A researcher at Simon Fraser University, USA, thinks cars can be more environmentally friendly without costing the auto industry an arm and a leg. The engineering scientist, M Saif, is working on an onboard diagnositic system designed to turn on a warning light when car emissions become too high, due to instruments failures, ageing and other factors. Saif is wrapping up a three-year study for General Motors, satisfied he has "promising results" that would mean upgrading existing software in new cars, rather than producing new hardware at additional cost, as companies try to become fully compliant with new environmental regulations set to take effect in the US and Canada next year.