Gas prices to the rescue?
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The war in Iran and the resulting spike in gas prices may be a much-needed boost to America’s flagging EV market. It’s still very early, but there are signs of an EV rebound from the massive plunge in sales following the end of the $7,500 EV tax credit in September. Is it enough to prompt all of the automakers that have been ditching or sidelining EVs to reconsider? Perhaps not, but it is an opportunity for them to lobby for eliminating the gas tax in favor of something that will actually work in an EV-dominant future.
Plus, another Chinese robotaxi company is gearing up to challenge the likes of Pony.ai, Baidu and WeRide.
What you need to know
Is the EV rebound here? Tesla’s Q1 sales came below expectations but still outperformed their sales during the same time last year. Sales of Hyundai EVs are also up 14%. Cadillac tells the New York Times that its EV sales are up 20%. Keep in mind: the year-over-year increase occurred despite the elimination of the $7,500 EV tax credit in September. The war is only one month old and the price of gas has only risen by about $1 in the U.S. –– it now stands at an average of $4.10/gallon. What happens if it gets up to $5?
Women Changing Cities with Melissa Bruntlett
For more than a century, conventional urban planning has prioritized the efficient movement of passengers from the core to the periphery. But what if this system ignores the transportation needs of most people? In this episode of Fast Forward, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Melissa Bruntlett, author of “Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation”, a book that showcases how female leaders are transforming cities through people-focused, sustainable, and inclusive urban design, using case studies from cities like Paris, Bogotá, and Manila to highlight their success in creating safer, more livable spaces.
…cue the calls for ending the gas tax: It’s hardly surprising to see politicians call for a “gas tax” holiday when prices are up, but automakers are also jumping on the bandwagon. The trade group that represents nearly all U.S. automakers is calling for replacing the 18.4¢ federal gas tax with a vehicle tax to fund American highways. For generations federal highways were funded entirely by the gas tax, but Congress hasn’t voted to raise it since 1993 and cars are more fuel efficient than ever. The funding situation will only get worse as more Americans switch to EVs.
Another Chinese robotaxi player: CaoCao, a Chinese ride-hailing firm backed by Geely, says it will soon deploy 100 purpose-built robotaxis in Hangzhou and aims to deploy 100,000 by 2030 that will leverage Geely’s budding network of battery-swapping stations. In an interview, CEO Gong Xin envisioned a company that will succeed by building a three-legged stool of vehicle manufacturing, autonomous software and fleet operations.
We’re 3 weeks way from CoMotion MIAMI ‘26, “Urban Mobility in the Age of AI”, on April 28-29 at Miami Dade College.
Connect with the leading companies in autonomy, robotics, rail, smart infrastructure, manufacturing and engineering, operations, curb technology, payments, electrification, drone delivery and more.
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Brotherly love, robot hate: It’s been a tough couple weeks for AV developer AVride. First, one of its vehicles stands accused of running over a duck in Austin. And the delivery robots it supplies from UberEats have twice in two weeks been violently assaulted by Philadelphians. This is hardly the first time a robot has met a grisly end in the City of Brotherly Love. Way back in 2015 hitchBOT, a “hitchhiking robot” that depended on the kindness of strangers to travel across Canada, the Netherlands and Germany was dismembered and beheaded in Center City, Philadelphia.
Portland’s monster e-bike rebate: The most bikeable city in America opens up its e-bike rebate program, offering $1,600 for e-bikes and $2,350 for e-cargo bikes. The program is backed by $20 million from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund and is expected to subsidize 6,600 e-bikes over the next five years.
What we’re reading
What 100 years of American zoning has done to cities and mobility: StreetsBlog looks at Euclid vs. Ambler, the landmark Supreme Court decision in 1926 that granted local governments broad power to regulate the form and function of buildings. These new powers were the foundation of Euclidean zoning, which segregates residential from commercial uses, making it hard in many places to get anywhere without a car.
