Thursday’s Headlines Have an Epiphany

Automakers are starting to realize what Streetsblog has known all along: Many U.S. drivers want a small, inexpensive electric vehicle, but all they're being offered are ginormous cars most of them can't afford.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on August 3, 2023

The Ford F-150 Lightning weighs 6,015 pounds.

|WMRapids, CC

The CEO of major automaker Stellantis acknowledged that electric vehicles are too heavy, too expensive and not efficient enough (Car Buzz). Meanwhile, a top Ford executive also admitted that his company's electric offerings are unaffordable, but he fingered the wrong culprit — according to The American Prospect, it's Ford's decision to produce only trucks and SUVs and the fact that prospective buyers are badly underpaid.
Much like oil, U.S. demand for EV battery minerals has foreign policy consequences. (Politico)
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talked up complete streets during a visit to the University of Illinois. (News-Gazette)
Uber reported its first-ever profitable quarter. (Forbes)
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a compromise bill to put a transportation sales tax extension before metro Phoenix voters this fall (ABC 15). But with Republicans stripping funding for light rail expansion while prioritizing roads, is it really much of a compromise?
San Francisco is lowering speed limits on 23 streets. (Standard)
Honolulu bus riders are unhappy that the city transit agency changed some bus routes to accommodate passengers on its newly opened light rail line. (Civil Beat)
The Southwestern heat wave could have played a role in recent delays on Dallas light rail. (Morning News)
Trenton officials hope that redesigning State Route 29 will restore access to the Delaware River. (WHYY)
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are prioritizing their most vulnerable residents, like immigrants, when making transportation decisions. (The Gazette)
Meet Boston's "bicycle mayor," whose job is to think about equity, inclusion and safety. (WGBH)
Many Atlanta refugees were never taught how to ride a bike because it was forbidden in their home countries for women and girls. But now they're learning. (AJC)