Dec 2, 08
Electric Car Charge Stations: $1B in the Bay Area
We've written a lot about electric cars and the utility of the "smart garage" concept. Of course, one of the challenges with electric cars is their still-limited range, and the need to find places to recharge when on the road. That's the part of the system Shai Agassi's Better Place goes after, by making the cars themselves easily accessible, building a network of recharging stations and then making money off the power sold. Now San Francisco Bay Area governments are working with Better...
Paradise On Wheels
Europe proves that if you build it, they just might come. The recent Times article on the bike-sharing boom in Europe offers up lots of good stuff. For mayors looking to ease congestion and prove their environmental bona fides, bike-sharing has provided a simple solution: for the price of a bus, they invest in a fleet of bicycles, avoiding years of construction and approvals required for a subway. For riders, joining means cut-rate transportation and a chance to contribute to the...
Image of the Day: As California Goes...
From Current TV: The 800-mile network of trains would operate at upwards of 220mph and cost around $45 billion to construct, but it'll create 320,000 permanent jobs by 2030 and reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuel by 12.7 million barrels of oil per year. On Nov. 4, California passed a plan to develop high-speed rail lines that, once constructed, will run from Sacramento and San Fransisco to San Diego. Seeing this I couldn't help but hope that the old adage about California is true (...
Transit: A Full Ride
Buses and trains can be a good deal for the climate -- especially if they're full! The typical Seattle-area bus has 42 seats. One of the big, articulated buses has as many as 64 seats. But on a commute the other day, I counted at least 92 passengers in my bus, including folks who were standing in the aisles. There were so many folks on the bus that the driver had to leave a few would-be riders at the bus stop. And then there's rail. Seattle's soon-to-be-opened Link Light Rail will have...
Can Congestion Charging Soothe Beijing’s Woes?
Olympic transport measures in Beijing were a great success, but the British capital may still have some important lessons to teach the Chinese capital about managing traffic. by Murad Qureshi Visiting Beijing for the very successful Olympic Games in August, and then attending the Urban Transportation Management Forum organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Government to talk to their planning bureau about the experience of congestion charging in London, gave me an interesting idea. During my...
Fewer Roads, Less Congestion
On the roads, anarchy exacts a penalty. A while back, the Christain Science Monitor ran a fascinating article on one of the most counterintuitive subjects in transportation policy: the so-called Braess Paradox. Stated simply, mathematician Dietrich Braess proved the unthinkable: sometimes, building a new road -- even a high-speed one -- can slow down traffic. (Here's the Wikipedia page on the issue, if you're curious. And note that Braess's discovery can apply to computer networks as well...
Boosts for Bike Commuting
by Adam Stern Buried in the financial rescue bill passed by Congress last week is a provision to encourage bike commuting. The idea is to level the playing field for cyclists, who currently can’t get benefits like those available for participants in car or van pools or other programs designed to reduce traffic congestion. Starting in January, employers can reimburse bike commuters up to $20/month for the “purchase of a bicycle, bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if...
Does the Air-Powered Car Really Work?
Yes, but it only runs on unicorn brea— no wait, it really does work. Zero Pollution Motors is drumming up press again, with claims that an improved version of its “air-powered car” can travel 848 miles on a single tank of compressed air. The comments in response to the New York Times article run to the skeptical side (“I bet it can fly too”), which seems a little bit ironic, because — unlike the water-powered car — the air-powered car is a perfectly...
Why Not in America?
A lack of infrastructure -- not sprawl -- hinders the adoption of bicycles. by Adam Stein The recent surge in gas prices and growing concern over carbon emissions have goosed efforts to increase bicycle ridership in metropolitan areas, but the U.S. still lags far behind Europe and Asia. A recent survey of worldwide trends in the Washington Post suggests that the reason is not, as is often assumed, some uniquely American pattern of land use. Although no single policy is a magic bullet,...
Plug In and Drive
Shai Agassi says his electric cars can save the world. People are listening. There’s a lot to chew over in Wired’s profile of Shai Agassi, the entrepreneur engaged in an audacious experiment to electrify an entire nation’s transportation system, and in the process rewrite the automotive industry’s business model. The nation in question is Israel, with Denmark and Hawaii possibly to follow. Agassi’s idea is that electric cars should be sold on a subscription...
worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving.
About Worldchanging
Have an idea or know about a great new tool or solution? We want to know about it!
Suggest a Story
Submission Guidelines
Design:
Matt Chapman
Logo Design:
Egg
Hosting, Development, and Technical Management: