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Jul 24

EU’s car regulator warns against car diesel ban in cities

Reuters, 22 July 2017
Banning diesel cars in European cities could hamper automakers’ ability to invest in zero-emission vehicles, the European Union’s commissioner for industry has warned the bloc’s transport ministers. In a letter seen by Reuters, Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said there would be no benefit in a collapse of the market for diesel cars and that the short-term focus should be on forcing carmakers to bring dangerous nitrogen oxide emissions into line with EU regulations.

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Jul 19

Memo to COAG: Australia is already awash with gas

The Conversation, 14 July 2017
Federal, state and territory energy ministers are gathering today in Brisbane for the tenth meeting of the COAG Energy Council. In the wake of the Finkel Review, and against a backdrop of rising electricity and gas prices, they have much to discuss. Some of the focus will certainly be on gas policy and prices. Earlier this week, the federal energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, argued that state governments should develop their onshore gas reserves to relieve pressure on the gas market.

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Jul 18

Gender makes a world of difference for safety on public transport

The Conversation, 18 July 2017
Urban environments are not gender-neutral. Architects and urban designers are increasingly seeking to understand how gender-sensitive design can combat the spatial inequities faced by those who identify as women and girls of all demographics, races and socio-economic groups. Public transport spaces, for instance, incubate many systemic issues. The observable differences between how men and women travel around cities can be attributed to the gendered power hierarchies entrenched in our society. As suggested by a University of California study, this may stem from our long history of gender inequality, which reinforces rigid binary definitions of femininity and masculinity.

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Jul 12

Explainer: what can Tesla’s giant South Australian battery achieve?

The Conversation, 11 July 2017
Last Friday, world-famous entrepreneur Elon Musk jetted into Adelaide to kick off Australia’s long-delayed battery revolution. The Tesla founder joined South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and the international chief executive of French windfarm developer Neoen, Romain Desrousseaux, to announce what will be the world’s largest battery installation. The battery tender won by Tesla was a key measure enacted by the South Australian government in response to the statewide blackout in September 2016, together with the construction of a 250 megawatt gas-fired power station.
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Jul 12

Are yellow oBikes taking over our footpaths?

The Age, 10 July 2017
By now you’ve probably seen the yellow bikes dotted across Melbourne’s landscape – maybe you’ve even tripped over one. Melbourne’s new bike sharing system oBike is certainly getting some mileage, with pushies popping up on random street corners and flooding bike racks from Richmond to the CBD.

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Jul 12

What actually is a good city?

The Conversation, 12 July 2017
Our cities have now been named as the saving places of a planet in crisis. And yet we cannot decide on the principles that make for a good city. Everybody has a view, but some views are more sustainable than others. What we desperately need is a big and general public dialogue about the principles that make for a good city. This is the basis of our project, Principles for Better Cities, led by the City of Berlin. It provides a platform for the Ecocity World Summit in Melbourne this week.
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Jul 6

The [US] auto industry could be in for big trouble soon

Salon, 6 July 2017
The American auto industry is slowing down, despite two years of record sales and a resurgence since the 2009 recession, according to the New York Times. For the sixth consecutive month sales dropped in June as demand continues to fall and fewer workers are on on the factory floors. Analysts do not see the trends changing anytime soon, the Times reported.
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Jul 5

Elon Musk says Tesla Model 3 production will begin Friday

Renew Economy, 5 July 2017
Tesla Inc.’s mission-critical Model 3 will start production on Friday before beginning a rapid ramp-up targeting a rate of 20,000 a month in December. “Expecting to complete” the first car Friday, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk wrote in a late-night Tweet, adding that it passed all its regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule.
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Jul 5

Electric cars reach record 42% of Norway’s total new car sales with boost from Tesla Model X

Electrek, 4 July 2017
While most countries have difficulties making electric cars reach 2% or 3% of their total car sales, Norway keeps pushing the bar higher and higher. Last month was another record month for the country with electric cars representing 42% of its new vehicles being registered.
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Jul 4

Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train is five times over budget, says NAO

The Guardian, 4 July 2017
An experimental tram-train linking Sheffield and Rotherham has cost more than five times the agreed budget and is running almost three years late, with the [UK] government forced to compensate tram operator Stagecoach for the delays with a £2.5m payment.
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