Transportation

Designing a car can take years, but Ford has been able to cut the process in half, from six years to three years, by using virtual reality.

"We are able to cheat reality," says Elizabeth Baron, a VR technical specialist at Ford. She says virtual reality enables the automaker to do all kinds of tests in a short period of time, though there are limitations to the technology too. SmartPlanet correspondent Sumi Das gets outfitted with the automaker's virtual-reality gear for a preview.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "At Ford, using virtual reality to tweak car design.&… Read more

Nevada wants to befriend robotic cars.

The state's legislature on Wednesday approved regulations for self-driving vehicles, the first state in the country to do so.

"These regulations establish requirements companies must meet to test their vehicles on Nevada's public roadways as well as requirements for residents to legally operate them in the future," Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles, said in a statement.

Nevada's DMV worked with Google, automakers, insurance companies, and law enforcement on the regulations. The department said that other states already have bills to allow self-driving cars and … Read more

Sales of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf dipped in January, with Volt sales apparently hit by a now-closed safety investigation.

The volume of these high-profile electric cars sold is closely watched as a barometer of consumer demand. Several more battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models from other automakers are expected to come out this year and next.

General Motors said yesterday it sold 603 Volts in January of this year, more than the 321 it sold in January last year. GM shipped 1,529 Volts in December last year, its best month since production, although the yearly total of 7,671 was less than it had hoped. … Read more

We've seen electric bikes before, but we've never seen anything like the Boxx.

This contraption, which looks like an oversize suitcase that sprouted handles--or a MacBook Pro on wheels, if you ask me--is actually a new all-electric bike made by a Portland-based company called Boxx. Its unique design certainly makes it stand out from the crowd, but so do its eco-friendly features.

The Boxx, is an emissions-free vehicle, can be charged using a standard household outlet system. It comes in two configurations: one with a standard Core power system that provides up to 40 miles of travel on … Read more

I know there are many who look forward to the days when all cars are self-driving.

These are people who seem to believe that technology can not only solve every problem, but actually make life better. Another description for these people is, well, Prius drivers.

It is surely no coincidence that Google's self-driving car experiment seems to be performed exclusively on the exclusive car of the self-righteous. Indeed, one Prius owner in my neighborhood actually has the license plate "Smug Car." I am quite serious about this.

So I bring fine news to those who are intrigued … Read more

DOE researchers are going to the nanoscale to pack more energy into fuel cell vehicles.

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab yesterday detailed research plans for a three-year, $2.1 million Department of Energy-funded project to develop materials that would improve hydrogen storage. The basic research will include technical contributions from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and General Motors.

Storage is one of the main technical barriers to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Today hydrogen gas is compressed to very high pressures and pumped into onboard tanks, but that method doesn't match the range of gasoline-powered cars. Also, energy … Read more

Carmakers' pursuit of fuel efficiency and sustainability is moving to auto interiors.

Ford said today that its upcoming Escape SUV will sport door bolsters made of kenaf, a flowering tropical plant. The company estimates using a plant-based material will offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resins this year.

The door bolsters will be 25 percent lighter and so help improve fuel efficiency as well. They will be a 50-50 mix of kenaf and polypropylene and be made by Indiana-based supplier International Automotive Components.

Kenaf plants grow long stems like bamboo. The fiber can be processed into different materials, such as … Read more

A safety investigation into the Chevy Volt is now behind General Motors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday said that it has ended an inquiry into potential safety problems with the battery-run Chevy Volt.

"Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles," the agency said in a statement.

Last year, the NHTSA started a safety defect investigation after a side-impact collision test caused a fire three weeks after the test. That and subsequent tests led GM to make modifications to reinforce the battery pack and the coolant system. … Read more

BASF and Philips are giving new meaning to the term sun roof.

The two companies joined forces to come up with a prototype for a transparent car roof that incorporates OLED lights and solar cells.

"This combination allows the driver to enjoy a unique open-space feeling while it generates electricity during the day and pleasantly suffuses the interior with the warm light of the transparent, highly efficient OLEDs at night," said Felix Gorth, head of organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaics at BASF Future Business GmbH. … Read more