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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.

Motor Trend|

Automakers chose poorly when they thought this Hummer was the type of vehicle EV buyers want.

  • 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)

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