cars

In what looks like an example of modern-day alchemy, scientists at Purdue University in Indiana have come up with a way of turning water in hydrogen using an aluminum alloy. If the process is replicable on a large scale, it could have a massive impact on the market for hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, which could use the technology as a source of onboard hydrogen generation.

The process relies on the use of aluminum pellets, which are mixed into liquid gallium (a metal that liquefies at just over room temperature) to produce a liquid aluminum-gallium. When water is added to the … Read more

Bugatti is a name that would never be associated with "ordinary," so it makes perfect sense that the music system for its "Veyron" uber-car would be something special. And they certainly didn't disappoint anyone with the German-made Burmester system that was created specifically to meet the unique needs and design of the Veyron, one of the world's fastest street-legal cars.

Here's why an off-the-shelf stereo from Best Buy wouldn't have done the trick: The Burmeister CD player alone is constructed to operate without a single skip at 250 miles per hour. Sybarites … Read more

Here at CNET Car Tech, we never tire of banging on about the latest in-car audio technology. But what if you don't have the requisite $2,000 to fork over for a hard-drive-enabled in-car media player with a touch screen? Here is one solution that's cheap and cheerful, and will let you play MP3 discs and portable audio players in your car for less than $300. Check out our slide show for photos of the Kenwood DPX302.

Few people can deny that Toyota's early adoption of hybrid technology has been a stroke of PR genius, giving the world's largest car maker and the producer of such Leviathans as the Sequoia and the Tundra plenty of positive press as well as a green image wherever it goes. (Last year, I even heard Bob Lutz, GM's chairman and product development guru, pay grudging homage to the strategy.)

But here is a headline that deserves its column-inches. According to Motor Authority, Toyota's VP of powertrain development Masatami Takimoto has said that by 2020 hybrids would become … Read more

With all the technology that's poured into the interior of today's cars, perhaps most surprising is the evolution of the lowly rear-view mirror. As we've noted, various automakers are outfitting them with Webcams to check blind spots, including some that fade away when not in use. Now, it's being used as a radar to detect speed traps too.

The "GPSMirror" checks traffic conditions as well, using its built-in database to look for "accident black spots, common mobile cameras, and fixed safety camera locations," according to NaviGadget. It's not clear how that … Read more

It's all change at DaimlerChrysler. As Chrysler Group contemplates its buyout at the hands of Cerberus Capital Management, one of its signature engines is about to get a green makeover. The 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, the motivation behind some of Chrysler's most thirsty trucks and SUVs, is going hybrid thanks to the addition of two electric motors. The resultant Hemi hybrid engine will be offered in the 2008 models of the Chrysler Aspen and the Dodge Durango, making the vehicles into 2-mode hybrids similar to the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid--both due out later … Read more

Nissan is following in the green-car footsteps of Toyota and Honda with the launch of its Altima Hybrid. Rather than developing its own hybrid system for the Altima's power train, Nissan is licensing Toyota's dual-mode Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which works in conjunction with the car's 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine. (Nissan apparently is working on its own hybrid technology, but that's not scheduled to go into production for at least a few years.)

We got a brief chance to drive the Altima Hybrid this week around the Hollister Hills in Northern California. Like many hybrids, … Read more

Biofuel. Hybrid cars. Electric cars. Hydrogen. Those are some of the bright ideas in the future of car tech. Many proponents of the hydrogen fuel cell gathered in Vancouver, Canada, recently to discuss their problems and the promises.

This video from that conference shows hydrogen cars on the road. Models from four manufacturers made a 150-mile round trip during the meeting. DaimlerChrysler predicts that by 2015 there'll be millions of hydrogen cars on the road. The company claims that's not just a lot of hot air.

If you're looking for a hydrogen vehicle somewhere in between a fuel-cell powered flying car and a fuel-cell powered wheelchair, German company Masterflex Brennstoffzellentechnik has the answer: a fuel-cell powered Cargobike.

The three-wheeled electric bicycle runs on power generated from its 250-watt fuel cell, which is fueled by an onboard 90-gram low-pressure hydrogen tank. (It can also be powered by good, old-fashion pedal power when the H2 runs out).) According to its designers, the Cargobike has a range of 250km and can accelerate to 6km per hour without assistance. In addition to powering the wheels, electricity from the fuel … Read more