Category: Shift

These ‘self-driving’ shared scooters will automatically return to base after each use


This article was originally published by Sarah Wray on Cities Today, the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders. For the latest updates follow Cities Today on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, or sign up for Cities Today News. A fleet of 100 remote-controlled scooters is being piloted at the city-owned Curiosity Lab technology testing ground in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. It is understood to be the first trial of its type on public roads. Citizens will be able to hail a scooter via an app and the vehicle will be automatically returned…

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China’s Xpeng ‘copies’ Tesla’s website after allegedly ‘stealing’ Autopilot source code


Chinese carmakers taking too much inspiration from western brands isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, but one China-based EV maker has zero-chill and is now even copying Tesla‘s web design. [Read: UK automotive production at lowest level since WW2, to cost industry $15B] Spotted by an unnamed individual, who then tipped off Electrek, Xpeng appears to be copying Tesla‘s website design. I say appears, but take a look a the screenshots below and decide for yourself. The similarities are clear. Putting the actual vehicles to one side, the website shows the car moving swiftly against a cloudless blue sky. The name…

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UK automotive production at lowest level since WW2, to cost industry $15B


With auto factories closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that production was going to take a hit. Now we know just how big an impact it had in the UK. In the month of April, carmakers based in the United Kingdom produced 197 premium or luxury vehicles, just 45 of these actually made it to customers. That’s a 99.7% drop compared to the same time period last year, BBC reports. [Read: CVS is testing driverless vehicles in Houston for safe, socially distanced medical deliveries] According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders it’s the lowest output the…

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How coronavirus is reshaping the mobility industry, from EVs to supply chains


The current crisis is first and foremost humanitarian, with 300k casualties to date worldwide and massive joblessness. It is also economic, with almost all companies having financial difficulties and many collapsing. However, a few sectors are currently booming (e.g. deliveries), some will benefit from a crisis-induced tailwind, while others will continue to suffer for years to come. Many countries are still largely shut down, while others are re-opening. Economies are initiating a reboot. Depending on the forecasting analysts, the 2020 automotive market may be down 10-15% in China and 15-25% in Europe and the USA. Even if it is too…

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CVS is testing driverless vehicles in Houston for safe, socially distanced medical deliveries


Self-driving vehicle startup Nuro announced yesterday that it will deliver medical prescriptions autonomously to residents in parts of one Texas city. It could be a boon for the health and safety of those made even more vulnerable because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a company announcement, Nuro will partner with CVS, one of America’s biggest pharmacy chains, to deliver prescriptions to customers in a “pilot area,” which is made up of three zip codes in Houston, Texas. [Read: Uber scraps thousands of Jump ebikes, because recycling them is ‘too complicated’] Starting next month, CVS customers can choose the autonomous…

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3 possible scenarios for restoring public transport after COVID-19


The Dutch bike-transit system should be our guide to not only encourage public transport use, but to also make it more efficient and attractive by offering higher frequency service with even better coverage. How is that possible? As we seem to be reaching the light at the end of the COVID-19 quarantine tunnel, many of us question what this might mean for mobility, and particularly, for public transport. The lockdown has generally had the same impact all around the world: car journeys fell 50–80% and public transport ridership plummeted by even more, while cycling and walking had a relative increase. Asian…

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Shifting to electric transport is still a game changer — even if it’s not charged by renewable energy


New Zealand is indeed well supplied with renewable electricity. In recent years, New Zealand has averaged 83% from renewable sources (including 60% hydropower, 17% geothermal, and 5% wind) and 17% from fossil fuels (4% coal and 13% gas). In addition to being cheap and renewable, hydropower has another great advantage. Its production can ramp up and down very quickly (by turning the turbines on and off) during the day to match demand. Looking at a typical winter’s day (I’ve taken July 4, 2018), demand at 3am was 3,480 megawatts (MW) and 85% was met by renewable sources. By the early…

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Uber scraps thousands of Jump ebikes, because recycling them is ‘too complicated’


In a twist of un-environmentally friendly irony, Uber has decided to send thousands of Jump hire bikes straight to the dump because it says it’s too complicated to give them away. Yes, you should be angered by this. According to The Verge, Uber confirmed in a statement that it would be recycling many of Jump’s older ebike and scooter models after transferring many of the newer models to Jump’s new owners, Lime. Instead, that doesn’t exactly seem to be what’s happening. [Read: Here’s how many cyclists it takes to charge a Tesla as fast as a Supercharger] Images of Jump…

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UK cities trial ‘red carpet’ crosswalks to reduce pedestrian accidents


This article was originally published by Sarah Wray on Cities Today, the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders. For the latest updates follow Cities Today on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, or sign up for Cities Today News. The cities of Liverpool and Hull in the UK will trial new pedestrian crosswalks, informed by behavioral insights, to reduce road accidents and deaths. This includes a ‘blinged-up’ crosswalks and an airport-style speedy-boarding system. Liverpool has the highest rate of adult deaths or serious injuries (KSIs) for pedestrian collisions in the UK outside…

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Amazon-backed Rivian reopens factory to build parts for upcoming electric SUV


The electric car startup specializing in long-range SUVs, Rivian, has reopened its factory in the US following a temporary shutdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Back at the end of March, Rivian closed its factories and offices to help quell the spread of COVID-19. But it seems that production is already starting to return to Normal, Illinois, where one Rivian factory is based, Week.com reports. A company spokesperson confirmed yesterday that a small group of essential workers returned to the plant mid-May. A second group will return next week, they added. [Read: Here’s how many cyclists it takes to…

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