Popular_Science_Australia_November_2016

Mustangs once shared

parts with burly pickup

trucks. Now, the classic

pony wears ultralight

carbon-fiber wheels.

The 19-inch rims on the

Shelby each weigh some

15 pounds less than

regular aluminum

wheels. Less weight

speeds acceleration,

and greater rigidity

improves handling. Don’t

worry about lightenin’

’em up: They’re insulated

with a ceramic coating

similar to the

space shuttle’s.

Lightest Feet

on a Car

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2016 FORD MUSTANG

SHELBY GT350R

When cars chat with

each other, they won’t

look like Pixar

characters. Vehicle-to-

vehicle ommunication

(V2V) will be standard

within a decade, letting

cars share alerts—some

fool who ran a red light

ahead—over encrypted

radio signals. Mercedes

isn’t waiting. The

E-class sends traffic

updates via 4G to a

cloud server, alerting

E-class drivers headed

in that direction in

seconds. It’s a Benz-only

network—but one that

helps make roads safer.

Car

Talk

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2017 MERCEDES-BENZ

E-CLASS

A fatal crash this

spring cast a shadow

on Autopilot. But when

used properly (see next

page) no system

maneuvers better in

highway traffic. The

hardware is simple: a

camera, bumper-

mounted radar, and 12

front-and-rear ultrasonic

sensors. The genius is

the software: Over-the-

air updates and

input from the fleet

help the system hone

its skills, such as

automatic lane changes.

Your Robot

Driving Buddy

T E S L A

AUTOPILOT

Autonomous cars need

maps for every lane

marker, guard rail, and

speed-limit change

ahead. The dynamically

updating HD Live Map

from HERE—a spinoff of

electronics-giant Nokia—

has already logged 2.9

million km in the US and

Europe. The company’s

fleet of cars maps roads

to an accuracy of 10

centimetres—three to

five times better than

GPS. Next, HERE will

start adding data from

real drivers into the mix.

The Most

Detailed Maps

HERE

HD LIVE MAP

You don’t need an airfield

to open up the McLaren

570S. A 419-kilowatt

engine hits 1000 km/h in

less than three seconds

(and tops out at a useful

on public roads 328

km/h), while its carbon-

fibre cabin keeps the ride

stiff on tight turns.

A Drivable

Supercar

MCLAREN

570S

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PHOTO CREDITS SEE PAGE 87

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D

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