What Cheating Emissions Standards Tells Us About Ourselves
To understand the outrage over the Volkswagen scandal and recall, consider the meat industry.
Automobiles
How to Make Our Cars Less Deadly
As folks gear up for end-of-summer road trips, Levi Tillemann makes the case for a synthetic market for automotive safety.
The Future of Work: Machines Pulling Ahead, Quickly
The latest entry in a special project in which business and labor leaders, social scientists, technology visionaries, activists, and journalists weigh in on the most consequential changes in the workplace.
Trade In? Maybe Don't
Economists find that trading in a used car bumps up the price of the new one you take home—by a lot.
Why We Rage on the Roads—and How to Stop
A perfect combination of fear and overconfidence produces dangerous escalations of tiny incidents. The best course of action is to allow the guy flipping you the bird to drive right past.
Grading Cash for Clunkers: Give It an E for Effort
Now that Uncle Sam is no longer a back-seat driver for the auto business, this is a good time to pull over and remember one of his signal acts while in the car.
Distracted Driving Laws Are Expanding, But Many Still Miss the Point
(The point is the limits of mental multitasking.)
Detroit Bikes: Manufacturing Commuter Bikes for Detroit
Zak Pashak's company is trying to bring the manufacturing tradition to Detroit, but instead of cars, they're making commuter bikes.
Adding a Horse to the Horseless Carriage of Yore
Nostalgic for the nostalgia of yesterday? Popular Science had a thriving enterprise in the 1930s that looked back at wacky inventions from earlier years.
Steam-Powered Cars: California's 1970s Smog Solution
Steam-powered cars may sound like a shout-out to the early 1900s, but in 1970s California the idea was building up a real head of, umm, steam.
Driving a Dead Horse: Making Cars Less Frightening in 1904
The traffic safety department is trying to get the nation used to today's silent cars. Something similar happened at the beginning of the 20th century.
When Santa Traded His Sleigh for an Automobile
The American Santa of the end of the 19th century was a lot fatter and in a car—much like the average American a century later.
Is Driving One of the Tiniest Cars in the World In Your Future?
A minuscule car that folds up to just 60 inches, made by MIT's media lab, will be deployed in cities around the world for neighborly sharing.
The Problem of the Too-Quiet Car
In spite of a government demand for automakers to fix the problem, there is still no consensus on how to warn pedestrians of noiseless vehicles.
Automotive Technology: Convenience vs. Privacy
The amazing new communication technologies in cars can greatly enhance the driving experience, but they may compromise privacy.
OMG UR Phone Knows UR Texting + Driving!
By analyzing keystrokes of cell phone texters, researchers have developed a way to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and off their mobile device.
Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats.
Cash for Clunkers Was a Clunker
In a discouraging post mortem, it turns out neither the U.S. economy nor the environment really benefited from the 2009 “cash for clunkers” car-trading scheme.
Vehicle-to-Grid: A New Spin on Car Payments
Buried in the high hopes for electric cars is the very real possibility that they can make money by powering and regulating the grid.
Slugging — The People's Transit
In Washington, D.C., commuters have taken thousands of cars off highways via a homegrown rideshare system known as "slugging." Can the government create more slugs — without stepping on any?
Can China Avoid Getting Stuck in Traffic?
Amid a frenzy of car buying, the Chinese are losing the race for traffic space, but it's not too late for them to take another road.
Electric Cars Get a Jump-Start From Feds
Gas stations are plentiful in the United States, but what if your ride needs a different kind of juice? A public-private partnership plans to jump-start electrics in six cities.
Study Finds Cute Cars Recall Baby's Face
Cars that share the general traits of a baby's face trigger the 'Isn't it cute' response in consumers.