Electric Vehicles

The City Council gave first reading to an ordinance that would ban electric scooters on sidewalks and roads with speed limits over 30 miles per hour. The devices would also be limited to speeds of 20 miles per hour.

The city is weighing new rules for electric cargo bikes, to free up curb space, fight traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gases. The proposal before the City Council is similar to one New York City adopted last year.

Developers and owners of multifamily housing complexes should understand the nuances around planning and operating electric vehicle charging, those familiar with the industry said, indicating it will soon be an expected feature.

The University of Michigan examined the topic, comparing lifetime emissions of battery, hybrid and gas vehicles from the 2025 model year. The electric vehicles should produce fewer greenhouse gases, it found.

The Sacramento-area city has plans to transition its fleet of 1,000 city vehicles and more than 40 buses to electric by 2040. A digital twin is helping leaders learn more about how their conveyances are used.

A new study by HERE Technologies and SBD Automotive ranks the electric vehicle market in all 50 states, offering insights into the rate of EV adoption and strength of the public charging landscape.

Collaboration across sectors and at the state and local level, along with education and information campaigns, and infrastructure rebates could help electric vehicle use speed up, experts said.

City officials said autonomous vehicle company Waymo will begin testing its vehicles in the city. In compliance with state law, a human specialist will be behind the wheel, for now, to take control if needed.

Among its priorities are well-traveled but underserved neighborhoods. Massachusetts has the fourth most stations per capita of any state, but will need to add more EV chargers to meet its climate goals.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is seeking to expand charging stations for electric vehicles as part of broader efforts to get more drivers to ditch their gas-powered vehicles.

The California Energy Commission announced $55 million in new funding to develop high-speed electric vehicle charging. Meanwhile, the federal government has restarted a national program to build charging stations.

The state’s Clean Mobility Program intends to deliver funding for “scalable, community-led demonstration projects” across micromobility, ride-share and on-demand shared transportation.

Ridership in the U.S., Canada and Mexico rose more than 30 percent year over year as the industry takes hold, according to the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association’s sixth annual ridership report.

Researchers from Morgan State University helped to develop the devices, which are controlled by a cellphone app. The pilot is designed to give passengers at Baltimore International Airport better mobility and independence.

The city’s bus system intends to bring three new electric shuttles into its fleet, likely to serve free routes in downtown, St. Elmo and the North Shore. The vehicles will join eight other electrics currently in service.

The approaching end of financial incentives to purchase electric vehicles is expected to have some negative effect on their sales — but ultimately not dampen optimism toward electrified transportation.

Rule changes from the Oregon state legislature mean electric bicycles in three classes are now legal for use on park roads – and along any trails that allow standard bicycles. They were previously limited to trails eight feet or wider.

Toll road systems are modernizing with seamless payment portals and other forms of tech, enabling new options to make controlling congestion easy — and generate revenue other ways, as gas taxes decline.