Cars | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/cars/RSS feed for CarsenFri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000Why Does Rain Eat Through Protective Coatings on Metal Structures? Researchers Propose a New Idea: Electrically Charged Dropletshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-rain-eat-through-protective-coatings-on-metal-structures-researchers-propose-a-new-idea-electrically-charged-droplets-180989434/Scientists long attributed rain damage to physical abrasion and chemical degradation from acidic substances. A new study offers a third idea, which could help researchers develop longer-lasting coatings and preserve important objectsFri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-rain-eat-through-protective-coatings-on-metal-structures-researchers-propose-a-new-idea-electrically-charged-droplets-180989434/Some of the Earliest Automobile Enthusiasts Signed Up to Help the Allies in WWI. They Also Ushered in the Mechanization of Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/When the gentlemen drivers of Britain’s Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force shipped their roadsters and racers to face the Germans, they became chauffeurs, couriers and inadvertent combatantsTue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/Pumas Might Be Making Your Drive Home Safer. When the Predators Are Around, Deer Tend to Avoid Roads, Preventing Some Collisionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pumas-might-be-making-your-drive-home-safer-when-the-predators-are-around-deer-tend-to-avoid-roads-preventing-some-collisions-180989314/In Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the wild cats’ presence corresponded with a 67 percent drop in the likelihood of a deer-vehicle crash and a 76 percent overall decline in the number of wrecks during a five-year period, according to a new studyWed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pumas-might-be-making-your-drive-home-safer-when-the-predators-are-around-deer-tend-to-avoid-roads-preventing-some-collisions-180989314/