Gear oil is the magical fluid without which modern drivetrains couldn't exist
Balancing lubricating and allowing friction, a good gear oil gets performance with minimal wear
Viscosity modifiers are the ingenious secret ingredients that put the 'multi' into multigrade oil
Even the most dedicated petrol-head often snubs lubricating oil, but this under-appreciated fluid plays a critical role
ABS is one of the most brilliant technologies of all and gives cadence braking to everyone without them even knowing
Pioneered by Mercedes, Antiblockiersystem technology makes your car behave like a human when the going gets slippy
New types of paint-like coatings promise to make better batteries and help lidar to see black cars in the gloom
Spoilers aren't the be-all and end-all when it comes to aerodynamics - underfloor design comes into it too
Advanced lighting technology, like this Audi A8 laser spotlight developed by Hella, makes night driving safer but is an enabler for EV technology as well
Light-emitting diodes cast a brighter glow and use less energy, but there are other benefits as well
A breakthrough in motor and electronics design by Continental AG allows mild hybrids to deliver electric-only driving like a full hybrid for less cost
As well as allowing cars to temporarily run on electric power, a 48V system can take care of all the ancillaries
Automatic gearboxes like the ZF 9HP have evolved far beyond a box for swapping cogs. They now form part of a super-efficient integrated powertrain
From early three-speed pioneers to today's silky smooth nine-speed set-ups, the automatic gearbox has become a truly advanced piece of kit
New energy-dense cells would be suitable for high-performance electric sports cars; series production could begin in 2020
Torque converter-based gearboxes are the original type of automatic transmission and they’re evolving fast
The original type of automatic gearbox, a torque converter unit can provide the most satisfying acceleration curve
Tesla developed its own processor specifically for neural networking and autonomous driving. It’s called the Full Self-Driving Computer (FSD)
Autonomous cars must interpret and react to situations as a human driver would. Here's how that will work
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