(Source: via Betacity)
According to this infographic from Denver bikes, four of five dollars you spend on your car leave your local economy. To keep 130k transportation dollars in your local economy your city would need to reduce car ownership by 15k cars. Which could mean 15k more bike owners, and bike money stays 100 percent local which makes good business sense.
Update Courtesy: ITS America
As the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee continues to work on finalizing its six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill in anticipation of an early July introduction, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has announced plans to introduce the Senate version of the bill during the week of July 11, hold hearings the week of July 18, and is expected to proceed with a Committee mark-up on July 27. The Senate bill, which is rumored to be a two-year bill instead of six, is expected to face a $12 billion funding shortfall which would require the Senate Finance Committee to come up with additional revenues before the legislation could be passed. Committee staff continues to craft the bill in a bipartisan fashion with their most recent work focusing on a freight section. ITS America is working closely with Senate staff to include provisions that would promote greater deployment of ITS.
On the House side, T&I Committee majority staff continues to work on their bill but have provided limited details as to what specific policies and programs will be included. Speculation continues about the time frame for moving a surface transportation bill through the House, with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA/7) taking heat for not including the reauthorization bill in a June 10 memo to House Republicans outlining key pieces of legislation that will be debated on the House floor this summer. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association obtained the memo and has posted the document on its website here.
Meanwhile Congressman Richard Hanna (R-NY/24), Vice-Chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, joined ITS America’s Congressional Roundtable members for breakfast to discuss ITS and the transportation reauthorization bill. As a businessman who spent nearly three decades in the construction industry before being elected to Congress, Rep. Hanna stressed the need for technology solutions that can help public agencies do ‘more with less’. The Congressman made note of Portland, Oregon as an example of a city that is investing in ITS to help create a more efficient, user-friendly transportation network, while acknowledging the pressure many agencies face to roll out more visible ‘bricks and mortar’ projects. He also said the “argument is building daily” for investing in transportation as a means to create jobs and bring down the nation’s high unemployment rate. Read more about the Congressional Roundtable in the AASHTO Journal.
(Source: via Real Talkies)
Just noticed this post on my favorite documentary blog – Real Talkies and couldn’t help but share. Oh, I’m planning to see it on June 25th when it gets screened at the AFI Silver Docs Documentary Festival.
Here is a snippet of what Real Talkies wrote: In “Who killed the electric Car?” they followed a group of activists. “REvenge of the Electric Car” sets out to follow Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, GM’s vice chair – Bob Lutz, Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn and DIY expert Greg “Gadget” Abbott . Each one allowed access to their journey over three years on condition that the film will not be released until 2011.
This is one rare occasion when we want all of them to win, their cumulative success is success for the earth, for us and for a life without dependence on fossil fuel. This remarkable film is on its festival circuit. DC folks can see it at SilverDocs on June 25th. For future screenings visit their website.
(Source: U.S. Energy Administration Information)
Shown below is a copy of the recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2011. The projections in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (AEO2011) focus on the factors that shape the U.S. energy system over the long term. Under the assumption that current laws and regulations remain unchanged throughout the projections, theAEO2011 Reference case provides the basis for examination and discussion of energy production, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future. It also serves as a starting point for analysis of potential changes in energy policies. But AEO2011 is not limited to the Reference case. It also includes 57 sensitivity cases which explore important areas of uncertainty for markets, technologies, and policies in the U.S. energy economy.
The report’s section on Transportation offers quite a bit of information and I felt the readers would benefit quite a bit.. Take a look.
Growth in transportation energy use slower than historical trend
From 2009 to 2035, transportation sector energy consumption grows at an average annual rate of 0.6 percent (from 27.2 quadrillion Btu to 31.8 quadrillion Btu), slower than the 1.2 percent average rate from 1975 to 2009. The slower growth is a result of changing demographics, increased LDV fuel economy, and saturation of personal travel demand.
figure dataEnergy demand for LDVs increases by 10 percent, or 1.7 quadrillion Btu (1.3 million barrels per day), from 2009 to 2035 (Figure 71). Moderate growth in fuel prices compared with recent history and rising real disposable income combine to increase annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), although personal travel demand increases at a slower rate than historically. Growth in delivered energy consumption by LDVs is tempered by more stringent standards for vehicle GHG emissions through model year (MY) 2016 and fuel economy through MY 2020. Energy demand for heavy-duty vehicles (including primarily freight trucks but also buses) increases by 48 percent, or 2.2 quadrillion Btu (1.0 million barrels per day), as a result of increased freight travel demand as industrial output grows and the fuel economy of heavy-duty vehicles shows only marginal improvement.
Energy demand for air travel increases by 16 percent, or 0.4 quadrillion Btu (0.2 million barrels per day). Growth in air travel is driven by increases in income and moderate growth in fuel costs, tempered by gains in aircraft fuel efficiency, while growth in air freight movement (caused by export growth) also increases fuel use by aircraft. Energy consumption for marine and rail travel increases as industrial output rises and demand for coal transport grows. Energy use for pipelines stays flat as increasing volumes of natural gas are produced closer to end-use markets.
After the introduction of corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards in 1978, the fuel economy for all LDVs increased from 19.9 miles per gallon (mpg) in 1978 to 26.2 in 1987. Despite continued technological improvement, fuel economy fell to between 24 and 26 mpg over the next two decades, with sales of light trucks increasing from about 20 percent of new LDV sales in 1980 to 55 percent in 2004 [88]. From 2004 to 2008, fuel prices increased, sales of light trucks slowed, and tighter fuel economy standards for light-duty trucks were introduced. As a result, average fuel economy for LDVs rose to 28.0 mpg in 2008.
figure dataThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced new attribute-based CAFE standards for MY 2011 LDVs in 2009, and in 2010 NHTSA and The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly announced CAFE and GHG emissions standards for MY 2012 to MY 2016. EISA2007 also requires that LDVs reach an average fuel economy of 35 mpg by MY 2020 [89]. In the Reference case, the average fuel economy of new LDVs (including credits for alternative fueled vehicles and banked credits) rises to 29.8 mpg in 2011, 33.3 mpg in 2016, and 35.8 mpg in 2020 (Figure 72). After 2020, CAFE standards for LDVs remain constant in the Reference case, and LDV fuel economy increases only moderately, to 37.8 mpg in 2035.
In the Reference case, cars represent 65 percent of LDV sales in 2035, compared with 69 percent in the High Oil Price case and 55 percent in the Low Oil Price case. The economics of fuel-saving technologies improve in the High Technology and High Oil Price cases, but the effects on average fuel economy relative to the Reference case are tempered by the fact that CAFE standards already require significant improvement in fuel economy performance and the penetration of advanced technologies.
Personal vehicle travel demand, measured as VMT per licensed driver, grew at an average annual rate of 1.1 percent between 1970 to 2007, driven by rising income, a decline in the cost of driving per mile (determined by both fuel economy and fuel price), and demographic changes (such as women fully entering the workforce). Since 2007, VMT per licensed driver has declined slightly because of the sudden spike in the cost of driving per mile followed by the economic downturn. However, VMT per licensed driver begins to grow again in the Reference case, but at a more moderate average annual rate of 0.6 percent, reaching over 15,280 miles in 2035 (Figure 73).
figure dataThe projected growth in VMT per licensed driver results from a return to rising real disposable personal income, which increases by 90 percent between 2009 and 2035. While motor gasoline prices rise by 60 percent over the period, faster income growth ensures that the impact on travel demand is blunted by a reduction in the percentage of income spent on fuel. In addition, the effect of rising fuel costs is moderated by a 30-percent improvement in new vehicle fuel economy following the implementation of more stringent GHG and CAFE standards for LDVs.
Several demographic forces also play a role in moderating the growth in VMT per licensed driver despite the rise in real disposable income. Although LDV sales increase through 2035, the number of vehicles per licensed driver remains relatively constant (at just over 1). In addition, unemployment remains above pre-recession levels in the Reference case until late in the projection period, further tempering the increase in personal travel demand.
The market adoption of advanced technologies in conventional vehicles facilitates the improvement in fuel economy that is necessary to meet more stringent CAFE standards through MY 2020 and reduce fuel costs thereafter. In the AEO2011 Reference case, the CAFE compliance of new LDVs rises from 29.1 mpg in 2009 to 35.8 mpg in 2020 and 37.8 mpg in 2035, due in part to greater penetration of unconventionally fueled vehicles and in part to the addition of individual technologies in conventional vehicles (Figure 74).
figure dataIn 2035, advanced drag reduction, which provides fuel economy improvements by reducing vehicle air resistance at higher speeds, is implemented in 98 percent of new LDVs. In addition, with the adoption of light-weight materials through material substitution, the average weights of new cars and light trucks decline by 4.9 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, from 2009 to 2035, providing additional improvements in fuel economy.
Advanced transmission technologies also improve fuel economy by improving the efficiency of vehicle drive trains. Aggressive shift logic is used in 73 percent of new LDVs in 2035; and other advanced technologies, such as continuously variable, automated manual, and six-speed transmissions, are installed in 56 percent of new conventional vehicles.
Engine technologies that reduce fuel consumption also penetrate the market for new vehicles. Cylinder deactivation and turbocharging reach penetrations of 31 and 14 percent, respectively, in 2035. Electrification of accessories such as pumps and power steering, which also increases fuel economy, is implemented in 19 percent of new LDVs in 2035.
Unconventional vehicles (those that use diesel, alternative fuels, and/or hybrid electric systems) play a significant role in meeting more stringent fuel economy standards and offering fuel savings in the face of relatively higher fuel prices, growing from 15 percent of new vehicle sales in 2009 to 42 percent by 2035 in the AEO2011 Reference case.
figure dataFlex-fuel vehicles (FFVs), which can use blends of ethanol up to 85 percent, represent the largest share of unconventional LDV sales in 2035, at 19 percent of total new vehicle sales and 47 percent of unconventional vehicle sales (Figure 75). Manufacturers selling FFVs currently receive incentives in the form of fuel economy credits earned for CAFE compliance through MY 2016. FFVs also play a critical role in meeting the RFS for biofuels.
Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles that use stored electric energy grow considerably in the Reference case. Micro hybrids, which use start/stop technology to manage engine operation while at idle, account for 8 percent of all conventional gasoline vehicle sales by 2035, the largest share for vehicles that use electric storage. Gasoline-electric and diesel-electric hybrid vehicles account for 5 percent of total LDV sales and 13 percent of unconventional vehicle sales in 2035, and plug-in and all-electric hybrid vehicles account for 3 percent of LDV sales and 8 percent of unconventional vehicle sales. Sales of diesel vehicles also increase, to 5 percent of total LDV sales and 13 percent of unconventional vehicle sales in 2035. Light duty natural gas vehicles account for less than 0.1 percent of new vehicle sales throughout the projection due to their high incremental cost and limited fuel infrastructure.
Click here to read the Executive Summary and the rest of the details
(Source: Tree Hugger)
I saw this article below on Tree Hugger and felt compelled to share with you all. See my commentary in the Editor’s Notes section below.
The Hill reports that “Amtrak had more riders in March than it has had in any March in its 40 years of existence, the company said Thursday. There were 137,000 more Amtrak riders this past month, the company said, which was the 17th straight month of increased ridership. That puts the company on track to break its annual ridership record, which was 28.7 million last year, Amtrak said.”
Note: By the term “political surrealism” I mean that the railroads which once united America are being used as a “wedge issue” to divide the US politically. Don’t tell me ideological opposition to Amtrak and high speed trains is justified because ‘we’re broke’ and passenger rail should be privately owned, exclusively.
Editor’s Notes: As a nation, especially in the post-World War II era, the United States has identified itself as a world leader in innovation and as a business-savvy nation. Even during the toughest of times, a class of creative entrepreneurs and political leaders somehow managed to find ways to help innovate and keep the economy rolling, eventually leading the country to gain the top spot among world’s economies. This American entrepreneurship always was rooted in one thing – a keen understanding of the market demands for a product or service and effectively finding a steady supply to meet that demand. Time and again this demand vs supply model was successfully applied in the market by many savvy innovators and managers, leading to the creation of many successful business houses and millionaires/billionaires across the country.
All of a sudden now things are looking different. The America at the start of the 21st Century America looks much different than the one in the decades before. Now the business community seems totally out of touch with the market demand and the political class is not far behind, blindly groping around without any clue of what the people really want. With a country of 300+ million that is growing every day and the price of gasoline shooting through http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/government-shutdown-2011_n_846525.htmlthe roof with every war (overt and covert) launched in a different part of the globe under the guise of spreading democracy, the country and the economic engines are grinding themselves to a halt. The driver of this economic engine has always been the transportation industry and this industry seems to be on a shakier footing than ever. The rail industry that once dominated the country is now virtually shut out in favor of the motorcars and the highways lobby. Aviation industry is doing a much better job getting people around faster but the airports and the sector’s infrastructure are starting to show signs of fatigue. 
And along comes this great opportunity, in form of investment in high speed rail, and our political leaders are completely blowing off a golden chance to resurrect the American dominance by completely caving to party-line politics. There have been way too many arguments made for and against building a high-speed passenger rail network so I’m not even going to attempt bringing them here. All I want to add here is that we have a golden opportunity to encourage the business community to come forward and invest in meeting this demand from consumers. These ridership numbers from Amtrak are no less of an indicator for a growing demand for a service; unfortunately the government does not have the money to pay for building a rail service that can cater to this demand. So why not encourage the private sector to get involved in providing that service. If it takes a little bit of hand holding/encouragement (read as subsidies and tax reliefs), why not do that? Let the likes of Virgin, JR East, etc come in and set up shop.. Let them build the high speed rail network.. Give them the contracts to develop the lines, as well as the track /train sets.. Let them figure out the economics.. All the political leadership, esp. the conservatives, needs to do is to work with the U.S.DOT and the White House and make it easy for the players to come in and play the field. A lot of other nations have successfully done this and why are we not trying something that we have taught everyone in the world? For a nation full of smart people I am not sure why it is taking us so long to understand the strategic benefits of investing in this form of transportation.
In simple terms, we have a lot riding on the rails and we cannot afford to squander this opportunity to build a new industry, especially when there is a growing demand. Looking back at the end of the last century, the US government did its best to encourage private sector participation in the creation and development of a brand new industry in the Silicon Valley – Software/IT Industry, which helped establish the country as the market leader in the technology sector and has since spawned many products and services. It is not a stretch to say many of the advances we have made in the field of computing and technology would not have been possible without this joint private/public sector participation. So, why not replicate the same in the transportation field and encourage the private sector to come in and create a robust industry. It is not impossible and it is not going to be easy either! But hey, it is any day better than squabbling to score political points and fighting wars in foreign countries.
So, let me conclude by saying this – we don’t just need a new form of transportation but some new, fresh, outside the box thinking and political will to go with it.
(Source: NY Times)
Image courtesy: via NYTimes.com
The food vs. fuel debate has intensified a little more with the ever growing demand for bio-fuels. Many of the world’s hungriest people are going to bed without a morsel to eat, as more of the conventional food crops such as corn are diverted towards making biofuels that power the vehicle fleets. This above graphic from the NY Times article shows an alarming increase in the way we have change the consumption from food to fuel starting at the dawn of this 21st century.
Each year, an ever larger portion of the world’s crops — cassava and corn, sugar and palm oil — is being diverted for biofuels as developed countries pass laws mandating greater use of nonfossil fuels and as emerging powerhouses like China seek new sources of energy to keep their cars and industries running. Cassava is a relatively new entrant in the biofuel stream.
But with food prices rising sharply in recent months, many experts are calling on countries to scale back their headlong rush into green fuel development, arguing that the combination of ambitious biofuel targets and mediocre harvests of some crucial crops is contributing to high prices, hunger and political instability.
This year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that its index of food prices was the highest in its more than 20 years of existence. Prices rose 15 percent from October to January alone, potentially “throwing an additional 44 million people in low- and middle-income countries into poverty,” the World Bank said.
On a related note, the following was published on TreeHugger.com:
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has released a warning that U.S. and European policy to increase the production of biofuels could lead to almost 200,000 deaths in poorer countries. How? Mostly through higher food prices. Most biofuels are made using food crops like corn at this time, and diverting corn to ethanol refineries not only increases the price of corn, but it also encourage farmers to plant more of it, leaving less space for other types of crops, driving up their price too. This is a big deal if you live on $1-2 a day…
(Source: Marlerhaley via Killer Infographics & Autoblog Green)
Image Courtesy: Marler Haley, UK
On a related note, it might be worth noting that there is a already a lot of controversy surrounding the official numbers posted by the automakers versus the results from real life driving conditions in Europe. Here is a peek at the ongoing debate:
Jos Dings, director of Brussels-based Transport & Environment, told Automotive News (sub. req.) that official CO2 emissions results posted by automakers are “less and less a reflection of what we are seeing on the road.” Dings says that the amount of CO2 emitted under controlled test conditions can be up to 50 percent lower than in real-world driving, telling AN that, “We don’t want cuts on paper. We want them in reality.”
Image Courtesy: via Autoblog — CO2 emissions chart
(Source: ITDP & Streetfilms)
Cities worldwide are demonstrating innovation in transport planning by integrating bike, BRT and metro systems, with Guangzhou in China announced as winner of the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award. Guangzhou’s new world-class BRT system integrates with bike lanes, bike share and metro stations, raising the bar for all cities.
Last year the city made major strides to cut carbon emissions and reclaim space for people, opening new bus rapid transit and public bike sharing systems. It now carries 800,000 passengers a day, seamlessly connecting riders to both the metro system and the city’s new bike-share network.
Editor’s Note: It will be interesting to see how the other mega cities in Asia (New Delihi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Jakarta, etc) will adopt this successful and sustainable transportation option into the existing mix. With growing prices for petroleum products and rising congestion, the cities will be forced to explore/adopt this model sooner than later.
(Source: Gas 2.0)
One of the biggest hurdles for market penetration for the Electric Vehicles (EV) is the charging times associated with the batteries in the vehicles. Some of these batteries take up to several hours (4hrs to 8hrs) for a full charge , a.k.a Top off, and continues to remain a big challenge for the manufacturers to convince their buyers. Looking at the existing fleet of vehicles in the market, some question the wisdom behind the EV charging investments. If you pulled up at a gas station along the way it takes roughly 5 minutes to “top off” or fill up your gas tak and get back on the road quickly. With the existing EVs in the market placethis is not possible, at least at this moment. That’s where Shai Agassi’s Better Place excelled with a marvellous idea. Why not just swap the batteries like you would do in a household device. And do it as quickly as you buy a burger at a drive through. Combining the two ideas results in what you can call the Battery Swap Station. For those who wondered aloud about the viability of a business model proposed by Project Better Place, the recent deployment of its Battery-Swap station in Israel should be worth taking note.
Image Courtesy: Better Place on Flickr
Batter Swap Infrastructure - Image Courtesy: Better Place on Flickr
Gas 2.0 notes the following:
Project Better Place’s Israeli facility released this video of the battery swapper in action, effectively “topping off” the electric car with a simple swipe of a card in about the same time it would take to top-off a conventional ICE car. The stations themselves are designed to be modular in construction, and compatible with several different EVs – although they are presumably leaning heavily towards batteries powering Renault/Nissan’s EVs.
The Truth About Cars blog reports that 8 more Better Place battery-swap stations are currently in construction, and the company hopes to eventually have 40 similar stations operational throughout Israel.
Click here to learn more about the project.
Editor’s note: Until the battery technology is refined to the point where charging times are on par with the time it takes for filling up a gas tank in the conventional car, this approach seems prudent and better suited for rapid deployment. Oh, on a related note – if this model were to be deployed in the US, I presume it would have a slight twist. The stations will be designed to sell you a burger while you swap the batteries, which means you can see an integrated refueling station for the vehicle and the driver, just like how we have it now in the Gas Stations with convenience store options. Wouldn’t that be ironic to have a Better Place Charging Station co-located with a burger joint like Burger King or McDonalds? Haha! Oh, come on. I know you not heard many people say that: McDonalds is not a Better Place.
ICLEI is a worldwide association of more than 1200 metropolitan regions, cities, towns, counties and municipal associations in 70 countries that are dedicated to implementing sustainable development. We work in a highly multicultural environment and in a truly global fashion with partners around the globe. We are offering a post-graduate internship in the field of EcoMobility. The intern will be part of ICLEI World Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The World Secretariat also serves as the Secretariat for the Global Alliance for EcoMobility. For more information, visit http://www.ecomobility.org.
