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It looks like roads that use solar power to melt snow are one step closer to becoming a reality--at least for a little stretch of Idaho. Solar Roadways received a $750,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to build a parking lot paved with solar panels.

Last year the green infrastructure company demoed a 12X12-foot prototype of its solar road as phase 1 of this new technology. The prototype was made up of solar panels, heating elements, and a grid of wireless LED lights encased in durable glass that has the same traction as asphalt and doesn't cause … Read more

That reverse-roll some drivers of manual transmission vehicles experience when stopping, and then accelerating, up a hill won't happen for drivers of the 2012 Chevy Sonic.

Chevy's new subcompact car offers a feature usually reserved for SUVs and luxury sedans; hill-hold technology will be available on all manual-transmission models.

Drivers of the 2012 Sonic will have no problem when stopping at the crest of a hill, such as the one on San Francisco's Filbert Street. No more rolling backward before accelerating forward.

"Hill-hold assist uses a pitch sensor that detects the tilt of the body when … Read more

BMW announced a few months ago that it was developing technology to make left turns safer. Recently, the auto manufacturer released a video demonstrating this technology in action, along with several other videos that show other uses for its next-generation Car-to-X Communication technology, including working with traffic infrastructure and sending information between vehicles.

Left-Turn Assistant By using vehicle-mounted cameras and GPS, the Car-to-X technology can determine if a driver is about to make a left turn and activate a system of warning lights.

Intersection Assistant The intersection assistant notifies the driver using visual warnings on a heads-up display to notify … Read more

Awhile back, Mercedes-Benz asked Facebook fans what stunts they wanted filmed while on set for the new commercial promoting the 2012 C63 AMG Coupe and the C63 AMG Sedan.

According to Mercedes, the requests came flooding in. Today the wait is over. The German automaker posted three videos demonstrating the winning requests.

The stunts were done with professional drivers on closed lots. And shortly after the videos were posted.

Check out the videos for yourself.… Read more

The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC was captured on video as it ran demo laps as part of the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, and also at the Silverstone Circuit in England.

The all-electric race car, which debuted at the 2011 New York auto show, has a 3.9-inch shorter wheelbase. Its height has been lowered by 13.9 inches curb, and it has a curb weight of 2,072 pounds.

But the Nismo RC still remains very much its production counterpart. It has, for example, the same motor and inverter, and the same battery pack as the Leaf, as … Read more

Recognizing that work and family time often overlap, Renault announced plans to debut an electric compact van that doubles as a family car at the Frankfurt auto show this fall.

The Renault Frendzy concept combines the utility of a cargo van with a comfortable interior that works for personal use. A sliding door on the passenger side and carriage doors on the driver side give the Frendzy the look of a Ford C-Max and Honda Element mashup. The front passenger seat and rear two-seater bench stow away to make room for cargo, and the Frendzy's fabric roof stretches to … Read more

When you're not busy playing Angry Birds, you can check out the new GMC Showroom Mobile App from GM.

With the GMC app you can see the latest models in a virtual showroom and explore vehicle photos or videos to configure a GMC vehicle to your specifications.

The app is currently available for free for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch through the Apple App Store. It will also be available for the Android through the Android Market by the end of July, GM said in a press release.

With the app, customers will be able to check do … Read more

Volvo is perhaps best known for protecting human lives in and outside of vehicles, and now the automotive safety stalwart is taking its safety mission one step further by developing technology that will help protect the lives of animals.

The new anticollision system is based on the company's Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake technology that first appeared in vehicles last year. It uses a radar sensor and an infra-red camera to detect animals within the vehicle's range, and alerts the driver to their presence. If the driver doesn't react to the alerts, the car will engage … Read more

A Virginia Tech University engineering team on Thursday won first place in the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge with an 82-mile-per-gallon, extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using E85 (ethanol).

The results of the three-year EcoCAR competition were announced on L'Enfant Plaza, in Washington, D.C. United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu congratulated the team at an award ceremony. A total of 16 teams participated in the competition that was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors (GM).

A student team from Ohio State University took second place with an E85 EREV. Third place went to a … Read more