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How It Works: Electric vehicle battery cooling

Electric vehicle batteries generate heat, especially when they're fast-charging, and that heat must be dissipated to keep the batteries in top condition. How's it done? Find out in my "How It Works" story at Driving.ca.

Who will be left behind as automotive technology advances?

The auto industry seems to be moving at breakneck speed toward electric and autonomous cars, but not everyone will be able to come along for the ride. Who's going to be left behind? Read more in my opinion piece at AutoTRADER.ca.

Here's why you're not getting a self-driving car anytime soon

Someone recently told me he plans to buy a completely self-driving car when they're available five years or so from now. Yeah. Why won't that happen? Find out in my opinion piece over at AutoTRADER.ca.

Here's the magic behind some of your vehicle's features

There are a lot of features you take for granted on your car, such as keyless entry, and some mysteries - why do some windows go down automatically but not up, or why am I paying for air at the gas station? Find out in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

Do you know these fun facts about fuel?

Do you know how the gas pump knows to shut off, or why you shouldn't use your cell phone at the pump, or why the price is nine-tenths of a cent? Find out in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Differentials

Differentials allow your vehicle to easily turn a corner; and depending on what you drive, they may also improve handling, or support your all-wheel or four-wheel drive. Find out more in my "How It Works" story at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Electric Vehicle Specifications

So you're reading about an electric car, and it's got a 160-kW motor, a 62-kWh battery, a 6.6-kW charger, and it gets 2.2 Le/100 km. And if none of that makes sense, you're not alone -- these cars come with a learning curve. Find out how to decipher all the specifications in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Electric Vehicle Skateboard Chassis

Electric vehicles offer automakers new ways to put a car together, and one of those is with a skateboard chassis. The driveline components are integrated into it, and the battery becomes part of the floor -- making it easier to assemble and to use in as many vehicles as possible. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

Ten auto innovations that flopped

Automakers are always trying new things, and while many of them turn out to be hits, there are a few that make it to market but then don't make it in the market. How about retractable steering wheels, heartbeat sensors, or in-car record players? Find out more in my story at the National Post (Driving.ca).

First Drive: Audi's Electric Torque Vectoring

Torque vectoring - sending more power to specific wheels to improve handling - isn't new, but it's usually done mechanically. For its upcoming e-tron S, Audi's doing it with electric motors. Find out more in my story over at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Owners' Manuals

The best-selling book in Canada sold more than 1.9 million copies last year, and it's likely nobody who got one ever read it -- because who opens the owner's manual unless it's an emergency? But reading it cover-to-cover can help you understand your vehicle, including the maintenance that'll make it last longer. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Active Noise Control

Do you like a quiet car? Most people do, and automakers work hard to turn down the noise in their vehicles' cabins. One way to do that is to make more noise -- and that's the idea behind Active Noise Control. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Block Heaters

It isn't just electric cars that get plugged in -- in colder climates, many vehicles include block heaters, which help to warm the engine before it's started. Not sure how they work? Find out in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Regenerative Braking

On hybrid vehicles -- and even on some non-hybrids -- energy that would otherwise be wasted when slowing down or braking is captured and converted into electricity to help power the vehicle. Find out how it happens in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Vehicle Fluids

There's a lot of liquid in your vehicle besides just gasoline. Many have scheduled maintenance changes -- brake and transmission, for example -- that will keep your vehicle running longer. And electric cars have an important one, too. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Modular Vehicle Platforms

A "platform" used to mean a frame, but today, it's primarily an engineering tool for building more than one vehicle on the same basic design. Find out how and why in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Variable all-wheel drive

By the sound of it, you'd think all-wheel drive is...well, all wheels driving, but that isn't always the case. Most vehicles use variable AWD, which determines how much power to send to the wheels depending on driving conditions. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: Timing chains and timing belts

Do you know which one your engine has? It matters, because while a chain is pretty much maintenance-free, a timing belt will eventually need to be replaced. Find out why in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

Trailer towing: How truck companies are making it easier

Cars and SUVs have all kinds of active safety features. Trucks do too, and increasingly, automakers are tweaking them so they'll help out when you've got a trailer hooked to the back. Find out what they are and how they help in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca.)

What does "premium recommended" mean?

Most vehicles will have a label saying they require either regular-grade or premium fuel, but you'll occasionally come across one that says "premium recommended." So what grade should you choose? Find out in my story at AutoTRADER.ca.

How It Works: Twin-charging

You've heard of a turbocharger, but have you heard of twin-charging? It's still relatively rare but a few manufacturers use it, including Volvo. Find out how it operates in my "How It Works" column at the National Post (Driving.ca).

How It Works: ABS

When you hit the brakes hard, the last thing you want is for them to lock up so you slide. Anti-lock brakes -- ABS -- help prevent this, but how? Find out in my "How It Works" column in the National Post (Driving.ca).

Why does it take so long for technology to arrive in cars?

Your new phone might have a feature that was just announced a few months ago, but something you heard about a year ago is missing in your new car. Why does it take so long for technology to hit the streets? Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

How do adaptive and automatic headlights work?

Headlights used to be pretty plain things: you turned them on and off, and that was about it. Today they can see around corners or determine just how bright they're supposed to be. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What's that on the side of the highway?

Ever drive along the highway and see what look like sheds with no sides, or spinning cups, or dirt piled against a fence, and wonder what it's all about? Alongside many highways, there are structures for animals, for determining the weather, and for helping to keep you safe. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

Why do wheels come off?

Truck wheel separations make the news, but they can come off cars as well, and be just as dangerous. Find out why it happens, and how to help prevent it, in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What's involved in developing a vehicle?

There are lots of raw materials that go into a vehicle -- steel, rubber, plastic -- but what really costs the cash is what it takes to develop and engineer it in the first place. Find out what's involved in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What's the best way to prevent whiplash?

Adjust your head restraint properly and wear your seatbelt, for starters. That's about all you can do, because there's no federal mandate for whiplash protection, other than a minimum height requirement for the seat. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What starts your engine?

The starter does, but as automakers enhance their vehicles for better fuel efficiency, many of them are starting and stopping the engine numerous times during your drive. Find out more about these systems in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What's ethanol all about?

There's renewable fuel in your gasoline, which can be up to 10 or 15 per cent of it. Depending on where you are, the ethanol in gas can be made with corn or wheat, although it can even be made from paper pulp or sugar cane. What should you know about ethanol? Find out in my How It Works column at the National Post.

How does your car's heater work?

When you turn on the heater, what you're getting in most vehicles is heat left over as the antifreeze works to cool the engine. But how does it get into the cabin, and what happens if you want it warmer or cooler? Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

How your car's mirrors work

Mirrors seem simple enough: glass, reflective, see vehicles around you in them. But they can actually be very complex, especially if they switch from day to night mode -- whether they do it automatically or you flip a switch. Find out what's behind the looking-glass in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

Auto marketing terms: Do you know what they really mean?

Do you know exactly what Subaru's "symmetrical" all-wheel drive actually is? How about winter gas, military-grade aluminum, Trail Rated Jeeps, or even antique and classic cars? Discover what's hype and what's the truth in my feature over at AutoTrader.

How does a manual transmission work?

When you push in the clutch and move the shift lever, what exactly is happening inside your transmission? Find out in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

How It Works: Traffic Calming

Municipalities don't just depend on cops with radar guns to slow vehicles down. There's a whole science of traffic calming, which uses such devices as speed humps, traffic circles, and even the use of "street furniture" to get drivers off the throttle. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

Buying a new car? Here's what you will -- and might not -- get

Some auto items have been around long enough that automakers don't advertise them anymore, which doesn't always help you when you're buying a new vehicle. And while some have become mandatory, others are still optional. Will your car have anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring, or disc brakes? Find out what it will or might have in my story at AutoTrader.

What's inside your automatic transmission?

Automatic-equipped cars are the easiest to drive, but that transmission is incredibly complicated inside. Ever wonder just how it works? Find out in my story over at the National Post.

How far does that electric vehicle go?

The biggest question for anyone looking at an electric car is just how far it'll go after it's plugged in. While much depends on such factors as driving style and ambient temperature, each vehicle has a range under Natural Resources Canada's regulations, and I've collected 'em all. Find out more in my story at AutoTrader.

Vehicle ergonomics: It's about style AND substance

Designing a vehicle's interior isn't just about how it looks; it also has to fit most people, and the controls have to be easy to reach and understand. It's a vital part of engineering a vehicle and far more goes into it than you might think. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

How It Works: Turbocharging

Turbocharging used to be reserved primarily for speedy sports cars, but as fuel efficiency standards tighten, many automakers are using small turbo engines in everyday cars to improve mileage. Find out what turbos are all about in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

Seeing the future at Movin' On

Want to ride on an electric bus or electric boat, see a wind-powered car, or a tire that can be 3D printed? It's all part of Michelin Movin' On, a three-day summit on mobility that presents all kinds of concepts for getting around -- some of them way out there, and some of them ready to go. It always moved around between global cities, but now it seems to have found its home in Montreal. Find out more in my story at the National Post.

Auto recycling: Far more than just scrap

We usually say a car goes to the "scrapyard," but it's always been a valuable resource for recycling, and even more now as recyclers find new ways to separate the pricey bits and companies figure out how to use them again. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

GM's new truck engines can take it down to just one cylinder

The upcoming 2019 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra have a trick up their sleeves: Dynamic Fuel Management, which can deactivate various cylinders when full power isn't needed, right down to running on just one out of eight. There's a new four-cylinder turbo engine, too. Find out more at my "first look" story in the National Post.

Is your recycling going back into your car?

Recycling is a big business in the auto industry, and automakers are always looking at ways to turn waste materials into new ones. Plastic bottles turn into seat fabric, old tires become gaskets, and olive pits ... well, find out what they're turned into at my story over at AutoTRADER.ca.

Everything old is new again

Hybrid vehicles, fuel-cell hydrogen cars, fuel injection: all fairly new, right? Not so fast! It might have taken a while for them to catch on, but there are a few "modern" technologies that are far older than you think. See what they are in my story at AutoTRADER.ca.

Why do the cops close the road for hours after a crash?

They seldom do, although it may seem that way if you're inconvenienced by a road closure. But there's a good reason for it. They're likely investigating a fatal or near-fatal collision, and they've got one chance to do it right.

They're not just looking for who's at fault -- although that's part of it -- but at factors like the road and conditions, to see if similar crashes can be prevented in future. Find out more in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

What does it take to fix a car that's been hit?

A lot more than in the old days, before cars had all sorts of lightweight materials and high-tech sensors and cameras. Find out more in my "How It Works" column in the National Post.

What's in an electric vehicle battery?

Chemicals, minerals, and lots of other stuff that, depending on your viewpoint, might either solve many of our environmental issues, or hand us some new ones. Find out the differences between lead acid, NiMH, lithium-ion and other electric vehicle batteries in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.

Porsche is going all-electric

Will premium sports car buyers sidle up to a model that needs to be plugged in? Porsche thinks so, and next year will begin production on a sports sedan that's currently code-named the Mission E. It'll be followed by a sport-ute version, and from there, the sky might be the limit. Find out more in my story at the National Post.

And to make everything more complicated, it's being built in a factory that's being built in a factory. The new facility is an addition to the 911/Boxster/Cayman facility in Zuffenhausen, which is wedged between the town and the railway, and comes complete with a height limit and traffic issues. Find out how it's being done in my sidebar at the National Post.

Carbon fibre: How it's made...and why

It's strong, it's lightweight, and it's pricey, but it's starting to show up in more mainstream vehicles as automakers try to lose weight in the name of fuel efficiency. Why's it so expensive? Find out in my "How It Works" column at the National Post.