I'm just back from China. Waht a week. Among other amazing experiences, we got to go for a ride in one of only 19 GM Sequel hydrogen minivans. The car is remarkably similar to a regular vehicle, except for a small computer screen on the dash that provides a detailed diagnostic readout on the hydrogen fuel cell stack. That's my colleague Mike Liebhold of the Institute for the Future behind the wheel.
I'm just back from China. Waht a week. Among other amazing experiences, we got to go for a ride in one of only 19 GM Sequel hydrogen minivans.
The car is remarkably similar to a regular vehicle, except for a small computer screen on the dash that provides a detailed diagnostic readout on the hydrogen fuel cell stack.
That's my colleague Mike Liebhold of the Institute for the Future behind the wheel.
There's a lot more information about the Sequel on GM's website, and this 2002 Wired article offers a pretty good and still relevant overview of GM's over $1 billion project to develop hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
GM has clearly created a prototype that would be at home in a Wal-Mart parking lot (in Seattle or Shanghai for that matter). But at over $1 million each, it looks like we're at least 10-15 years away from large-scale production of these vehicles.
Five Observations from Three Years in China
I’ve spent much of the last three years working on transportation finance and planning issues in China, and Reason Foundation now has transportation policy projects up and running in the cities of Chongqing, Xi’an, and Beijing.
Beijing's traffic nightmare and public transit
BEIJING--When I first learned that I wouldn't be able to rent a car in Beijing, I was disappointed. That's how I usually break away from the business "bubble" to learn something about a city. But, it didn't take more than an hour to realize that I was better off with a local driver than tackling it myself. Driving habits, combined with roads choking with pedestrians, cars, buses, and taxis, convinced me I needed to leave the driving to a "pro".
Public Transit Alternatives to Rideshare Offer Affordable and Accessible Mobility
In Minnesota, local transit agencies are seeing growth in ridership for on-demand microtransit services since the start of the pandemic.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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