Mobility Matters Daily #155 - EV charging at home, and black capitalism
EV charging points. ALL the EV charging points...
Good day my good friend.
Seeing this news about the James-Webb Telescope (because space and science stuff is cool, no matter how you cut it) reminded me of this funny acedote of how design decisions on the Space Shuttle were determined by the width of a horses backside. I have no idea if this is true, but knowing how temporary fixes in transport become permanent over time, I can believe it.
Here is today’s curated news for you.
James
More plug ins planned for new homes
England will be the first country in the world to require new homes to include an electric vehicle charging point, with legislaton rumoured to be planned later this year. Though interestingly, with the requirement to be installing smart chargers, this appears to be more about balancing demand on the electric grid as opposed to stimulating uptake of electric vehicles. Although range anxiety is still an issue it must be recognised.
This is just as well. Regardless of the merits of electrifying the vehicle fleet, with the operational economics of electric vehicles being so enticing, perhaps it is best it starts to wean itself off of government subsidy. The development of the tech, subsidies for ownership and charge point installation that overwhelmingly favour first adopters, and now having a charging point installed in every new home - surely EVs don’t need this level of intervention anymore? I think it is time that electric vehicles starts to wean itself off government intervention, and starts fighting its corner in the free market for personal mobility.
The experience of black capitalism and its implications for cities
Tackling institutionalised issues is tricky, to put it mildly. There has been much-written in the last few years about the links between transport and issues affecting black and minority ethnic communities (if you want someone to follow on this, I highly recommend Kristen Jeffers’ work). But initiatives to overcome these divides have mixed results, and their impact are unclear.
This excellent article in the New York Times1 on black capitalism in Rochester, USA shows this perfectly. I cannot help but feel that us transport planners could learn lessons from this - how hard it is to maintain commitment to communities when institutional pressures dictate that we should focus on the traditional priorities. Change is hard work.
Something interesting
Speaking of electric vehicles, we are quite lucky in the UK. We have Zap Map, which gives live availability of electric vehicle charging points across numerous providers across the UK. I love it.
If you do nothing else today, then do this…
Read this report by the always-excellent International Transport Forum on developing innovative transport solutions for Brussels.
…and finally
I always get a bit worried when I get a Captcha like this. Am I training Google’s driverless car to target cyclists?
(And yes, it could be, but its not being used for driverless cars quite yet)
The article is free, but you need to sign up for a free account with the New York Times