https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/automotive-news/ en-us Tech Xplore covers the latest in car tech As the effects of climate change and the associated risks are increasingly being felt, several organizations have developed roadmaps that outline potential steps toward carbon neutrality in the aviation sector. These strategies include multiple levers, such as developing alternative fuels and introducing more efficient aircraft, and are supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) and the European Commission, among others. They are typically evaluated based on a single criterion: greenhouse gas emissions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-decarbonization-civil-aviation-transition-strategies.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:09 EDT news711373508 A new study by researchers, including those in Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Department of Chemical Engineering, has found that the fastest-growing plant on Earth may offer a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuels. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-bamboo-emerges-potential-source-carbon.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:00:14 EDT news711190364 Driver-assistance systems are now installed in nearly all modern cars. As a result, safety depends on whether computer systems can reliably process sensor data. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are therefore investigating how these systems can be specifically manipulated—with the goal of better protecting vehicles from such attacks in the future. Even a film discreetly placed over the sensors can cause serious accidents. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-autonomous-vehicles-lanes-tampered-sensors.html Security Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:01 EDT news710686382 Many of today's self-driving cars "see" the road through two senses at once. Cameras capture color, texture and the outline of a pedestrian, while light detection and ranging (LiDAR) fires laser pulses to measure exactly how far away that pedestrian stands. Together, they provide complementary information and outperform either sensor alone. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-darkness-cars-sensors.html Hi Tech & Innovation Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:00:37 EDT news710498461 A specialized steering wheel that enables negotiation between drivers and an autonomous driving simulation improved driving performance and drivers' trust in autonomous vehicle features, researchers from University of Michigan Engineering and the Toyota Research Institute have found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-wheel-communicates-semiautonomous.html Engineering Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:20:01 EDT news710085241 VENTRA is a new sustainable concept car developed by the student team TU/ecomotive. The electric vehicle captures particulate matter generated by tires and brakes while driving, encourages a more sustainable driving style and produces less particulate matter itself. With this concept, the students aim to raise awareness of the dangers of particulate matter and inspire the industry to develop new solutions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-students-electric-car-captures-particulate.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:20:05 EDT news709916222 When engineers design a new aircraft, they need to know exactly how air flows over every surface. The pressure distribution must be controlled, or fuel efficiency, handling and even structural safety can be affected. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-air-pressure-future-aircraft.html Engineering Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:40:08 EDT news709824481 A simple pattern of black-and-white stripes could cause an autonomous vehicle or robot to misjudge how far away an obstacle is, potentially triggering an unexpected maneuver or even a collision, according to new University of Florida research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-simple-visual-patterns-ai-powered.html Robotics Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:00:04 EDT news709372295 Electric vehicles (EVs), including cars, buses and trains, could significantly reduce the substantial greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transportation sector. These vehicles' performance and reliability over time, however, depend largely on the batteries used to power them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-real-world-ev-reveal-uneven.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:50:01 EDT news709205068 Carbon fiber is a key component in automobile manufacturing, aerospace engineering and energy infrastructure, but it mostly relies on petroleum-derived products, which can be expensive and contribute to carbon emissions. But what if carbon fiber were made of a free waste material and was as strong as—or even stronger than—petrochemical-based products? Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are exploring that prospect in research recently published in the journal Matter. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-paper-production-stronger-carbon-car.html Engineering Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:20:04 EDT news708948901 Deicing technologies often rely on heat to melt ice. But University of Texas at Dallas researchers have found that, under extreme cold, making ice even colder can weaken its grip on surfaces. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-colder-temps-aircraft-deicing.html Engineering Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:40:10 EDT news708784899 Autonomous vehicles and robots need to understand a world that is constantly moving. Vehicles change lanes, pedestrians cross streets, and the roadscape can shift from one moment to the next. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-framework-generates-realistic-4d.html Automotive Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:20:09 EDT news708262921 Plug-in hybrids have enjoyed a surge in popularity, but a study published Thursday showed they are polluting far more than most buyers think because they rely on batteries less often than regulators expected. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-hybrids-polluting.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:30:43 EDT news707657264 A new study finds that composite metal foam (CMF) could significantly improve automobile safety during frontal collisions. Using computational models to run detailed simulations, researchers found that incorporating CMF into automobile "front rails" would allow them to absorb more energy during high-velocity impacts. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-metal-foam-front-rails-cars.html Engineering Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news707655062 A new AI framework can predict how fast an ambulance will move through city traffic, giving fire departments a way to test emergency response strategies in a virtual environment before making changes on real streets. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-framework-ambulance-city-traffic.html Automotive Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:20:01 EDT news707652421 Self-driving cars are often controlled by deep learning models that sometimes fail in unexpected situations. For instance, the car might inexplicably brake and block the path of an oncoming emergency vehicle. A human driver or passenger may need to react rapidly to prevent a collision. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-robotaxi-car.html Automotive Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:40:03 EDT news707582221 In computer vision and robotics, ensuring that AI systems remain reliable under real-world conditions is a growing challenge. Deep neural network (DNN)-based vision systems are increasingly used in safety-critical applications such as autonomous driving, where misinterpreting a traffic sign could lead to unsafe decisions. Everyday wear and tear can subtly alter traffic signs, raising questions about whether naturally occurring damage could also expose vulnerabilities in AI-based recognition systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-worn-traffic-ai-vision-exposing.html Security Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:40:12 EDT news707390761 A platform for training and comparing machine learning models to actively reduce drag, improve lift, cut noise and manage heat has been launched by an international team that includes researchers at the University of Washington, University of Michigan Engineering, RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Munich. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-simulated-ground-ai-fluid-dynamics.html Automotive Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:20:17 EDT news706968721 A passenger jet soars across the sky at 640 mph (1,030 kilometers per hour), its wings pummeled with wind and boundary-layer turbulence, challenging the plane's operation and efficiency. Advancing research from Mahmoud I. Hussein aims to prevent that turbulence with engineered microscopic vibrations from synthetic subsurface materials that can dramatically improve fuel efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-tailored-surface-vibrations-aerodynamic-passenger.html Engineering Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news706811881 With airlines and consumers increasingly concerned about carbon, nitrogen and hydrocarbon emissions, biofuels have emerged as a green alternative. Among these, those made from coconut oil are particularly attractive because they have fatty acid chain lengths similar to the hydrocarbon chain lengths required for jet fuel, suggesting they could make effective fuels with minimal processing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-coconut-blend-fuel-jet-difference.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news706444141 Animated "virtual agents" could help keep the roads of the future safer by alerting people behind the wheel of semiautonomous cars to oncoming hazards, new research suggests. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-attention-virtual-agents-safety-cars.html Automotive Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:40:08 EDT news706439496 A research team led by senior researcher Bongseok Kim of the Future Mobility Research Division at DGIST has developed a "low-complexity receiver technology" that can simultaneously communicate data and detect surrounding objects using automotive radar. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-radar-jobs-vehicle-exchanges-high.html Engineering Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:00:04 EDT news706351463 Physical access to an aircraft has not typically been considered a cybersecurity risk—but it should be, according to a team of computer scientists at the University of California San Diego. In a paper presented Aug. 13 at the USENIX Security Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, former UC San Diego Ph.D. student Sam Crow showed that physical access to an aircraft, even for a brief period, would allow an attacker equipped with a custom-made hardware device to take over communications between two key onboard computers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-physical-access-boeing-flight.html Security Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:06:25 EDT news705841556 Researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SCC) found that extreme space weather events can significantly increase radiation exposure at typical flight altitudes of 8–14 km (5–9 miles) and trigger faults in aircraft electronics—posing a challenge for flight safety. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-extreme-space-weather-disrupt-flights.html Automotive Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:40:02 EDT news705755642 Gas turbine engines, like those powering passenger planes, operate under extreme conditions during everyday use. These engines regularly reach temperatures well over 800°C (1,470°F), which creates challenges for long-term durability and efficiency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-coating-gas-turbines-reliable-longer.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:20:06 EDT news705754682 In recent months, American drivers have felt the pain of increased prices at the gas pump. There's some evidence that higher prices may be fueling interest in greener ways of getting around. Battery electric cars, more commonly called electric vehicles or EVs, can be cheaper to own and operate than gas-powered internal combustion engine cars, and they offer considerable sustainability benefits. But just how much better for the planet are electric vehicles, really? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-car-ev-compelling.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705155941 A joint research team—led by Ki-Jae Kim, a professor in the Department of Energy Science and the Department of Future Energy Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), alongside Jang Wook Choi's research team from Seoul National University—has developed a high-performance hybrid polymer binder for thick-film electrodes. The breakthrough significantly boosts the energy density of lithium-ion batteries while extending their lifespan. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hybrid-battery-binder-ev-range.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:05 EDT news704539780 As the need for sustainable electric vehicles grows, cobalt-free, high-nickel cathode batteries (such as manganese-coated nickel-core batteries) have emerged as one of the most promising technologies. These batteries increase driving range while reducing dependence on expensive critical minerals. However, a new study suggests that a hidden weakness in the battery material could significantly reduce the life span of these next-generation batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hidden-battery-flaw-shorten-ev.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:40:05 EDT news704458624 At least 2.2 million cars on the road today are vulnerable to an attack that allows thieves to lock and unlock doors and immobilize vehicle engines remotely via a Bluetooth connection, computer scientists at the University of California San Diego have found. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-million-cars-anti-theft-dealers.html Security Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:05 EDT news703864561 A research team led by Professor Jo Woon Chong of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), in collaboration with researchers from KAIST and Texas Tech University in the United States, has developed the Passenger Movement Estimation System (PMES). This AI-based system predicts passenger movements using CCTV footage to prevent subway door entrapment accidents before they occur. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-tech-proactively-subway-door.html Automotive Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:00:05 EDT news703855261