By the time the Swedish battery giant Northvolt declared bankruptcy last month, a well-funded U.S. startup, Lyten, had already swooped in to snatch up the company’s previously shuttered Bay Area factory. With China flooding the market …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Cities aren’t ready to handle EV fires, experts say (Axios)
As more EVs hit the road, one often overlooked danger is the potential fire risk from parking all those energy-packed batteries together in an enclosed space, like a garage. Why it matters: EV fires last longer, are …
Continue readingSan Francisco just sacrificed thousands of parking spaces for safety (SFStandard)
It’s Monday, and San Francisco just lost around 14,000 parking spaces as a change to the vehicle code — the Daylighting to Save Lives Bill (AB 413) — went into effect, requiring California cities to “daylight” intersections. …
Continue readingBlocking the Bus Lane? Cities Are Using AI To Find & Fine You (NextCity)
Transit agencies in America’s biggest cities are working with startup Hayden AI to catch drivers blocking the bus by deploying cameras on buses. Think you can pull over and park in a bus lane to …
Continue readingThe European EV Battery Building Paradox: Northvolt’s Bankruptcy & China Supremacy (Autonomy)
It appears that Northvolt will enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week; a troubling development given that no other European startup has raised as much money and carried as much responsibility for Europe’s green industry ambitions. …
Continue readingSolar panels added to railway noise barrier (RailwayGazette)
LITHUANIA: A lineside noise barrier incorporating solar panels to generate electricity has been installed at Juodšiliai to the south of Vilnius. The 22·2 kW solar power plant installed by infrastructure manager LTG Infra and SoliTek …
Continue readingTrolleybuses: A growing demand thanks to zero emission operations (SustainableBus)
Trolleybus projects and investments are on a rise in several European countries. Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic are among the countries where trolleybus networks are more diffuse. Significant renewal plans are underway. Also Berlin …
Continue readingCargo shuttles on the Thames: enabling van-free urban delivery (ZagDaily)
Cargo bikes are becoming a norm in London, enabling last mile delivery without emissions, while taking vans off the road. Sustainable logistics provider Delivery Mates alone delivered 2.5 million parcels by cargo bike in London last year, …
Continue readingRolling Stock Costs Database (Transit Costs Project)
This is the first version of our rolling stock costs database, to complement our primary urban rail construction costs database, excluding rolling stock. The new database looks at the procurement costs of metro trains, commuter …
Continue readingRevolutionary ‘Tri-Mode’ Trains Debut on South Wales Metro (RailNews)
Electric ‘tri-mode’ trains have been introduced to passenger services for the first time as part of the South Wales Metro. They will be introduced on the Valley lines in South Wales for the first time …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 22 November 2024
Shark-style skins are cutting aircraft fuel use, could be applied to high speed trains (IMechE)
Covered in tiny structures known as dermal denticles, the ribbed pattern of shark skin reduces drag across their surface, allowing some species to swim at 50km/h. Others can dart forward even faster over short distances. Such a …
Continue readingMetro-North unveils bi-mode locos to increase electric operation (RailwayGazette)
New York MTA has unveiled the first of the Siemens Mobility SC42-DM Charger electro-diesel locomotives which will enable it to increase the use of electric traction on Metro-North Railroad commuter services. The operator’s existing batch of GE …
Continue reading2 State railways fined for colluding against open access operator (RailwayGazette)
The European Commission has fined the Czech and Austrian national train operators a total of €48·7m for colluding to prevent new entrant RegioJet from acquiring second-hand rolling stock to support its growth in the Czech Republic and …
Continue readingAre electric vehicles better for the climate than gas-powered cars? (MITClimatePortal)
Yes: although electric cars’ batteries make them more carbon-intensive to manufacture than gas cars, they more than make up for it by driving much cleaner under nearly any conditions. Although many fully electric vehicles (EVs) …
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