HF 413 (2023 | MN) would allow a single electric company to own chargers in Minnesota. Similar bills supporting the same company are under consideration in CO and NM. The opposition is organized b y Charge Ahead partnership representing retailers, grocers, energy marketers, truck stops and convenience stores. They say “allowing ratepayer-supported utilities such as […]
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Changes to Move Over, Slow Down
South Carolina is considering amending its move over, slow down law. Most states have a law that requires drivers to slow down and/move over lane for first responders. South Carolina wants to extend this to any vehicle on the side of the road with its flashers on. WYFF4 | SC legislature proposing changes to ‘Move […]
Local Gov. Adopts Speed Control Technology for its Fleet
NYC piloted a technology that will automatically reduce the speed of its fleet if a vehicle exceeds a certain speed. During the pilot vehicles drove legal limits 99% of the time and reduced rapid hard breaking by 36%. Pilot testing will continue through 2024 before full fleet rollout will be recommended. Route Fifty | How […]
State DOT Pivots to Build Affordable Housing Too
What is happening? Colorado’s Department of Transportation has a new task- to build affordable housing. The DOT hopes to attract and retain more workers by building places for workers to live in the mountains. How do you keep snow plow drivers? You build affordable housing for them. Why is this important? We’ll remember a similar […]
Automakers v. MA Right to Repair Law
What is happening? Automakers are suing over Massachusetts Right to Repair law the outcome of which will impact independent auto repair shops. If the right to repair law is overturned independent auto repair shops say they’d be forced out of business. Route Fifty | A Massachusetts Law Protects the Right to Repair Your Own Car. […]
WY Wants to Ban EVs
What is happening? Meet Wyoming’s SJR004 (2023 | WY) that would ban the sale of EVs in Wyoming. Supporters say they support the fossil fuel industry, that wide spread use of electric vehicles are impractical in Wyoming, and environmental concerns over disposing of EV batteries. Autoweek | Wyoming Legislators Want to Ban EVs by 2035 […]
New Ride Share Regulations
What is happening? Chicago, NY, NJ and Washington State all have adopted regulations to provide protections from being blocked by a ride share company. Humm, does this sound a lot like the social media is censoring us issue? The regulations establish standards before a driver can be deactivated based on customer complaints. Market Watch | […]
COVID Effect. Cost of Traffic Congestion.
What is happening? traffic congestion has returned, not to pre-COVID levels, but it has returned. The average person spends 51 hours per year in traffic congestion. That’s up by 15+ hours from 2021. Traffic congestions costs $869 in lost time. Chicago drivers lost 155 hours; Houston 74, Austin 53 and Dallas 56; and Los Angeles […]
Extreme Heat Action Plan Targets Vehicle Heat
What is happening? Miami is the 1st city in the U.S. to adopt a Extreme Heat Action Plan. This will include reducing waste heat from vehicles & utilizing concrete that offers cooling through permeability or reflectivity. Miami defines extreme heat as 2+ days over 90 degrees. Why is this important? It’s past time to try new […]
Bus Reliability + Autonomous Vehicles. A symbiotic relationship.
What is happening? To improve bus reliability, local governments are relying on data from autonomous vehicles. This seems oddly disparate, right? Not so…Computer aided bus dispatch coupled with data from autonomous vehicles has been shown improve bus reliability. Why is this important? “North Carolina’s Concord Kannapolis Area Transit (Rider), such technology has decreased call volumes […]