Carbon fiber from plants close to carbon-neutral? Scientists hopeful

McLaren Monocage II carbon fiber monocoque structureWhen it comes to materials with the most promise in automotive applications, carbon fiber and graphene each rank high on the list. Unlike graphene, however, real-world carbon fiber applications exist today—and they're helping automakers reduce the weight of cars coming tomorrow. There's one big, unfortunate, and somewhat ironic problem with...

Toyota electric cars could use airless tires if research pans out: report

Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowAlthough electric cars offer numerous benefits in engineering, design, and zero-emission operation, their overall weight remains a hurdle for automakers, especially as bigger batteries with longer ranges become more important. It now appears that Toyota may look to airless tires as a way to cut weight in its future electric cars: It debuted the...

Lighter, more fuel-efficient cars are safer, study says, ignoring safety rules

2017 Hyundai Elantra IIHS crash testIt was one of several common tropes used 10 years ago against proposed regulations to boost average fuel economy. "More efficient cars will have to be lighter-weight, and they'll be unsafe because in accidents, they'll crumple up like Kleenex." Logical conclusion: if you require higher fuel economy in cars, more people will die in crashes. DON'T...