Takes on the News | Low Carbon Fuel Policy Research Initiative

The Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer debut in Super Bowl advertisements

February 22, 2021

Electric Vehicles

This year’s offering of Super Bowl electric vehicle advertising was a retreat from last year, offering fewer ads from fewer brands. Advertising is necessary (though it needs to be sustained and pervasive) but it is far from sufficient to encourage people to transition to EVs. Advertising is not going to solve the problem of where to charge or address the range “anxiety” that people have been told they will have if they buy an EV.

California’s new economic recovery plan prioritizes Zero Emissions Vehicles

January 18, 2021

Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a $4.5 billion economic recovery plan to kick off the 2021-2022 budget. Alongside helping Californians and small businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed recovery plan will dedicate a third of the budget to the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035.

Massachusetts will require all car sales to be EVs by 2035

January 04, 2021

As part of the commonwealth’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the Governor of Massachusetts has released a plan to dramatically reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. A crucial component of that plan includes a requirement that by 2035, all new light-duty vehicle sales must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation sets out to electrify and automate vehicles in the US

December 21, 2020

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation creates an agenda including incentives, job programs, and investments in infrastructure to accelerate the electrification of the transportation sector in the US. This coincides with the California Public Utilities Commission pushing the Automated Vehicles (AVs) Program from the pilot to deployment phase.

The United Kingdom moves Electric Vehicle Targets to 2035

December 07, 2020

The UK will ban the sales of gasoline cars by 2030, setting the stage for an all electric vehicle market by 2035.

Auto sales boom in second half of 2020

November 23, 2020

Drops in auto sales were expected after the shutdowns in early 2020, however, automakers and economists alike were surprised when car sales boomed in the second half of the year. Research from UC Davis ITS tie in bus and public transit use during the COVID-19 pandemic and how that might play a role in the boom of auto sales.