Cars

MicroFueler Home Ethanol Pump Unveiled, Ready For Pre-Orders

E-Fuel’s MicroFueler, the home-based ethanol production system that makes gas from sugar or stale beer, was unveiled for the first time today in New York. E-Fuel says it will now take preorders for the $10,000 system, and will ship it by the end of the year. As you can see, it’s not the smallest thing—no…

Tech News Benny Goldman May 8

Scientist Studies Cars That Speak and Listen Like KITT

I used to want a car just like KITT when I was a kid, though perhaps without that slightly annoying nasal voice. And now a Stanford scientist is looking at whether nattering to your vehicle may be good for you, the car, other road users and even (darnit) your insurers or advertising execs. “Your car…

Gadgets Kit Eaton May 8

Crispy Noodles Fuel Next-Gen Hydrogen Cars

Crispy noodles are the missing link between today’s carbon-emitting cars and tomorrow’s clean hydrogen cars. It turns out that the structure of crispy noodles — rigid, twisty, and porous — perfectly matches that of a new polymer developed to trap and reuse hydrogen atoms in new “green” cars. University of Manchester researcher Peter Budd helped…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 6

Volvo Creating Injury-Proof Car By 2020

Having been in the business of making incredibly safe vehicles for decades, Volvo is going one step further and making a “virtually” injury-proof car by the year 2020. “Virtually,” because it will ensure all occupents survive all but the craziest wrecks. Not only is Volvo making the car more resistant to crashes, but they’re putting…

Tech News Jason Chen May 5

Refurbished 70s Mobile Home for the Road Trip of the Future

Who said the future of travel had to require brand new vehicles? Foreseeing a coming trend in land travel, designer Kevin Fitzsimons restored a 1978 Sovereign 31′ Airstream Land Yacht and turned it into a super-fancy high-tech mobile home for the luxe traveler. The Mobitat, or MObi for short, has built-in furniture with white leather…

io9 LISA KATAYAMA May 5

Crossing Guards Become Big Brothers

If you wanted a sure sign that the Orwell-ization of Great Britain is underway, then look no further than this. Lollipop ladies, those kindly old women who man the main roads next to school, similar to the US crossing guard, have been issued with video cameras to record lollipop rage—as school-side road rage is known.…

Gadgets AddyDugdale Apr 30

Next Generation Prius Hybrid Is Bigger, More Powerful, With More MPG

AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it’ll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan’s metrics for fuel…

Tech News Brian Lam Apr 28

Hymotion Prius Plug-in Conversion Kit Gives 100+ MPG For Short Distances

Like the previously released EDrive kit, this Hymotion Prius conversion package lets you convert your stock Prius into one that can be plugged in for charging. After a 4.5-hour charge time, your Prius will be able to use more battery power over about 30-40 miles in order achieve that mileage. The kit isn’t cheap—it’s $9995…

Tech News Jason Chen Apr 27

DIY G-Force Meter Turns Your Civic Into Top Gun

Perfect for Speed Racers and out-of-control Soyuz capsules, this DIY personal G-force meter attaches to your dashboard and enhances the driving experience when a mere speedometer won’t do. The device measures acceleration/tilt on one axis and attaches to the windshield of your Porsche Honda Civic with a few suction cups. Three 7-Segment LED displays show…

Tech News Jack Loftus Apr 27

Autoliv’s Hood Airbag System Saves Dumb Walkers From Dumb Drivers

Autoliv’s new Pedestrian Protection System combines a hood that opens to cushion impact and a pair of hood mounted airbags to reduce the risk of serious injury when a car comes into contact with an unfortunate pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist. The tech’s safety specs are impressive: “From almost certain death to less than a 15%…

Tech News Chris Magor Apr 23

Chinese Car Maker Invents Keyless Entry Watch

The problem with Chinese made cars in the year 2008 is that they’re complete shit. It’s true. Maybe in a few years they’ll catch up to the Koreans, the Japanese, the Americans and the Germans, but for now they’ll have to be satisfied with unlocking their cars with their watches. Who wouldn’t? I’d definitely enjoy…

Tech News Jason Chen Apr 23

Fat Shark Wireless RC Glasses Let You See Through Your Car In First Person

We were too poor to play with RC cars when we were kids, but it seems like it was worth the wait in order for these Fat Shark Wireless RC Glasses to be invented. Strap the glasses on your face and you’ll be able to see through the actual head of the RC driver. Better…

Gadgets Jason Chen Apr 23

Paint Thickness Tester Won’t Determine the IQ of Your Walls

A handy little gadget for those of you who prefer to buy second-hand cars rather than brand spanking new models that smell of plastic, Westfalia’s paint-thickness tester will let you know if the vehicle has had a paint job—which can often mean it’s been involved in a crash somewhere down the line. Here’s how it…

Gadgets AddyDugdale Apr 22

Exhaust Air Jack Lifts Your Car with a Toxic Balloon

I’m not much of a “car guy,” but this Exhaust Air Jack seems like a pretty brilliant alternative to your normal jacks. Simply plug the hose into your exhaust pipe, stick the balloon under the frame of the car, and let the exhaust lift the car up so you can change the tire. Apparently, it’s…

Gadgets Adam Frucci Apr 21

1930s Steam Cooker Uses Car Exhaust To Cook For, Poison Your Family

Before the advent of the drive-through, families on road trips were stumped by the dilemma of how to have a hot meal ready at any time during their travels. But never fear, 1930s road warrior — hook up this automatic food cooking contraption to your exhaust pipe and your car will prepare your dinners for…

Tech News Elaine Chow Apr 19

European Company Looks To Make a Death Proof Car

It may not be Kurt Russell’s stunt car, but if a European company named Prevent is successful in its quest, the world will have the first “uncrashable” vehicle. As their name suggests, the approach they are taking does not involve any space age armor to avoid damage in the event of an accident, rather, the…

Tech News Sean Fallon Apr 17

The Most Ghetto Car Stereo Ever Makes Duct Taped Windows Seem Classy

We’ve no idea how old this image is—it’s probably been floating around the internet for a while—but unless we see any other possible entries, we’re going to award this the Most Ghetto Car Stereo Ever trophy. If you’ve got an old beater from the 1970s or ’80s, you can actually make your own! I know!…

Tech News Jason Chen Apr 17

The Public Transit Projects that Should Have Been

Urban history is littered with the dead bodies of scrapped public transit projects. When eager commuters and car companies turned the automobile into the most popular form of transit in the world in the twentieth century, many cities set aside plans for expanding their public transit systems, such as the electric tram system planned for…

io9 Annalee Newitz Apr 16

Nissan Uses Old Suit To Build Cars, Score Early Bird Specials

To help its engineers better understand the challenges that the elderly have behind the wheel (and feed the fears of Japan’s midlife crisis population), Nissan has developed an “old suit” simulating stiff movements, blurred vision, bad balance and extra weight (probably to simulate weaker strength). It all makes sense to us, save for the harsh…

Tech News Mark Wilson Apr 16

DLO VentMount iPhone Car Holder is Practical, Convenient

Using a car’s AC vents to hold cellphones is an old idea. Using a car’s AC vent to hold an iPhone so you can watch movies/Cover Flow your way through your music is a new idea. DLO’s VentMount seems like an incredibly practical way to keep your iPhone/iPod Touch within short reach, especially in cars…

Tech News Jason Chen Apr 15

MicroFueler Home Ethanol Pump Unveiled, Ready For Pre-Orders

Scientist Studies Cars That Speak and Listen Like KITT

Crispy Noodles Fuel Next-Gen Hydrogen Cars

Volvo Creating Injury-Proof Car By 2020

Refurbished 70s Mobile Home for the Road Trip of the Future

Crossing Guards Become Big Brothers

Next Generation Prius Hybrid Is Bigger, More Powerful, With More MPG

Hymotion Prius Plug-in Conversion Kit Gives 100+ MPG For Short Distances

DIY G-Force Meter Turns Your Civic Into Top Gun

Autoliv’s Hood Airbag System Saves Dumb Walkers From Dumb Drivers

Chinese Car Maker Invents Keyless Entry Watch

Fat Shark Wireless RC Glasses Let You See Through Your Car In First Person

Paint Thickness Tester Won’t Determine the IQ of Your Walls

Exhaust Air Jack Lifts Your Car with a Toxic Balloon

1930s Steam Cooker Uses Car Exhaust To Cook For, Poison Your Family

European Company Looks To Make a Death Proof Car

The Most Ghetto Car Stereo Ever Makes Duct Taped Windows Seem Classy

The Public Transit Projects that Should Have Been

Nissan Uses Old Suit To Build Cars, Score Early Bird Specials

DLO VentMount iPhone Car Holder is Practical, Convenient

Amazon Pushes Outdoor Security Camera Deals With Tapo MagCam 2K+ at a Record Low

This $3/mo NordVPN Deal Could Save You from a Huge Data Leak: Time-Limited Offer

Bitdefender Total Security Now Costs Less than Your Coffee Order — Covers Up to 5 Devices With One Subscription

Ozempic Shreds Bones? How a Small Study Turned Into a Big Health Myth

Anker’s Soundcore Translation Earbuds Are Now Nearly 7x Cheaper Than AirPods Pro 3 After a Sudden Price Drop on Amazon

Volkswagen Shuts Down Tennessee Plant’s EV Production at the Worst Possible Time

Using Emojis at Work? You’re Not Going to Like This Study 😮

A Terrifying Invasion Feels Eerily Familiar in This Short Horror Story

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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