Thursday’s Headlines Go Small or Go Home
Automakers think Americans only want pickups and big SUVs, but the reality is most consumers looking at EVs want a smaller vehicle — which they can't even buy.
By
Blake Aued
12:11 AM EDT on October 12, 2023
- Automakers refuse to even try to sell smaller electric cars to Americans, but a new survey found that pickup truck drivers were the least likely to want to go electric, while half of consumers want a compact or midsize EV. (Heatmap)
- They’ve also largely given up on mobility services like car-sharing. (Bloomberg)
- There aren’t enough electricians in the U.S. to fix the country’s 4,000 broken electric vehicle chargers. (Jalopnik)
- Working from home during the pandemic all but eliminated the morning rush hour, according to a University of Minnesota study.
- Advocacy group TransitCenter is putting together a list of transit projects that promote equity. (Streetsblog USA)
- One way to boost ridership and close the D.C. Metro’s $750 million budget gap would be to develop half-empty park-and-ride lots into housing. (Greater Greater Washington)
- Road diets and other complete streets measures led to a 34 percent drop in Philadelphia traffic deaths last year. (WHYY)
- Long resistant to transit, Detroit-area Oakland County’s new budget includes funding to expand bus service countywide. (Detroit News)
- Connecticut Gov. Ned LaMont announced a $1.1 billion bond issue for transit, which will unlock another $2.5 billion in federal funds. (Planetizen)
- After San Diego implemented new rules for e-scooter riders, trips fell from 3 million a year to 600,000. (Union-Tribune)
- The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s CFO is leaving for Jacksonville amidst an unprecedented expansion for MARTA. (Saporta Report)
- As new Seattle light rail extensions open, rider demand is outstripping service levels on Sound Transit. (The Urbanist)
- The American Public Transportation Association honored former Tennessee Rep. Bob Clement, who secured funding for Nashville light rail. (Lookout)
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is treating non-drivers as second-class citizens. (City Observatory)
- A train tunnel in Melbourne will open next September, a year early. (The Guardian)
- Stockholm is the latest city to ban fossil fuel-burning vehicles from the city center. (Reuters)
- Birmingham, England’s low-emissions zone reduced air pollution by 40 percent. (Smart Cities World)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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