When EVs first came to market one of the big things that people liked about them was that they are quiet. That means no revving motors and droning exhaust in your neighborhood. It because apparent not long after EVs landed that the silence was an issue for the visually impaired and distracted pedestrians. Some EVs started to use a sound to warn that the near-silent rides were coming.
The University of Louisville (UofL) has announced that two people who suffer from spinal cord injuries that left them unable to walk are taking steps again thanks to breakthrough research. The two research participants both had motor complete spinal cord injuries and can walk over the ground again thanks to epidural stimulation combined with daily locomotor training. UofL notes that two other participants also were able to independently stand and gained trunk stability when using the stimulation tech.
Lots of Subaru fans were excited when the three-row Ascent SUV was announced in November of last year. This was the first big SUV for Subaru that you could pack more people into. The Ascent is built in the US at the Subaru plant in Indiana. That same facility makes the Outback, Legacy, and Impreza cars.
Porsche has announced that it is making a major investment that will fund a future that has no diesel reliance. That investment is over six billion euros and Porsche says that while it isn’t demonizing the diesel engine, as a sports car maker the tech has a secondary role. Instead of diesel power, Porsche wants to invest in a big way into future hybrid power options.
Scientists in Japan have done something that sounds straight out of science fiction. They have been able to successfully create immature human egg cells from human blood for the first time. The team says the work is a breakthrough in stem cell research.
Peugeot has announced new plug-in hybrid gas engines that aim for performance and efficiency in various vehicle segments. The engines will complement the Peugeot 3008, 508, and 508 SW engines already available. The new engines will be used in Hybrid and Hybrid4 four-wheel drive configurations.
The NHTSA has completed and announced the side impact crash test ratings of the Tesla Model 3. The car did very well in the testing earning a five-star overall safety rating. NHTSA breaks the ratings down a bit further with an overall side star rating of five combining the side barrier and side pole star ratings into one rating.
Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) have made a very incredible discovery that confirmed the earliest animal life in the geological record. The team says that the animal lived on the Earth 558 million years ago and is called Dickinsonia. This fossilized animal lived on Earth 20 million years before the "Cambrian explosion" of modern animal life.
Recalls are certainly common in the automotive world for all manner of issues. The last time Nissan had an issue was when it had to recall some cars with keyed ignitions. Nissan is now having an issue with a radar sensor that is used in some of its cars that feature automatic emergency braking systems, no recall has been issued.
Renault showed off its EZ-Go concept for shared mobility in March and the concept was a cool glimpse into the future. Renault is now back with a similar concept called EZ-Pro that aims at being a robotic vehicle concierge for last mile delivery. EZ-Pro had its world premiere this week at the Hannover Motor Show.
Gaia is a star mapping mission that the ESA is conducting, and it recently discovered something very interesting. Gaia has found that the Milky Way galaxy is still facing the effects of a near collision that set millions of stars to rippling like water in a lake. ESA scientists believe that the near collision happened in the past 300-900 million years.
Peugeot has been making cars for a long time and like any automaker that has been around for decades, it has some legendary cars that fans love. One of those legendary cars is the 504 coupe and a new concept has the style that retro fans will like. The new car is the e-Legend and it will debut at the Paris motor show in October, 50 years after the coupe version of the 504 launched.