NPR : Technology

Science Friday director Charles Bergquist stops in at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems for a look at new car technologies. Down the road, cars may be able to drive themselves ... but will they be able to parallel park?

Experts discuss the future of electric cars, and whether bailout money with "green strings" attached might jolt Detroit into focusing on plug-in and hybrid cars. Find out about Tesla's slick plug-in sports car and a hybrid handcrafted for even more savings at the pump.

A rush to build electric cars could also mean a rush to get minerals that are produced in unstable parts of the world. Lithium-ion batteries require large amounts of cobalt, which comes primarily from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Tibet and Siberia. Easing dependence on foreign oil could mean increasing dependence on foreign minerals — from even less reliable trading partners than the Persian Gulf states.

One of the buzzwords at the Los Angeles Auto Show is "electrification." It's a future where cars run solely on battery power. Paul Eisenstein of The Detroit Bureau, an independent auto news service, says that future is still a ways off. He tells Steve Inskeep that for electric cars to succeed, they'll need a battery that lasts for more than 100 miles before a recharge.

Silicon Valley venture capitalists are investing in clean energy, with the electric car their vehicle of choice. While the economic meltdown has crimped immediate sales plans, electric-car manufacturers hope for a thin slice of the $25 billion auto industry bailout being considered by Congress.

Google has updated its search function for Apple's iPhone to now include voice recognition software. This allows for spoken search queries without having to press any buttons. John Markoff, senior technology writer for The New York Times, talks about how to use the new software.

Even as America's troubled auto industry seeks a handout from Congress, a relatively new car manufacturer that's tailored for the 21st century is trying to get traction. Tesla Motors Inc., in Silicon Valley, hopes its $110,000 Roadster will make inroads for a cheaper family sedan.

Silicon Valley was once thought of as recession-proof, but the technology sector is taking hits in the current economic downturn. The Hewlett-Packard's former chief executive officer discusses the state of Yahoo, Google and Silicon Valley.

Want to cut down on your utility bills? You may want to take a second look at your Wii, Play Station and X-Box. A video game console can suck up as much energy as two refrigerators.

President-elect Barack Obama will likely have to give up his well-worn BlackBerry and e-mail account when he takes office in January. For years, Obama has lived with his BlackBerry on his hip, but the Presidential Records Act would make all of his correspondence available for public review.