What to Know Before Buying a Used EV
An electric vehicle for sale at a dealership. When buying a used EV, battery health and charging capabilities are key considerations. Purchasing a used electric vehicle (EV) can be a savvy way to join...
Articles
How Resale Value Works for EVs vs. Gas Cars
When you buy a car, one of the biggest long-term costs is depreciation – the loss of value over time. Resale value , or what you can sell the car for later, is where electric vehicles have differed no...
EV Insurance: What’s Different?
Electric vehicles may look similar to gas cars on the road, but when it comes to auto insurance , there are some important differences. If you’re insuring an EV for the first time, you might wonder wh...
How to Maximize EV Range in All Seasons
Electric vehicles provide smooth and efficient driving, but their driving range can fluctuate with weather and driving conditions. Cold winter mornings or scorching summer afternoons might have you no...
Best EV Apps for Charging, Navigation & Monitoring
One of the great things about driving an electric vehicle in the digital age is the abundance of apps that can enhance your experience. From finding the nearest available charging station to planning ...
EV Tax Credits and Incentives (2025 Update)
Switching to an electric vehicle isn’t just great for the environment – it can also be great for your wallet, thanks to various tax credits and incentives designed to encourage EV adoption. These ince...
How to Choose the Right EV for You
With dozens of electric vehicle models on the market – and more coming – how do you decide which EV is the perfect match for your needs and lifestyle? Choosing the right EV is a personal decision that...
BONUS: The Future of Urban Mobility – EVs, Micromobility, and Smart Transit
The way we move around cities is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. Urban mobility of the future will be defined not by gas-guzzling private cars, but by a mix of electric vehicles (EVs), micr...
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Introduction: Modern cars are no longer just mechanical devices – they’ve become high-tech “computers on wheels.” In fact, the average new car today contains around 200 million lines of code , which i...
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) & Lane Keeping Assist
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is like a virtual rumble strip for your car. Using cameras that track the lane markings on the road, this system alerts you if your vehicle begins drifting out of its lane...
Blind Spot Detection (Blind Spot Warning)
Every driver knows the anxiety of checking the blind spot – that pesky area over your shoulder that mirrors might not fully cover. Blind Spot Detection (sometimes called Blind Spot Monitoring) is an e...
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is like having a forward-facing safety navigator. This system watches the road ahead (via cameras, radar, or LiDAR sensors) and alerts you if you’re closing in too fast...
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) is the natural partner to forward collision warnings. If a potential collision is detected and the driver does not respond in time , AEB will apply the brakes automat...
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA) is a handy feature that addresses a nerve-wracking scenario: backing out of a parking space or driveway when you can’t see cross traffic coming. Ever reversed out of a ...
Parking Assist (Automatic Parking)
Ever wished your car could just park itself? Parking Assist systems are turning that into reality. Broadly, parking assist comes in two forms: parking sensors and automatic steering for parking . Park...
Adaptive Headlights & High Beam Assist
Driving at night can be challenging, but ADAS has some clever lighting features to help out. Adaptive Headlights are headlamps that swivel or adjust their beams in response to steering and road condit...
Driver Attention Monitoring
Many accidents result from drowsy or distracted driving . Driver Attention or Drowsiness Monitoring systems aim to detect when the driver isn’t fully alert and warn them. How do they do this? There ar...
Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB)
We covered AEB for vehicles in Feature #6, but Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking deserves its own spot because hitting a pedestrian is one of the most devastating types of accidents – and sadly c...
What Are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Think of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as translators between your phone and your car’s infotainment screen. They are smartphone integration platforms that mirror your phone’s key apps onto the car’s...
Setting Up CarPlay and Android Auto
Getting these systems running is usually straightforward: Apple CarPlay: Most vehicles support plugging in your iPhone via USB (using a Lightning cable) to initiate CarPlay. In many newer cars, Wirele...
Navigating with Confidence
One of the biggest advantages of using your phone’s integration is superior navigation . You’re no longer stuck with whatever mapping software the car came with (which might be outdated or require pai...
Entertainment on the Road
Your infotainment is also your media control center. CarPlay and Android Auto support many music and audio apps : Music Streaming: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora – pick you...
Communication and Voice Commands
Staying connected while driving is important, but doing it safely is even more so. Infotainment systems via CarPlay/AA excel at hands-free communication : Calls: When your phone is connected, you can ...
Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your Infotainment
To truly master your car’s infotainment, here are some pro tips: Customize Your Home Screen: On CarPlay, you can rearrange the app icons via your iPhone’s settings (Settings > General > CarPlay ...
Beyond CarPlay & Android Auto: The Future of Infotainment
While phone projection systems are incredibly popular, there are other aspects of “smart infotainment” worth mentioning: Built-in Connected Infotainment: Some newer cars come with their own embedded s...
From 2D HUDs to Augmented Reality
Traditional head-up displays have been around for years – showing speed or basic icons on the windshield. These are essentially 2D projections at a fixed spot . AR HUDs take it a step further: they pr...
Real-World Examples: Mercedes, Audi, BMW
Several luxury automakers have introduced AR HUDs: Mercedes-Benz: The 2021 S-Class debuted an AR HUD. It projects graphics equivalent to a 77-inch screen floating out in front of the car [91] . It use...
Advantages of AR HUDs
Why all the fuss about projecting stuff on windshields? AR HUDs offer several key benefits: Enhanced Navigation: AR HUDs make following directions intuitive. Navigation arrows appear directly where yo...
Challenges and Considerations
It’s not all perfect yet. AR HUDs face some challenges: Cost and Complexity: These systems require expensive combiner glass or special windshields, plus projectors with high brightness and resolution....
The Road Ahead for AR HUDs
Despite challenges, AR HUDs are an exciting step toward more integrated vehicle displays. Industry experts see them as part of the evolution toward semi-autonomy and eventually full self-driving . In ...
From Key Fobs to Digital Keys
Keyless entry has actually been around for decades in the form of the now-ubiquitous remote key fob . You press a button and your car unlocks; some cars have “smart” fobs that you just keep in your po...
Biometric Entry and Start Systems
Biometrics refers to using personal physical characteristics – like your fingerprint, face, or even eyes – for identification. Smartphones have made biometrics commonplace for unlocking screens, and n...
Pros of Ditching Physical Keys
Why go keyless at all? Several advantages: Ultimate Convenience: No more digging through pockets or purses. If your car can unlock itself when it sees you or feels your finger, that’s as seamless as i...
Cons and Concerns
On the flip side, there are considerations: Privacy: Storing biometric data in the car raises questions. Automakers assure these are stored securely (often locally in the vehicle, not uploaded to clou...
The Rise of In-Car Voice Assistants
Voice control in cars isn’t entirely new – basic voice command systems have been around since the early 2000s (remember clunky prompts like “Dial number” or “Play CD”). But those were often limited an...
What Can Car Voice Assistants Do?
Modern voice assistants in cars serve a variety of roles: Hands-Free Controls: The basics are still there – you can place phone calls, send text messages, play music, set navigation destinations, adju...
Benefits for Safety and Convenience
The clearest benefit of voice assistants is reduced driver distraction . Instead of poking at a touchscreen or trying to read tiny text, you can just speak naturally. Research shows that using voice c...
Challenges and Improvements
While we have many capabilities, in-car assistants still have room to grow. Some challenges: Accuracy and Noise: Cars are noisy environments (wind, engine, road noise). Voice systems have to use advan...
Tailpipe Emissions: EVs Win by a Landslide
Let’s start with the obvious: Driving an EV produces zero tailpipe emissions. No CO2, no smog-forming pollutants coming out of the car itself. In contrast, an average gasoline car pumps out about 400 ...
Manufacturing Impact: EVs Start with a Carbon Debt
EVs do have a dirty secret: building them (especially the battery) currently causes more emissions than building a conventional car. Manufacturing a typical mid-size EV can result in significantly hig...
Energy Source Matters
An EV in Norway (almost 100% hydropower electricity) is extremely green – nearly zero emissions in use, and even manufacturing might be done in countries with greener grids (if, say, the battery was m...
Other Environmental Factors
Local Air Quality: EVs produce no tailpipe pollutants, which is a big plus for urban environments suffering from smog. Gas cars, especially older ones, emit NOx, particulates, etc. EV adoption can red...
So, Are EVs Greener?
Taking it all into account: Yes, electric cars are generally greener than gasoline cars, especially in the long term. Over their full life cycle, EVs produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and far les...
Latest Developments in Self-Driving Tech (2025 Edition)
Self-driving car technology continues to accelerate, and the landscape in 2025 looks more promising than ever. Autonomous vehicles are no longer a distant dream but a growing reality on public roads. ...
Is the Charging Infrastructure Ready for the EV Boom?
The electric vehicle boom is well underway, with record EV sales each year. But is our charging infrastructure keeping up? This question looms large as more drivers consider making the switch to elect...
EV Myths Debunked
Electric vehicles have come a long way, but a number of EV myths still persist. Misinformation and outdated perceptions can make people hesitant about switching to an electric car. It’s time to separa...
Cost of Owning an EV vs. a Gas Car
One of the biggest questions for anyone considering an electric vehicle is: how does the cost of owning an EV really compare to a traditional gas-powered car? There are many factors to consider – purc...
Understanding Self-Driving Car Levels (0 to 5)
What does it really mean when we hear terms like “Level 3 autonomy” or “Level 5 self-driving” ? The world of autonomous vehicles can be confusing, but thankfully there’s a standard framework to descri...
How Self-Driving Cars Work (Sensors, AI and Beyond)
Self-driving cars – also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs) – seem almost magical, gliding down roads with no human at the wheel. But behind the magic is a sophisticated orchestra of technologies. How...
Autonomous Cars – Benefits and Risks
Autonomous cars promise to revolutionize transportation. Proponents tout benefits like improved safety and convenience, while skeptics warn of risks to jobs and security. As with any disruptive techno...
The Ethics of Driverless Cars (Trolley Problem on Wheels)
As autonomous vehicles become more capable, they force us to confront tough ethical questions . Perhaps the most infamous is the so-called “trolley problem” scenario applied to driverless cars – if an...
Self-Driving Cars and the Impact on Jobs
The rise of self-driving vehicles isn’t just a technological revolution – it’s also an economic one. As autonomous cars, trucks, and buses become reality, a pressing question arises: what happens to a...
EV Beginner’s Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Electric Cars
Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly moving from niche to mainstream. If you’re a newcomer to the world of electric cars, you might have lots of questions. This beginner’s guide will walk you through t...