I know we like to write a lot about electric cars and e-bikes around here, but that’s largely because the other options often suck in the United States. Buses and trains are often dirty, seem dangerous (or actually are), and don’t come often enough to be a serious transportation option. … [continued]
It’s a common enough joke on the EV forums: Elon Musk hates trains. Musk hates trains so much, in fact, that he supposedly put forward the Hyperloop project specifically to disrupt a high-speed rail project in California, all in a bid to sell more cars. Well, it seems that the … [continued]
Living in a rural area or in a smaller city has always come with the cost of needing to secure transport of some kind (like a shuttle, taxi, or a friend) to take you to the airport or train station, especially in the United States. But the trend towards remote … [continued]
Originally published on NRDC Expert Blog. By Mitchell Bernard Our transportation system — the lifeblood of our economy — directly impacts the quality of our lives, and the life of the nation, every day and in every community. It’s time to move forward. When the nation set out decades ago to build … [continued]
Amtrak has released its 2019 sustainability report for the fiscal year of 2019. “Our country, our society, and our company face a different future than what we anticipated even six months ago.”
For the second episode of a daily Cleantech Talk Today show, Nicolas Zart and I talked about Tesla marketing, Tesla Model 3 battery production, Tesla battery recycling, and some other highlights from Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting. But that was just to kick off the show.
The state of the railroad system in the US is a mixed bag. The cargo and freight segment is competitive for a number of routes and purposes, but has basically just chugged along with incremental improvements. The rail passenger industry in the U.S. is easily 70 years behind Europe and on par with developing countries. Amtrak knows it. Everyone knows it. Bullet train projects have abounded since the 1970s and are still tantalizing us, but are hard to get rolling. Nonetheless, there may be progress.
Although the term “fast train” in this context might make a few European and Asian railroad commuters smile, US “fast trains” are getting more abundant nonetheless — albeit, at an American pace — and that’s a good thing. From California to Texas (a coming story) to Florida, progress is being made.
Electric skateboards, bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, and trains — no matter where we look, all aspects of mobility have been touched or will be touched soon enough by electric powertrains. Ironically, trains were early to electrify, but we’re still behind the times in the US.
The US government’s commitment to urban transit is instrumental for smart growth as well as socioeconomic stability. Travel by metro, train, Amtrak, and other options that work to make us a multimodal society improve quality of life and health of >100 million people. These are also the means by which many people arrive at work, at home, at the daycare to pick up a child, or elsewhere.
