ITS Monday: Edition 33, 2022
A small collection of curated content from the worlds of intelligent transport systems, smart mobility, and associated areas.
Included this week, road use charges, retrofitting diesel engines for hydrogen, new Aus emissions standards, hydrogen economics, and more.
The article headlines below are:
- Australians want fuel excise scrapped if new road charges are introduced for electric cars
- New system retrofits diesel engines to run on 90% hydrogen
- An MIT PhD has an explosive hydrogen lesson for Andrew Forrest
- Even After $100 Billion, Self-Driving Cars Are Going Nowhere
- Transport Opinion Survey 2022
- Queensland public transport on a slow return trip but Brisbane roads carrying more vehicles
- Cyber risk in adding electric cars to grid
- Cleaner emissions standards for trucks and buses
- Drones could make last-mile package deliveries greener
- Commuters should get EV tax breaks: report
- George Street’s car-free zone extended to near Circular Quay
- Barcelona uses metro trains to recharge e-scooters
- Auckland Transport boss flags funding as the main barrier in zero emissions race
- Placemaking: Building on the ‘Soul’ of a Place
And just in case you hadn’t caught it yet, we have a recent series of interviews with transport professionals – Effects of COVID on the transport sector – what they see now, what they would like to happen post-pandemic, and what they think will happen. If you’d like to be join this conversation, drop us a line!
This week’s articles
Now, scroll down, and see what’s in this week’s edition. Oh, and before you do, be sure check out the quickest way to receive our new content via the subscription box just below …
Australians want fuel excise scrapped if new road charges are introduced for electric cars
Electric vehicles are definitely on the way, and so are associated changes. Just how far away all of this might be is still conjecture, but change is coming and it’s well time to prepare for it. This article pushes the case for road use charging as a replacement for “… fuel excise, car registration, tolls and other charges scrapped and replaced with a single tax based on distances travelled.”
- Related iMOVE project: Electric vehicles: Supporting uptake, investigating smart charging
- Related iMOVE content: Road pricing reform: a thorny issue
New system retrofits diesel engines to run on 90% hydrogen
“Engineers from UNSW Sydney say they have successfully converted a diesel engine to run as a hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine – reducing CO2 emissions by more than 85 per cent in the process.”
- Related iMOVE project: Investigating the viability of hydrogen fuel for heavy vehicle use
An MIT PhD has an explosive hydrogen lesson for Andrew Forrest
Strident stuff. “I have shot large-calibre bullets into hydrogen tanks in the desert. I have watched them explode. I have owned two hydrogen cars. It was the scariest, most horrible experience of my life. I feel qualified to say a lot about hydrogen. I understand the physics and the thermodynamics.”
READ THE ARTICLE
Even After $100 Billion, Self-Driving Cars Are Going Nowhere
Staying in the area of strident, this piece from Bloomberg. “They were supposed to be the future. But prominent detractors – including Anthony Levandowski, who pioneered the industry – are getting louder as the losses get bigger.”
READ THE ARTICLE
This survey from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies has been released annually since 2010, and the latest one is in! This report, and previous editions, are accessible via the link below.
READ THE ARTICLE
Queensland public transport on a slow return trip but Brisbane roads carrying more vehicles
“Queenslanders are slowly returning to public transport even amid a slew of public holidays and transport disruptions, while Brisbane vehicle trips rapidly edge closer to pre-COVID levels.” Stats from rail, road, ferries, tram, and buses,.
READ THE ARTICLE
Cyber risk in adding electric cars to grid
“Connecting electric vehicles to the national power grid could open the door to cyberattacks and widespread power outages unless regulators get the security settings right early, experts warn.”
READ THE ARTICLE
Cleaner emissions standards for trucks and buses
A media release from Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King. “The Albanese Government will introduce tighter noxious emissions standards for new trucks and buses, saving lives while preventing toxic air pollution and providing significant environmental and economic benefits for communities.”
- Related iMOVE project: Investigating the viability of hydrogen fuel for heavy vehicle use
Drones could make last-mile package deliveries greener
“Using drones for the last mile of package deliveries uses less energy and creates fewer emissions than conventional means, a new study shows. Drones can have up to 94% lower energy consumption per package than other vehicles.”
Related iMOVE projects:
- Validating the benefits of increased drone uptake for Australia
- Hybrid drone/truck last mile delivery planning for e-groceries
Commuters should get EV tax breaks: report
“Australian workers with long commutes should receive tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, according to a new report into the technology. The recommendation was one of three policies proposed in a study from KPMG Australia that investigated the uptake of electric vehicles in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.”
George Street’s car-free zone extended to near Circular Quay
“Sydney CBD’s main artery, George Street, will soon be pedestrianised all the way from Chinatown to near Circular Quay, after the state government and City of Sydney council announced plans to shut the road to cars north of Wynyard.”
Barcelona uses metro trains to recharge e-scooters
“A 12-month pilot project in Barcelona is using energy recovered from metro trains braking to charge personal e-scooters. The initiative is in response to a growth in the use of electric mobility in Barcelona, as well as the need to find ways to reduce consumption amid the climate and energy crises.”
Auckland Transport boss flags funding as the main barrier in zero emissions race
“The City of Sails can expect to see a “significant shift” in public transport over the coming decade, as moves are underway to change the entire 1350 strong bus fleet over to electric vehicles.”
Placemaking: Building on the ‘Soul’ of a Place
The final article for the week is from Netizen, ‘the independent voice of the planning community, free from institutional or financial interests.’ This piece is compiles five guidelines to successful placemaking.
Related iMOVE project: Exploring the Movement and Place Framework
READ THE ARTICLEThe idea behind ITS Monday was in part driven by our ITS Weekly Roundup, an email newsletter we send each Friday (subscribe to that here, plus/or our monthly iMOVE newsletter!). That newsletter contains a substantial number of links, and sometimes I think interesting content could be lost in the mix. I also see quite a lot of interesting content on social media (yes, you can follow us on Linkedin and Twitter). So every week I’ll collect a few things, and put them in ITS Monday.
*Inclusion in ITS Monday does not equal iMOVE endorsement. It’s more aimed at discovery, thought, or discussion … or all of those and more. And while for the most part I expect content to be current, a little age doesn’t mean diminished interest.
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