New Coalition for EV use. 3 recommendations.

Members of the Coalition:

  • automakers
  • electric utilities
  • cities
  • consumer groups
  • unions
  • environmental groups

3 Recommendations:

  • Continue to increase fuel-economy standards;
  • extend and improve the electric-vehicle tax credit;
  • invest more from the federal government in finding and deploying innovative technologies.

NRDC: Commission Unveils Plan to Cut Transportation’s Energy Use

TX Attorney General Opinion Request. Counties and County Truck Weight Enforcement

Requestor: Liberty County Attorney

Questions for the Texas Attorney General to answer: 

  • Can County law enforcement enforce weight restrictions or do they need DPS certification?
  • Can DPS revoke a law enforcement’s authority to enforce weight restrictions that were granted by a county commissioners court?
  • Does a county commissioner court’s grant of authority equal to authority under Texas Transportation Code§ 621.402(e)?

RQ-0251-KP

Lege TREND. 3Legislative and Regulatory Ways to Address Trucker Shortage

Where: Missouri Governor Parson looks to address trucker shortage

Legislative & Regulatory Options for getting more truckers on the roads:

  • No penalties for unpaid child support. Allow licenses to continue when there is unpaid child support. Legislative change.
  • Train Inmates. Inmates should be able to train as truckers while they serve time
  • Utilize state trucks for training. Missouri Department of Transportation trucks could be used in lieu of simulators for training drivers

US News & World Report via AP | Gov. Parson Considers Ways to Address Trucker Shortage

Business TREND. 3 Reasons a rail project opposes another high speed rail project in Texas.

SNCF America says Central Texas Partners high speed rail proposal in Texas will:

  • Japan is not right for Texas. ” Texas Central “project is right for Japanese companies subsidized by Japanese taxpayers and wrong for Texas,””
  • Texans should decide on rail.  Texas should decide whether projects are high speed rail or  fast trains
  • Rail should connect to other projects. The Japanese high speed rail has an interoperability problem in that it cannot connect to other rail.

Dallas Morning News | Rival blasts Texas bullet-train firm’s private funding plan saying it’s ‘just a dream’

Local TREND. Scooter Ordinances and DATA Standards. 3 Key Points.

After ride share regulations, and the data that was shared, acquired or lost, local governments are:

  • Seeing BUSINESS TREND of new software to help cities organize new sorts of transportation data
  • Information cities want to know about scooters:
    • how many scooters and bikes are parked
    • where they?
    • where trips start?
    • where do trips end?
    • How much detail do cities want?  down to the census tract.
    • Who is using scooters and bikes?
    • are they taking cars off the road?

Wired | STILL SMARTING FROM UBER, CITIES WISE UP ABOUT SCOOTER DATA

3 Ways Governments are Promoting EVs.

Looking to China and Norway, leaders in EV sales, shows these governments:

  • Norwegian government began promoting the use of EVs in 1989
    • early incentives
    • early promotion of the incentive programs
    • cut the annual registration tax on EVs
    •  exempted all EVs from road tolls
    • EV owners to bypass the 24% value added tax
  • Chinese government is focusing on promoting EVs through research and investments in EV manufacturing companies
    • China is implementing a program like California’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate
      • targets with EV credits for manufacturers
  • 3 Step Option for other governments:
    •  EV outreach to residents
    • Consumer incentives
    • Incentives for manufacturers

Utility Dive | Want to boost EV sales in the US? Look to China and Norway 

New Study. Ride Share Less Likely to Take Advantage of Passengers.4 Points from the Academics in Boston.

MIT Researchers found that ride share drivers:

  • taxi drivers are more likely than Uber drivers to take advantage of a situation that offers opportunities to earn a higher fare
    • 7.4% deviation on average for airport pickups
  • when a taxi driver switched over to driving Uber, their behavior also changed to match the effect
  • Taxi drivers also tend to speed more than Uber drivers
  • Uber drivers do tend to be susceptible to detouring or driving more slowly to extend a metered airport trip when surge multipliers

 

MIT Sloan School | ARE RIDE-HAILING PLATFORMS KEEPING THEIR DRIVERS HONEST?

+1 Local Gov. Capping Ride Share. What you Need to Know. How. What. Where.

Where:  Miami Beach

What: Miami Beach Commissioners want to cap the number of ride shares, like NYC did

How? By asking state legislators to allow exceptions to statewide ride sahre regulations to allow for a cap or to allow for a cap and a wage requirement. The latter being the NYC approach.

What’s the argument supporting the exceptions? ride share is skirting the rules

“For a certain price, these companies circumvent home rule and buy themselves legislators who create the laws in Tallahassee that make no sense,” Miami Beach Commissioner Rosen Gonzales says. “It has to stop.”  

Miami New Times | Miami Beach Commissioners Want to Cap Uber and Lyft Cars

Local Government TREND. 19 Cities. Electric Fleet Car Promise. Procurement Link.

The cities & local governments include:

  • Los Angeles
  • Phoenix
  • Houston
  • Cleveland
  • Pittsburgh
  • Fayatteville, N.C.
  • Los Angeles County
  • Ohio’s Cuyahoga County

Year 1 electric vehicle purchase requirements: 376 vehicles in their first year

Requirements:

  • local governments must lease or buy electric vehicles
  • provides mechnism for local governments to buy charging equipment
  • will offer assistance from the Electrification Coalition

Policy and Procurement Information

Governing | On Eve of Global Climate Summit, 19 U.S. Cities Launch Electric Car Effort

Utility Dive | Initiative gives cities equal access to competitive EV bids