The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a new goal to make up to 7,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity available through the smarter use of existing clean energy resources. The target represents a doubling of current levels and is enough electricity to power up to 7 million homes by 2030 without... Read more →
Scania and Northvolt unveiled a jointly developed battery cell for heavy electric vehicles. In validation tests, the lithium-ion cell has demonstrated an outstanding lifetime resulting in the capacity to power trucks for 1.5 million kilometers—equivalent to the truck’s whole lifetime. The prismatic cell has a capacity of 157 Ah and... Read more →
The average price paid for a new EV increased by $313 (up 0.5%) in March 2023 compared to February 2023. The average new EV sold for $58,940 in March, according to Kelley Blue Book (KBB) estimates—well above the industry average. New EV pricing peaked in 2022, coming down steadily since... Read more →
Due to a steady increase in availability of new models, expanded price mix within existing models and widening eligibility of federal and state incentives, acquisition cost is starting to fade as a hurdle to EV adoption, according to J.D. Power. According to the J.D. Power EV Index (earlier post), a... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research This brief post examines vehicle miles traveled in the United States from 2019 (the last year before the pandemic) through 2022. The raw data came from FHWA. The data are for all vehicles, and they are not adjusted for the changes in population. (Population-adjusted... Read more →
Drivers in the United States struck and killed 3,434 people in the first half of 2022—up 5%, or 168 more deaths, from the same period the year before, according to a new analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). This projection follows a 40-year high in pedestrian deaths in... Read more →
The US Department of Transportation announced that the National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST), housed at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis), would receive $20 million to lead a group of seven universities studying transportation effects on the environment. The funding was granted as part of the Department... Read more →
A team from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany examined the various aspects of e-scooter associated injuries using one of the largest cohorts to date, and reported their findings and recommendations in an open-access paper in Scientific Reports. E-scooter rentals became widely available in Hamburg starting in June 2019;... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board last week approved the final proposed 2022 Scoping Plan (earlier post), a roadmap to reduce demand for petroleum by 94%, cut air pollution by 71%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85%, and reach carbon neutrality by 2045. The action by the Board finalizes a process to... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research Travel by air plummeted at the start of the pandemic in early 2020 (as did travel by other modes of transportation). There has been, however, a gradual rebound since then. In terms of revenue passenger miles (for domestic flights) the lowest point was reached... Read more →
Gig-economy workers are four times as likely as other drivers to use smartphone apps regularly while driving, according to a new survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Parents are also nearly 50% more prone to routinely making video calls, checking weather reports and other types of smartphone-enabled... Read more →
The 2020 NextGen National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data show that there were more truck trips that year originating in New York with a destination in New Jersey than any other state to state origin-destination (OD) pair (29.3 million trips). The Federal Highway Administration began the NextGen NHTS to complement... Read more →
Vehicle connectivity and telematics software expert VNC Automotive suggests that vehicle subscription features will grow in popularity and become a standard component of the marketplace. Consumers are no stranger to the subscription model, now firmly a part of daily life for many, with millions of people regularly paying to use... Read more →
A tax on frequent flying could generate revenues needed to deeply decarbonize aviation through midcentury while concentrating the cost burden on those who fly the most, according to a new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation. (ICCT) The study comes as policymakers gather in Montreal this week to... Read more →
An investigation into a California crash that killed nine—including seven children—has led the National Transportation Safety Board to call for alcohol detection systems to be included in all new vehicles, according to new recommendations released Tuesday. The crash, on New Year’s Day 2021 in Avenal, California, was caused by... Read more →
Stable, an EV charging data analysis platform, has now used its proprietary prediction software to analyze 70 million data points for prospective charging site locations across the US, and has also completed its Series A funding round. Lead investor Congruent Ventures is joined by Homecoming Capital and Ironspring Ventures this... Read more →
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 9,560 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2022. This is an increase of about 7% as compared to the 8,935 fatalities projected for the same quarter in 2021. This would be the highest number of... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. This post examines the distances that the average American traveled by passenger road vehicle and by plane in 2021. In both instances, the distances to be compared are person miles. The derivation of person miles traveled by air is straightforward from the available monthly... Read more →
Newcastle University research has shown that women respond more quickly and exhibit more stable takeover control than men in automated cars. The open-access study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, focused on level 3 automated vehicles (L3 AVs), which allow drivers to be completely disengaged from driving and perform non-driving related... Read more →
A recent Kantar survey of 2,605 premium car buyers from Germany, the US and China on behalf of Mercedes-Benz Mobility has found that in all three markets, a large majority of respondents can imagine driving an electric car within the next five years. In comparison with the other countries, China... Read more →
A study by a team from the George Washington University finds that not all financial incentives are created equal in the eyes of prospective car buyers, and the current federal incentive—a tax credit—is, in fact, valued the least by car buyers. The study also found that whereas time-delayed incentives like... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research AAA publishes a daily map that divides the states into five groups, depending on the average price of regular gasoline. On July 5, 2022, two adjacent states had a unique relationship: they belonged to the two extreme AAA price groups, with Illinois in the... Read more →
Improving road safety by adopting proven interventions targeting four key risk factors for road injuries (speeding, drunk driving, lack of helmet, and seatbelt use) in 185 countries could save between 347,000 and 540,000 lives worldwide every year, and offers enormous potential to improve the health and development of individuals and... Read more →
New-vehicle retail sales for June 2022 are expected to decline when compared with June 2021, according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Retail sales of new vehicles this month are expected to reach 965,300 units, a 18.2% decrease compared with June 2021 when adjusted for selling... Read more →
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found that autonomous vehicles can be tricked into an abrupt halt or other undesired driving behavior by the placement of an ordinary object on the side of the road. The team recently A box, bicycle or traffic cone may “scare” a driverless... Read more →
Auto shoppers in America are more likely than ever before to consider buying a fully electric vehicle (EV), and new EV entries are responsible for much of the added consideration. These new entries, many from long-established vehicle manufacturers, are turning EV skeptics into likely EV considerers, according to the J.D.... Read more →
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released the draft 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan—the third update to the state’s initial 2008 Scoping Plan. It identifies a path to achieve carbon neutrality over the next two decades while also assessing the progress the State is making towards reducing its greenhouse... Read more →
A recent study by leading UK-based independent emissions testing company Emissions Analytics tested four apparently similar pairs of gasoline-fueled vehicles between the US (without gasoline particulate filters (GPFs)) and Europe (with GPFs). The US vehicles were tested in Michigan, and the European vehicles in the UK. The vehicles were: 3.0l... Read more →
A nationwide research study by Volta Inc., an EV charging network, has found that EV adoption is dependent upon highly visible EV chargers that are conveniently located at the places drivers already frequent. The findings go beyond price and range anxiety to understand top barriers to switching to electric: Visibility... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research Because of the war in Ukraine, many international flights of various airlines are currently affected by the closed airspaces. Specifically, they are forced to take longer routes that avoid these airspaces, increasing the total fuel consumed. Moreover, some of them also need to reduce... Read more →
A new analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects that US drivers struck and killed 3,441 pedestrians in the first six months of 2021, up 17% (507 additional lives) from the same period the year before. This projection continues a decade-long trend of rising pedestrian deaths on roadways.... Read more →
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, are presenting a framework for comparing how different micromobility vehicles, such as e-scooters, and bicycles move in cities, a methodology that can benefit companies and local authorities alike, and contribute to improving traffic safety. Their open-access paper appears in the Journal of Safety... Read more →
Cycling is climate-friendly and cost-effective and therefore plays a role in shaping a turnaround in transport policy. However, in many places the necessary infrastructure is not yet suitable for getting cyclists from A to B safely and comfortably. In order to be able to plan cycle paths more efficiently and... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. One possible consequence of the recent jump in the price of gasoline in the United States might be a reduction in driving. This post briefly outlines the complexity of this issue and presents some recent data. I must emphasize up front that no attempt... Read more →
A research study for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics focused on the number of daily trips taken in the United States. In 2021, 52% of all trips, including all modes of transportation, were less than three miles, with 28% of trips less than one mile. Just 2% of all trips... Read more →
In the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the countervailing barrage of economic sanctions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) is proposing a 10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use. IEA claims that its plan would lower oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a... Read more →
Recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics presented by the US Department of Energy (DOE) showed that in November of 2021, the number of daily trips taken nationwide exceeded the number of trips taken in late 2019, before the pandemic significantly affected daily travel across the United States. The... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. In 2011, Brandon Schoettle and I documented the fact that, during the 25-year period from 1983 to 2008, there was a large reduction in the proportion of young persons with a driver’s license, and an increase in the licensing of older persons. I periodically... Read more →
State Farm and Ford launched Drive Safe & Save Connected Car for customers with eligible connected Ford or Lincoln vehicles, to benefit from usage-based insurance (UBI). State Farm customers with eligible connected vehicles can opt into the State Farm UBI program, Drive Safe & Save, which adjusts premiums to an... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research During the pandemic, some workers were (and some still are) able to work from home. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the annual miles driven per car or light truck (SUV, pickup truck, or van) decreased... Read more →
First-time owners who have made the switch to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are discovering that it is a positive experience. Satisfaction among owners who are new to BEVs averages 754 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is comparable to 766 among BEV veterans (those who have owned a BEV prior to... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. Because of the pandemic, there was a substantial reduction in 2020 in vehicle miles traveled. The biggest drop was in April 2020 (a reduction of 40% compared with April 2019) followed by a gradual rebound later in the year. In December 2020, the reduction... Read more →
While the automotive industry continues to move toward fully automated, self-driving vehicles, the pace is not being matched by educational efforts that will help bring buyers into the modern mobility movement. According to the newly released J.D. Power 2021 Mobility Confidence Index (MCI) Study, consumers possess inaccurate knowledge of fully... Read more →
Honda Motor recently unveiled its work on two key advanced future safety technologies being developed with the goal of realizing “zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. The first is artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “Intelligent Driver-Assistive Technology” providing assistance that is suited to the ability and... Read more →
The BMW Group is introducing its innovative eDrive Zones in another 20 European cities, including Copenhagen, Verona and Toulouse. A total of 138 cities in Europe are now benefiting from this technology; BMW expects to roll out the service in at least another 30 cities worldwide in the coming year.... Read more →
by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research Among the variables included in my ongoing monthly monitoring of key transportation indexes are passenger miles for domestic flying and total road vehicle miles traveled. That monitoring has shown huge pandemic-related drops in each transportation mode during the spring of 2020 and gradual rebounds... Read more →
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (January-June) of 2021, which shows the largest six-month increase recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history. An estimated 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes... Read more →
NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s official think tank, with support from RMI and RMI India, has launched a campaign to transform last-mile deliveries and eliminate pollution through consumer engagement. Based on the Sanskrit word for zero, Shoonya will create a verification and branding system for electric delivery vehicles and... Read more →
The number of electric vehicle miles traveled (eVMT) has been increasing each year since the introduction of the first mass market plug-in vehicles in late 2010. Beginning in 2014, annual all-electric vehicle eVMT has exceeded that of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the US, reaching a new high of nearly... Read more →
Crash avoidance features and teen-specific vehicle technologies have the potential to prevent or mitigate up to three-quarters of fatal crashes involving teen drivers, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). We know these technologies don’t stop 100 percent of the crashes they’re designed to... Read more →