Automobiles

New car systems allow sending or receiving electronic messages using hands-free devices, but they are still major distractions to driving. Karen Hopkin reports

Researchers engineer materials to avoid using expensive platinum in fuel cells

Simply controlling where and when electric cars charge could go a long way to easing any spikes in electricity demand

Legislature tries to rewrite history and proclaims Bridgeport resident Gustave Whitehead as first in flight

Lots--but there is still room for improvement

The solid battery could also prove cheaper than current lithium-ion technology once developed

An idled program for vehicles driven by fuel cells is gaining new impetus from new programs at the U.S. Department of Energy

The state of the art in civilian and military nautical technology, from the year before World War I broke out in Europe

Consumers do end up using more energy when energy-using technology gets more efficient, but these rebound effects are minimal, experts say

Smart cars already boast wi-fi, GPS, cameras, radar and other sensors and, in the not too distant future, may drive themselves

More than 50,000 high-polluting diesel engines have been cleaned up or removed from U.S. roads in a federal program

Almost 90 percent of U.S. buyers say fuel economy will be a major factor when purchasing their next vehicle