Wednesday’s Headlines Go Small

Some carmakers like Ford have finally realized it's in their interest to sell smaller electric vehicles. But will drivers buy them, and will Republicans ever accept them?

By Blake Aued

12:34 AM EDT on August 28, 2024

Gregory Varnum|

GM discontinued the Chevy Bolt in 2023 but has announced plans to bring it back.

Ford is shifting toward smaller electric vehicles with lighter batteries, but will the SUV-loving American public buy them? (The Atlantic; paywall)
Republicans continue to rail against electric vehicles even though EVs align with many GOP objectives, like low fuel costs, lower taxes and energy independence. (Motor Trend)
U.S. roads take up a ton of valuable land that could be used for housing instead. (Streetsblog USA)
New York City residents who visited Paris for the Olympics saw firsthand the benefits of encouraging biking over driving. (NY Times)
Only a third of San Antonio's bus stops have shelters to shade riders from sweltering heat. (San Antonio Report)
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson mentioned the destruction of a Black neighborhood to make way for interstates during a brief DNC speech about the Biden administration's infrastructure law. (Urban Milwaukee)
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is backing away from a city environmental plan's goal of cutting car trips nearly in half. (Greater Greater Washington)
Philadelphia will close some streets to cars every Sunday in September to see how it affects businesses. (WHYY)
Portland transit agency TriMet is shifting late-night light rail service to buses and making numerous other changes to the system. (Oregonian)
Houston Metro officials said they're replacing a damaged sidewalk they removed near a school, which some residents took as another sign of deprioritizing pedestrians. (Chron)
The Arizona Republic profiles a Phoenix transit worker who was featured in a Kamala Harris campaign video shown at the DNC.