Technology

Who is the Tesla owner?

Toyota has joined the space race, announcing plans to possibly build a self-driving lunar rover so advanced its passengers won't need to wear spacesuits when driving on the Moon.

Uber's robo-taxi vision has so far failed to materialise, but recently unsealed court documents reveal the company has been spending almost $30m a month since 2016 trying to make it a reality.

At its most basic level, AWD is intended to maximise grip by transferring torque from a spinning tyre to the tyre with grip.Depending on the car, the system can be permanently on or it kicks-in "on demand" as the sensors detect wheelspin. The on-demand systems use less fuel because they are usually only driving one axle, but generally aren't as effective as permanent AWD systems.Neither system can or was designed to match conventional four-wheel drive systems off-road. 4WDs usually have a high and low range transfer case and the differentials can be manually locked for extreme off-roading. AWD was intended to optimise traction in regular low-grip driving situations such as snowy or icy roads.AWD systems use a centre differential to divide torque between the front and rear drive shafts. Common types of centre diffs include multi-plate hydraulic clutch, viscous coupling and Torsen units.The viscous coupling operates using a fluid housed inside a series of clutch plates that are attached to alternate drive shafts. The liquid (usually silicone-based) changes properties into a near-solid when subjected to shear stress that occurs when the rotational speed of the two shafts changes, effectively locking the diff.A multi-plate clutch is computer controlled and locks when sensors detect slippage between the drive shafts. The Haldex unit is a version of this and uses a hydraulic pump to depress a piston and lock the clutch when it detects slippage. Units such as the Torsen diff achieve the same effect using mechanical gearing.

New car-charging "smart" street lights have been launched in Sydney, meaning EV owners can now recharge their vehicles on the fly. And in happy news for electric vehicle owners, the charging points are free to use - for now, at least.

Nissan is set to deploy NASA-developed technology that uses humans to help navigate its autonomous cars remotely, conceding that true Level Five autonomous vehicles are likely impossible.

Nissan owners' wait for true smartphone mirroring is almost over, with the Japanese brand to begin rolling out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its Australian vehicles from June this year.

The Tesla Supercharger network is about to get turbocharged, with the electric car company claiming its fast-recharge network will soon offer the capability of adding 1000 miles, or 1600 kilometres, per hour of recharging.

Your new Mazda wants to watch you sleeping...

The days of having a car key bulging in your pocket or getting lost at the bottom of your handbag could soon be over.