For the world to transition to low-carbon electricity, energy from these sources needs to be cheaper than electricity from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels dominate the global power supply because until very recently electricity from fossil …
Continue readingCategory: Industry News
Scooter hailing is on the horizon (SmartCitiesDive)
Ford-owned micromobility firm Spin announced on Wednesday an exclusive partnership with software company Tortoise to bring teleoperated three-wheeled e-scooters to cities across North America and Europe in 2021. The Spin S-200 scooters, co-developed with Segway-Ninebot, …
Continue readingLand Value Capture for new railways (TransportTimes)
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many challenges for businesses – and the rail industry is no different. Although passenger numbers have only slightly recovered from the 85% decline seen during the height of lockdown, …
Continue readingHS2 prepares for 21km tunnels under London (TunnelTalk)
Of the 45km of twin tube bored tunnels to be constructed as part of the 225km High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project in the UK to link Birmingham and London, just under half is located …
Continue readingCatalytic converter costs converting car co’s to electric (NYTimes)
Thieves nationwide are slithering under cars, swiping catalytic converters. The pollution-control gadgets are full of precious metals like palladium, and prices are soaring as regulators try to tame emissions. Crooks with hacksaws have noticed. Michael …
Continue readingApril launch for Orion light goods fast freight (RailFreight)
Rail Operations (UK) have revealed their latest ambitions for a Britain-wide, high-speed light goods service. Of all the current plans and existing operations, RO (UK) has the most extensive intentions. The specialist freight and rail …
Continue readingE-scooters getting ready for commuting comeback (CityLab)
Of all the things to look forward to post-vaccine, commuting might not be on the top of the list. But despite grand promises of a work-from-home forever, white-collar workers who went remote when the coronavirus …
Continue readingPrototype 3D printed bus – video (Bloomberg)
When 3D printing first appeared, it may have seemed like a fad–something to keep garage hobbyists busy. But over the past few years, it’s become a mainstream manufacturing process. Now, an independent automaker called Local …
Continue readingEngland tops 3,000 shared e-scooters (Zag)
There are now more shared e-scooters than bike-share bicycles in the country (outside London). The number of e-scooters available for short-term hire in the UK now exceeds 3,000, just three weeks after breaking the 2,000 …
Continue readingHype Cycle Curve for smart mobility (SAE)
Gartner’s annual Hype Cycle plots COVID impact on R&D timetables, but remains upbeat about the potential for many to be widely adopted. Gartner Inc.’s annual Hype Cycle (below) has become a much-anticipated metric of the maturity and …
Continue readingSNCF, Bombardier convert diesel trains to battery (UrbanTransport)
The worldwide trend from diesel to battery-powered rail vehicles has now also reached France. The French state railway has announced that in cooperation with the manufacturer Bombardier Transportation, a total of five existing AGC (Autorail …
Continue readingGov’t to fund feasibility of digital signalling 3 more mainlines (RailEngineer)
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris has announced £1.2 million of new government funding to accelerate feasibility work for digital signalling on vital sections of the West Coast main line, Midland main line and East Anglia route, …
Continue readingNew railway digital research centre 1st phase completed (RailBusiness)
A new purpose-built centre designed to deliver specialist research in digital railway engineering has been opened at the University of Birmingham. The Centre of Excellence for Digital Systems showcases successful collaboration between academia and industry, …
Continue readingVirtual replica of HS1 line to aid repairs (NewCivilEng)
A virtual replica of the High Speed One rail line between London and Kent is being developed to assist engineers carrying out repairs to the line’s signalling and electronic systems. Continue reading
Continue readingCould AR windshields end distracted driving? (StreetsBlog)
Countless drivers have gotten away with murder by telling a cop the magic words, “I just didn’t see [that pedestrian/cyclist/wheelchair user] coming.” But if a new augmented reality windshield technology works as designed, they might …
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