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December 3, 2008 12:46:29 PM CST


auto technology

auto technology news stories

6 Stories

analysis
(Newser) - The latest Ferraris burn up roads and handle like dreams, but their looks are fading, Gavin Green writes in Car Magazine . The California "has a fat arse," the 612 is "ill-proportioned," and the Enzo "is more bug than bird," grieves Green—who expressed his woes over dinner with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, "a man who oozes style." More »

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Nissan's New Safety System Uses Bee Logic

Lasers will mimic compound eyes to detect, avoid obstacles

(Newser) - Nissan is set to unveil new collision-avoidance technology modeled on the behavior of bees, PC World reports, with a small robot car to demonstrate the system in Japan next week. The automakers’ engineers have developed laser range-finders that mimic the insects’ ability to adjust their path and avoid collisions by utilizing their 300-degree field of vision. More »

More about:  auto industry safety Nissan car safety traffic accident bees auto technology laser

PRODUCT REVIEW

 Retro Moped Slow, 
 But Efficient—and Cool 

Velosolex has old-fashioned charm ... and engine

(Newser) - The Velosolex S4800 motorized bike sports plenty of retro charm—and technology. Its incredible gas mileage (150-200 mpg) makes as much sense today as in postwar Paris, but the two-stroke engine is also a weakness, Jonathan Welsh writes in the Wall Street Journal . The Velosolex generates 0.80 horsepower and tops out at 15-20 mph—not exactly the leader of the pack. More »

More about:  Wall Street Journal green transportation tech review auto technology

 GM Developing 
 Futuristic Windshield 

Looking forward to an aging driver, tech would compensate for poor eyesight

(Newser) - America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge of the road itself in bad weather—and projects them onto the windshield. More »

More about:  General Motors elderly driving car safety automobile auto technology

 Fill 'Er Up—
 In Your Own Back Yard  

Distiller could home-brew ethanol for as little as $1 a gallon

(Newser) - Backyard brew may soon ease the pain at the gas pump if two entrepreneurs pushing a home ethanol system have their way, reports the New York Times. E-Fuel Corporation's device is roughly the size of a stackable washer-dryer and will sell for about $10,000 . Using sugar or feedstock and a specially designed yeast, it creates ethanol for as little as a dollar a gallon, which produces one-eighth the carbon of gasoline. More »

More about:  gas ethanol alternative fuels green home sugar auto technology

Puyo: It's Green, Safe and Glows

Honda concept car is soft to the touch and hydrogen cell fueled

(Newser) - Honda unveiled the unusual Puyo today, an in-development concept car with no sharp edges and a coating of soft silicone to absorb collisions, Reuters reports. Visitors to the Tokyo Motor Show were given a look at the car, which runs on hydrogen fuel cells, is driven with a joystick, and glows different colors when it is running or standing still. More »

More about:  Honda hydrogen fuel cells auto technology concept cars

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