Topics
Transportation
Transportation
Sustainability. Intra City Transportation Solutions from Private Sector.
Where: German transportation tech company
What transportation market does FlixMobility serve?
- FlixMobility works with individuals and companies
- using its logistics platform
- building efficient long-distance (intercity) routes
- shortest connection is 50km
- most connections are beyond 100km
- “sweet spot” is 200km —
Is it just cars in their networks? No, cars, trains and buses
New Kid on the BLock: Autonomous Robotic Mobile EV Charger + 3 stakeholders
Where: San Francisco
Who: Electrify America and San Francisco-based startup Stable
What: EV charging with NO human intervention
When will it be viable? early 2020
Who is in the mix as viable stakeholders? Fleets, Ride Share, Autonomous delivery vehicles
+1 Statewide Ride Share Passenger Protection Act
Where: North Carolina
What’s the legislation? House Bill 391 (2019 | NC) the Passenger Protection Act
What will the bill do?
- requires license plates to be displayed up front visibly
- penalties for passengers who assault drivers
- TNC must keep current driver information, including home address
- Specific signage requirements for vehicles that are clear up to 50 feet away
- Creates a crime for impersonating a ride share driver
Where is the bill in the process? Pending Governor Signature
WRAL | NCSU student speaks out on how she helped get NC’s ride-share law moving
New Kid on the Block. Business to Business Self Driving Vans.
Where: Arkansas
Who is the new kid on the block? Robo-Van start up Gatik
What? An agreement between Was-Mart and Gatik will have Gatik moving goods between a Super Center in Rogers, AR and a corner market in Bentonville, AR
How will it work?
- it will fulfill “middle mile” logistics scheme
- up to 10 runs a day
- 7 days a week
- during daylight hours
The economic benefit to Was-Mart? Cut cost of the trips by as much as 50%
WIRED | THIS ROBO-VAN STARTUP WILL HANDLE WALMART’S ‘MIDDLE MILE’
Local Smart Street Lights. 3 Data Sets Collected.
Where: Syracuse, NY
What: Smart Street lights are replacing traditional street lights
How much? $38 M bond financing with $3 Million annual savings to city when installed
Why?
- Energy efficient LED lights
- Data collection from street lights including:
- traffic patters
- power outages
- weather measurements like wind, snow, and rain
Route 50 | When Street Lights Do More Than Illuminate a City
Business TREND. Auto manufacturers making deals with States over Fuel Efficiency, not the Feds
Where: California
What: Ford, Honda, BMW of North America and Volkswagen Group of America have reached an agreement with the California Air Resources Board
What did the manufacturers agree to?
- implement fuel efficiency targets across entire fleets
- regardless of federal government action
Who initiated the deal? The manufacturers
Why did the manufacturers approach state regulators?
- Because Federal Officials refused to come to the table to negotiate
- They need regulatory certainty
Governing | Bypassing Trump, California Reaches Fuel-Efficiency Deal With Automakers
Local Parking Enforcement Methods Change. The unconstitutionality of chalk
What caused chalk to be unconstitutional?
- In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police had violated the rights by touching a car by attaching a GPS monitor (without a warrant).
- Today the 6th Circuit has ruled that chalk marks on cars to enforce parking falls under this
What are the cities moving to in lieu of chalk marks? digital parking enforcement
What does mean for clients? Cities need to buy digital license plate readers or digital mechanisms to monitor parked cars
Governing | The Parking Enforcement Method Ruled Unconstitutional
Legal TREND. Ads in ride share? Local Prohibition?
Where: New York City
What local ordinance is at issue? An ordinance prohibiting ads in ride share
What did the court say? Yes, a city can ban ads in ride share “the ban survives First Amendment scrutiny by advancing the government’s interest in improving the passenger experience”
Daily Journal | Appeals court: NYC can ban ads in Uber and Lyft cars
Business TREND. Ride Share App adds Public Transit
Who: Lyft
Where: New York City
What: The app will offer access to real-time data for public transportation options
Is this a formal partnership with the city? No
Could it be? Partnership opportunities abound
Slash Gear | Lyft is adding real-time NYC public transit info to its app
Business TREND. Ride Share Offering Bundled Services. Bonjour Legislators & Regulators.
Who: Uber
What services are Uber bundling? discounts on rides, free JUMP bikes and scooter rides, and free Uber Eats delivery
Cost: $24.99/mo
Where: select cities including San Francisco and Chicago
tech crunch | Uber tests monthly subscription that combines Eats, rides, bikes and scooters
Local TREND. Anatomy of a Local Transportation Fee increase Vote.
Where: San Francisco
What are voters considering?
- 3.25% extra fee for most individual ride share rides
- 1.5% fee for shared rides that start in SF
- Rides in electric cars are discounted at 1.5%
Lege TREND. How to Raise Ride Share Fees Taxes and Costs with Legislation
Where: Massachusetts
What: H1039 (2019 | MA)
What does H1039 do?
- Changes the ride share fee from a flat fee
- to a dynamic percentage fee
Why switch ride share to a dynamic fee? to keep up with costs and the cost of traffic congestion
Does this sound like familiar argument? Yes, it sounds like the gas tax argument
What policy justifications?
- encourage ride sharing
- funding for public transit
- reduce traffic congestion
The Herald News | Bill Looks to Extract More Money from Uber Lyft
Business TREND. Ride Share Enters Financial Services.
Where did this start? Mexico
What are ride share companies in Mexico doing in the financial services regulatory world?
- offering its drivers a debit card
- offering loans
- partnering with major credit card companies
How is this important? Your ride share clients have more opportunities to explore with state legislators and state regulators
TX Attorney General Opinion. How do we allocate supplemental appropriations?
Have a transportation client that is interested in funding? offer a brief or letter brief on this issue
What question will Texas Attorney General Opinion Request 0295-KP answer?
What is the proper allocation formula for distribution of county transportation grant funds appropriated under S.B. 500?
Where is the issue? There’s $125 million at stake in Section 78, and effective September 1, 2019, H.B. 4280, will change the funding formula. So which funding formula is used? Todays funding formula or HB 4280’s funding formula.
Anatomy of longest Driverless Test Track
Where: Ohio
What? Smart Mobility Advanced Research Test in Logan County Ohio
- 540 acres
- 2/3 size of Central Park
- 6 -lane intersection measures 1.2 miles is the longest in the industry
How was it funded? state-funded facility
- $25 million came from Ohio State University
- $20 million state funding
Cleveland.com | Ohio driverless vehicle test-track, touted as industry’s biggest, now open
+1 City with EV Goals Set. 6 Local Requirements.
Where: Los Angeles, CA
What EV goals did LA set? Emission free by 2050
How will LA accomplish this?
- PHASE IN STANDARDS. increase % of electric and zero emission vehicles in the city to 25% by 2025, 80% by 2035, and 100% by 2050
- EV CHARGER INSTALLATION. 10,000 public EV chargers by 2022 & 28,000 chargers by 2028
- INCLUDE TAXI STANDARDS. 10% of its taxi fleet by 2022 & 100% of its fleet by 2028
- SCHOOL BUS STANDARDS. Zero emission by 2028
- PORT STANDARDS reduce GHG emissions 80% by 2050
- PUBLIC TRANSIT. Metro and LADOT buses by 2030
Electrek | LA’s own ‘Green New Deal’ sets goal of 100% zero emission vehicles by 2050, 20K+ new EV chargers
Local TREND. Local EV Goals.
Where: San Francisco
What EV goal is San Francisco setting? 100% emission-free transportation within city limits by 2040
How did the local government take action?
- Mayor establishes working group, The Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Working Group (EVWG) Electric Mobility Subcommittee
- Report: Proposed Electric Vehicle Roadmap for San Francisco
What local ordinances or actions are will be offered?
- ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030
- pave the way with “transitional zero-emission vehicles” like plug-in hybrids
- all commercial parking will be required to have EV charging at 10% of its spaces by 2023
Electrek | San Francisco aims for emission-free transportation by 2040, moves to increase EV charging options
TX Transportation Funding Options via Comptroller
Fiscal Notes gives us the run down on TXDOT’s Transportation plan 2040 highlights 5 funding problems:
- aging transportation infrastructure
- inflation is making it more costly to fix
- greater fuel efficiency means less gas tax revenue
- unreliable funding from a federal Highway Trust Fund
- gas tax revenue will peak in 2030
Texas raised its gas tax last in 1991, what have other states done?
- 31 states have raised their gas tax
- including 4 in 2019
Is there a trend in these gas tax changes? Yes, adopting a variable rate that is changed by some combination of population and economic indicators.
Local TREND. Ride Share Opportunities and Cities
Big cities have been partnering with ride share to round out public transit.
Pilot programs are off and running in:
- Philadelphia
- Monrovia, California
- Washington D.C.
The new opportunity for growth: SMALL CITIES
Why are small cities ripe for ride share partnerships?
- public transit is either infrequent or nonexistent
- small cities hands are tied because they can’t increase revenue by increasing bus fare
Name a small city partnership success: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and Uber AND Nashville and Lyft
What does the Pinellas agreement look like?
- $3 late night door to door service for low income workers
- $5 ride -hail passes for first and last mile ride sharing service from 24 hour bus stops
What does the Nashville Lyft agreement look like?
- Agree to 200 late-night bar and restaurant workers on rides home from the city’s downtown corridor at 50% cost
Route 50 | Improving Transit Through Lyft and Uber? More Agencies Are Paying for Ride-Hailing Rides
+1 State Ups EV incentives
State: Vermont
New incentives for 2019: $1 million
Who gets the incentives?
- households making less than $92,000
- buy or lease new electric cars
- Cars must be valued below $40,000
WCAX | Vermont ramps up EV incentives; is it enough to meet emissions target?
By the Numbers. How fast a State EV Credit was Totally Drained
Where: Maryland
How much in EV incentives was available? $6 Million
How quickly did it go?
- “depleted before the fiscal year began on July 1st”
- 2019 doubled funding
- But there was a backlog of unpaid EV incentives waiting
What was the max rebate? $3,000 rebate
How many EVs in Maryland? The number has doubled from 2017 to 2018 to 18,000
Maryland’s Goal on EVs? 300,000 EVs by 2025
Engadget | Maryland is already out of EV tax credits for 2019
State Contracts and EV stations
Where: Michigan
New state owned location for EV chargers? Yes, state parks & park-and-ride lots
Detroit Free Press | Michigan state parks could be opened for electric vehicle charging stations
Package of EV Bills
Where: Michigan
The Bills:
- SB 409 / HB 4789: Create tax incentives for small businesses and multi-unit housing to install EV charging stations.
- SB 405 / HB 4786: Create a council within the MDOT to produce an EV infrastructure plan to expand Michigan’s charging network.
- SB 408 / HB 4787: Allow the state to install EV charging stations at state “park and ride” lots, either directly or by lease.
- SB 407/ HB 4788: Allow the state to install EV charging stations at state parks, either directly or by lease.
NRDC | EV Charging Infrastructure Package Introduced in Michigan
Regulatory TREND. Ride Share. Medical Transportation
Add to the states utilizing ride share for medical transportation the following states:
- Arizona
- Florida
- Texas
Route 50 | States Authorize Ridesharing for Medical Transport
Local TREND. 60% State of Cities Focus on Infrastructure.
The number of mayors looking to address local infrastructure has doubled in 4 years.
60% of mayors mentioned infrastructure improvements in their State of the Cities speeaches this year.
What’s in the infrastructure umbrella?
- roads
- streets
- signage
- water infrastructure
- pedestrians
- cylcists
- public transit (25% of mayors)
- utility systems
Governing | Mayors Appear Increasingly Concerned About Infrastructure
3 Lessons from Washington State Reinstating EV Tax Credits
- transportation is 50% of the state’s greenhosue gas emissions
- policy trifecta: climate change, grow jobs & improve the economy and quality of life
- The Governor’s EV Fleet Program is the most aggressive in the nation
Local TREND. Parking Zone Ordinances for Ride Share.
Where: Downey, CA
The Ordinance:
- designated parking zone for all ride share
- operate from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday through Sunday
- Uber and Lyft drivers could park in the zone for up to 5 minutes for passangers
The Downey Patriot | City considers Uber, Lyft parking zone downtown
Business TREND. Real Estate & Ride Share Join Forces
House flippers are paying ride share drivers to take pictures of property that is ripe for flipping.
What fees are being paid to ride share drivers?
- $1,500 per referral
- A certain % of the net profit on a successful flip
Wall Street Journal | Uber Drivers Seek Extra Cash Working for House Flippers
The Real Deal | Drive-by flipping: Companies hiring Uber drivers to spot homes ripe for sale
KCBS | The Unexpected Role Of Uber Drivers In The Real-Estate Industry
Lege TREND. Bills that Support EV Battery Manufacturing.
Legislation: American Mineral Security Act S.1317 (116th Congress)
How does this help EV battery production?
- Boosts permitting for mining metals required in EV batteries
- Requires a resource assessment of U.S. metal resources
- Stabilizes the US mining infrastructure and streamline the processing regulations
The News Wheel | Senate Introduces New Bill Which Could Accelerate GM’s EV Battery Production
TRENDING. Capping EV Charging.
Tesla is moving to cap charging at 80% at its charging stations.
Why the 80% cap?
- reduce queues and wait times by 34%
Will it be all EV chargrs owned by Tesla? No, it will be at busy supercharger locations
How long will the cap last? 24 hours
Are there exceptions? Yes, for cars traveling long distances
Digital Trends | Tesla to cap charging at busy Supercharging stations at 80%
BUSINESS TREND. Car Ownership Subscription Service.
Transportation industry forecasters say Uber and Lyft will re-write the book for subscription transportation services and shared ownership
Why is shared ownership becoming a thing?
- car ownership under the age of 25 is declining
- people realize they can recover the cost of ownership when they aren’t using their car
Reuters | Uber and Lyft to turn the wheels on car ownership: industry experts
Poll results. How should EV owners pay for roads?
42% support per mile fees
29% registration fees
18% charges from charging/utilities fees
11% tire fee
Green Car reports | How Should EV Owners pay for Road maintenance?
New TREND. Laws ad Regulations Concerning Ride Share Driver Car Recalls.
Why are we worried about ride share driver car recalls? Consumer Reports says 1 of 6 Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City & Seattle areas are driving vehicles with outstanding recalls
Does this hold true for taxis too? yes, 1 in 4 taxis
is there a non-legislative or regualtory solutions? Yes, Uber deactivates drivers with outstanding recall that’s serious enough to prompt a “do not drive” warning
AP via SF Gate | Report: Many Uber, Lyft drivers fail to respond to recalls
Updated Ridership Data. High Speed Rail in the Lone Star State.
Updated rider numbers for Texa Central Rail:
- 6 million passengers annually by 2029
- 13 million annually by 2050
Progressive Railroading | Texas Central updates ridership study for proposed bullet train
Legal TREND. Roads. The loophole in Texas Eminent Domain Laws
The Texas Supreme Court ruled that local transportation projects are exempt from the 2005 Kelo fix to Texas eminent domain laws.
What part of the law did the Court find the exception in?
“[t]his section does not affect the authority of an entity authorized by law to take private property through the use of eminent domain for: (1) transportation projects, including, but not limited to, railroads, airports, or public roads or highways…”
So… what are legal types saying? potentially all roads are excepted from the Kelo related limitations on eminent domain.
How States are making EVs pay for Roads?
- 9 States in 2018 considered a new EV fee
- ME
- NH
- VT
- MA
- MN
- KY
- OK
- FL
- UT
- 6 States have defeated EV fees
- TX
- MT
- AR
- KS
- IL
- NV
- 17 States Passed an EV Fee
Green Car Reports | How Should EV owners pay for road maintence?
Regulatory TREND. Employment Status of TNC Drivers. Ride Share Drivers.
Remember how we talked about California regulators first entering the discussion of whether drivers are contract workers or employees? The issue is growing like a chia pet’s hair
This week the National Labor Relations Board issued a memo that the drivers are indpendent contractors.
This follows the April 29th letter from the Department of Labor.
Competitive Enterprise Institute | Regulators Find Uber Drivers to Be Independent Contractors
Lege Trend. $1000 EV Fee
Illinois is considering a $1000 registration fee for EVs.
The bill: HB 3233 (2019 | IL)
OilPrice | Illinois Could Raise EV Registration Fee To $1,000, Hike Gas Tax
Green Car Reports | $1000 Illinois Fee?
3 States Where High Speed Rail Progresses. What you need to know:
California
- cost: Los Angeles to San Francisco: $77 Billion
- first service: 2028
- first open line: Merced to Bakersfield
Florida
- How did Florida project prove itself? In 2018, the private owners ran frequent service on a short route
- Project name: Virgin Trains
- Cost: $3.1 billion for the Miami-to-Orlando segment
- Expected service for Miami to Orlando: 2022
Texas
- Cost: $15 Billion
- First service Dallas to Houston: 2024
Governing | Despite Missteps, High-Speed Rail Lines in 3 States Point to Progress
4 Lessons from a State Backed High Speed Rail Project
4 lessons for future high speed rail projects from California’s state high speed rail project:
- Financing First. Work it out. Get it in Line. Finalize it. Then Start
- Politics. Win or Neutralize the political game.
- Let the technical experts be in charge of the project narrative
- Clearly Establish why the High Speed Rail is NECESSARY
Anatomy of an EV project at a Port
Where: Port of San Diego
The EV project: EV ARC portable, solar-powered electric vehicle charging station for employees and visitors
Is that level 1 and level 2 charging? yes
3 Ways the State of Ohio Funds Transportation Innovation. Public Private Partnerships.
How are the funds distributed? Partnership between The Ohio State University and Honda R&D Americas
How does it lure in innovation?
- Ohio State’s Office of Research hosts pitch day for reasearchers and start ups
- Seed Funding. $25,000 to each project
Ohio State News | Ohio State gives seed funding to spur transportation innovations
Local TREND. +1 City. Ride Share TNC Pickup Locations.
Where: Mt. Pleasant, SC
What does the ordinance look like? designated safe zones for rideshare pick-ups
What caused the city to act? The death of a student who had sought a ride share
Live 5 WCSC | Designated safe zones for rideshare pick-ups could be coming to Mt. Pleasant
New Cost Overrun Projections. High Speed Rail in California.
A project estimate for a 119 mile spanof California’s high speed rail released this week included:
- increase by $1.8 billion
- the new cost increases relate to bridges, viaducts, trenches and roadbed costs
- total cost estiamte of $12.4 billion
- completetion projection: between 2026 and 2030
Governing | Costs for California’s High-Speed Rail Project May Rise by $1.8 Billion
Lege TREND. +1 State Revising EV Tax Credit. Read the Bill.
Where: Georgia
The legislation: HB 732 (2019 | GA)
The EV tax credit proposed:
- $2,500 for new electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and zero-emission vehicles.
- Sunsets in 2023
Does it include a credit for charging stations? Yes
- annual aggregate cap of $10M
- cost of the credit to tGeorgia will never exceed that cap
Did Georgia have a previous EV tax credit? Yes, it was $5000 er vehicle
Clean Technica | Bill Introduced To Reinstate Georgia EV Tax Credit
Lege TREND. State Increases Transportation Revenue. Does not Raise Gas. Tax. Where. What. Why.
Where: Wisconsin
What: A transportation funding plan with no gas tax increase
Why: Why tax when you can impsoe fees?
- increase the annual fee on all-electric vehicles from $75 to $200
- new $100 surcharge on plug-in hybrid cars
- Eliminates state funding for future light-rail train lines
- Bars use of state highway funds for bike lanes
- Prohibits testing of driverless vehicles in the state
- New driving fines, like $100 for driving in the LEFT lane with a car behind you
Lege TREND. EV Registration Fees. +1 Corn Belt State.
Is the Corn Belt a thing? I’m not sure, but the state making these legislative moves is Iowa.
What EV registration fees were enacted?
- $65 in 2020
- $130 in 2022
- lower fees for hybrids
What is the state revenue estimate for the EV fees?
- $200,000 in 2020
- $1.3 million in 2020.
Iowa legislation: House File 767 (2019 | IA)
Local TREND. 3 Examples of strict local Scooter Ordinances
City: Tampa, FL
What 3 local scooter requirements are being labeled strict?
- Companies required to collect and keep thescooters coralled
- Only on the dies walk
- 6 mph speed cap set internally in the scooter
What else do I need to know about this local ordinance?
- temporary pilot program
- includes 4 companies ( Lime, Spin, Jump and Bird)
- 18 years or older
- driver’s license
- Each company must offer a 24 hour liaison and 1-800 hotline
- It could be preempted by statewide scooter legislation that would allow scooters in bike lanes and cap speed at 15mph
WFTS Tampa Bay | Tampa sets strict rules as E Scooters are about to zoom into city
Lege TREND. CAR Sharing Legislation. Its the NEW Ride Sharing Legislation.
State: Colorado
Legislation: Peer-to-peer Motor Vehicle Sharing Program SB 19- 090 (2019 | CO)
Insurance liability? Yes, insurance from the owner, driver, OR program. Butm if the program (app) holds the insurance the coverage has to be 3times.
What about insruance comapnies, can they deny to offer this coverage? Yes.
Denver Business Journal | New car-sharing regulations OK’d by Colorado legislators
Business TREND,. Sharing Economy + Trucking Industry. 3 Key points.
Who is the new kid on the blcok offering trucking services on a sharing economy? KeepTruckin Inc.,
What start up facts do I need to know?
- 6 year old company from San Francisco
- startup a valuation of $1.2 billion
- it is the latest freight technology venture to surpass the $1 billion mark
The employees and locations:
- 1,000 employees
- 7offices in the U.S., Canada, Taiwan and Pakistan
- customer base is:
- operators with more than 250,000 trucks
- equipped with KeepTruckin ELDs
- 50,000-plus for-hire carriers
WallStreet Journal | KeepTruckin Adds $149 Million in Funding to Build Up Freight Platform
Lege TREND. Making Ride Share Drivers Records Public
Louisiana is considering legislation to not allow public access to a Department of Transportation review of ride share driver records.
LSU Manship News Service | Lawmakers deny public access to Uber, Lyft driver records
Lege TREND. +1 New State Safety Bill for Ride Share
State: South Caroline
The new safety bill: reuquire front license plates for ride share
The bill, as amended: H4380 (2019 | SC)
The State | SC could require tag numbers on front of Uber, Lyft cars after USC student’s slaying
TX Lege. Landgraf 3 points on Transportation.
- “For every $1.00 Texas sends to the federal government’s Highway Trust Fund, we only get $0.95 back to help build our public highways”
- Texas is the only donor state in the nation
- Concurrent Resolution 147 by Landgraff talks about this
- The inequitable forumla from the Feds and Texas rapid growth means the time to fix this is now
Lege TREND. Loophole in the Safety for Ride Share Bills.
Refresher, a person was murdered who was looking for their ride share driver, and in response states are acting to pass legislation & Uber and Lyft have implemented reforms.
One of the state legislative moves: requiring lighted ride share signs in vehicles
The loophole: anyone can buy these lights which doesn’t improve safety
TREND. Largest Deployment of EV Fast Charging Stations. What you need to know:
Who: EV Go
How many fast charging stations: 14 battery storage systems at 11 fast charging stations
2 Industry reasons EVGo offers for their charging deploymnt:
- cahrging stations will offer load balancing
- charging stations will mitigate distribution grid upgrade costs,
Utility Dive | EVgo adding 14 battery storage systems to spur EV fast charger deployment
Legislation TREND begets Business TREND. Rideshare Adopts Safety Measures
In light of the influx of recent safety bills after a student was killed when she mistook a car for a ride share driver’s car, ride share companies are adopting safety measures.
What safety measures are ride sahre companies adopting in response?
- Uber is launching the Campus Safety Initiative
- This reminds riders to check the license plate, make and model of the car, as well as the driver’s name and picture, before ever entering into a vehicle
- Uber is building out dedicated pickup zones in Five Points district of Columbia
- Lyft has implemented continuous background checks for drivers this week
Anatomy of a State Hyperloop Project.
Hyperloops are all the rage.
Where’s this hyperloop? Missouri
What futuristic gizmo is a hyperloop? It uses “magnetic levitation to carry pods with people and goods through a low-pressure tube”
How fast would it move people and things? from Kansas City to St. Louis in less than 30 minutes
Is the project private? Yes
Is there talk of Missouri using eminent domain? yes
Why the eminent domain? The porject needs to acquire land and the use of eminent domain was authorized by the Missouri Public Service Commission
3 Arguments for EV Paying Mileage Tax. Energy Institute
The academics: The Energy Institute at HAAS School of Business, University of California Berkeley
Their arguments to support pay as your drive programs:
- The gasoline tax is highly regressive, and EV drivers tend to be disproportionately high income
- EV environmental damage is not ZERO
- EV cars still impact roads and impact congestion and traffic
How many states are testing pay as you drive?
- California mileage tax pilot
- Washington mileage tax pilot
- Illinois mileage tax pilot
- Oregon passed legislation allowing 5,000 voluntary motorists to pay a mileage tax of 1.7 cents per mile
Energy Institute at HAAS | Should Electric Vehicle Drivers Pay a Mileage Tax?
Lege TREND. 3 Opposition Arguments to giving Autodealers Control Over Customer Data
Oregon, like AZ, NY and MT, is considering legislation to secure auto customer data.
The Oregon Legislation: House Bill 3152 (2019 | OR)
Opponent arguments in Oregon are:
- this bill would “require very secure and highly-regulated computer networks to become less secure”
- computer system owners would not even be permitted to deny access to dealers’ designated people who lack technical training
- the bill limit what people can do with this data
The Oregonian | Opinion: Bill would give auto dealers too much control over customers’ information
Lege TREND. Motor Vehicle Dealers Increased Data Security Requirements.
Where: Arizona
The legislation: House Bill 2418 (2019 | AZ)
What data secuerity measures are required of motor vehicle dealers?
- auto dealers are designated as the gatekeeper of all the consumer information
- prevent DMS system data from being sold
What’s the bill missing according to a cyber security expert? best practices or standards
Are other states doing this? Yes, NY, MT and OR
Was it supported by the state autodealer association? the association stands by the bill (whatever that means)
Lege TREND. EV Tax Credits in a Southern Red State.
Georgia legislation, HB 732 (2019 | GA) looks to:
- reinstate a $2,500 state tax credit for the purchase or lease of new electric, zero emission, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
- $10 million annual cap
- $500 state tax credit for residential EV charging stations
- $1,500 credit for commercial charging stations
Electrek | Georgia Republicans propose $2,500 state tax credit for electric vehicles
TX Attorney General Opinion. Can TXDOT still contract under North Tarrant Express CDA?
Why wouldn’t TXDOT enter into an agreement under the North Tarrant CDA? The authority ceased on August 31, 2017 with SB 1730.
Why does this matter? TXDOT says they can amend an existing agreement that pre-dates the cut off deadline
Which members are asking for this? Chair Bob Hall & Chair Lois Kolkhorst
Lege TREND. Bills to allow Ride Share Drive Medicaid Patients to Appointments.
HB 411 (2019 |FL) would allow ride sahre to enter medical transportation services for non-emergency transportation.
How would it work? ride share would contract with managed care providers
What benefits of ride sahre medical transportation contracting?
- save the state Medicaid money
- easier for patients to make doctors appointments
- will improve patient outcomes
A USC study examined a LYFT pilot program for non-emergency medical transportation and found that it improved quality of life for seniors by 90%
New Study. Congestion Pricing & Ride Share Safety
The researchers: University of Chicago School of Business and Rice University researchers
The study conclusions:
- 3 % rise in serious and deadly accidents in major American cities once ride-hail platforms are introduced
- $10 Billion cost to the economy
Opponents say:
- deeply flawed study
- problematic methodology
- unjustified conclusions
Market Watch | Study: Cities with ride-shares like Uber and Lyft also see rise in fatal accidents
Lege TREND. What Legislative reactions have hit ride share after a ride share driver murdered a student?
In South Carolina, legisltors are considering the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act which would requrie ride share drivers have lighted signs indicating their ride share company.
CBS News | Student’s death sparks bill requiring Uber and Lyft drivers to display illuminated signs
REgulatory TREND. How one State his tackling EVs with an Innovation Start Up Competition. Who. Where. How.
Where: New York
How:
- New York Created The NYPA Innovation Challenge to spur commericalization for energy storage
- Supported by NYPA’s $250 million EVolveNY electric vehicle adoption initiative
- To meet New York’s goal to add 3 GW of battery storage by 2030.
Who: partnership between the New York Power Authority and New York University Tandon’s Urban Future Lab
Utility Dive | NYPA initiative targets quicker commercialization path for storage, EV startups
Ways States Are Overcoming the EV Gap. Regulation. Legislation.
- Utility Commissions implement EV infrastructure programs
- Partnerships with utilities to roll out EV charging infrastructure programs
- Utilities can also recoup their investment in EV charging infrastructure
- Utilities could have rules to allow selling electricity and using the chargers as responsive demand to balance the power grid
- Which state utility commissions are actively implmenting plans?
- CA
- MN
- OR
- NY
Forbes | How States Can Overcome The Looming Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Gap
High Speed Rail. Elected Official Newsletter. 2 Key Points.
Texas State Representative Cody Harris House District 8 newsletter has this to say about high speed rail:
- its a “catastrophic project against landowners”
- “continue to fight for these bills until the High-Speed Rail is just a bad idea that almost happened”
Business TREND. Rural EV charing Partnership
A partnership between Holiday Inn Express, Russell’s Electric & North West REC, a consumer-owned electric distribution cooperative, brings EV charging to a part of rural Iowa.
Thinking outside the box in a corn field.
NWest Iowa | EV charging station comes to N’West Iowa
Reg. TREND. $76 M Proposal in North Carolina to Doubt EV. What your need to know:
Company: Duke Energy
The proposals nuts and bolts:
- $76 million initiative
- 2,500 more in-state EV charging stations
- electric school buses
- electric public transportation
- $1,000 rebate for qualifying Level II charging stations for up to 800 residential customers
- 800 public charging stations across North Carolina, including DC Fast Charging
- $2,500 rebate for 900 qualifying charging stations for commercial and industrial customers who operate fleets
- financial support to eligible customers to procure up to 85 electric school buses
- install and operate more than 100 electric transit bus charging stations for eligible transit agencies
Electrek | $76 million proposal would double public EV charging stations in North Carolina
New Kid on the Block. Opposition to Texas High Speed Rail
The new kid on the block: ‘ReRoute the Route’
ReRoute the Route message:safer, smarter rail options in Texas
Who is in the coalition? land owners, elected officials and business leaders
What do they say the high speed rail route should look like?
- endpoint closer to downtown Houston
- follow established right-of-way such as the I-45 corridor
- minimize eminent domain and private property concerns
- minimize environmental impact concerns
- alleviate safety concerns of the curved track design
- foundation for more advantageous economic development opportunities
Local TREND, 2 Reasons A City Said no to GeoFencing Limitations for Scooters.
Los Angeles considered geofencing enforcement for scooters, but applied the brakes when there were no answers for:
- what happens when a scooter is stopped by geofencing and it is moving with traffic?
- what happens when a scooter is stropped by geofencing on a hill?
Texas Monthly | The University of Texas’s Scooter Speed Limit Is a Glimpse of the Future
Local TREND. Big Brother Tracking Scooter Speed and Meting Out Enforcement
The University of Texas at Austin is the first in the nation to curb scooter speeds with geofencing limitations.
Scooters moving above 8mph would be slowed electronically by the scooter powers that be.
Texas Monthly | The University of Texas’s Scooter Speed Limit Is a Glimpse of the Future
Lege TREND. Curb Ride Share via Labor Code Legislation.
California AB 5 (2019 | CA) would codify state Supreme Court ruling concerning independent contractors.
App based independent contractors are being reclassified as employees under the ruling.
Is this legislstive reclassification of independent contractors to employees limited to ride share? No, it also hits trucking, construction, newspapers, and janitorial services companies.
In 2018 an alternative worker classification, marketplace contractor, was proposed by AB 2765 (2018 |CA).
Business TREND, Wireless EV Charging. 1st City Offerings.
The city first to offer wireless EV charging: Oslo
The business at the forefront of this trend: clean energy company Fortum
Initial target consumer: taxis & car services while between fares
E&T Magazine | Oslo to become first city to offer wireless EV charging
TREND. Move over renewable goals, Bonjour EV goals
California Assembly Bill 1411(2019 | CA) would require 200,000 zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and off-road vehicles and equipment in the state fleet by 2030.
It also gives rulemaking authority to increase the number.
Sacramento Bee | Predicting homelessness + Zero-emission vehicles + Medi-Cal bill heads to committee
Lege TREND. Ride Share Fees to Fund Specific Destinations.
Want to develop a specific location that many people would get to by ride share? Well, look to Illinois which may allow the imposition of ride share fee of $1 to rides to McCormack Place to fund the project development.
WBEZ | Bill Proposes New Fees On Uber, Lyft To Pay For McCormick Place Expansion
Local TREND. 5 Reasons Cities Want Scooter Data negotiation tool. Bill Drafting. Amendment Drafting.
1) City planning. better infrastructure from real trip route traces like bike lanes
2) Scooter Rule Enforcement. compliance tool
3) Scooter use enforcement. hello 1000 scooters in restricted zones
4) Safety. ensuring fleets are sufficiently maintained
5) Public Tranit options. planning last mile transit options.
Mother Board | Scooter Companies Split on Giving Real-Time Location Data to Los Angeles
+1 County Votes (Again) to Oppose High Speed Rail
Montogomery County voted for the 3rd time to oppose high speed rail. This week’s vote was at the request of Representative Steve Toth.
Community Impact | Montgomery County Commissioners Court continues opposition to high-speed rail
Lege TREND. Statewide ride share rules for fairness and taxes
Oregon HB 3023 (2019 | OR) will create a statewide ride share system but also allow:
- 10-cent surcharge to fund programs for disability transportation or other local programs
KATU | Oregon legislators considering new statewide licensing for Uber, Lyft
State Doubles Driver's License Fees. By the numbers:
North Dakota doubled the cost of a commercial and non-commercial driver’s licenses resulting in:
- $15 fee doubles to $30
- $5.5 million revenue estimated over 2 years
- 1987 was the last driver’s license fee increase in North Dakota
KFGO | North Dakota Legislature doubles driver’s license fees
Lege TREND. EV Incentive Bill. The 5 incentive requirements:
Minnesota’s HF 2233 (MN | 2019) would create incentives including:
- $2,500 rebates for new EVs
- $500 for used EVs
- Rebates capped at $7.5 million/year
- Applies only to vehicles with a purchase price less than $60,000
- Sets aside up to $1.5 million for grants to fund public-charging infrastructure
E&E NEws | Some fear wave of EV fees might swamp emission goals
EV Registration Fees Double in Two Years
20 States have special registration fees for hybrids and EVs.
That’s double the number in a two year period.
18 states are considering EV related, EV registration related legislation in 2019.
E&E NEws | Some fear wave of EV fees might swamp emission goals
How EV Fee Legislation Harms Carbon Emission Reduction Goals
Energywire says Transportation has surpassed energy in emissions.
Increasing EV fees to make up for gas tax revenue can depress EV sales and thus increase transportation emissions.
E&E NEws | Some fear wave of EV fees might swamp emission goals
TX Attorney General Opinion. Truck Weight Enforcement
In KP-0245 there was a question about how local law enforcement can enforce truck weight enforcment. Here’s the big picture:
- Maybe there is some confusion, but its likely the Transportation Code Chapters 621 & 251 governs, so follow those rules
- Local Law enforcment has to be authorized by TXDOT
- TXDOt can also revok local law enforcement authority
Lege TREND, Shift Ride Share Insurance Requirements to TNCs
Iowa looks to change its stagtewide ride share framework to move insurance stndards from the driver to the transportation network comapny.
Local TREND. Fees on Ride Share.
Los Angeles County approved a TNC tax. Details are not approved, a 20-cent per trip fee is estiamted to generate revenue of $401 million over 10 years.
Long Beach Post | Should drivers be charged to use roads? Metro moves to study the idea
Regulatory TREND. Allowing 3rd Party EV Station Ownership
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission removed barriers that prevented 3rd party ownership of EV charging stations.
The regulatory changes:
- EV charging stations will not be considered “resale of electricity”
- EV stations will be excluded from pricing requirements of the state’s Public Utilities Code
Utility Dive | Pennsylvania removes barrier to third-party EV charging station ownership
Local TREND. +1 Large City Moves into Congestion Pricing
Los Angeles County, in the run up to the 2028 Olympics, approved a study of congestion pricing.
Revenue estimates for the congestion pricing would generate: $9.6 billion and $83 billion over a period of 10 years.
Long Beach Post | Should drivers be charged to use roads? Metro moves to study the idea
4 Reasons an Energy Coalition Opposes High Speed Rail
The energy coalition: Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs
High Speed Rail is a “myth” because:
- it is included in the Green New Deal’s
- our country is spread out, it is not an alternative to air
- Rail loses money in the US
- NYC subway annual deficit $244 million
- DC annual deficit $290 million
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended high speed rail in California
- Amtrack annual loss $168 million
- it will take away energy jobs
REAL CLEAR ENERGY | The High-Speed Rail Myth
Lege TREND. E-Bike Legislation. 12 States.
The states considering E-bike legislation:
- Wyoming, signed by WY Governor
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Wisconsin
What does this model legislation do?
- organizes e-bikes into 3 categories, based on design, top motor-assisted speed & federal regulation
- clarifies the sale of ebikes for small business
Bicylce Retailer | UPDATE: Wyoming governor signs three-class e-bike law
Regulatory TREND. High Speed Rail. Learning from tall HSR bridges in California
Where are these bridges on the HSR route? roads that cross the HSR path
What measurement stanadard was used? 27 feet clearance above the top of the rails
How tall is that? You could double stack Shinkansens trains beneath them
How does this compare to other HSR projects?
- TEXAS
- Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas: “at least 19 feet of clearance.”
- FRANCE
- operate with 21 feet of clearance
Slate | Why Did California Build Such Tall Bridges Over Its High-Speed Train Tracks?
Gas Tax Increase. 2 Governors. 1 Republican. 1 Democrat.
The Republican:
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
- 18 cents a gallon increase
- current gas tax: 28 cents a gallon
- A State Commission recommended the gas tax increase in this 89-page report
The Democrat:
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
- 20 cents a gallon increase
- current gas tax: 28.6 cents a gallon
Governing | 18 Cents a Gallon? 20 Cents? Two Governors Float Major Gas Tax Hikes
TX Attorney General Opinion. County Roads v. Public Roads.
KP-0240 is about whether a pulic road with a gate on on it, can the county open the gate, effectively treating the road as a county road.
What did the Attorney General Opinion say about what the county can or cannot do with the gate on the public road? Until the road is a county road, or the county is party ot a court order, the county cnanot open the gate
What do I need to know about public roads and county roads from a regulatory/legislative approach?
- Texas statutes use “county road” and “public road” to mean the same thing, but they don’t. Helpful, right?
- TX Supreme Court says a county can convert a road to a county road in 3 ways:
- long use
- approval by the commissioners court
- assent by the land owner
- KP-0075 says all county roads are public roads but not all public roads are county roads because it requires county commissioner court approval
- Small counties, under 50,000m can acquire private road “only by purchase, condemnation, express dedication, or a court’s final judgment of adverse possession in favor of the county.”
What does this mean? look for a code re-write.
Lege Trend. Anatomy of a Statewide Scooter Bill. Applies liability to Operator.
Indiana’s HB 649 (2019 | IN) would:
- exempts schooters from motor vehicle requirements
- classifies e-scooters as bicycles- stop lights and bike lanes matter
- exempts e-scooter firms from financial responsibility for accidents
- liability is on the operator
- sets standards such as:
- maximum speed
- number of wheels
- proper lighting
- weight
Lege TREND. Anatomy of a Gas Tax + Its Alternative in a Red State with Trucking Association Support
Ohio Governor proposes raising the gas tax by 18 cents from the current 28 cents.
Supporters of the gas tax increase:
- Ohio Trucking Association
The alternative: pay as you drive.
Opponents to Pay as You Drive say:
- Pay as your Drive has high administrative costs
- isn’t well vetted
- hard to implement
Government Technology | Ohio Looks to Oregon’s Mileage Tax Plan to Fund Transportation
Lege TREND. Legalizing Consumption of Roadkill
State: California
The legislation: SB 395 (CA | 2019)
Specific animals: deer, elk, antelope and wild pigs
How does it work?
- Permits a person to retroactively, at no cost, apply for any necessary hunting license
- It also applies to seriosuly injured animals may be killed “in a safe, legal, and humane manner”
Supporters say:
- “translates into hundreds of thousands of pounds of healthy meat that could be utilized to feed those in need”
Lege TREND. State legislation to remove speed limits on highways.
The State: California
The bill: SB 319 (CA | 2019) by Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa
Parameters of the bill:
- Limited to 2 lanes each to the north- and south-bound lanes of I-5 & Highway 99
- there will be a lower speed limit
Supporters say:
- “traffic congestion increases the emissions of greenhouse gases as it causes automobiles to idle longer while on roadways.“
- A 2008 Purdue University report found that “raising the speed limit on an interstate highway in Indiana had not increased the probability of fatalities or serious injuries”
Regulatory TREND. 3 Recommendations. Regulatory Report. Utility Investment in EV Charging.
Who is making recommendations? Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection
What are the 3 recommendations for utilties to invest in EV?
- transportation electrification
- establishing statewide sales goals
- expanding an alternative fuel investment grants program for municipalities, businesses and organizations
3 Ways the EV investment can benefit utilities:
- invest in EV infrastructure to benefit drivers and the grid
- support fleet EV purchases for government
- Innovative financing program support through utilities for storage and charging
Lege TREND. Sate of the State Calls for Curbing High Speed Rail. 5 Bits informed intel.
Gavin Newsom’s first State of State called for curbing California’s high speed rail project because it:
- extending the rail would cost too much and take too long
- project’s persistent cost overruns, mismanagement and delays
- a San Diego to San Francisco train doesn’t appear viable
- little oversight
- not enough transparency
Governing | Breaking From Predecessor, California Governor to Scale Back High-Speed Rail Project
Lege TREND. No Eminent Domain for Homes in Transportation Projects. The bill:
HB 663 (MD | 2019) prevents the use of eminent domain for:
- state transportation projects
- if the property is taken is residential
- and if the project is in a public-private partnership
How did this get triggered in Maryland? The Governor’s proposed plan would include toll lanes, and this bill was filed in response.
Bethesda Magazine | Governor’s Highway Widening Plan Gets Another Potential Roadblock
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