What’s your opinion on the recently announced electric vehicle tax in VIC?
Excuse me! – this was Kasia’s (team leader at ptc.) reaction when she heard about the new electric vehicle (EV) tax to be introduced by the Victorian government. And it surely summarises our feelings about it. From 1st of July, Victorian EV owners will pay 2.5 cents per kilometre whilst hybrid vehicle owners, will pay […]
The issues with electric vehicles charging at car parks
Rising disputes for electric vehicle bays Fortune Magazine has stated that disputes for an electric vehicle (EV) parking bay is the next ‘the next frontier of road rage’. As the number of EVs on the roads increase in the US, new issues surrounding EV charging are becoming more common. One problem revolves around the dispute […]
Australia’s First Driverless Shuttle Bus
Last week RAC started the on-road test stage of the first autonomous and electric shuttle bus to operate in Australia. The RAC Intellibus trial is happening in South Perth and includes tests with passengers. The shuttle can carry 11 people and will travel at an average speed of 25km/h with the possibility of achieving 45km/h. […]
Your ride into the future
According to EcoBusiness.com, personal electric mobility devices (PMEDs) are an emerging breed of transportation in Asia. Singapore’s Marina Bay financial district has been trialling the use of “Airwheels” to help drive a shift to more sustainable urban transport. By 2030, Asia will account for almost half of all the vehicles in the world. PMED’s may […]
Barcelona Police first with green ride
Barcelona Police have taken delivery of a new fleet of 30 electrically powered scooters, giving them efficient, zero-emission mobility around the city. Already a leader in sustainable mobility, Barcelona was the perfect partner to showcase this fleet of fully electric scooters, manufactured by BMW. As reported recently on BMW Blog, this is the first fleet […]
Toyota working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Mobility
Photo credit: Volvo Traditionally achieving sustainable mobility in city centres has been the purview of town and urban planners in the employ of local, state and federal governments. However, citizens around the world are becoming more concerned with the environment and mobility. As citizens and governments become more focused on the achievement of sustainable mobility, […]
Paris plans car free city centre
Photo credit: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo has announced plans to reduce traffic and pollution by converting the city centre to a primarily pedestrian and bicycle zone, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche. Hidalgo wants to tackle the level of pollution in Paris with a view […]
Free parking to boost EV sales in Germany
The German cabinet has backed a bill designed to stimulate demand for electronic vehicles by enabling municipalities to offer EV owners incentives such as free parking, and the use of bus lanes, as reported by Businessweek. As a world leader in car manufacturing, the bill simultaneously aims to stimulate the sluggish sales of EVs in Germany […]
World’s first 3D printed car
At the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014 in Chicago last week, Local Motors has unveiled the first 3D printed car, reports SBS. Manufactured in just 44 hours, the “Strati” (Italian for layers) is set to challenge the traditional methods of car manufacturing. The mechanical components – battery, wiring, suspension – are sourced from a variety […]
Madrid tackles pollution problems with Smart Meters
The City of Madrid is enlisting Smart Parking Meters to help address the city’s dangerous pollution levels, which are consistently exceeding EU limits. According to The Guardian, the scheme which commences on July 1 will penalize drivers of cars that are responsible for more emissions. In a rating system based on the vehicle engine […]
UK invests in green vehicles and their drivers
The UK has taken a bold stand for a greener future with the recent announcement of a £500 m investment in the growing electric car movement, as reported in The Yorkshire Post recently. Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg unveiled the initiative saying “This is about creating a culture change in our towns and cities so […]
Results of car-sharing study may be grim news for automakers
As a follow up to our recent blog about the Kandi car-vending machine in China, we came across this article in Treehugger, which featured some interesting results from a study on car-sharing programs in the US.Researchers, Alix Partners, have released the results claiming that approximately 500,000 vehicle purchases have been avoided in the US thanks […]
Tesla S travels across US for free
The Tesla S electric car is in the media again, this time for taking one of its enthusiasts, John Glenny, across the country at no cost. As reported in BRW, Glenny and his daughter travelled from New York to Los Angeles in just five days, via Tesla’s network of Supercharger stations where they were able […]
Car vending machines address transport issues
Reported last month by news.com.au, Hangzhou’s nine million residents will be encouraged to relinquish car ownership in favour of a greener solution – electric hire cars available on demand from giant vending machines! In this attempt to spearhead the problems of pollution, traffic congestion and overcrowding, all exacerbated by spiralling car ownership in China, Hangzhou […]
BMW adopts technology for the greater good
Last week’s report featured on The Green Car Website reminds us of the Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street. You will remember the part when Kris Kringle, employed at Macy’s, starts sending customers to Bloomingdales when they can’t find what they are looking for? Some might say it is the cleverest marketing strategy around. So, […]
Electric scooter with boot space
For the latest in electric transport options, Treehugger recently featured this prototype scooter, the Kubo. After you figure out which end is up, you will see that the space underneath is designed to give you ample carrying capacity for your groceries, shopping, briefcase or other precious cargo (not children, however!). The scooter has a weight […]
The impact of driverless cars on our cities
As we posted in last week’s Wayfinding Forum, auto companies are now striving beyond the development of self-parking cars. They are building self-DRIVING cars. Whilst the technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, public acceptance and understanding is still in its infancy. This week, an interesting perspective was offered by The New York Times. The […]
Parking technology – the alternative option?
We often comment on Wayfinding Forum about the development of technology in our industry and how it is apparently streamlining the way we live. The previous article is a case in point. Subscribers may also recall articles we have written on fully automated parking garages, folding cars, underground bike parking and car park guidance systems […]
Driverless trains are headed for Sydney
The NSW budget handed down last week delivered significantly on transport, with over $6 billion pledged towards infrastructure projects. Along with the light rail project previously mentioned on Wayfinding Forum, heavy rail was the big winner with funding confirmed along the north-west corridor of Sydney. The NSW Government describes The North West Rail Link as […]
Japan’s underground bike parking solution
Tokyo is a metropolis of over 13 million people, all trying to get around by the best means possible. Overwhelming congestion means that car travel is sluggish and we’ve all seen images of “train pushers” (or oshiya) cramming passengers onto Japan’s subway system. As a result, cycling is trending as a preference for many commuters. […]
Green badges to encourage electric car investment
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for free parking for electric vehicles in an attempt to encourage UK drivers to switch to the more environmentally friendly mode of travel. An article published by the Guardian this week, explains that the concept is similar to the existing blue badge scheme for disabled drivers. […]
Folding cars. Your parking problems are solved!
Ever tried to squeeze into an impossible parking spot? We all have, but with the latest technology coming out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) the impossible is becoming possible. A BBC Business News report published this week has revealed the media lab at MIT has designed a ‘folding car’ which is being developed […]
Electric cars to have a home at Highland Park, Chicago
The Chicago Tribune has reported Highland Park, a municipality of Chicago, will create areas in its downtown to accommodate electric cars. The city will consider priority parking spaces and reduced vehicle sticker fees to further incentivise electric car owners. The concept is hoped to be not only good for the environment, but also may help […]
Parking and Traffic Consultants – 2012 year in review
2012 has been another eventful year for PTC. Many new clients joined the prestigious names in our portfolio, including Perth Airport, Health Infrastructure, Adelaide University and Leichhardt Council. Many other previous clients engaged us to do new work. Just to give you an idea, during the year we worked for these airports: Adelaide, Gold Coast, […]
Sydney light rail project to be green lit
The first stage of the extension of Sydney’s light rail appears to be moving ahead, with the staged construction of a line from the University of NSW in Randwick to the CBD expected to be announced this week. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell will announce that work will start at the university and go to Central […]
A year of ‘Parking and Traffic’ blogs in review
Feel like the year has passed you by too? If you’ve been too busy to stay on top of the parking and traffic industry news every week – never fear! Here is our annual round-up of the highs and lows, and headline-making stories from 2012. Parking and policy in Australia This year saw Parking & […]
The market for charging stations for electric vehicles
Meanwhile, and somewhat in contradiction to our previous post, research released by Lux Research recently indicates that the market for delivering electricity to Electric Vehicles will rise to be a $1.2 billion market in 2020. Lux Research developed a forecast using vehicle sales to project the global electric-vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) market. According to a […]
Interest in electric vehicles is declining In the US
A new study conducted by Pike Research indicates that the number of people ‘extremely’ or ‘very interested’ in electric cars has declined in the last year, from 40% to 36%. According to Torquenews.com, key findings from the survey include: Consumers often cite insufficient range as a primary reason for their lack of interest in plug-in […]
13th Australian Parking Convention is a resounding success
Following in the steps of the November 2010 Convention, the Parking Association of Australia held its 13th event at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre earlier this week. The event was characterised by a high level of local and international speakers that had the delegates particularly riveted to their seats. The exhibiton, in Hall 6 […]
Plug-in vehicles, plugged in policy?
A report from the UK’s Transport Select Committee recently published in Britain has claimed that sales of electric vehicles (EV’s) are on forecast for growth but remain relatively small despite the introduction of a Government plug-in grant. Incentives offered by the government include financial subsidies for consumers as well as funding for publicly available vehicle […]