MIT Technology Review Weekend Reads: Cars

April 16, 2016 Weekend Reads: Cars Cars are more than just a way to get from point A to point B. They are a part of how we grow up, learn responsibility, and ultimately become independent. Now more than ever, they are also marvels of engineering, packed with computing power and digital intelligence. This weekend, MIT Technology Review looks back at stories that explore our complex relationship with cars, from worries about fuel efficiency and climate change to glimpses of a future in which they, not we, are in the driver’s seat. How Might Apple Manufacture a Car? Apple has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the so-called “Apple car” project. But late last year, we took a hard look at whether the electronics giant could make a serious bid for a piece of the automotive industry. If it exists, is the Apple car going to be electric? Self-driving? And how will the company build it? Could they really outsource the whole damned thing? Rebooting the Automobile By some estimates, 25 percent of accidents are caused by drivers fiddling with their phones. Now Apple and Google are battling to create seamless integration between phones and cars, hoping to eliminate driver distraction and vastly improve cars in the process. As vehicles are increasingly governed by computers, the giants of Silicon Valley are betting that the next big thing in cars isn’t a bigger engine—it’s software. Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think As bits of automation trickle into today’s cars, this feature from 2013 rings true: everyone loves hearing about how many miles Google’s robot cars have driven themselves, but when will driverless cars become the norm? There are still big issues to be worked out. TL;DR: It’s gonna a be a while, but there are some cool technologies coming to a car near you in the meantime. The Trouble with India’s People Car When it was first introduced in 2009, the Tata Nano was supposed to spark a revolution in car ownership across India. But even at the low price of around ,000, a year into its production the car was barely selling. Why wasn’t India’s rising middle class interested in the world’s cheapest car? Hybrids’ Rising Sun Way back in 2004, a new car was making waves in the automotive industry. It used a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor to achieve a stunning 55 miles per gallon of fuel efficiency. More environmentally friendly cars may have come before it—and more will follow—but the Toyota Prius was the automobile that introduced the world to the term “hybrid.” This is the inside story of how the Prius came to be. A Turn-of-the-Century Road Trip In 1910, car-friendly roads were a rarity, and cross-country road trips all but unheard of. But two MIT students set out on a wild ride from Massachusetts to Oregon—pulling up in towns that had never seen a car, scrounging for gasoline, and using their ingenuity to deal with breakdowns. A lot of breakdowns. SEE MORE STORIES >> If you would like to update the frequency or type of newsletters received, please edit your preferences or unsubscribe from all MIT Technology Review communications. MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142