naias2016
Latest
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The Detroit Auto Show, SOTU and more!
The North American International Auto Show kicked off this week in Detroit, and we hit the floor to bring you seven of the best green cars, including a hot hydrogen sedan and the world's first electric minivan. The Obama administration heralded the age of autonomous vehicles with a new plan to invest $4 billion in self-driving car technology. As usual, Tesla is ahead of the curve: This week Elon Musk announced that the automaker's first fully autonomous cars will hit streets by the year 2018. And Tesla also took honors as the Model S was declared the world's top-selling electric car of 2015.
Ford service helps you get around town, whatever you drive
Ford's traditional business has revolved around making cars, but it's increasingly seeing itself as a transportation company that just happens to make vehicles. Need proof? Just look at the company's newly unveiled FordPass. The free-to-start service is built to help you get around town, whether or not you own a Ford -- it'll help you find and pay for parking, share cars and (in the future) book ridesharing trips. There's a FordPay virtual wallet that will help you pay for everything, and you'll even have access to free FordGuides (basically, customer service agents) that can help out.
Audi's hydrogen concept car fuels up in four minutes
CES was a hotbed of car announcements this year, but luckily some surprises have been saved for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Take Audi's h-tron quattro, a hydrogen-powered concept car with a Tesla-beating range of 372 miles. It has three fuel tanks hidden beneath the passenger or luggage compartments which can be replenished in just four minutes. The fuel cell has an output of up to 110 kW, supported by a lithium-ion battery which supplies a further 100 kW for short, temporary bursts of acceleration. While you're driving, this secondary power source then slowly recharges every time you tap the brake.
Ford is testing autonomous cars in the snow
If you've ever driven in the snow you know how difficult and dangerous it can be. Which makes Ford's announcement that it's testing fully autonomous cars in this less-than-optimal environment better suited for skiing pretty exciting. The test vehicles use LiDAR and high-resolution 3D mapping to keep to stay on the road when the cameras and other sensors are made useless by the reduced visibility of snow flurries.
VW's latest plug-in hybrid is built for off-roading
Most plug-in hybrid vehicles are better-suited to the streets than mud and rocks, but Volkswagen thinks it can make an exception. Its just-unveiled Tiguan GTE Active Concept mates a 148HP gas engine with two electric motors to provide an environmentally responsible off-roader. It can drive 20 miles solely on electric power, even in rough conditions, but has that conventional engine to provide extra grunt and range (580 miles total) for long expeditions.
