No other element on Earth is more common than hydrogen. Wouldn’t it be great if we could power our vehicles with it? Many have dreamed of that reality, but so far we haven’t cracked the code for making hydrogen fuel cells practical. Some people think that will never happen, while others believe it’s only around the corner.
Ford rocked the automotive world last week when it announced what some thought would never happen: it’s withdrawing every car it currently makes from the North American market, save the Mustang and upcoming Focus Active.
If you want to start up a controversial topic in a mixed group, just mention Tesla. The California automaker is simultaneously lauded and hated by large crowds. I find as an automotive writer, people are often puzzled by my mixed opinion of the company.
Gasoline engines aren’t dead, at least not yet. Even though Volvo says it won’t pour any more resources into developing more gasoline tech, other automakers think the internal combustion engine will have legs for a couple more decades or so.
There’s no denying the growing strength of Chinese automakers. As domestic players in the largest car market in the world, where sales have been on a continual rise for an unbelievable amount of time, they simply aren’t going to fade into the background.
Metal 3D Printing is undoubtedly the next big thing in the fast-moving realm of 3D printing.
Put simply, it’s a quick and effective process used to create three-dimensional metal parts from a digital file. Using 3D CAD technology, metal 3D printing techniques use binders, lasers and heated nozzles to create products that are robust and boast intricate internal features (channels, undercuts, inner tubes, internal voids). Components that wouldn’t have been imaginable a few years ago are now a reality due to the various industrial applications available for metal 3D printing today.
Every year, Google publishes a report on trends for the automotive industry. This is different from other industry trend reports, because it comes from searches typed by Google users. Market research firms often rely on focus groups, consumer surveys, and complex formulas. Of course, Google is privy to a data set many envy, so it leverages that advantage. The idea, as claimed by the tech giant, is that this sampling of buyer interests and intents is more representative of the whole range of consumers in different markets. I won’t bore you with Google’s methodology, since you can read all about it in the report.
Lithium is one of the most important metals of the 21st century. It makes possible the rechargeable battery technology found in mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles. But where does lithium actually come from?
There’s been some buzz in and out of the auto industry that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is stealing the thunder from Detroit. This year at least, the Motor City show didn’t disappoint, thanks to a tremendous push from various automakers in tech.