Skip to main content

Under the gun to go digital, Honda lights up campaign to save drive-in theaters

When your grandparents (and great grandparents) were teens and wanted to get in a little private time, they paid 50 cents to go see a couple of forgettable movies at a drive-in theater. Groping and lip-locking complete, your fore-bearers would then try to get home by curfew. What was the movie about? Who the heck knows

But as multiplexes and home theater systems proliferated, drive-in theaters steadily disappeared. Where there used to be thousands in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s, there are now only about 350 remaining and most are labors of love for their owners rather than cash cows.

Recommended Videos

Now, drive-in owners are facing an end-of-year do-or-die technology deadline imposed by Hollywood as the studios leave physical film behind and fully convert to the digital distribution of movies. A digital projector with the power a drive-in needs can run from $55,000 for a used machine to over $85,000 for a more powerful model. If a drive-in has multiple screens, they will need multiple projectors. You can’t just use off-the shelf home or business projectors from Amazon.com.

Honda is stepping up to help with their “Project Drive-In” campaign that combines crowd-funding of new projectors, publicity for drive-in theaters and a public vote in which five drive-ins will be given new projectors on Honda’s tab. With most drive-in’s counting profits (if any) in the hundreds of dollars per week, many can’t afford the spendy projectors and will be forced to either close down or show old-school science films to the one carload of retro geeks who will show up. In other words, many will end up going under.

Crowd-sourcing has been a success for many projects and we think saving your local drive-in is a worthy one. If you’ve never been to a drive-in, you should give it a go. Bring some lawn chairs. Most show first or second-run movies and compared to going to the mutliplex, it’s usually pretty cheap as well (depending on how far you have to drive). It’s a great meld of American car culture, cinema and neighborliness. Just try to get home by curfew.

The 99W drive-in outside Portland, Oregon has been a family business for three generations.
The 99W Drive-In outside Portland, Oregon has been a family business for three generations. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Photo credits: Top: O. Winston Link museum collection   Bottom: 99W Drive-In website

Bill Roberson
Former Video Producer / Photographer
I focus on producing Digital Trends' 'DT Daily' video news program along with photographing items we get in for review. I…
This week in EV tech: Audi exemplifies auto industry’s EV holding pattern
Close-up of 2025 Audi SQ5 grille, headlight, and badge.

The road to the future runs through the present, and it’s not a straight line. This week, we’re focusing on how Audi is negotiating the twists and turns on the way to an electrified future. EVs are here to stay at Audi, but a gasoline crossover SUV is still the automaker’s bestselling model, and it’s not ready to risk those sales just yet. That’s why the 2025 Audi Q5 received a top-to-bottom overhaul for this model year, bringing its tech features and styling up to date without altering the what has proven to be a very popular package. By maintaining parallel lineups of electric and internal-combustion cars, Audi hopes to give customers more choices. But that doesn’t completely level the playing field. The new Q5 may have yesterday’s powertrain, but Audi isn’t holding back on tech. It features the same electrical architecture, operating system, and three-screen dashboard display as the latest Audi EVs, like the Q6 e-tron. So aside from a little engine noise, there’s little difference in what you can see and interact with from the driver’s seat. It’s not just the infotainment systems. The Q5 and Q6 e-tron are close in size, with similar space for passengers across their two rows of seats. The Q6 e-tron has a bit more cargo space, but not as much as you’d think given the lack of a bulky engine, transmission, and driveshafts. The two SUVs also have similar styling but, having now driven both, we can say that the Q5 is the more pleasant of the two.

More than a difference of powertrain tech

Read more
Take a peek inside the factory making tomorrow’s ride
A Zoox robotaxi.

Amazon-owned Zoox has opened its first facility producing fully autonomous robotaxis. 

A video (above) released by the California-based company offers a peek inside the factory, which, when it reaches full capacity, could roll out as many as 10,000 autonomous vehicles per year.

Read more
The week in EV tech: 900 miles, 12 minutes—EV charging just hit warp speed
byd 900 miles 12 minutes seal

Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the revolutionary technology powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electric vehicles. 
If you’re hesitant about electric vehicles (EV), it’s likely that your top concerns include how far you can drive in a single charge, how long it takes to charge the battery, and how much this advanced tech will cost you. And you're not alone.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, nearly half of U.S. consumers (49%) still say that available battery driving range is their biggest worry about EVs. That’s followed closely by the time required to charge (46%) and the lingering cost premium (44%) associated with battery electric vehicles.
But that narrative may finally be flipping. Just this past week, two developments showcase how much EV technology has evolved over the past decade: China’s BYD is breaking new grounds on just how far you can drive an EV on a single 12-minute charge. Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf, seen as the first mass-market EV in 2010, is getting an impressive upgrade even as it remains one of the most affordable options on the market.

BYD’s bold battery bet
Chinese auto giant BYD, already the world’s top-selling EV manufacturer, may have just redrawn the limits of battery performance. According to Chinese media, and other reports, the company is testing a new solid-state battery that can add 900 miles of range in just 12 minutes of charging.
Let that sink in. That’s nearly four times the range of many current EVs—enough to drive from New York to Chicago —and charging that’s as fast as a coffee stop.

Read more