan has been discovered. A research team at KAIST has observed the exact moment of degradation in lithium metal batteries at the nanoscale (approximately 1/100,000th the thickness of a human hair) and identified the fundamental cause of performance decline. This is evaluated as a significant turning point in accelerating the commercialization of next-generation batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ev-battery-range-real-images.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 11 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news697736882 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 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 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 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