POPULARITY
20 episodes with VMT
4 episodes with VMT
5 episodes with VMT
6 episodes with VMT
3 episodes with VMT
2 episodes with VMT
2 episodes with VMT
2 episodes with VMT
26 episodes with VMT
Today we celebrate the 20th episode of VMT with a very fun LIVE WYR
De SIAL 2024 in Parijs, een van de grootste voedingsmiddelenbeurzen ter wereld, brengt dit jaar opnieuw duizenden bedrijven en merken uit de internationale foodsector samen. Willem Paul de Mooij en Carmen Groeneveld van VMT beginnen hun beursbezoek op het innovatieplein, waar zij de nieuwste trends ontdekken. In deze podcast bespreken zij de innovaties opvallen.
Trendwatcher Mariëlle Bordewijk bespreekt met Dionne Irving van VMT een aantal trends die 2025 zullen vormgeven. Van de groeiende invloed van AI in productontwikkeling tot de populariteit van biologisch en regeneratieve landbouw, Mariëlle deelt waardevolle inzichten waar productontwikkelaars hun voordeel mee kunnen doen. Lees meer op: https://www.vmt.nl/ingredient-product en https://foodbydesign.nl/innovation-blog
Möt Pernilla, Joel och Håkan på NCC:s specialistenhet Vatten- och Miljöteknik (VMT) som arbetar med att du ska ha rent vatten i kranen varje dag. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ariane van Mancius van NowNewNext kijkt niet naar de harde grenzen tussen de generaties, maar vooral naar de drijfveren. Daar zit een overlap in, maar ook grote verschillen. In de podcast vertelt de duurzaamheids- en verpakkingsexpert hoe de drijfveren productontwikkeling kunnen informeren. Ariane zal op het Food Future Event van VMT op 3 oktober 2024 aanstaande een interactieve ontbijtsessie verzorgen voor jonge productontwikkelaars. In deze podcast praten we onder andere over: Hoe je bent opgegroeid in de eerste twintig jaar vormt je als generatie. De millennial is deels digitaal opgegroeid, gen Z helemaal. Gen Z is erg op zoek naar avontuur in eten. Ze kunnen veel geld uitgeven aan een koffie onderweg. Voedsellandschap is veranderd vanaf de millennial: “Alles was mogelijk, de Knorr Wereldgerechten kwamen op.” The power van TikTok met de Dubaireep als voorbeeld. En wat kan een doorsnee foodbedrijf hiermee? Ook babyboomer is sinds corona ook meer online. Ze hebben meer dan gen Z geld om uit te geven. Gen Z is heel paradoxaal: van Primark tot havermelkcappuccino. Bedrijven moeten kijken of de snelle trends bij hen passen. En nog veel meer: van Roxy Dekker tot edamameboontjes! Bekijk het programma van het Food Future Event: www.vmt.nl/foodfuture Meer over Ariane en NowNewNext: www.nownewnext.nl
Producten die op de grond vallen en netjes weer op de productielijn worden gelegd. Dat gebeurt nog steeds, zélfs tijdens een audit. Toch zijn dit incidenten en doen producenten het grotendeels correct. Dit vertellen auditors Ans van Bergen en Mark de Langen in een podcast met VMT. De auditors vertellen meer over hoe zij audits ervaren, wat zij zoal tegenkomen en wat zij voor tips hebben voor producenten.
¿Qué es lo que se ha cambiado en la ley de legítima defensa? Nos lo explica Fausto del Castillo, de la Asociación de Uso Responsable de Armas. MIENTRAS TANTO: Explosión en grifo Primax de VMT deja un fallecido y más de 40 heridos... y esto se venía venir desde enero. ADEMÁS: Flor Pablo y otros congresistas "representando" a sus nuevos partidos. Y... ¿Qué podría haber sido el Sistema Nacional de Cuidados? ¿Por qué la comisión de la pastora evangélica Milagros Jáuregui lo abortó? Nos lo explica Miriam Tovar del IDEHPUCP. **** ¿Te gustó este episodio? ¿Buscas las fuentes de los datos mencionados hoy? SUSCRÍBETE en http://patreon.com/ocram para acceder a nuestros GRUPOS EXCLUSIVOS de Telegram y WhatsApp. También puedes hacerte MIEMBRO de nuestro canal de YouTube aquí https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP0AJJeNkFBYzegTTVbKhPg/join **** Únete a nuestro CANAL de WhatsApp aquí https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAgBeN6RGJLubpqyw29 **** Para más información legal: http://laencerrona.pe
Buckle up as we navigate the twists and turns of infrastructure and road funding. As electric vehicles gain traction, traditional gas taxes are running out of fuel to support our infrastructure budget. Today, we're exploring how Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) taxes pave a more equitable and sustainable path for funding road maintenance and construction. Adam Hoffer, the Director of Excise Tax Policy, joins Kyle Hulehan to unpack the challenges and opportunities of VMT taxes. They will explore the innovative technologies used for mileage tracking and address the significant privacy concerns involved. Links: https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/road-funding-vehicle-miles-traveled-tax/https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/gas-tax/Support the Show.Follow us!https://twitter.com/TaxFoundationhttps://twitter.com/deductionpodSupport the show
Buckle up as we navigate the twists and turns of infrastructure and road funding. As electric vehicles gain traction, traditional gas taxes are running out of fuel to support our infrastructure budget. Today, we're exploring how Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) taxes pave a more equitable and sustainable path for funding road maintenance and construction. Adam Hoffer, the Director of Excise Tax Policy, joins Kyle Hulehan to unpack the challenges and opportunities of VMT taxes. They will explore the innovative technologies used for mileage tracking and address the significant privacy concerns involved. Links: https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/road-funding-vehicle-miles-traveled-tax/https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/gas-tax/Support the Show.Follow us!https://twitter.com/TaxFoundationhttps://twitter.com/deductionpodSupport the show
Summary: Phil and I talk all about Transportation Engineering and Design. ________________________________________________________Sponsor: This show is supported by the Top Five Newsletter. If you want a simple and to-the-point update on Raleigh commercial development you can subscribe to the Top Five. It's free if you want it to be!________________________________________________________Big Take Aways:- Multimodal transportation engineering: What is it? Why is it important?- Breakdown of industry jargon and acronyms: VMT, LOS, VHOD…- The importance of starting with a sketch.________________________________________________________About Phil: Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer with Toole Design Group working to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US. Outside of the 9-5, his goal is to create cites that are safe and effective for all people to move about outside of cars. Whether it's written articles, sketches, YouTube videos, or just starting a conversation on Twitter Phil is always spreading ideas focus on creating equitable, dense, and vibrant cities full of walkable neighborhoods. Connect with Phil: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | TwitterMentioned in the show:- philveasley.com________________________________________________________Sponsor: This show is supported by the Top Five Newsletter. If you want a simple and to the point update on Raleigh commercial development you can subscribe to the Top Five. It's free if you want it to be!Show Notes: Welcome to Dirt NC where we talk all about the places and spaces of North Carolina and the people who make them awesome, I am your host Jed Byrne.Throughout my career in engineering, construction, finance, and development, I have covered just about all sides of the land use ecosystem. This show creates an opportunity for me to share what I have learned with you as well as introduce you to some of my friends, both new and old who are doing transformative work.With each episode of Dirt NC my goal is to make sure you walk away learning something new about land use. I promise to keep it simple and straight to the point.As always, I am grateful that you have chosen to share this time with me! If you have comments/questions/suggestions about Dirt NC or anything land use related you can connect with me on www.oakcitycre.com.Until next time, Thank you!
Hoe vergelijk je de verschillende plantaardige alternatieven op melk zoals soja, haver en amandel met halfvolle melk? Onderzoeker Peter de Jong verbonden aan Van Hall Larenstein en NIZO deed een poging. In het vergelijk nam hij niet alleen de footprint mee maar ook de voedingswaarde/eiwitkwaliteit. Peter de Jong en zijn collega's publiceerden de resultaten in het wetenschappelijk tijdschrift Sustainability onder de titel: Sustainability evaluation of plantbased beverages and semi-skimmed milk incorporationg nutrients, market prices and environmental costs. VMT-collega's Dionne Irving en Willem Paul de Mooij interviewen hoofdonderzoeker Peter de Jong over het onderzoek. Ze drinken ook een glaasje plantaardige drank of halfvolle melk.
The freedom of the open road would become a little less free if congestion pricing became widespread in America. The strategy aims to reduce traffic congestion by charging variable fees for driving at certain times in certain areas. Planners and policymakers see the potential revenue to offset declining gas tax receipts as vehicles become more fuel efficient. Decades after dynamic pricing was implemented by some international cities, only a relative handful of American cities — New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C. — have adopted plans for at least partial implementations of the pricing model. In the debut of an occasional series called Your Mileage May Vary, Senior Writers Skip Descant (Government Technology) and Jared Brey (Governing) join The Future In Context to explore the efforts to bring the model to America and whether resistance is waning. The story of congestion pricing underscores the complexity of transportation and infrastructure management; and highlights the importance of strategic planning, community engagement and adaptive policies to address evolving challenges effectively. SHOW NOTES Here are the top 5 takeaways from this episode: Congestion Pricing: The concept of congestion pricing, though controversial, is gaining traction as a means to manage traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fund transportation infrastructure. It involves charging drivers for road usage, especially in congested areas, to incentivize alternative modes of transportation. Funding Challenges and Alternative Revenue Sources: Traditional funding sources like the gas tax are becoming insufficient due to factors such as increased fuel efficiency and the rise of electric vehicles. Policymakers are exploring alternative revenue sources like vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fees to sustainably fund transportation infrastructure projects. Public Engagement and Policy Design: Effective policy design requires thorough public engagement to understand community needs and concerns. Policymakers should align their goals, whether reducing congestion, cutting emissions or improving driving experiences, with the preferences of the public to garner support and ensure successful implementation. Economic, Social and Environmental Importance: Transportation and infrastructure are vital for economic growth, social well-being and environmental sustainability. They affect various aspects of life and are crucial for governments to manage effectively. Long-Term Perspective and Political Will: Implementing significant changes in transportation and infrastructure requires a long-term perspective and political will. Policymakers must navigate complex challenges, including public resistance, competing interests and the need for sustainable solutions that address both current and future needs. Related Links to stories referenced in the episode: To Sell Congestion Pricing Plans, Don't Mention Climate Change Washington's $15 Tolls Hope to Reduce Traffic, Increase Revenue After NYC, Will Los Angeles Be Next to Consider Congestion Pricing? Hope for Car-Haters Our editors used ChatGPT 4.0 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes. The main image for this story was created using DALL-E 3. Listen to this episode on the player below or subscribe for free on YouTube or the podcast app of your choice — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy and Audible.
This episode is a feature in our CEQA Series; our host Konnie Dobreva speaks with guests Tim Haile, Executive Director at Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and Meghan Macias, Director of Technical Services at EPD Solutions Konnie, Meghan, and Tim discuss the impacts of SB 743 on VMT mitigation and TDM programs designed to reduce emissions, urban sprawl and promote use of alternative transportation. Tim Haile, an award-winning transportation expert, emphasizes the importance of innovative transit programs and the need for sustainable, equitable, and accessible transportation solutions. He discusses his leadership in connected and autonomous vehicles, including the deployment of shared autonomous vehicles in the Bay Area. Meghan Macias brings over two decades of experience in transportation planning to the conversation. She leads a team focused on comprehensive technical analyses for land development projects across California. Meghan's expertise includes traffic engineering and a deep understanding CEQA. Join Tim, Meghan, and Konnie as they discuss challenges and strategies surrounding VMT mitigation and its impact on transportation planning and development in California.
Legalizing red light/speed camera enforcement, light rail turnstiles and safety, moderately spicy sambusas, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction, transpo policy bros, energy policy bros, the viability of a train to Duluth, connecting the Midtown Greenway to St. Paul, and incendiary remarks over how easy it is to drive and park in Minneapolis. All these topics and more in my conversation with Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura who represents Minnesota House district 63A, which overlaps with a good chunk of Minneapolis Ward 12: stretching from Minnehaha Park on the south, the Mississippi River on the east, Hiawatha Ave/Blue Line LRT to the west, and I-94 to the north. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee
David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, FFT, VMT is an Allied HealthMember in the Department of Family and Community Medicine atthe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), where he isthe Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC'sCenter for Integrative Medicine.David is the author of the international best seller Fascia: What itis and Why it Matters, currently in 10 languages and 2 editions.His follow up book, as editor, Fascia, Function, and MedicalApplications was nominated for a 2021 British MedicalAssociation.He has contributed chapters to the 2nd Edition of Fascia: TheTensional Network of the Human Body, and the 2nd edition ofMetabolic Therapies In Orthopedics. He contributed to the 4thedition of Joe Muscolino's Kinesiology.His podcast, BodyTalk with David Lesondak, is listened to in 42countries and in 2022 made the Top 10% Most Shared Shows onSpotifyNow in his 15 th year at UPMC, David specializes in helping peopleimprove physical function, resolve pain and restore resilience.Prior to that he spent 13 years managing and practicing at multi-disciplinary clinic in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.David's natural ability to forge successful connections led toeducational ventures with renowned researchers and practitionersin the field of fascia, including a faculty position with AnatomyTrains continuing education from 2003-2008. In 2009 hecollaborated with Anatomy Trains author Thomas W. Myers on theproduction of Anatomy Trains Revealed – a three-DVD legacymedia companion to Myers' book that went from the theoreticalrealm of the and into the anatomy lab itself!From 2010 - 2017 David teamed up with Robert Schleip, PhD,who headed the Fascia Research Project at Ulm University,Germany. Together they produced over 100 hours of educationalcontent for both clinicians and researchers who wanted the latestin fascia science. Sensing he was not content with just beingbehind the scenes, and gauging his aptitude, Robert invited Davidto lecture on the current science around fascia and the mind/bodyconnection at the 2014 Fascia Summer School.A gifted and inspired speaker of all things fascia, David has beenan invited speaker and workshop facilitator to such diverse groupsas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Workshop on MyofascialPain, the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine, the LAClippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Australian, British, andPolish Fascia Symposiums, the World Fascia Congress, theInternational Fascia Research Congress, the Anatomy TrainsMaster Class Series, the University of Arizona College ofMedicine, and many others.Previous to entering the healthcare field, David's various careerincarnations were in television, advertising, and the funeral arts.Including over a decade-long stint as a DJ on WYEP-FM inPittsburgh. He maintains an avid interest in music and can besometimes be heard at Pittsburghs's singer/songwriter Open Micscene.David' Website: www.davidlesondak.comThe International Association of Structural Integrators Website: www.theiasi.net
De wereldwijde vleesindustrie kan nog een grote slag slaan met het terugbrengen van CO2- en methaanuitstoot. Tegelijk groeit de wereldbevolking en het aantal mensen dat vaker vlees gaat eten de komende jaren ook. Tijdens het World Meat Congress kijkt de sector de enorme uitdagingen in de ogen. VMT spreekt organisator Laurens Hoedemaker, Voorzitter van COV, VNV en Vlees.NL.
The Federal Highway Administration is taking nominations for a new advisory board that could help the agency toward an entirely new system for funding highways. Also, Christmas is more than 10 weeks away, but preparations for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree ceremony are in full swing. Two Werner drivers will do the honor of picking up the tree and delivering it to Washington, D.C. And load-to-truck ratios increased for all three equipment types last week. We'll get the latest details on what the spot market looks like as shippers and retailers close out the third quarter. 0:00 – Newscast 10:07– Feds want advice on switching to VMT 25:00– Capitol Christmas Tree gets ready to move 39:28 – Spot market ends third quarter
Literature Review this Week 1) From Cell Host and Microbe - "The microbiomes of cesarean-born infants differ from vaginally delivered infants and are associated with increased disease risks. Vaginal microbiota transfer (VMT) to newborns may reverse C-section-related microbiome disturbances. Here, we evaluated the effect of VMT by exposing newborns to maternal vaginal fluids and assessing neurodevelopment, as well as the fecal microbiota and metabolome. Sixty-eight cesarean-delivered infants were randomly assigned a VMT or saline gauze intervention immediately after delivery in a triple-blind manner...... and much more about the cutting edge science of today. Also a piece on napping followed by the recipe of the week. Enjoy, Dr. M
The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession
With the widespread use of smartphones, many people spend extended periods looking down at their screens. How does prolonged forward neck tilt associated with smartphone use contribute to issues like “tech neck?” In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with David Lesondak about how smartphones affect the biomechanics of neck tilt, possible age-related factors, and ergonomic considerations people can take to avoid excessive smartphone-related neck tilt. David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT, FFT, IAHE, is a member of the Allied Health Professional Staff in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He is a board-certified Structural Integrator, visceral manipulator, fascial fitness trainer, and more. The success of his first book, Fascia: What It Is and Why It Matters (available in nine languages), led to contributing a chapter to an orthopedic textbook, which resulted in his being asked to architect and edit the first-ever textbook designed for the medical and health-care field—Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications. He is host of the podcast BodyTalk with David Lesondak, which has listeners in 36 countries. Hosts: Darren Buford is senior director of communications and editor-in-chief for ABMP. He is editor of Massage & Bodywork magazine and has worked for ABMP for 22 years, and been involved in journalism at the association, trade, and consumer levels for 24 years. He has served as board member and president of the Western Publishing Association, as well as board member for Association Media & Publishing. Contact him at editor@abmp.com. Kristin Coverly, LMT is a massage therapist, educator, and the director of professional education at ABMP. She loves creating continuing education courses, events, and resources to support massage therapists and bodyworkers as they enhance their lives and practices. Contact her at ce@abmp.com. Sponsors: Anatomy Trains: www.anatomytrains.com Touch America: www.touchamerica.com Zibby Media: www.zibbymedia.com Anatomy Trains is a global leader in online anatomy education and also provides in-classroom certification programs for structural integration in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as fresh-tissue cadaver dissection labs and weekend courses. The work of Anatomy Trains originated with founder Tom Myers, who mapped the human body into 13 myofascial meridians in his original book, currently in its fourth edition and translated into 12 languages. The principles of Anatomy Trains are used by osteopaths, physical therapists, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and other body-minded manual therapists and movement professionals. Anatomy Trains inspires these practitioners to work with holistic anatomy in treating system-wide patterns to provide improved client outcomes in terms of structure and function. Website: anatomytrains.com Email: info@anatomytrains.com Facebook: facebook.com/AnatomyTrains Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g6TOEFrX4b-CigknssKHA Zibby Media is a women-led company dedicated to deepening the connections between readers, authors, and each other. We do so by offering many ways to connect—even for those who don't have time to read. Founded by Zibby Owens, author, podcaster, publisher, bookstore owner, CEO, and mother of four, Zibby Media includes a publishing house, a magazine, podcasts, retreats, classes, a book club, salon events, and an independent bookstore with frequent author events. If you have ever loved a book, you're in the right place. Learn more at zibbymedia.com Follow us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zibbybooks/?hl=en Listen to the podcast @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks Read the magazine @zibbymag TouchAmerica is a leading manufacturer of professional grade wellness furniture, bodywork tables, halotherapy suites, hydrotherapy equipment, sound bathing loungers, and other related products. At TouchAmerica, we believe in a future where good health and vitality are common in all aspects of living. Promoting the positive power of conscious touch is at the core of our vision. We hope our products help add a touch of functional elegance to your massage & spa work environment. ABMP members receive 20% off all standard products. Discounts do not apply to salt or special-order SKUs. Visit https://www.touchamerica.com/ or Call 800 67 TOUCH and use code touchABMP*. Reach out today and feel the TouchAmerica difference!
Climate-conscious cities around the world are scrambling for ideas to cut how many miles their residents drive. But which strategies work the best — and which ones will residents actually accept? Today on The Brake, Kea Wilson sits down with researcher and best-selling author Dr. Kimberly Nicholas to talk about a recent study of the most effective ideas European cities have tried to transition away from car dependency — and what it might take to bring them to America. Listen in, and check out her Substack We Can Fix It here.
Wat vraagt de jonge generatie - gen Z - om bij nieuwe producten? Waar moeten productontwikkelaars op letten? Bart Jan Veldhuizen, mede-oprichter van Kitchen Republic, de startup incubator in Amsterdam geeft een workshop op het Food Future Event op 26 september voor productontwikkelaars over dit onderwerp. VMT nam een kijkje in de keuken en sprak met Bart Jan. In de podcast vertelt hij: hoe hij op het idee voor Kitchen Republic kwam hoe hij alles van voedselveiligheid moest leren dat hij voorzichtig is met hypes rond vleesvervangers en flitsbezorgers waar in de markt hij groei ziet hoe startups en grote bedrijven kunnen samenwerken hoe productontwikkelaars om moeten gaan met de jongere generatie Wil je als productontwikkelaar meer leren van Bart Jan Veldhuizen? Kom dan naar het Food Future Event op 26 september. Hij geeft samen met productontwikkelaar Loek Veltmans een workshop: Productontwikkeling voor nieuwe generaties, hoe doe je dat? Kijk voor het programma op: https://foodfuture.vmt.nl/programma
Transportation is now the #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. While electrification is the most obvious emissions reduction strategy, it isn't enough. We must reduce VMT, or vehicle miles travelled. We interview Anna Zetkulic, senior associate on the Carbon Free Transportation team at RMI and Miguel Moravec, an Associate with the US program, about how cities and states are tackling the issue, and the huge side benefits that come with VMT reduction.ResourcesArticle: Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate ConversationAnalysis: Minnesotans Would Save up to $91 Billion from Climate-Smart TransportationBuffalo NY: Green codeColorado's Greenhouse Gas programTHE HIDDEN CLIMATE SUCCESS IN MINNESOTA'S NEW TRANSPORTATION LAWAmerica Is All In
The Texas House has advanced a bill that would authorize a vehicle mileage tax pilot program. Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers have approved widening Interstate 70 between Kansas City and St. Louis. Also, as part of our celebration of OOIDA's 50th anniversary, we'll take a look at the Association's part in the ongoing battle to solve the truck parking crisis. And we'll take a look at heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems – also known as HVAC – and what you are looking for in terms of performance that would tell you whether your HVAC has a problem? 0:00 – Newscast 10:12 – The battle for more truck parking 24:52 – Maintaining your HVAC 39:36 – Texas may test VMT
Episode #588 is another great doubleheader, featuring interviews with William Simpson and Louis Southard! William Simpson is an internationally renowned artist known for his work on Judge Dredd, Batman, Transformers, Vamps, and Indiana Jones. He has recently released VMT from Renegade Arts Entertainment, which is described this way: “A tale of blood, monsters, and those that walk amongst them seeking to help us all.” We discuss his career in the comics industry, what “VMT” actually stands for, and what else he's working on that is not to be missed! Then everything wraps up with my interview with the return of Louis Southard, who is bringing fans a prequel to his Midnight Western Theatre series subtitled, Witch Trial. It's described this way: “Before the Woman in Black, there was only Ortensia Thomas: a young girl in a wild west filled with threats both supernatural and all too human. With a new cast of characters and her black-clad destiny looming over her, witness Ortensia like you've never seen her before!” Louis updates us on all he's working on and that you need to let your local comics shop know you want this new series before the Final Order Cutoff date of Thursday, May 18! Word of warning: This book comes from Scout Comics, who I help out behind the scenes!
With more and more consumers plugging in their cars instead of filling up their tanks, the gas tax is slowly eroding—just like many of our roads and bridges across the country. Less fuel tax means less money for repairing our decaying infrastructure, but Road Usage Charges (RUC) can change that. . RUC — also referred to as a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee, a distance-based user fee (DBF), or a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) — charges motorists based on the number of miles they drive instead of the number of gallons of fuel they put into their vehicles. This evolution to a more usage-based model provides sustainability and fairness in paying for our roads and bridges as more and more consumers move to EVs. . As a leading global engineering and professional services firm, WSP USA has led some of the largest and most successful RUC pilots in the country. These efforts have led to wider state consideration and enhanced regional interest in RUC as a viable future transportation funding source. . For expert insight, we sat down with David S. Kim, SVP and Principal, National Transportation Policy and Multimodal Strategy for WSP USA, to discuss RUC and how more states are considering RUC funding as an option given the rise in EV ownership and impacts of inflation. He also share insight on transit agencies' complicated and expensive efforts to transition bus fleets to zero emission. . We'd love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for future topics and guests to podcast@sae.org. Don't forget to take a moment to follow SAE Tomorrow Today—a podcast where we discuss emerging technology and trends in mobility with the leaders, innovators and strategists making it all happen—and give us a review on your preferred podcasting platform. . Follow SAE on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Follow host Grayson Brulte on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
LLN (4/18/23) – Driver-facing cameras are not popular among the professional truck-driving community. An ATRI survey turned up some interesting feedback about the controversial technology. Also, we'll hear from a fitness instructor who learned the ins and outs of life behind the wheel to tailor a program for drivers to incorporate exercise into their day to better their physical and mental health. And Texas is starting down the path to a pilot program to test vehicle miles traveled – and commercial vehicles are the first target. Meanwhile, several states are eyeing changes to their fuel tax, with many focusing on fuel tax relief. 0:00 – Newscast. 10:13 – Study focuses on driver-facing cameras. 24:32 – Designing a fitness program for truckers. 38:45 – Texas considers test of VMT.
Greg shares his family's experience with Disney Cruise Line's Very Merrytime themed cruising experience aboard both the Disney Dream and Disney Wish. Were DCL's offerings, activities and experiences the same? There was a lot said on social media about the decorations on the Wish, but what did Greg think? Come find out as we compare the VMT experience across the Disney fleet. If you are looking to book your next Disney Cruise, have been thinking about sailing concierge, have been eying an Adventures by Disney Trip, or are interested in what other kinds of vacations might be available, then head over to My Path Unwinding Travel so Karen and her team of expert travel professionals can help you find the perfect vacation for you and your family. Karen and her team are knowledgeable, responsive and welcoming and we are so excited to have them as a sponsor of your show! If you use Sea Bands to help prevent seasickness and motion sickness, then you need to check out Blisslets (via our affiliate link), a stylish alternative to traditional sea sickness bands designed to fit your lifestyle. Would you like a little downtime for date night or just some time to reconnect as adults on your next Disney vacation? Be sure to check out Nanny Land!! They've got tons of options from babysitting services, in-park nannies, and even nannies who will come with you on your next DCL vacation. They cover all of the Disney parks and resorts, world-wide, and are probably much more affordable than you might imagine. Use our affiliate Crown Code: KING85 to get a discount on your next Nanny Land booking. The DCLDuo Podcast is a weekly Disney Cruise Line and Disney travel focused podcast. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts. Our podcast is also available on Pocket Casts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and most other major podcast providers. You can also like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @DCLDuo. You can also join our Facebook Group, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more great content. If you'd like to be a guest on the show, you can email us at dclduo@gmail.com. You can also connect with us and read our blog at our website. Or you can become a supporter of the show over at Patreon. If you want to see even more ways to connect with us, including our Etsy Store
David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He serves as the Senior Structural Integrator and Fascia Specialist at UPMC's Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a Board Certified Structural Integrator, Anatomy Trains Structural Integrator, Frederick Stretch Therapist, Fascial Fitness Trainer, and Visceral Manipulation. David is the author of the international best seller Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters, now in its 2nd edition. His follow up book, Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications was nominated for a 2021 British Medical Association award. David sits on the Executive Committee of The International Consortium on Manual Therapies.He host the podcast BodyTalk with David Lesondak https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bodytalk-with-david-lesondak/id1557630659You can find out more about David at https://www.davidlesondak.com/Support the Somatic Primer https://somaticprimer.comSupport the show
This week we're joined by Ron Milam of Fehr and Peers to talk about some of his thoughts on this year's Transportation Research Board Conference. We also talk about VMT and highway expansions, commute times and distances in China, and why certain sounds from your neighbors might put you on edge. Follow along below the jump for the show notes. Notes Why do we keep expanding highways? - New York Times MIT finds Chinese commute times pretty standard - Archinect Why neighbor noises annoy us - Nautilus Puppies and Butterflies Doggie bus stops - The Drive OOO Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com
True North Country Comics Podcast chats with William Simpson as he discusses 'VMT' published by Renegade Arts Entertainment The post William Simpson discusses ‘VMT’ published by Renegade Arts Entertainment appeared first on True North Country Comics.
Land Use ChangesOne solution to reduce vehicle usage, and in turn, carbon emissions are land use changes. Changing cities' relationship with land use can reduce dependence on cars, minimize energy consumption, improve air quality and create healthier communities. Sustainable cities of the future must be designed for residents to have more opportunities for biking, walking, and other clean transit alternatives. Massive steps such as changing zoning codes, and redesigning cities and infrastructure are needed to reduce reliance on individual passenger vehicles. The California Air Resource Board (CARB) is currently researching the impacts of land use and transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution exposure, and improve equality and health. Some solutions CARB identifies are restricting oil and gas wells within 300 feet of residential and commercial zones, requiring public projects to reduce emissions from construction sites, developing sustainable communities with greater opportunities for clean transit, and developing vegetative barriers near-roadways. The design of suburban America and single-family homes has created a society heavily reliant on cars, and this problem is very evident in California with notorious traffic congestion and smog. In 2008, in attempts to improve land use, fight climate change, reduce vehicle dependence and the urban sprawl phenomena California passed Senate Bill 375 which “requires that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) develop a Sustainable Community Strategies to illustrate how integrated land use, transportation, and housing planning will achieve regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.” The goal of this legislation was to support housing and transportation projects that wouldn't require individuals to drive as much, and in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, over a decade later this legislation has not achieved those objectives and the state remains just as sprawling and car-dominated as before. A 2018 report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found that statewide passenger vehicle emissions have increased per capita since passing Bill 375. California's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the transportation sector, and emissions from this sector have continued to rise despite the state's aim to reduce per capita passenger vehicle carbon emissions by 18% by 2035. One reason for the failure of this legislation is that the bill provided no real requirements or penalties for cities and counties that fail to follow their region's plan. One example of sustainable land use changes is Barcelona's “superblocks” which are walkable public spaces in clusters of nine city blocks, three-by,-three. Traffic is routed around the perimeter of these clusters and streets become shared public spaces. The superblocks have reduced traffic noise, and pollution and led to more sociable, walkable, and sustainable street life. Other cities such as Oslo, Madrid, and London have banned cars from city centers. Montreal and Bogota have regulated car-free days and car-free corridors. These land use changes are critical, as is estimated urban areas and cities contain only over 1-4% of Earth's land but contain over 56% of the world's population and nearly 95% of California's population. In the coming decades, it is estimated the urban population will increase to 68% by 2050. This growth in urbanization raises the need for sustainable city planning and changes in land use, to accommodate growing populations while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. Concerns of equity and gentrification are important to prioritize in redesigning cities as well. Land use changes to design human-scaled cities, instead of car-scaled ones, are the future of sustainable city planning and are key in reducing individual passenger vehicle emissions.Steve CliffDr. Steve Cliff is the Executive Officer of the California Air and Resource Board (CARB). Cliff began his appointment in the Summer of 2022 and works with the board to enact programs to reduce air and climate pollution within the state. In his role, Cliff oversees over 1,800 employees and a budget of $2.7 billion. Before serving as Executive Officer Cliff worked as the 16th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and was appointed by President Biden in January 2021. At NHTSA Cliff oversaw the nation's vehicle safety agency, where he helped advance vehicle technologies and established fuel economy regulations. Dr. Cliff also has an extensive history working with CARB as he first joined as an Air Pollution Specialist in 2008, served as Deputy Executive Officer overseeing the board's climate program, and was appointed by Governor Brown in 2016 as senior advisor to CARB's Chair. Governor Brown also appointed Dr. Cliff as Assistant Director for Sustainability to the California Department of Transportation, where he served in this role from 2014 to 2016. Sourceshttps://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/resource-center/strategy-development/land-use-resourceshttps://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/Final2018Report_SB150_112618_02_Report.pdfhttps://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-housing-transportation-climate-20181129-story.htmlhttps://ww2.arb.ca.gov/research/research-land-use-and-transportation-planninghttps://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/superblocks-barcelonas-plan-to-free-itself-from-cars/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-cities-population/more-americans-move-to-cities-in-past-decade-census-idUSL2E8EQ5AJ20120326https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#:~:text=Today%2C%20some%2056%25%20of%20the,people%20will%20live%20in%20 cities. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html#:~:text=Today%2C%2055%25%20of%20the%20world,increase%20to%2068%25%20by%202050.https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/research/research-land-use-and-transportation-planning
Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations
Big trucks cause more damage to transportation infrastructure, but they pay less to use roads and bridges than passenger vehicles do. New research findings – with input from the freight industry – can inform how policy makers might change that.
After referring to my training in Voice Movement Therapy over several episodes, I thought it was about time it got an episode to itself! Voice Movement Therapy or VMT is, at its core, an expressive arts therapy that uses the singing voice as its primary tool of expression. I trained in VMT with its founder Paul Newham in London from 1998-2000. It has informed all of my work since then. In this episode I discuss: A brief history of VMT The two parallel elements that run through it The physical development of the voice and The creative and therapeutic development of the self. Some of the vocal components. How we incorporate many of Carl Jung's teachings, especially Active Imagination and work on the personal and collective Shadow. Why I think VMT is one of the most non-discriminatory methods of vocal training currently available. If you are interested in finding out more about VMT visit www.iavmt.org where you will also find details for the next training. If you enjoyed this episode
A few bits of exciting news from VMT!
The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession
David Lesondak's personal need to understand why things work, and why sometimes they don't, drives his continuing search for the latest scientific knowledge and innovative approaches. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with David about being a fascial fitness trainer, how to bring a fascial awareness to our movement, and how presenting his new book, Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications, to a medical audience was so important. David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, VMT, FFT, IAHE, is a member of the Allied Health Professional Staff in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He is a board-certified Structural Integrator, visceral manipulator, fascial fitness trainer, and more. The success of his first book, Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters, now available in 9 languages, led to contributing a chapter to an orthopedic textbook, which resulted in his being asked to architect and edit the first-ever fascia textbook designed for the medical and health-care field: Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications. He is host of the podcast BodyTalk with David Lesondak, which has listeners in 36 countries. Hosts: Darren Buford is senior director of communications and editor-in-chief for ABMP. He is editor of Massage & Bodywork magazine and has worked for ABMP for 22 years, and been involved in journalism at the association, trade, and consumer levels for 24 years. He has served as board member and president of the Western Publishing Association, as well as board member for Association Media & Publishing. Contact him at editor@abmp.com. Kristin Coverly, LMT is a massage therapist, educator, and the director of professional education at ABMP. She loves creating continuing education courses, events, and resources to support massage therapists and bodyworkers as they enhance their lives and practices. Contact her at ce@abmp.com. Sponsors: Anatomy Trains: www.anatomytrains.com Fascia Research Society: www.fasciaresearchsociety.org Anatomy Trains is a global leader in online anatomy education and also provides in-classroom certification programs for structural integration in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as fresh-tissue cadaver dissection labs and weekend courses. The work of Anatomy Trains originated with founder Tom Myers, who mapped the human body into 13 myofascial meridians in his original book, currently in its fourth edition and translated into 12 languages. The principles of Anatomy Trains are used by osteopaths, physical therapists, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and other body-minded manual therapists and movement professionals. Anatomy Trains inspires these practitioners to work with holistic anatomy in treating system-wide patterns to provide improved client outcomes in terms of structure and function. Website: anatomytrains.com Email: info@anatomytrains.com Facebook: facebook.com/AnatomyTrains Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g6TOEFrX4b-CigknssKHA Fascia Research Society (FRS) was established as a membership organization to facilitate, encourage, and support the dialogue and collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and academicians, in order to further our understanding of the properties and functions of fascia. Every three years, FRS hosts the International Fascia Research Congress (IFRC). Beginning in 2007 with the first IFRC, and triennially since, the IFRC has been the premier fascia congress in the world. No other fascia congress brings together the very latest in fascial discovery and the diversity of the leaders in fascia. Registration closes August 31, 2022—don't miss out! For more information on FRS, or to register for the 2022 IFRC, please visit us at www.fasciaresearchsociety.org. Questions about either FRS or IFRC? Email us at info@fasciaresearchsociety.org.
Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations
Some statistics like population growth and the price of crude oil are directly linked to transportation planning in Texas. But others—like commercial airline boardings and home sales—play a role, too. Collectively, the numbers paint a picture that informs how we fund our transportation system.
The fuel tax has long been the preferred method of funding road building and repair in the United States, as this brief history outlines. That has been the case in Michigan for nearly a century, with fees for registering vehicles also contributing to the funding pool. A recent study on mileage-based user fees (MBUF) observes that the gas tax was a benefits tax based on the users-pay/users-benefit principle, meaning the tax is paid in proportion to the benefits received. Someone who drives a lot receives more benefit from the roads than someone who drives less frequently. People who drive more also put more stress on the pavement. The study, completed by the Reason Foundation and the Michigan-based Mackinac Center, provides an outline for how to rethink road funding, in light of diminishing returns from fuel taxes as fuel economy improves and major automakers shift to building more electric vehicles.On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, talks about the study. Later, Aarne Frobom, a senior policy analyst at the Michigan Department of Transportation, offers his perspective.Among discussion points: · Is it time to rethink transportation funding and treat roads as public utilities with a similar rate-making process?· Would an MBUF be subject to periodic increases when justified by increased operating and capital costs, via a public process? · What's in it for the driver? · How many old systems of assessing fees and taxes would this alleviate?· Could this finally separate road-user fees from fuel prices?The discussion comes as Section 615 of House Bill 5791 asks MDOT to conduct a study of the feasibility of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a basis for transportation funding in replacement of motor fuel taxes.
The adoption of electric vehicles continues to rise in Canada, with many automakers reporting their EV stock is completely sold out. This shift in social perception from being EV-hesitant to embracing their benefits seems like a big win for society, but are we really ready for this boom in popularity? Loren McDonald of EVAdoption has spent decades analyzing trends in EVs and charging technology, and he joins this episode of thinkenergy to share his thoughts. Related links https://evadoption.com/ https://evstatistics.com/ https://twitter.com/LorenMcDonald https://twitter.com/EVAdoptionTweet https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenmcdonald/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/evadoption/ --- To subscribe using Apple Podcasts To subscribe using Spotify To subscribe on Libsyn --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: Youtube Check out our cool pics on Instagram. More to learn on Facebook. Keep up with the Tweets. Transcript: Dan Seguin 00:06 This is thinkenergy, the podcast that helps you better understand the fast changing world of energy through conversations with game changers, industry leaders and influencers. So join me, Dan Seguin, and my co host Rebecca Schwartz, as we explore both traditional and unconventional facets of the energy industry. Hey everyone, welcome back. Get ready to start your engines folks. We've got the EV evangelist on the program today to talk about the current state and future prospects of electric vehicles in North America. Lauren McDonald, known to his followers, as the EV evangelist, has been in the electric vehicle advocates since 1990. Rebecca Schwartz 00:56 As our guest today, Loren will discuss why governments, businesses, the auto industry and the general public are or should be converting to this cleaner and more sustainable mode of transportation. Dan Seguin 01:09 I think we can all foresee that the mass adoption of EVs is imminent, and something that is going to transform the auto industry, but also many, many other sectors including energy. Rebecca Schwartz 01:24 Definitely. A lot has changed in the last few years when it comes to EVs. They were once viewed as an expensive novelty item and something you would buy and use only around the city as simply a secondary vehicle. But technology and attitudes have evolved. Dan Seguin 01:41 You're so right, Rebecca. A few years ago, there weren't a lot of models to choose from, and there still seem to be uncertainty about their viability. But all that is changing fast. General Motors recently announced that by 2035, their entire fleet of vehicles will be entirely electric. Rebecca Schwartz 02:05 And they're not the only ones. Nearly all major automotive companies are committing to electric vehicles, including legacy luxury brands. Jaguar is targeting 2030 to be fully electric. Bentley plans to only have electric and hybrid models by 2026, Mercedes Benz and Porsche also have 2030 in their strategic plans, and who knows, maybe by then I'll be able to afford one of them. Dan Seguin 02:31 I love that you're such an optimist, Rebecca. Even more stunning is that many automakers are reporting that they are completely sold out of their existing EV stock and are now either taking orders or due to demand not taking orders for the next few years. So here is today's big question. Are we finally seeing a social change that will drive electric vehicles into the mainstream? If so, what is behind the gearshift? And are we really prepared to accelerate from zero to 60? Rebecca Schwartz 03:15 Joining us from San Francisco Loren MacDonald of EVadoption.com is a lifelong advocate for the environment and has been analyzing EV and charging trends for decades. He's a thought leader, speaker and content marketer with a passion to help move the world to electric vehicles. Dan Seguin 03:35 Welcome to the show, Loren. Let's start with you telling us a bit about EV adoption. When did you start it? And what was this goal? Loren McDonald 03:46 Yeah, so first of all, thank you so much for having me. Excited to be on the thinkenergy podcast. So the derivation of EV adoption, so I was a lifelong marketer. I won't say how many but many, many decades as a as a marketing executive and marketing evangelist. And so I looked at sort of the EVs and where it was going with that kind of lens and context of it's really a marketing and behavioral economics question, right is of when will EVs cross the chasm into the mainstream if you're familiar with you know, the book and everything around crossing the chasm and so that's really what I saw was missing. You know, if you look at all of the the websites and everything like that, that were covering electric vehicles, it was all about the models and technical stuff. And most everybody was just pure EV advocates and sort of what I like to say sort of pejoratively fanboys right, and everything was going to be up into the right you know, on the on the chart and I'm like, actually, especially in America, you know, we have this thing called the middle of the country and pickups and you know, of late adopters and stuff. So I really wanted to solve and address that question of what are all going to be the hurdles, and the drivers of of sort of mass adoption of EVs. And so that was really sort of the point in goal of it. And it's, it's really taken off. Rebecca Schwartz 05:21 In 2018, you published your three part series on the 24 factors that will affect the rate of EV adoption. Of course, a lot has happened in four years. So how does your list of factors stack up in 2022? Has the needle moved? Or are you still seeing the same issues? 05:40 Yeah, so I would say that, you know, pretty much all of the issues are still there, it's just a matter of scale, some of them have become sort of more or less critical or unimportant. And let's take a look at one, Rebecca is that if you look at range as an example, right, so, uh, you know, in 2011, sort of the first full year that the Nissan LEAF was available in America, the first version, it's 73 miles of range, you know, we'd sort of laugh at that today, you can now get a Nissan LEAF with 225 miles of range, I think it is in the lucid air, you know, it's 520 miles of range, so and then you sort of overlay that with almost every survey of consumers done in the last, you know, half dozen years around EVs, and will, you know, take them to consider an EV or buy an EV, that, you know, that typically around half or more people say 300 miles 300 US miles, right? Because there's a global audience, I'm always be clear on that. And we're actually by the end of this year, we're going to average probably around 285-290 miles of EVs. Right? So we're not quite at that 300 miles, and there's still several below it, and several above it that's, you know, skew that average. But, you know, the first thing is fundamentally, we're switching from range anxiety, to charger anxiety, right? What's what's happening is we're getting close to that magic 300 number. And so most people now are like, yeah, I can buy an EV and and, you know, driving to Grandma's or Disneyland or whatever it is. But can I charge? And how long is it going to take me to charge? And what are the charges work and those kinds of things? So I think that's sort of the sort of the first thing. The second thing I'd say that sort of new, if you will, is I don't know that we necessarily predicted sort of the supply chain issues. Right? And not just, you know, wiring harnesses that are critical to EVs and chips that are critical to EVs. But the latest one that's really been the hottest topic recently is battery, supply chain and minerals, is there going to be enough, you know, lithium and sort of the different minerals that go into it. So that's one that we didn't see. And, you know, both of you are probably familiar with a lot of those charts that showed the price parity, right, that that the price of batteries and EVS and as would come down and and get get close in the next few years with, with ice vehicles, as we like to call them. Internal Combustion Engine, this industry loves acronyms, as you guys know. And there's been some recent studies that are showing that actually, battery costs are going up, right. And so we may not hit price parity until, like, you know, late this decade and stuff. So I know that was a lot. So I'll sort of stop there. But those are some of the I think the key key differences that I'm seeing Dan Seguin 08:49 What has been the most important or significant recent event, in your opinion, that will positively change the future for electric vehicles. 09:00 The I would say there's sort of two things that are that are kind of closely connected. One is the Ford F 150 Lightning, as you as you both probably know, you know, and pickups are pretty popular in Canada as well. But you know, the F 150, the regular F 150 internal combustion engine has been the top selling vehicle, not just pickup, but the top selling vehicle of any type in America, and actually the world for 40 straight years. And so, the fact that this sort of mainstream popular vehicle, a pickup truck, is actually and it's being delivered now, the first deliveries they're starting, like this week of the electric version, is I've called it this the game changer, the single most important EV in history, right? And you could make arguments for lots of different ones for different reasons right? But I think, to go mainstream this signals to those people in the Midwest as an example. Oh, I guess this isn't just for wealthy, you know, granola eating people in California. This is a work truck. This is, you know, this is actually acceptable. And the second part of it, obviously, which, you know, we'll we'll talk a bit about about more later, I'm sure is, you know, the bi-directional charging capability is sort of an eye opener. And then the last thing I would say is just sort of gas prices, right. And so gas prices, again, which I know we'll talk about some more, is making people more aware of alternatives to the internal combustion engine, and so EVs are kind of having their moment right now because of that. Loren McDonald 09:00 Okay, this next question is kind of fun, kind of Mad Libs style. I'm going to ask you to finish this sentence. You can't have electric vehicles without blank..? 11:03 Convenient access to reliable charging. Dan Seguin 11:06 Loren, you were recently interviewed in USA Today about range anxiety due to the lack of EV charging infrastructure. What do you think is hindering a massive North American installation of EV stations? What's the biggest hurdle? 11:24 So I actually don't agree with that assumption. There is you know, as as you probably know, there's about seven and a half billion dollars from the federal government that's going into building out infrastructure there's a lot of publicly held EV charging networks. I literally talk to companies every day that are looking to get into the EV charging industry, I have never seen, you know, one of the my quotes in the USA Today articles was that it's the wild wild west right now, it's this is literally the modern version of 1849, right of the Gold Rush. And that there is so many companies and entrepreneurs and billions of dollars going in. Because this is probably the single biggest business opportunity in the last 100 years, the combination of EVs and EV charging infrastructure, we're fundamentally changing. The, you know, the not only the power train of transportation, but how they're refueled, right with moving from, you know, gas, liquid fuel to electric fuel, right. And so there is just an inordinate amount of energy and focus and money going to it. My concern is, is that we're spending it the wrong way, we're making a lot of a lot of decisions. And we'll talk about this when we talk about Canada in a little bit, but most of the money in the US is going to building out the DC fast charging highway corridor networks, right, which are needed to get the consumers comfortable that they can go from, you know, Seattle to you know, somewhere in Montana or whatever, and stop along the way. And we need that obviously, at some level because people like to take road trips, but the bigger challenges are, you know, how do people charge every day? Right. And you know, there's these you know, your you know, your EV drivers and owners and you know, this for most people, you know, 90 to 95% of your charging is done at home overnight while while you're asleep. Except for those like in America, my estimate is about 40% of US households do not have convenient access to charging overnight, they live in an apartment, they live in a condo, maybe they live in, you know, Manhattan, or Boston or downtown San Francisco and so they don't have a garage, they they're on street parking, right. So, you know, almost half of US households do not have what most of us have, which is you know, we we come home, we pull in the garage, plug in our car, close the garage door, wake up in the morning with a with a full tank, if you will, right. And so if you think about getting over that, you know getting crossing that chasm, getting people over their hurdle of understanding, charging and, and losing sort of fear around it. We have to we have to solve those problems at the same time, right. And so if you look at the money being spent, by the by the you know, the federal government and state government, not enough is going to workplace is going to you know, the multifamily issue, off street parking on street parking, those kinds of things. So I don't think I don't I think the biggest hurdle is that we're not actually solving some of the bigger problems where we tend to be overly focused on sort of those high the highway corridor DC fast charging challenge. Dan Seguin 15:10 Pardon the pun, but who do you think should be leading the charge when it comes to charging infrastructures? Loren McDonald 15:18 You know, that's the $7.5 billion question. I guess we might might say it's a tough one. And I don't I'll answer it several ways. The first is consumers, right. So the consumers and are sort of being left out of a lot of this, this discussion, right. And no offense to a lot of our elected officials, but and I'm just going to make up a number here. 99% of them don't own and drive EVs and they show up for the photo ops, but they actually don't know what they're talking about. Right. They literally don't, there was not going to pick on one, but I think it was our Secretary of Transportation or something. I forgot the secretary of I forget what her role. Anyway, she showed up for a photo op video. And, you know, she mentioned on mic, how do you plug this thing in? Right. Right. And so that's part of the challenge is, you know, going back to my earlier point is that, you know, what, will government, federal, state, local, have to play your role in this, right, because this is this massive transportation. And so we need government involvement for investment, for driving accountability and regulations and things like that, at the same time. You know, most governments are not known for getting things right, all the time. Right. And so I think, you know, as I mentioned earlier, I think a lot of the money is being spent on sort of the easy things and not solving sort of the the hard problems. So I think, you know, it's a collective thing we need, the automakers need to step up more, I mean, one of the things that, you know, is pretty common knowledge is that, you know, and I'm on my second Tesla, and, you know, if you drive a Tesla, charging is seamless, right? Because they designed the car, the charging, in for integration, the, the connector, they own, the networks and stuff. So it's that Apple seamless, closed loop. And so you don't even think about charging. If you own any other brand. It ain't exactly always the best experience, right. And so the automakers are not used to being part of the refueling process, right? Because they outsource it to the oil companies and the gas station operators and stuff. And so this idea that they need to be much more involved directly. In at least in the first couple of decades, right of building out the EV charging infrastructure in the grid, is, you know, they're sort of ret, many of them are reticent to doing it, but we're seeing it like Ford, as an example is getting very involved with Electrify America who they've partnered with, right. And so we are starting to see once they've seen a lot of the problems is that they are stepping up and investing more. GM has invested money, you know, with an EV to build out infrastructure and stuff, but it's, it's nowhere where it needs to be. And the last thing I would say is, I'll sort of throw something out of left field field here a little bit, is that none of the companies we've, we, you know, that are in this mix, including utilities and stuff, have any experience in the refueling business. The ones that do are convenience store chains, convenience stores. Most people don't know this, but like 99% of where people refuel their gas powered car is that convenience store chain, we used to call them gas stations, and then they started adding these little stores. And now they're convenience stores that also have gas pumps, right? They've sort of switched so now those those chains are in the business of selling coffee and cigarettes and beverages and sandwiches and hamburgers and you know, gourmet meals even and they understand that low margin business and so we're starting to see Circle K just announced today you know that they're they're launching their national network in the in the US and you know, 7/11 already announced it so I think we're gonna see and what I'm excited about is the companies that are actually consumer focused and understand how to sell refueling or are going to, you know, get get much more involved in this. And I think that'll help improve the customer experience. Rebecca Schwartz 20:06 Curious to see if there's a wait and see game happening with customers and Evie technology in that tech is changing too quickly and they think a better model is coming and that they should wait. Is this thinking justified? Loren McDonald 20:20 Yeah. I mean, that's sort of natural behavior. You know, you think about, you know, sort of other other technologies. I was one of those people back in March of 2010, that was down standing in line to pick up my Apple iPad. Right. And so, you know, I got it. Like I said, I immediately before even had one I got what the iPad was was all about, I understood it. And I talked to a lot of people that just like, I don't get it, you know, I've got a laptop, I've got a, you know, a smartphone, why? Why would I need this thing in the middle. And so I think kind of any new technologies like that, it's about the technology adoption curve, and it's about early adopters and the innovators. And so EVs are just the same, right? Like these, these early people that were like 12 years into the modern era of EVs, right? And the early people, they're okay, with only 200 miles of range. They're okay with not a great charging network and experience and things like that, right. But the main stream, so you know, the way I think about it, Rebecca, is, we can't worry about those late adopters, like we have this joke that we talked about in the industry that, like if you're on Twitter, and social media, there's always these these people are like, I'm not going to get an EV until an electric truck that can go 500 miles without stopping, and I'm pulling a boat uphill. Right. And, I mean, there literally are lots of people that say that they don't necessarily talk in that tone of voice. But you know, we can't worry about them, because they're not going to buy an EV until 2035 or 2040, or whatever. Anyway, what we have to worry about is, you know, is is like those suburban households, right, that are that are driving a Ford Explorer SUV taking their kids to soccer practice, and school and stuff, like there's no reason, there is literally no reason they shouldn't be driving an EV. Right. And so, but they're not right, so we have to focus on just convincing that sort of low hanging fruit that people that are of, you know, decent incomes, living in a suburban, you know, three, you know, suburban house with a three car garage have to 2.3 cars, like there is no excuse for them. So I think that just sort of the last thing, Rebecca is just that, you know, if you think about like, I don't know, if either of you have solar I you know, we actually went we did solar first before we got our electric car, right? And I've talked to a lot of neighbors, it's like, well, yeah, solar prices, they keep coming down, right? And it's sort of the same thing with with EVs, right? The costs, except for the you know, how we talked about earlier with the rising cost of batteries and stuff, but but EVs are definitely you know, they're the, the batteries are getting more efficient. So there's gonna be more range, there's greater, you know, things like bi directional charging that are coming out all of those things, but, you know, when do you when do you- how long do you wait, the same was solar, right, like, we could have waited another 10 years before we got solar. But, you know, at some point, you just, you know, you have to target the people that are that are ready. And so the other thing of last thing I would say on this is, is something that, you know, that we've done is we've leased our two Tesla's and and here's an interesting anecdote. So our first Tesla was the Model S 60. That had 210 miles of range. And three years later, we got a Tesla Model S 100 D that has 335 miles of range, and we lowered our lease payment and so I think one of the things Rebecca that we're gonna we're gonna see is is that a lot of people because of this sort of technology obsolescence so this idea that you know, every year there's going to be you know, greater autonomous driving technology in the car there's going to be better bi directional charging capability- the car will be able to charge faster, you know, more range, all that kind of stuff. So I think we're gonna probably see, not everyone but but some segment of the argument or some segment of the market you know, opting to lease because then they know every three years, I'll just get the latest and greatest thing. So I think that could be an interesting twist in the market. Rebecca Schwartz 25:08 Now, what do you think customers are waiting for? Exactly? Does the technology already exist? And they're just holding on to some myth of EV from the past? Loren McDonald 25:19 Yeah, I the latter is I think no, like, I don't think most consumers aren't aware of the really cool stuff that's coming, like the bidirectional you know charging and being able to do you know, vehicle to home and stuff like that. I mean, they're starting to hear about it with like, the F 150 and stuff. So and you know, we'll get into that in a few minutes. But I think it's really simple. You know, and not all consumers are the same, but I think what most of them want, is faster charging, right? Most consumers who don't own an EV assume that charging your EV should be sort of the same experience, as you know, refueling a gas car. And so most people are not necessarily expecting that five minutes of refueling time, but most are expecting to add, you know, two to 300 miles of range in, you know, 10 to 15 minutes and stuff. So I think that from a perception perspective, because as EV drivers, you know, and I know, you know, that Dan had said that's not necessarily what you need. But from a from a perception perspective, I think most consumers are waiting for that faster, superfast, high power charging. Dan Seguin 26:38 Loren, are there more similarities or differences between Canada and their US, EV adoption? And their rollout? If so, what are they? Is either country getting it right? Loren McDonald 26:54 Yeah, great, great question. So first, I'd say you know, California and California, US, and, and Canada are, are actually, you know, from a consumer, you know, mindset. And, you know, demographic, psychographic and things like that, I think, I think they're, they're fairly similar, right. And the automakers, I think, tend to look at both markets from, you know, the models, they design and focus on something pretty, pretty similar. So I think, you know, that the, which, which translates to sort of, they want the same things like we've been talking about, you know, more range, faster charging, and things like that. So I think that they're the similarities between sort of the consumers and the automakers and kind of ecosystem is pretty similar. And when you look at sort of where we at from adoption perspective, again, it's pretty similar. Canada was about 5%, in 2021, meaning, you know, one out of 20 new vehicles purchased were electric, and the US was just under 4.5%. So we're, you know, we're, we're pretty close. But if you took California out of that, you know, it drops down to like under 4%, and stuff like that. And so we're, you know, we're a little bit behind on that perspective. But I think, you know, if you think about, you know, and we touched on this, Dan, a few minutes ago, is that, that I think, you know, from the incentive perspective, I think the you know, sort of more of the sort of the point of sale rebate, and something is something that Canada got right. And we haven't gotten right here at the federal level. And the other thing is, and we touched on this is the the investment, the billions of dollars, we're investing in the EV charging infrastructure and how I talked about that a lot of it is focused on those highway corridors and DC fast charging, and the Canadian investment, I'll be it from a dollar perspective, much, much smaller, is is is much more focused on solving real problems. So there's components of it just to build an infrastructure workplace just to build out at apartment complexes and retail locations. And so I think it's a much more balanced approach. So I think Canada's really got those two things right, and that we haven't gotten right here in the US. But the other thing that I think that that both countries are probably getting wrong, or at least the US is there's this focus on EVs as as solving all the world's problems. And the reality is I've done the forecast in in 2030 by my latest forecast in the US 11% of the vehicles on the road will be either an EV or PHEV meaning you know, roughly 90% of the cars on the road are still going to be, you know, gas powered cars. And in fact, there will be more gas powered cars on the road in 2030 than there are today. And, you know, if our goal is to reduce greenhouse gases 50% by 2030, we actually have to look at a much more macro approach to this and BEVs -because I've done them just don't get us there. So we've we've got to look at everything from, I think, a bigger focus on plug in hybrids, because they have lower consumer adoption hurdles, right, you plug in overnight at 20-30 miles, and then you go on a road trip, you go on a road trip and fill up at the gas station, which which the infrastructure is already there, and you only do it a couple times a year, right. But most of the year, you're you're driving on electric, regular hybrids, right? Regular hybrids can actually reduce GHGs by half, right, because, you know, if you get the right, right hybrid, but the other thing that we're just not focused enough on is, is we have to reduce the what what we refer to as VMT, vehicle miles traveled literally by about half in order to stand a chance to get there. So we've got to focus on mass transit, we've got to get people out of cars, walking, biking, you know, ordering from e-commerce companies that use electric vans to deliver the products. So there's sort of less impact there and stuff. So you know, I think that's what probably both our governments are are missing is, is there's too much focus on BEVs as the silver bullet. And in fact, they are going to do nothing to reduce greenhouse gases in the next 10 years. That will slow the increase, but they won't actually reduce it. Rebecca Schwartz 32:04 Are we finally seeing a social change that's driving electric vehicles into the mainstream? And what do you think is the main driver for people? Is it climate change, soaring gas prices? Maybe? Loren McDonald 32:17 It's, you know, it's sort of, you know, Rebecca, it's a, it's a mix of depending on you know, the sort of the psychographic of the consumer, there's sort of get them motivated by different things, a lot of the early adopters have been motivated by, you know, I want to save the planet, I want to do, you know, I want to do something good, just like, you know, those of us that have gone solar, right. Although, actually I went solar, because that part of it was a side benefit, I actually wanted to reduce my utility bill, right. And so I think we're starting to see people motivated by that this idea of, you know, lower total cost of ownership, although I don't think most consumers actually get out their Excel spreadsheet, and do like a 10 year TCO analysis, like a fleet manager would. But I think increasingly, you know, especially with this correlation with gas prices, right now, that people more people are starting to go, oh, EVs aren't just faster, more fun. You know, help save the planet, for lack of a better term. But actually, I don't have to go to gas stations, and I can actually lower my my monthly fuel bill and stuff like that. So I think sort of the, you know, people are starting to get motivated by that. And that's why gas prices, I think, are so critical, especially in America, because they are forcing people to think about what they spend on fuel. And then they starting to understand Oh, you mean, I pay less with my electric car. And so I think I think that's going to start motivating people more and more, besides all the other sort of cool factors and then longer term, you know, which we'll get into as the whole bi directional charging aspect, but we're just not we're not there yet. For that to be a factor. Dan Seguin 33:50 The trend towards beneficial electrification, getting rid of fossil fuels and replacing them with other forms of clean electricity to reduce emissions and energy costs includes the electrification of transportation, are local electric utility companies, the right partner, perhaps? Loren McDonald 34:40 So, like a lot of my answers to that it's going to be a yes and a no. Utilities obviously have to play a critical role in the electrification of transportation since for most people, they are the provider of the electricity to charge your, your electric vehicle, unless you're, you know, completely off the grid. But that's, you know, a very tiny percentage of the population. So they're- the utilities are fundamentally critical to this. And, you know, the electrification of vehicles and electrification of everything, you know, we're moving away from gas stoves to, you know, electric stoves, we're moving away from gas powered leaf blowers to electric lawnmowers, and leaf blowers, etc. So this sort of broader electrification thing is actually the single biggest opportunity for growth for utilities, in probably, again, 100 years, right, because even though we have more devices, they've been getting more efficient, right? Every year, refrigerators, as an example, get more efficient and stuff. So even though we have more of these different, you know, the technology devices and stuff, they're actually using less less power and our lightbulbs, right. And so they're excited and onboard and are key to electrification. And, you know, they're excited because it is this growth opportunity. The problem with utilities is, is that they are utilities, they are in generally speaking, monopolies. And so they have, by and large, there are exceptions in certain states and markets. By and large, they don't have competition, and they are not customer focused, they don't know how to market they don't know how to build great customer experiences and educate and stuff. So they're, and they're also tend to be quasi government like slow moving entities, and they're risk averse, right? So they can be real challenges to this, right, and many of them, many of them, they're sort of scared, and they're scared about bi directional charging as an example, right. And many of them are scared about what this is going to do to their infrastructure costs, because now they're gonna have to beef up, you know, transformers and transmission and all this stuff to be able to, you know, reliably supply, you know, an entire block that all of a sudden has, you know, an EV, in every garage type of thing, right? So, they're, you know, I mean, I don't want to be overly negative towards utilities, they're some of my clients. But, you know, they just, there's this inertia of who they are their DNA. That is, is not ideal set up to be the fuel supplier to owners of EVs, if that makes sense. Loren, as a lifelong advocate for the environment, and in the last many decades for electric vehicles. What does success look like for you? What do you ultimately hoping will be achieved with your advocacy work? So this is easy, smarter decisions. I think, you know, and this is hopefully coming through so far and in the conversation, but I just think there's a lot of decisions and policies being made, that are flawed, and that this has become sort of what you know, what's exciting for me and one of the biggest opportunities is just to be data driven, right is to provide organizations with with data and hopefully accurate forecasts and stuff that help make better decisions about you know, how to scale EVs with consumers and and how to right size and get EV charging at the right, you know, right level and in the right use cases and stuff. So smarter decisions is really my hope and goal. Dan Seguin 38:52 Now, Loren, I have a follow up question for you. What's your prediction based on the current trajectory on the future of EVs? And do you feel more hopeful now than you did say in 2018? Loren McDonald 39:08 So another one of these yes and no answer. So yes, I'm hopeful we might, you know, my my forecast is that so today in the end, I tend to focus just just on the US so today in the US, as I mentioned, in 2021, we had about a little under 4.5% EV sales share, meaning, you know, less than five out of 100 new vehicles purchased last year were either a BEV or a plug in hybrid. My forecast my sort of base level forecast is that we'll hit about 44% it by the end of 2030. Now a year ago, I was in I was at about 30%. And that's how fast things are changing, right because you know, a little over a year ago is an example, Ford was considered a non player in the EV space. And now they're considered perhaps the leader after Tesla, right? I mean, you could argue it's, you know, it's GM, or actually, we could, we could argue about that. But, you know, they're they've, they've gone from sort of and also ran to arguably headed towards being, you know, one of the leaders and definitely, you know, number two spot after Tesla, so a lot of things like that have just like overnight, changed things, and every automaker has, you know, got religion and is announcing, you know, dozens of, of, you know, new models and factories and stuff. So it's, it's, you know, so a year from now, I might be upping up and get again, but right now I'm at that 44%, which is, you know, think about it that's approaching half of the new vehicle sold in America at the end of 2030 would be electric. But as I mentioned, the sort of the downside of that is, is that with that would get us to only 11% of cars on the road being electric. Right? And, and, and if you're just looking if you remove PHEV's from that, you know, it's probably around 8%, or something like that. So, you know, the, the exciting part is, is that we're moving in the right direction direction, we're moving towards, you know, a large number and percentage of vehicles having no tailpipe emissions. On the other hand, gas cars are not going away for another 40 years. Right. And so it's just this, you know, you have, you know, almost 300 million gas powered car, you will have 300 million gas powered cars on the road in a few years. Right? Just look at the math, right? It takes decades to get get rid of all of them unless we did this massive, massive cash for for, you know, clunkers thing and just bought them all and crushed them all, which I don't think we're going to do. Rebecca Schwartz 42:14 Okay, I asked this in another podcast, but we would love to hear your thoughts on vehicle to grid and vehicle to building systems. And if you think they'll become mainstream when regulatory or government barriers are lifted? Loren McDonald 42:26 Yeah, so this is this is one of my my favorite questions and topics. This is to me, the game changer for electric vehicles versus, you know, ICE gas powered cars, right? We talked about you know, EVS being more fun to drive, faster, you know, less less maintenance, all those types of things, but but the one thing that EVs can do that gas powered cars cannot do is become what I call mobile storage, you know, energy devices, right? Energy vehicles, if you will, right and so this is where you know, we're years from this going mainstream Rebecca but but the fact is, like, I have this big Tesla sitting you know, 20 feet from me in the garage that's got 100 kilowatt hour battery, you know, and we drive the car to the supermarket it's a complete waste, right? I mean, it's just the only time we use that battery pack is when we go on a 500 mile road trip the rest of the time, you know, that capacity is is is actually in an inefficient and so the opportunity to leverage that you know, that power wall for you know, to use a brand name to use a battery storage device in your car to power your home to send it to the grid to reduce peak demand and help out the utility and when you know when it when it's hot and vehicle the building which you know, you specifically mentioned is one of my favorite areas because it provides a real ROI to companies so for the audiences not aware of and understands what vehicle the building is, it's where you as a company, incentivize your employees who drive electric vehicles to drive their EV to work park in the parking lot and then you have these bi directional chargers in the parking lot. They plug in and then they're gonna charge but let's say it's the summertime and it's really hot and it's the late afternoon. The employees agree to send extra power that they don't need, you know, they're gonna save enough to the to get back home. But but they send power from the EV basically, into the building. And so instead of that building, running that very expensive air conditioning in a hot summer afternoon to cool it down to 70 degrees or whatever. They're powering the air conditioners with, with with the power from the EVS and, you know, we refer to that as sort of flattening the, you know, the demand curve, right. And that can literally save that that company 10s of 1000s of dollars a year. You know, I was I was down at Lucid Motors a couple years ago, and talking to their CEO and about this, and he joked that he was going to buy a lot of his employees, the, you know, the $100,000, Lucid Air, just so that employees could could plug in and he could save what he thought was maybe a million dollars a year on their PGE, our local, you know, California utility bill a year, I think, you know, I'm not sure quite sure he'd saved a million dollars, but you but you get the idea is that, you know, you can actually use that, that power to cut costs. So I think that that ROI factor is is sort of a real game changer. And then the second thing from a consumer perspective, right, like the headlines right now are about like, you know, Texas again, right, of not having enough power, I was just listening to, you know, the radio this morning, and one of the top stories is about is are the utilities going to have enough power? You know, during during the hot summer, we have things like, you know, a lot of utilities that rely on hydropower, something probably close to your hearts there. The rivers are down, right? And so there's not as much electricity being generated from hydro right? And so you take all these sorts of trends, and, you know, consumers are looking at backup power. And so like one of the hottest things going right now, these backup natural gas generators, right? Well, better would be, you know, just when you need to tap into, you know, power in your EV if the power goes out for two hours or something like that, you can backup your house from the car. So I think that's, you know, Rebecca like the most exciting thing about EVs is that we will be rethinking them as just transportation devices as as becoming, you know, energy storage vehicles. Dan Seguin 47:29 Okay. Now, time to leave it all on the floor. What is something you want the average combustion engine car owner to know about EVs, that maybe they don't already know, Loren, gloves off, go for it! Loren McDonald 47:47 Really, I think pretty, pretty simple that charging your electric vehicle is more like how you charge a smartphone than how you fuel your gas car. Right. And just to expand briefly on that is, you know, most consumers their perception is is that refueling recharging an EV should, is the same as going to a centralized gas station and stuff. And it's not till you own one, and experience it and drive it a lot that you realize no, it's actually more like a smartphone where you know, you, you know, put it in your your bed stand and plug it in, you wake up in the morning, and it's recharged or whatever. And that's the same thing with with your EV. So you have access to home charging, right? Go into the garage plug in, wake up, and it's charged. And, you know, the the, the nuance to that is, is that and I've got this amazing chart that I that I use in presentations that shows like a fuel gauge, for you know, like most consumers when they drive a gas car, what do they do? They drive the car down to empty, quarter of a tank, below empty, whatever they're comfortable with. And then they pull into a gas station and fill it up to full. And you know, this, Dan, that's not how you you refuel an electric vehicle, you replenish what you use, right? So if you drive 30 miles today, you plug in and you replenish that third maybe actually even don't maybe you wait a couple of days, right? You drive it down and then you do it right. It sort of depends on your comfort zone. The only time the refueling experience for an EV is is analogous to gas car is when you go on those road trips, right and those either so you know, a weekend one or a long road trip, and then you do have to do that centralized thing but but otherwise, I think this is the single biggest education hurdle that we have is because it's not something you can explain to people. They actually have to like experience to them. The light bulb goes oh yeah, this is like my Smartphone. Rebecca Schwartz 50:01 Okay, Loren, we always end our interviews with some rapid fire questions. And we've got some for you. Are you ready? Loren McDonald 50:08 I am pumped if I can use that, that term and ready to go! Rebecca Schwartz 50:14 What are you reading right now? Loren McDonald 50:16 I'm reading a book called Hella Town by Michel sporter. And it's all about my hometown of Oakland, California. Rebecca Schwartz 50:23 If you had a boat, what would you name it? Loren McDonald 50:26 I'm gonna go by the Modest Mouse song title of Float On. Rebecca Schwartz 50:31 Who is someone that you admire? Loren McDonald 50:34 Benjamin Franklin. I love Ben Franklin. Rebecca Schwartz 50:39 What is the closest thing to real magic that you've witnessed? Loren McDonald 50:43 The birth of my first daughter. Rebecca Schwartz 50:46 What has been the biggest challenge to you personally, since the pandemic began? Loren McDonald 50:51 This is an easy one travel. I used to when I worked in the corporate world, I traveled around the world. And, you know, got to you know, see a lot of friends and make new ones. And although yes, I know that was not good for the planet being on on jets. But I really miss I really miss traveling the world and meeting people and seeing friends. That's been the biggest, biggest, the hardest part. Rebecca Schwartz 51:21 Okay, what are you watching? Or rather binge watching on Netflix? And what's your favorite movie or TV show? Loren McDonald 51:28 So I am actually not much of a TV guy. So a thing I'm binging on right now as I'm watching my Golden State Warriors in the NBA Playoffs. But I'll but I'll mention one show the one show that that I did watch. And I'm not sure if it was on Netflix or a different different network. That's how little I watch the things but I watched the series called Unbelievable. That was that was pretty amazing. Dan Seguin 51:54 Lastly, Loren, what is exciting you about your industry right now? Loren McDonald 52:00 The most fascinating thing I think, right now is that when I got into this, the question was, you know, an if question. Right? It was, will EVs become the future, there was even you know, this idea that maybe fuel cell powered vehicles, were going to be the future. And we've really hit this point here in 2022, where there are very few people that are not convinced that EVs are the future. There's still some holdouts and stuff but but most everybody has transitioned from if, to now it's when and so and as a sort of somebody that's really focused on the, you know, the data behind that and behavioral economics I just love working with with clients and companies that are trying to understand how it's going to impact them from a negative perspective, but also more, more excitingly, what are the opportunities for them out of it? Dan Seguin 53:01 Loren, this is it. We've reached the end of another episode of the thinkenergy podcast. If our listeners wanted to learn more about you, and your organization, how would they connect? Loren McDonald 53:16 They can go to evadoption.com they can follow me on LinkedIn. I guess just just search on LinkedIn for Loren McDonald and look for the really handsome guy that has EV somewhere in his in his in his description or whatever. And I'm on Twitter, at Loren McDonald and also EVadoptiontweet. Dan Seguin 53:43 And Loren, again, thank you so much for joining us today. I hope you truly had a lot of fun. Cheers. I did it was it was a real honor. Thanks so much for having me on the show. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the thinkenergy podcast. And don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you're listening. And to find out more about today's guests or previous episodes, visit thinkenergypodcast.com. I hope you'll join us again next time as we spark even more conversations about the energy of tomorrow.
Hello Interactors,I ended up walking almost six miles in two days last week that included two trips by bus and light rail. I’m always surprised by the rich experience that comes with choosing to walk, bike, or bus. But it’s not always pleasant. A car is comfortable, quiet, and convenient but can be experientially anemic. I’m fortunate to have these choices. Not everyone does. And what choice they do have can be unfair and even dangerous. Is that the American way? As interactors, you’re special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You’re also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let’s go…DO THESE ROADS MAKE ME LOOK FAT?She slammed on the brakes and my bag slid to the floor. My knees slammed against the seat leaning inches from my kneecaps. Just as I grabbed my bag, she floored it. Careening around the curved onramp I felt the gravitational pull suck my head tight against the window as I struggled to right myself. As she merged with flowing traffic on the freeway I saw her glance in the rearview mirror. She wore dark, reflective wrap-around sunglasses and a grimace. Teeth clinched, she pressed the accelerator to the floor. She was on a mission. And I was along for the ride.I generally cut bus drivers some slack. They don’t have it easy. These herky-jerky driving patterns are often due to the strict schedule they’re incented to keep. Frequency and ease of access to bus stops are two of the more effective ways to get people to use transit. For those who can’t afford a car, or are unable to drive, walking, biking, or bussing is the only real affordable alternative to getting around. There are some, like me, who own a car but sometimes choose to walk, bike, or bus. After all, America is the ‘land of the free’ where we freedom of choice.But those choices are not equitable. American cities and our countryside were planned by men who favored a single mode of transportation: cars. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it quickly turned out to be good for some, bad for most, and worst for the environment and our health. Charlie Chaplan once said one of the ironies of life is doing the wrong thing at the right moment. America’s transportation history is riddled with irony.Cars and roads are not categorically bad. But too much of a good thing often is. Besides, not everyone can, should, or wants to own a car and yet the ‘Made in America’ landscape and economic structure dictates you must. If not, then you must suffer the inconveniences, inequalities, and risks that come with a lack of equitable choices. If you’ve ever visited or lived in a city or country with equitable, convenient, and comfortable transportation choices (I’m looking at you Switzerland) you can see the possibilities. It’s a choice. And America, the land of the free and home of the brave, is, ironically, afraid to choose freedom of choice when it comes to transportation.Which exposes another irony of American transportation. Those who most covet and defend their independence from society and the government – and thus choose to isolate themselves away from dense urban areas and in private vehicles – are thus dependent on the whole of society and the government to finance, design, build, and maintain their roads and vehicles. Both of which rely on government subsidies that make such choices economical in the first place. And in a final twist of the irony knife, most of the natural resources, parts, materials, and manufacturing come from socialistic governments they despise. And they’re made by ethnicities many of them fear, but are also granted more transportation choices than they are.America’s insistence on car ownership is in a sense, pardon the pun, autocratic. And given the amount of government subsidies flowing to the auto and fossil fuel industry, especially when they need bailing out, can make America look pretty socialistic. I just wish we could all get a return on those investments the government made to private companies using our public tax dollars.The truth is, we are all dependent on forms of socialism (i.e. economy, military, utilities, transportation, and communication) and capitalism (i.e. free markets, freedom to enlist, freedom to go off-grid, freedom to choose transportation, and freedom to choose a mobile carrier). They can, and do, coexist to varying degrees. But restricting the ability to viably and equitably move within and between our communities to a single choice feels like an impingement on freedom. And yet the number one symbol of American freedom, prosperity, and democracy around the world is the automobile. Car symbolism may be one of the biggest determining factors for America’s addiction to the autocracy of automobility.No sooner were the post World II freeways built were they filled with American made automobiles. Bucolic car-dependent suburbs filled with carbon consuming contraptions purchased by affluent consumers (mostly white men) swept up in a euphoric post-war economic boom. Hollywood was releasing movies depicting glamourized ideals of American suburban life. The car served as a literal and metaphorical vehicle for the virtues of freedom, independence, comfort, power, speed, and exhilaration. It propagated this myth: car ownership brings social superiority, security from the ills of society, and a path to the future. And yet reality told a different story. Just below the famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles where these movies were being made traffic jams were forming as early as 1950.Just as these new car owners were about to buy their second vehicle some wondered if indeed the wrong decision was made at the right time. People were dying in violent car related deaths, roads were clogged during rush hour, and skies turned yellow with smog. So they made more wrong decisions at the right time by building even more roads. In 1955 the social and urban historian and critic Lewis Mumford wrote in the New Yorker,“Most of the fancy cures that the experts have offered for New York's congestion are based on the innocent notion that the problem can be solved by increasing the capacity of the existing traffic routes, multiplying the number of ways of getting in and out of town, or providing more parking space for cars that should not have been lured into the city in the first place. Like the tailor's remedy for obesity—letting out the seams of the trousers and loosening the belt—this does nothing to curb the greedy appetites that have caused the fat to accumulate."For decades the fat kept creeping and the belts keep loosening. The greedy appetites of car owners, urban planners, and civil engineers proved insatiable. Then came the 1973 oil crisis and inflation. Gas imports plummeted, prices climbed, and commuters sought alternatives. Carpooling became popular again after first being introduced during World War II as a gas rationing strategy. One poster from this era read, “When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler.” Imagine this government issued roadside billboard today: “When you ride alone, you ride with Putin.”DROWNING IN A POOL OF DEPENDENCIESBut the 1970s saw both the reintroduction of carpooling and its peak utilization. Still, transportation experts knew it reduced the number of cars on the road and thus eased congestion. So they studied ways to incent people to keep doing it. In 1977 two civil engineers from Boston published a paper that analyzed various carpool incentives. Their paper continues to be referenced by researchers 45 years later…probably because not much has changed.Their four main findings were:Carpooling “incentives” will attract transit as well as drive-alone commuters. However, the potential area-wide increase of ride sharing is small; therefore decrease of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is small.Auto “disincentives” are far more effective than carpooling “incentive” in increasing ride sharing and transit use. However, these policies are less acceptable to the public and therefore less likely to be implemented.Therefore, a coordinated programme package of both “incentives” in increasing ride sharing and “disincentives” could effectively increase carpooling and reduce congestion, VMT and fuel consumption. In particular, significant parking incentives and disincentives appear to be the most effective way of increasing carpooling.Carpooling strategies directed at work trips result in increased auto travel for non-work purposes because of increased auto availability during work hours for non-working members of a household. The increased non-work VMT offsets by approximately one third the reduction in work VMT.They also introduced a transportation choice hierarchy describing the long, medium, and short range travel-related decisions. Long range decisions are major locational decisions like a change in a workplace, residential location, and the type of house chosen. Medium range include the decision to buy a car which is “highly interdependent” on the “usual mode of travel” to work (i.e. owning a car is highly correlated with your decision to use it every day). And short range decisions are “non-work travel decisions.” They note the “frequency, destination, and mode” for these trips should be considered alongside other transportation choices in the household. This is evidenced in the non-intuitive conclusion of number four above. Namely, congratulations on carpooling, now your stay-at-home spouse or partner will be driving more than you think - and possibly more than your commute.We can see how the urban planning and design of the built environment can impact these decisions. Deciding where to live is a long range decision impacting transportation choice. Not everyone can afford a car or afford to live where cars are necessary for commuting. At the same time, people may work where a car is not needed, like next to their employer, but can’t afford to live there. Such is the case in Seattle right now. So they’re forced to live where they can afford to live, but not make enough money to own and operate a car. Not all of these places are well served by transit which limits their freedom of choice and unduly burdens them relative to other more affluent members of society. Therefore, car ownership, socioeconomics, and the built environment all play a role in the decision to use a car get around.‘Socioeconomic status’ influences ‘where to live.’ Both ‘socioeconomic status’ and ‘where you live’ can each independently influence ‘car use.’ For example, someone may be able to afford to own a car but not the gas needed to use it. Somebody else may have enough money to own many cars, buy much fuel, and drive excessively. In addition, a person may live where a car is not needed and thus use it less. Or they may live far from work and use a car every day.However, while ‘socioeconomic status’ influences ‘where to live’ and both of those factors independently influence ‘car use’ they also influence the decision to own a car in the first place. And this factor, ‘car ownership’, is emerging as a primary mediating factor in ‘car use.’ That is, even if someone can afford to live in a dense urban area full of places to walk to, including a job, just the fact of owning a car plays a nonsignificant role in the decision to use it or not. Consequently, while cities increasingly are making plans to densify and make their cities and towns more walkable and bikeable, if residents happen to be car owners these changes in ‘the built environment’ may not change their patterns of ‘car use.’ Especially if they’re affluent enough to not be greatly impacted by the cost of car ownership.There’s another important mediating factor often overlooked in transportation research. It may also be the most influential, the most deep seeded, the hardest to pin down, and the hardest to change: the psychological attachment and addiction to cars.The University College of London transportation professor, Peter Jones, offers graduated distinctions of car dependency among people and society. Starting from the top:Car-reliant trip: Alternative forms of motorized transport are not available and the journey distance is too long for walking or cyclingCar-reliant activity or journey - Difficult to make the journey in a different way because of purchases (goods) and/or complex multidestination tripsCar-reliant lifestyle - Impossible to access a given destination by other transport mode than carCar-reliant person - Unable to use other transport than carCar-reliant society - High levels of car use among population, necessity of car to participate in essential social activitiesCar-convenient society - Car is most convenient choiceCar-dependent person - Car is statement of status or linked to self-esteem or personal identityCar-addicted person - A car “fanatic,” whose life revolves around carsFEARS, FRIGHTS, FLIGHTS, FIGHTS, AND RIGHTSStefan Gössling of Lund University in Sweden take these one step further offering a distinction between “real” and “perceived” dependencies in his 2017 book called The Psychology of the Car. He says, “’real dependencies’ refer to basic life needs.” These include the need to “commute to work, to shop, to visit a doctor, see friends and family, to transport goods, to participate in social work, go to church, or to make leisure trips.” The car is treated like an appliance for utilitarian purposes. In contrast, “’perceived’ car dependency arises out of emotions involved with the car, or where alternative transport is considered ‘dysfunctional…’” For example, the anxiety that can come with determining the right bus, scheduled times, bus fare or getting on the wrong bus and getting lost. Some are fearful being around controlled environments patrolled by security. Others fear confrontations with people with mental health issues, drug and alcohol addictions, or being trapped in smelly, noisy and claustrophobic spaces.Gössling reminds us there are many fears and phobias that can trigger fright-flight-fight responses which results in car use becoming an addiction in itself. In America, where guns are prevalent, homelessness is rampant, and drug addiction and alcoholism is on the rise there are many reasons to be afraid and anxious. Cars, like guns, can make people feel safe and protected, even though they are both the most dangerous weapons there are.Gössling suggests fear or anxiety and safety or security aren’t the only psychological concerns wrapped up in transportation choice and car addiction. There is also identity and social status, trauma, and even obesity. He notes obese people are even more reliant on cars even though their condition would benefit from walking or biking. Even if it was to a bus stop…if there is one.Automakers tap into these insecurities with advertising and car design. They know a bigger car can make people feel safer, elevate them above others and boost inferiorities. They reflect and signal power, size, and strength which are all recognized as symbols of superiority throughout society…and the entire animal kingdom. Attempts by the government to impede on any of these psychological crutches is therefore viewed as a threat to their identity. Smaller, slower cars are deemed inferior. Wimpy. Raising prices on gasoline, car tabs, or parking by authorities is a threat to their perceived superiority and control. Encouraging the use of public transit diminishes their social standing. Building dense housing near single family residences threatens their independence and increases the odds of awkward social encounters that may trigger fear and anxiety prompting grasps for safety and security.And yet, we can’t keep loosing the belt because it is only making us fatter. Besides, most residents in most cities oppose street widening. We have a fixed amount of space for cars and trucks with an increasing number of urban residents. The only answer is fewer additional cars on our roads and less car use by current car owners. We also need those with unhealthy attachments and addictions to face their fears.Policy makers and politicians know backlash comes from threats to these very real and complex socio-psychologies. Public interventions are threats to private habits, regimes, identities, and values. Many cities have progressive plans to tip the transportation and land use balance, but executing these plans can trigger very real deep-seeded fear that leads to fierce opposition. It’s easier to just loosing the belt than hit the gym.But experts agree changes to the built environment are necessary if we’re going to save ourselves from increased congestion and pollution. We need to make all neighborhoods more walkable and shoppable. Everyone should insist on a grocery store within a 10 minute walk. To make these businesses work in our capitalistic reality, requires more customers. More customers can only happen when there is more dense housing – even if it’s duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes.Exurban and rural residences should insist on some form of public transit even if it’s on-demand. For example Denmark offers, in coordination with AARP, a “coordinated demand responsive transportation system” that “keeps older Danes, especially those living in the rural areas, aging in place.”But solutions don’t have to come from the government. Recently the New York Times featured a story about a carshare coop in New York called “The Drivers Cooperative”. They are “a driver-owned ridehailing cooperative” where “drivers make more on each trip, all profits go back to drivers, and drivers have democratic control over the decisions that affect their lives.”If this reeks of socialism don’t tell one of the reddest and most rural and sparsely populated states in the country, North Dakota. They enjoy some of the fastest internet speeds in the country due to their high-speed broadband ‘community network’ that is a federal tax exempt cooperative. It’s also generally cheaper than the competition. It may be hard to imagine now, but farm cooperatives in America were once hotbeds of socialist ideals and ideas. That independent and pro-social spirit just may be rekindling in rural America. It could bring new meaning to the ‘red’ counties of America. Greetings comrades.Changes to the built environment are necessary, but not sufficient. Socioeconomic inequities have to be rebalanced. The human right to move about this world should not be impeded by ability, race, religion, ethnicity, or social status. Safe, secure, accessible, comfortable, and efficient transportation must be made equal for all members of society.But the psychology of car owners must not be overlooked. Car ownership is the key mediating factor in whether it is used and by how much. Policy makers can’t ignore the psychological needs, real and perceived, of car owners. Car addicts will resist change so long as they feel threatened by it. This requires communication strategies that don’t antagonize, diminish, or create cognitive dissonance among them.Those cities successful in shifting norms and behavior of car owners combine multiple approaches. First and foremost they make infrastructure changes that improve conditions for cycling, walking, and transit. They also do what those Boston researchers and engineers suggested in 1977 to most effectively induce carpooling. They impose restrictions on car use.But they are also mindful of the psychology of those attached and addicted to cars. They appeal to car owners by using values they can relate to like speed, efficiency, relaxation, and cost. When cycling, walking, and transit is improved and endorsed using these rational values social norms and habits indeed shift. As these changes demonstrate reductions in congestion their adoption and acceptance grows. Fewer cars on the road also means less noise, cleaner air and water, fewer deaths, and happier, healthier people which are things everyone wants.As professor Jones in London says, “We need to work out what society we want to live in, and build the connectivity that delivers that vision (think healthy, socially cohesive, compact, local).”What I found last week walking with my friends around Seattle is a city built for cars. That was the society people wanted to live in back in the 1950s and 60s. But I also found the light rail was at capacity during off-peak times, cyclists were flowing down protected bike lanes, ride-share bikes and scooters were rolling, and we saw parts of the city unseen from a car. We walked and talked, giggled and wriggled, and trudged up some stairs. We hunted for haunts and restaurants as the rain moistened the air. And on the way home I glanced out the window from the “bus-only” lane. I peered into the cars stuck in traffic waiting for my “bus-only” light to change. What I saw saddened me. There they sat; single occupants in a single car, but not one single smile. They were surely comfortable in their safe and silent spaces, but what should we make of those sad and lonely faces?And then suddenly I was thrown back in my seat. That bus driver had a schedule to keep. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io
Oscar Zarate (@outta_papeles) schools us on unincorporated Los Angeles, the L.A. County Tenants’ Bill of Rights, fareless transit, and more. Oscar’s citations include an analysis showing that fareless transit could reduce over 60 billion in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in L.A. County, as well as this study showing fareless transit’s effect on Metro bus andContinue reading EPISODE 95 – OSCAR ZARATE ON FREE PUBLIC TRANSIT IN L.A. →
Oscar Zarate (@outta_papeles) schools us on unincorporated Los Angeles, the L.A. County Tenants’ Bill of Rights, fareless transit, and more. Oscar’s citations include an analysis showing that fareless transit could reduce over 60 billion in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in L.A. County, as well as this study showing fareless transit’s effect on Metro bus andContinue reading EPISODE 95 – OSCAR ZARATE ON FREE PUBLIC TRANSIT IN L.A. →
Growing up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Steve knew he wanted to join the Army after he graduated from high school. “I wanted to jump out of airplanes, so I was in the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg.” he says. After serving 4 years in the Army and 2 in the Florida National Guard, he decided to move on. “I realized the military was great, but financially, it just wasn't what I was looking for in life.” In 1999, he and some buddies from the 82nd Airborne headed down to Boca Raton to attend Florida Atlantic University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology. After stints in the mortgage industry and B2B sales, he got into the job fair industry, traveling across the Southeast and Southwest to conduct events. Within a few years, though, Edwards noticed a slowdown in business. “Everybody was working, they couldn't come to job fairs and turnout was low.” He recalls, or they were opting to apply for jobs online instead. “It was affecting my pocketbook”. Looking for a better way to connect employers to job candidates, Edwards seized on the concept of virtual job fairs. “People don't have to travel,” I said, “This is going to be the future,” he recalls. Steve bootstrapped Premier Virtual with personal savings to launch the business. Once he got the business off the ground he knew he had an idea he could monetize. He was in several mentoring programs along the way as he knew he had a great idea and could sell it but didn't know everything. He was involved with the VMT, FAU Tech Runway and the FAU Veterans Entrepreneurship Program which is sponsored by Veterans Florida. At the end of the program they conduct a pitch competition for the Entrepreneurs and their business ideas and the winner from each school goes on the represent their school at the State competition. Steve represented FAU and then won the Statewide competition as well. This program, and the early pitch competitions he won, although not significant amounts, were still welcomed since he was self-funding the business. In 2019, his startup began building a software platform for virtual job fairs. It launched last March, just as COVID-19 arrived – a bit of serendipity that catapulted Premier Virtual to almost instant success. “We went from nobody knowing who we were to being ranked as one of the top virtual platforms out there,” says Steve. During its first 10 months, the Premier Virtual platform has powered over 2,500 virtual hiring events which has helped more than 25,000 companies connect with over 250,000 job seekers. The company has grown from 3 employees to more than 20 and earned prestigious awards including 2021 Best Companies to Work for in Florida. Approximately 200 workforce development boards across the country, including CareerSource Florida, which oversees 24 regional partners statewide, have chosen their platform for virtual hiring events. Premier Virtual also has licensing agreements with The Air Force, Army, and several National Guard units. Steve says individual companies, colleges, and other organizations are quickly coming on board and that they would have never participated in job fairs if it weren't for virtual, and he's bullish on the company's future. “Covid-19 got our name out there, but now people have embraced the technology and how much more efficient it is. We've just begun to scratch the surface of what virtual hiring events will do for employers and job-seekers alike.” https://premiervirtual.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenedwards23/ https://www.facebook.com/premiervirtual/ https://www.instagram.com/premiervirtual/ https://twitter.com/premiervirtual9 https://youtu.be/WhYvM5n9YMk --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/richard-lamonica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/richard-lamonica/support
On this edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Brad Sharlow, point person on MDOT's state long-range transportation plan, talks about the extensive engagement and public involvement involved in the process.Michigan Mobility 2045, or MM2045, is the department's ambitious project to look into a big crystal ball and see what our needs will be and how mobility will factor into how we live, work and play. Some ways MM2045 helps Michigan residents:- Demonstrates how to get there so that the public can understand decision-making and hold transportation agencies accountable to their commitments.- Explores how additional revenue will grow Michigan's economy, advance equity, adapt to climate change, and improve health and quality of life today and into the future.Sharlow explains that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, this transportation plan included an expansive outreach and public involvement process utilizing a variety of new methods. He also says MM2045 is the first state long-range transportation plan in the country to fully integrate state freight and rail plans into a combined long-range transportation plan. In addition, MM2045 incorporates Michigan's first active transportation plan and statewide transit strategy.As noted with recent heavy rains and flooding in Metro Detroit, Sharlow also talks about the plan's discussion of the need to prepare the system to be more resilient, redundant, and technology-ready.Among other findings, the pandemic has accelerated ongoing trends toward urbanization, more-flexible travel patterns, e-commerce, and changes in the supply chain. While Michigan's vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has largely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, passenger travel and freight patterns may look quite different than they did pre-pandemic.Also noted: Michigan's aging population. By 2045, Michigan's age 65-and-older population is expected to increase significantly, accounting for the bulk of the state's 7 percent projected growth. To age in place independently, older Michiganders will need access to on-demand paratransit service, rides to medical appointments, walkable communities, and other alternatives to driving. In part due to aging but also in part to generational preferences and urbanization, the number of households without a vehicle is projected to bump up from 7.9 percent to 9.1 percent in 2045, with increases across all regions of the state.
On Episode 3 of Bar Code we have Pennjamin Bannekar decoding the bars to his newest single Prologue (That Breeze) off his up and coming project VMT. To get the hoodie I have on go to http://www.amonrethe8thsign.com/merch Bar Code is an 8th Dynasty Production created, hosted, edited, music, audio engineer by Host Jermaine Price https://www.instagram.com/art8s_/ Artist Pennjamin Bannekar's Music https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXI0... https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LtML... https://music.apple.com/us/artist/pen... Pennjamin Bannekar's Social https://www.instagram.com/pennbannekar/ https://twitter.com/pennbannekar https://www.facebook.com/pennbannekar Director of Photography Ricky Morales for Average Panda https://www.instagram.com/averagepanda_/ Production Assistant Ebonie Burt https://www.instagram.com/ebonieismusic/ Stage Manager Walter Rodriguez https://www.instagram.com/hungrynhumble Recorded at Roc Star Studios https://www.instagram.com/rocstarstudio/ #barcode #barcodevlog #barcodechicago #chicagopodcast #chicagovlog #vlogger #vloggerlife #blogger #chicagobloggers #chicagoblogger #chitownblogger #chicagomusicblog #chicagomusicblogger #chicagomusic #chicagoartists #chicagomusicartists #8thdynasty #jermaineprice #amonrethe8thsign #rocstarstudios #chicago #chicagohiphopartists #chicagornbartists #hiphop #conscioushiphop #educator #mrthevoiceMusic in this video --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jermainepricethereason/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jermainepricethereason/support
Join host Jeanne Acutanza as she chats with Dr. Laura Schewel, the CEO of Streetlight, a big transportation data purveyor who talks about the American Jobs plan with the pitch to measure our progress. Laura started Streetlight after recognizing the expansive use of GPS and geospatial locational data to evaluate transportation patterns. Join in as they discuss the different applications for assessing bike travel patterns, safety, an assessment of pandemic travel patterns, evaluating climate impacts and assessing socio economic data. Laura also talks about the American Jobs Plan.Learn more about Streetlight Data: https://www.streetlightdata.com/who-we-are-streetlight-data/ Dr. Schewel's recent article "We can't meet America's equitable, sustainable transportation goals until we “grade” our progress" can be found at: https://bit.ly/3z0669c
Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations
Not all classes of vehicles are created equal, because they aren't charged uniformly for how they use our transportation network. Associate Research Scientist Brianne Glover looks at how the changing mix of cars and trucks — and questions of equity and balance — might alter how we fund our roads and bridges in the future.
From “sexy bike lanes” to just what constitutes a “bicycle accident,” transportation is making headlines like never before. Aaron, Sarah and Doug are together again to consider the burning questions filling our airwaves and social media feeds right now. Will US DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg force all Americans to ride cargo bikes filled with Dr. Seuss books and dump them in a compost pile, or is that just a Fox News fever dream? Is New York's congestion pricing plan, the first in the nation, finally about to get rolling? And is it really part of a de Blasio/Cuomo/Biden war on cars? What can Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo teach us all about the harms of highway widening? What should be done about e-bike batteries? Plus, is America down with VMT? This episode was sponsored in part by Cleverhood. To celebrate the arrival of spring, War on Cars listers can now receive 25% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: Industry needs to clean up electric batteries, including the ones that power your e-bike. Shawn Bradley wasn't injured in a “bicycle accident.” He was injured when a driver hit him with a car. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo explains everything wrong with expanding highways. The US DOT is using the Civil Rights Act to pause the widening of 1-45 near Houston. A US Congresswoman thinks Bill de Blasio, Andrew Cuomo and Joe Biden are waging a war on cars. Fox News freaks out over “sexy bike lanes.” It might be time to use Vehicle Miles Traveled to tax drivers instead of just the gas tax. Secretary Pete appears to walk back a VMT tax. Get the official War on Cars coffee mug, t-shirts and our new “Cars Are Death Machines” sticker at our new store. Plus, check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow us on Apple Podcasts and leave a review. WCAR theme music by Michael Hearst. Sound effects by deleted_user_3544904 at freesound.org. This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: thewaroncars@gmail.com TheWarOnCars.org
According to a new analysis from the American Transportation Research Institute, a national vehicle-miles-traveled fee system would prove a complicated and expensive alternative to the federal fuel tax. The report comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested earlier this year that a VMT tax looked promising as a future funding solution. But ATRI's research estimated it would cost about $13.6 billion to equip the country's 272 million private vehicles with the necessary tracking hardware.
While the nation's roads continue to decline, improvements in rail and some other categories raised the nation's overall infrastructure grade to C-, a very modest improvement from the D+ grade in the 2017 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Andy Herrmann, a professional engineer, past president of ASCE and a member of the report card committee since 2001, says he is optimistic that Congress can agree on an infrastructure package. He echoed U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) last week, "I'm looking forward to a day when infrastructure week is no longer a groundhog's day joke but something that delivers investments to the American People."In 11 of the report card's 17 categories, the grade was in the ‘D' range: aviation, dams, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, public parks, roads, schools, stormwater, transit, and wastewater.The study concluded that, overall, the long-term investment gap continues to grow as we lose value in our infrastructure. That gap grew from $2.1 trillion over 10 years in the last report to $2.6 trillion, meaning the need now is $259 billion per year.In terms of funding solutions, Herrmann explained why he thinks a shift away from the fuel tax and to vehicle miles traveled (VMT) makes the most sense. In his remarks to AASHTO, Secretary Buttigieg suggested a usage levy is necessary.A Tax Foundation report in August 2020 thoroughly explores the VMT option, observing that only three states raise enough dedicated transportation revenue to fund transportation spending. The last Michigan-specific report card, in 2018, assigned a D- grade to roads and gave the state a D overall for infrastructure. That report concluded, simply, that "Michigan's infrastructure is old and outdated. We're now faced with pothole-ridden roads, bridges propped with temporary supports, sinkholes destroying homes, and closed beaches." The report highlighted Michigan's 21st Century Infrastructure Commission conclusion that an additional $4 billion annually is needed to maintain our infrastructure."Michigan must support innovative policies leading to cleaner water, smoother highways, and a safe environment that will attract business and improve our quality of life," the report said. View a nationwide map of Dedicated Transportation Tax Revenue, fiscal year 2017.
Sahas Katta, Founder & CEO of Smartcar joins Grayson Brulte on The Road To Autonomy Podcast to discuss the building blocks of mobility – standardized APIs (Application Programming Interface).The conversation begins with Sahas discussing the founding of Smartcar and growing up in Silicon Valley. Growing up in Silicon Valley has its advantages as one is able to build and develop a network early in life.This network becomes extremely valuable as one is exposed to new and emerging technologies prior to individuals located in other geographical regions. Expanding upon this, Grayson asks Sahas when the automotive industry first turned its attention to Silicon Valley.Automotive has always had a heart in Silicon Valley. – Sahas KattaThe trend began to take hold in 2015 with the adoption of connected cars. Capitalizing on this trend, Sahas and his brother Sanketh secured a pitch meeting (view the Smartcar pitch deck here) at Andreessen Horowitz which led to $2m in venture capital funding.With funding secured, Sahas and Sanketh got to work developing a standardized API for connected cars to solve the connected car problem.If you are a mobility company trying to bring your product or service to the market, you may today have to do proprietary integrations with a dozen or two dozen different car brands. Each integration might take 6, 9, or 12 months to get through that process.The end result in the world pre-Smartcar, companies decided not to even do it. It was too much work, too expensive, and too time-consuming. – Sahas KattaToday with a standardized API for connected cars, companies and developers can build new products and services without having to dedicate an immense amount of resources.As connected cars become autonomous, Smartcar's platform will be the plumbing that enables the “non-sexy” parts of the business to function at full capacity.From unlocking doors to ensuring the vehicle is fully charged to making certain that the vehicle is properly cleaned. This is all possible with Smartcar's platform.Staying on the theme of what is possible with Smartcar's platform, Grayson and Sahas discuss vehicle miles traveled (VMT). How does VMT work and what has Smartcar learned from its pilots in California and Oregon?With California's plan to phase out gasoline-powered cars by 2035, Grayson shifts the conversation to focus on electric vehicles. Sahas explains how the Smartcar platform can be used to optimize vehicle charging and monitor the health of EV car batteries.We are not the innovators coming up with these ideas to solve these problems. We provide the building blocks for incredible entrepreneurs to build really amazing applications which create a lot of value for both consumers and businesses. – Sahas KattaOne of the applications that uses Smartcar's platform is Turo. Smartcar's platform has enabled Turo to digitize their business all the while eliminating consumer friction. This same approach can be applied to fleet operators.With Smartcar operating in the United States, Europe, and Canada, the company takes the time to understand the culture and localizes its product to comply with local rules and regulations.Wrapping up the conversation, Sahas shares his thoughts on what mobility will look like in the United States over the next four years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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