You’ve probably heard your parents (and everybody else) complain about insurance. And that’s fair, it’s expensive! Especially when it comes to electric cars, whose owners often pay higher more for insurance than drivers of more conventional cars. But why is that? Why are people being punished for trying to use less gas? Why does the cruel world continue to forsake us?!
Well, researchers investigated exactly that… the insurance thing, not the greater, overarching “cruel world” question. The team at a testing lab staged a crash at just 10 kilometers (or about 5 miles) per hour. Not exactly the crash that’d have you gripping your seat in a nail-biter of an action movie, but important for research. From the outside, the damage looked minor, but underneath, the high-voltage charging port had moved and some of its components had broken.
The problem was that the damaged charging components formed part of a much larger unit. So, instead of replacing one small broken piece, technicians would need to replace the charger and some of its cabling. One component alone was priced in the thousands, and leaving it out would render the car pretty useless.
It’s great that modern electric vehicles already have to meet high safety standards, but the concern is how expensive and difficult they can be to repair after relatively minor accidents. Experts say manufacturers need to design future EVs with repair in mind, protecting expensive components and making individual parts easier to replace. Seems easy enough… right?
It’s officially the “Beijing International Automotive Exhibition,” but its friends call it “Auto China,” and it’s now the largest car show in the world. Nearly 1000 companies flock to the exhibits taking up more than 380,000 square meters, or over 50 football fields! Or 1,246,719 feet and 50 soccer fields, if you’re from America! Or 9,329,989 beep-boop-zoinks and 50 astro-space-ball fields if you’re a Martian from outer space! Any way you spin it, this car show is a big deal, and there were two standout trends.
The first was electric vehicles. There’s always been an issue with charging, as makers have tried to maximize how far cars can travel on single charge while minimizing how long that charge takes. Now, a company called BYD claims to have an ultra-fast charging system that can provide 400 km of range with only 5 minutes of charging. What’s more, it’s designed to operate under extreme weather conditions. Since batteries are usually sensitive to high or low temperatures, addressing this is a major step in making electric vehicles as reliable as gas cars.
The other big topic was also fully autonomous, or self-driving cars. The company Geely developed a self-driving car built specifically for ride-hailing, so there’s no steering wheel or driver’s seat. That means you can pick your nose without fear of the driver judging you! Xpeng’s driverless car uses a combination of lasers, radar, and cameras to build a real time picture of the road, but we hope it works just as well in the clouds, because they may be extending this technology into flying cars as early as next year. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s just my Uber! That’s one way to beat traffic.
Get ready for a speedy adventure! This BBC Learning Hub playlist, packed with clips from Grace’s Amazing Machines, takes students on a high-octane journey through land, sea, and sky. From gyrocopters and tugboats to superbikes and supercars, each video introduces a powerful machine — and the science that makes it move.
Perfect for teaching concepts like forces and motion, energy, friction, and transportation technology, these clips are a fun, fast-paced way to explore how things go, glide, float, and fly. Each video comes with discussion questions, hands-on activities, and more to help kids think, tinker, and learn like real engineers. Buckle up — it’s going to be a wild ride!
Cheese and jam! Design a brand-new thing for the family to zip around in. Here's how to play: Grab a die and start at the "vehicle type" section. Check the list to see what to draw for the number you roll. Keep rolling and doodling until your new vehicle is finished!
Top Tip: Play this again and again and again on a new sheet of paper!
The article "Future Cars: Designs That Could Revolutionize the Vehicle Industry" from BBC's Science Focus explores the latest advancements and concepts in car technology. From Tesla's resilient Cybertruck to BMW's color-changing iX Flow, these innovative designs promise to transform the future of transportation. The article highlights the potential of these futuristic vehicles to enhance functionality, safety, and environmental sustainability.
In Mucking Through With an Eight-Wheeled All-Terrain Vehicle, presenter and motorbike racer Grace Webb explains the features of the eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The design helps her drive over rocky terrain and even through mud puddles. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show that introduces kids to some of the biggest, fastest, and most amazing machines in the world.
In Off-Roading on the E-Spider, presenter and motorbike racer Grace Webb explains the unique features of this electric vehicle. With its unique design, the E-Spider can cover all sorts of terrain without flipping over. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show that introduces kids to some of the biggest, fastest, and most amazing machines in the world.
In Riding the Waves on an Amphibious Quad Bike, presenter and motorbike racer Grace explores the features of an amazing machine — part quad bike, part jet ski. This vehicle is designed to drive over land and water. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show introducing kids to some of the world’s biggest, fastest, and most fascinating machines.
You’ve probably heard your parents (and everybody else) complain about insurance. And that’s fair, it’s expensive! Especially when it comes to electric cars, whose owners often pay higher more for insurance than drivers of more conventional cars. But why is that? Why are people being punished for trying to use less gas? Why does the cruel world continue to forsake us?!
Well, researchers investigated exactly that… the insurance thing, not the greater, overarching “cruel world” question. The team at a testing lab staged a crash at just 10 kilometers (or about 5 miles) per hour. Not exactly the crash that’d have you gripping your seat in a nail-biter of an action movie, but important for research. From the outside, the damage looked minor, but underneath, the high-voltage charging port had moved and some of its components had broken.
The problem was that the damaged charging components formed part of a much larger unit. So, instead of replacing one small broken piece, technicians would need to replace the charger and some of its cabling. One component alone was priced in the thousands, and leaving it out would render the car pretty useless.
It’s great that modern electric vehicles already have to meet high safety standards, but the concern is how expensive and difficult they can be to repair after relatively minor accidents. Experts say manufacturers need to design future EVs with repair in mind, protecting expensive components and making individual parts easier to replace. Seems easy enough… right?
It’s officially the “Beijing International Automotive Exhibition,” but its friends call it “Auto China,” and it’s now the largest car show in the world. Nearly 1000 companies flock to the exhibits taking up more than 380,000 square meters, or over 50 football fields! Or 1,246,719 feet and 50 soccer fields, if you’re from America! Or 9,329,989 beep-boop-zoinks and 50 astro-space-ball fields if you’re a Martian from outer space! Any way you spin it, this car show is a big deal, and there were two standout trends.
The first was electric vehicles. There’s always been an issue with charging, as makers have tried to maximize how far cars can travel on single charge while minimizing how long that charge takes. Now, a company called BYD claims to have an ultra-fast charging system that can provide 400 km of range with only 5 minutes of charging. What’s more, it’s designed to operate under extreme weather conditions. Since batteries are usually sensitive to high or low temperatures, addressing this is a major step in making electric vehicles as reliable as gas cars.
The other big topic was also fully autonomous, or self-driving cars. The company Geely developed a self-driving car built specifically for ride-hailing, so there’s no steering wheel or driver’s seat. That means you can pick your nose without fear of the driver judging you! Xpeng’s driverless car uses a combination of lasers, radar, and cameras to build a real time picture of the road, but we hope it works just as well in the clouds, because they may be extending this technology into flying cars as early as next year. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s just my Uber! That’s one way to beat traffic.
Get ready for a speedy adventure! This BBC Learning Hub playlist, packed with clips from Grace’s Amazing Machines, takes students on a high-octane journey through land, sea, and sky. From gyrocopters and tugboats to superbikes and supercars, each video introduces a powerful machine — and the science that makes it move.
Perfect for teaching concepts like forces and motion, energy, friction, and transportation technology, these clips are a fun, fast-paced way to explore how things go, glide, float, and fly. Each video comes with discussion questions, hands-on activities, and more to help kids think, tinker, and learn like real engineers. Buckle up — it’s going to be a wild ride!
Cheese and jam! Design a brand-new thing for the family to zip around in. Here's how to play: Grab a die and start at the "vehicle type" section. Check the list to see what to draw for the number you roll. Keep rolling and doodling until your new vehicle is finished!
Top Tip: Play this again and again and again on a new sheet of paper!
The article "Future Cars: Designs That Could Revolutionize the Vehicle Industry" from BBC's Science Focus explores the latest advancements and concepts in car technology. From Tesla's resilient Cybertruck to BMW's color-changing iX Flow, these innovative designs promise to transform the future of transportation. The article highlights the potential of these futuristic vehicles to enhance functionality, safety, and environmental sustainability.
In Mucking Through With an Eight-Wheeled All-Terrain Vehicle, presenter and motorbike racer Grace Webb explains the features of the eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The design helps her drive over rocky terrain and even through mud puddles. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show that introduces kids to some of the biggest, fastest, and most amazing machines in the world.
In Off-Roading on the E-Spider, presenter and motorbike racer Grace Webb explains the unique features of this electric vehicle. With its unique design, the E-Spider can cover all sorts of terrain without flipping over. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show that introduces kids to some of the biggest, fastest, and most amazing machines in the world.
In Riding the Waves on an Amphibious Quad Bike, presenter and motorbike racer Grace explores the features of an amazing machine — part quad bike, part jet ski. This vehicle is designed to drive over land and water. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Grace’s Amazing Machines, a children’s show introducing kids to some of the world’s biggest, fastest, and most fascinating machines.