Though it has a relatively long track record, misconceptions still surround the Global Positioning System, especially in terms of autonomous vehicles. Everyone knows that GPS uses satellites to deliver position information to things like smart …
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Tech could transform congestion pricing (CityLab)
As cities like New York move ahead with plans to charge motorists to enter certain urban areas, we need to think about the best ways to manage road tolling. Now that New York City has …
Continue readingAutonomous scooters a non-starter (RadicalUrbanist)
Earlier this week, former Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson tweeted that Uber was hiring for a new “Micromobility Robotics” team that would be under its Jump Bikes umbrella — the dockless bike-sharing company it purchased last year to …
Continue readingRail’s role in meeting global climate targets (RailFreight)
More than a decade ago, four competing rail freight operators — DBCargo, TX Logistik, SBB Cargo and BLS Cargo — decided to launch a common position paper setting out the need for better framework conditions …
Continue readingWill electric cars cause Peak Copper? (FT)
China’s demand for electric vehicles charges copper, and Citi expects prices to hit $6,700 a tonne as the metal is core to the next motoring generation. Copper is a very ordinary building material that has …
Continue readingDrones for autonomous trains (RailTech)
Thales is developing a concept of special drones for Automatic Train Operation (ATO). The air vehicles will be equipped with advanced optronics, infra-red sensors and other integrating leading technologies. The drones will fly ahead of …
Continue readingQuestionable economics of AV taxis (FTAlphaville)
Alphaville has long held the suspicion that, despite the hype, the economics of a self-driving fleet of taxis, as an alternative to owning a car, simply won’t work. A new paper out Monday, written by …
Continue readingCrossrail & 4 other late rail projects (SmartRailWorld)
Four months after the original planned opening of Crossrail, reports have been released today that could push the Elizabeth Line’s inaugural journey back to 2021. But it is far from the first infrastructure project that …
Continue readingTuesday Transport Tech Terms – April 2019 (Reconnections)
This is a new feature which aims to explain the latest in transport acronyms, abbreviations and concepts quickly, as well as provide some relevance. In covering industry developments, we at LR Towers come across new …
Continue readingWhat are Rail Industry Readiness Levels? (RailEngineer)
Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) were first defined by NASA in 1989 as a method of classifying the maturity of a technology or product during its development and acquisition. Originally seven in number, this was increased …
Continue readingCan solar PV power railways? (RailwayTechnology)
Shining example: will solar PV power the railways of the future? How will our expanding railways be powered in the future? And are electrified networks powered solely by renewable energy the answer? Demand for traction …
Continue readingLA rebooting bus network using cell phone data (Wired)
The Orange Line [BRT] carries more than 20,000 people every weekday. But setting this route aside, bus ridership has gone off a cliff, here and nationwide. Some 2,300 buses run around LA every day — …
Continue readingCapacitors: cheap, ubiquitous & backlogged (Quartz)
The CEO of GoPro, which manufactures small, stout action cameras, literally can’t make enough of them. The culprit, reports Quartz’s Daniel Wolfe, is a worldwide shortage of one of the modern world’s critical cogs: multilayer ceramic capacitors …
Continue readingDe-prioritizing cars in the hierarchy (CityAsAService)
The last century was all about designing cities around the needs of cars. But today, many cities have committed to reducing or entirely removing cars from pedestrian-heavy areas and have set ambitious goals to become …
Continue readingTaxi companies are fighting back (SmartCitiesDive)
All hail: How taxi companies stay competitive in an evolving marketplace. As ride-hailing services grow in consumer popularity, savvy cab companies are using technology and improved sustainability to compete for business. Every innovation brings the …
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