ITS Monday: Edition 8, 2023

Transportist: The Hydrogen Economy

David Levinson casts a current and future eye on the hydrogen landscape, along with thoughts on electric battery vehicles. “There are big bets being placed on different technological trajectories, and no one needs to commit to deployment yet. But, just as with fossil fuel in the last century, the more entrenched batteries get, the harder it will be to unseat them as the dominant energy carrier for transport.”

Related iMOVE project: Investigating the viability of hydrogen fuel for heavy vehicle use

Policy relevant health related liveability indicator datasets for addresses in Australia’s 21 largest cities

“Identifying, measuring and monitoring spatial indicators of urban liveability is key for planning of healthy, sustainable cities by all levels of government across diverse global contexts.” This paper is based on findings from the 2018 Australian National Liveability Study, with data from Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney; and the regional cities of Ballarat, Bendigo, Cairns, Geelong, Launceston, Mackay, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville, Wollongong; and regional conurbations of Albury – Wodonga, Gold Coast – Tweed Heads and Newcastle – Maitland.

A subscription service and free power could encourage more electric vehicle drivers to plug in

Origin Energy is set to offer customers five hours of free electricity in a drive to put more electric vehicles on Australian roads. Origin will Origin will offer month-to-month subscription packages for 12 electric vehicle models, including cars from Tesla, Polestar, BYD, MG, and Volvo.

Related iMOVE project: Electric vehicles: Supporting uptake, investigating smart charging

To build a healthier city, begin at the sidewalk

Yes, the sidewalk … it’s an American piece. “A new study analyzed Google Street View images of neighborhood infrastructure to explore how the built environment affects physical and mental health.”

Related iMOVE projects: Evaluation of the Wagga Wagga Active Travel Plan and Safer cycling and street design: A guide for policymakers

Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities

UK-based article, from The Conversation, by Christian Brand, Associate Professor in Transport, Energy & Environment, Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford. It’s from March last year, but still a good, relevant read. “Globally, only one in 50 new cars were fully electric in 2020, and one in 14 in the UK. Sounds impressive, but even if all new cars were electric now, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet.”

Cyclists now outnumber motorists in City Of London

There’s a particularly annoying genre of photograph and post on social media of cycling lanes by people trying make a point about the fact that cycling lanes are a waste of time and money. The photos show a city cycling lane with no cyclists in shot at that particular very small moment in time. Here’s an article to throw at them as a strong counter argument.

Limited escape routes on new Melbourne bike path a safety risk to women, cyclists say

“Melbourne cyclists are raising safety concerns about a bike path linked to the multi-billion dollar West Gate Tunnel project, saying women should have been consulted about the design.”

First NSW hydrogen bus trial underway on the Central Coast

This week saw the first hydrogen-powered bus take to the streets, a trial that will run until June 2023. “The project is a partnership between the Department of Planning and Environment, local bus manufacturer ARCC, Central Coast operator Red Bus and Origin Energy.”

Hydrogen trucks promise a green garbage run you won’t hear coming

“The makers of Australia’s first locally designed and built hydrogen-powered truck say it will be towing cars and potentially collecting garbage this year in a rollout they believe could spur a shift away from highly polluting diesel vehicles.”