Carmakers are working on lighter-weight components that make cars safer and more efficient.
A movement to build lighter electric vehicles could ease drivers’ range anxiety and make the vehicles safer for pedestrians, writes Martine Paris in an article for BBC.
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Panasonic Automotive showcased lighter-weight components for speakers and audio equipment that use less energy, while Honda highlighted its efforts to develop a lighter battery. “It has been making substantial investments in developing solid-state batteries, which are smaller and lighter than the conventional lithium-ion batteries currently standard in most electric vehicles on the road today.”
Heavier vehicles have been shown to put more strain on roads and infrastructure, have lower fuel efficiency, and can be more dangerous to pedestrians and other cars in crashes.
Read the full story: Electric vehicles: Can 'lightweighting' combat range anxiety?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority