⏳ We are only 6 weeks away from CoMotion MIAMI ‘24, May 6-7! Don't miss the chance to to gain valuable insights on the future of mobility and connect with innovators, investors and public and private sector leaders from around the world. Register now.
The big news this week is the Biden administration announcing its long-awaited tailpipe emissions rule. It’s not quite as ambitious as originally envisioned, but it will nevertheless require the U.S. auto industry to shift to mostly EVs by the beginning of the next decade.
Toyota, despite being bearish on EVs, believes that its strong hybrid sales will allow it to thrive in the new regulatory environment. And Honda stands alone with a big bet on hydrogen fuel cells.
In other environmental policy news, in the year-and-a-half since Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, energy storage capacity has skyrocketed.
Plus there is news on India’s blossoming mobility startup scene, the tremendous success of Denver’s e-bike rebates, AOC introduces the “Green New Deal for Housing,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stands firm in support of the carbon tax, and DoorDash starts delivering fast food by drone.
What you need to know
Biden announces new tailpipe rules: The Biden administration announces new rules that will essentially force automakers to transition to mostly EVs over the next decade. Likely in response to concerns expressed by both Detroit OEMs and the powerful United Auto Workers union that represents their employees, the new rules do not require as aggressive cuts in emissions as the EPA initially proposed last year. The required emissions reductions, which will be phased in between model years 2027 and 2032, will be more gradual. By the end of that period, in order to comply with the emissions rules, roughly 56% of new cars will have to be EVs and an additional 16% will be hybrids.
The rule is the law for now, but there’s no guarantee it will remain the law in the coming years. The most obvious threat is a second Trump administration. While the auto industry is not openly hostile to the regulations, a trade group representing oil companies has begun to run ads in swing states denouncing Biden’s “car ban.”
IRA has quadrupled energy storage pipeline: The Inflation Reduction Act has led to a surge in the development of energy storage systems. The Department of Energy’s projects that total storage capacity in the U.S. by 2040 will be four times what it was projecting only a year ago.
The Green New Deal for housing: A group of left-wing lawmakers, led by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders, unveil a proposal to launch a new era of federally-funded public housing. The federal government has directly funded any new public housing in decades, instead supporting low-income housing through a tax credit scheme that incentivizes developers to build income-restricted homes. The proposal, which is largely symbolic at this point, calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in investment in new housing as well as improvements to existing public housing to make them more energy efficient.
Honda bets on hydrogen, with a twist: The Japanese automaker introduces a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that includes a small electric battery that can kick in for 29 miles in a pinch. Much like EVs once upon a time, fuel cell vehicles face a “chicken or the egg” problem due to a lack of fueling infrastructure. Honda, however, believes that the fuel cell technology it has developed has enough applications beyond consumer vehicles that the infrastructure will eventually develop.
Beyond the Car: What's Next in the Age of Adaptive Mobility?
On this episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward podcast, John Rossant is joined by Carlo Ratti, curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition, a professor and thought leader at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the MIT Senseable City Lab, an innovative research team dedicated to investigating the transformative effects of new technologies on urban environments, from how we comprehend and craft them to how we inhabit our city spaces.
Listen for a conversation on the end of the automobile's dominance in cities, what cities-from-scratch will have to contend with, and how existing cities will have to adapt to new modes. Tune in now!
⏳ We are only 6 weeks away!
CoMotion MIAMI ‘24, May 6-7, ‘The Next Wave: Integrating Innovation’ is just around the corner. Don't miss the chance to connect with innovators, public and private sector leaders, global mayors, the hottest startups, and to gain valuable insights on the future of mobility.
🔍 Why attend?
Exclusive access to influential thought-leaders and major stakeholders transforming how we move.
World-class insights through pitches, keynotes, panels, and workshops.
Cutting-edge demos, exhibitions, and live innovations.
Unique networking opportunities and unforgettable after-hours gatherings.
🎟️ Register now and save 30% on your pass. Early bird sale ends April 3.
E-bike rebates are moving like Taylor Swift tix: For the third year in a row, Denver makes available thousands of e-bike vouchers. After eight minutes, they were all gone. The program is eliminating 270,000 vehicle miles a week, the city estimates. We hope to see more cities follow Denver’s example!
Trudeau under pressure to axe carbon pricing: Ahead of a scheduled increase in Canada’s carbon tax, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing pressure from the opposition and even some members of his own party to abandon the pricing scheme, a system of taxes and rebates linked to fossil fuel use. The PM has dismissed calls to abandon the policy as “short-term” thinking, and says 80% of Canadians get more money out of it than they pay.
India’s EV startup boom: There number of Indian startups developing two-wheel electric vehicles has tripled in the past three years to more than 150. The boom is being driven partially by government subsidies for EV buyers, who in India are more likely to buy two-wheel vehicles like mopeds.
DoorDash does drones: The food delivery app begins delivering Wendy’s to a select group of customers in Christianburg, Va., with drones manufactured by Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary. Fly me in a square burger and a frosty, please.
Partner content
In this episode of our partner's podcast, 'Cities First,' host Scott Shepard chats with Andrew Savage, VP & Founding Team, Lime, the world's largest electric micromobility company. Tune in now to learn about how Lime tackles sustainability, what the most important form factors are in scooter and bike share design, how operators and cities can strengthen partnerships to achieve better public policy, and more.
What we’re reading
The unanticipated challenges for AVs: In Autoweek, Todd Lassa talks with former Waymo CEO John Krafcik about some of the surprising obstacles to the widespread adoption of AVs. For instance, deploying AVs at high speeds on highways turns out to be a bigger challenge than many anticipated, he says.
Why Toyota’s looking pretty good now: The auto giant has been a leader in hybrids but resistant to battery electric vehicles. For a while, it seemed to be getting left behind as other OEMs bet big on EVs. Now, however, it’s looking like the big winner, and is perhaps poised to fare better than its competitors under the new emissions rules announced by the EPA.
How can we build solar power without hurting the environment? The New York Times delves into the challenge of developing solar power without causing serious harm to natural habitats. There is no perfect solution, but there are a number of mitigation strategies. For instance: building the (required) fencing around solar farms in a way that doesn’t disrupt wildlife migration.
CoMotion's mobility goodness brought to you by:
Jack Craver,
Editor, CoMotion NEWS
jcraver@comotionglobal.com
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