InfoHive – Transportation

Meet Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment®  in Austin TX

What does Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment offer?

• Large screen inventory & the associated technology to handle the influx of customers
• Acquiring the 1st double-sided 52′ x 26′ screen in the U.S
• Single largest inventory of 40′ x 22′ drive-in rental screens to help meet the growing demand for pop-up drive-in movie events 

El Paso Inc. What’s Up | The Largest Drive-In Screens Available Anywhere Nationwide

Who: Rivian

What does Rivian build? EV Trucks

Where is Rivian facing a regulatory and legislative battle? Michigan

What does the Michigan bill prevent? Direct sales for EV manufacturers that are NOT Tesla.

There is a Tesla carve out? yes HB 6233 (2020 | MI)

Bloomberg | Rivian Faces Ban From Michigan Car Dealers in Direct-Sales Fight

Who is working on electric shuttles? Glydways

What’s the end goal with the electric shuttles?

To build an autonomous system of small electric cars that can be hailed on-demand like an Uber or Lyft

What transportation problems do they hope to solve for cities?  

• localized transportation problems that connect riders to other public transit
• to remove people from roadways as the shuttles would not use lanes reserved for cars as they will run on tracks that can be elevated

Daily Journal | South San Francisco transportation company dreaming of electric shuttles

A new survey by PlugShare Research reveals these EV charging changes because of COVID:

• 53% say that they’re charging less now
•  67% decline in public charging 
• 84% do most charging at home, pre-pandemic was 75%
• DC fast charging locations were only down 3% versus last year
• public Level 2 chargers are down 11% year over year
•  plug-in vehicle sales are down roughly 18%

Green Car Reports: EV Drivers Sticking to Home Charging

How far along is this high speed rail project?

• It received Federal Railroad Administration this week
• Next stop Surface Transportation board approval.
• “will proceed to construction as soon as possible “
• Initial cost estimates of $10 billion have doubled to $20 billion

What are opponents saying?

• Congressman Kevin Brady “They are still saying they will break ground this year. No they will not.”
• Re-route the Route: will forever will alter the landscape with electrical lines and berms to elevate the track
• State Representative Leman: “Since their conception, Texas Central has lied to its investors and Texans about this project,”

How does COVID factor in?

• Texas Central Rail says the project will be economically beneficial and will help with COVID economic recovery
• COVID brings funding challenges for governments, and Texas Central Rail is ” insolvent and fatally flawed project” and will cost taxpayer revenue

Houston Chronicle via Governing | Houston-Dallas’ High-Speed Rail Line: Full Steam Ahead

Who: Incora, an aviation/aerospace supply chain company

Where did it relocate to/from? From southern California to Fort Worth

Dallas Morning News | Aerospace supply company relocating its HQ from southern California to North Texas

Who is saying that it takes 6 years for an EV incentive to have an impact? A survey by Savanta ComRes of UK motorists

What did the survey say?

• 44% don’t think they’ll be ready to buy a full EV by 2035
• 24% saying that they can’t ever see themselves owning an EV

Whats holding back potential EV buyers?

• 52% say higher purchase prices
• 44 % say lack of local charging points
• 38% say fear of being caught short on longer journeys

The proposed solutions to increase EV purchasing:

• Long-term commitment to incentives
• Continuation of the Plug-in Grant and adding back in plug-in hybrids 
• 1.7 million public charge points by the end of the decade and 2.8 million by 2035

Fleet World | EV incentives must be in place for at least six years to drive take-up

The Texas Attorney General tells us in opinion, KP- 0331, that three-wheeled, electric, low-speed vehicles is not a question to be resolved in an opinion.

What?! Digging in we see that the Attorney General opinion says maybe these vehicles already fit the definition of motorcycle, maybe not, it depends.

The solutions: legislation to add these vehicles to registration and title statutes.

Where: California

How will the $39.1 million be spent for hydrogen cell stations?

• California Energy Commission approval to construct 36 new hydrogen fueling stations
• Bring the statewide total to 100 hydrogen cell stations

Who is operating hydrogen cell stations? True Zero & Shell

How do Hydrogen Cell Stations work?

• Takes 2-5 minutes to refuel
• Vehicles estimate 250 miles per tank
• Hydrogen Cell vehicles mix hydrogen & water to create electricity for the vehicle

San Diego Union Tribune via Governing | California Approves $39.1 Million for Hydrogen Cell Stations

Who studied an all electric public transportation system in Houston, TX? American Lung Association

What did the American Lung Association say about an all electric public transportation system in Houston by 2050?

• save 148 lives
• avoid 3,333 asthma attacks
• reduce health costs by $1.7 billion per year
• Houston ranks 8th among metro areas that could benefit from electric vehicles
• Dallas ranks 5th
• eliminate up to 5,500 missed school days for children with asthma (2019 University of Houston report)

Houston Chronicle via Governing | An All-Electric Houston Would Save Lives and Money: Report