skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Cities, States, Business Push for More Electric Vehicles

play audio
Play

Thursday, July 12, 2018   

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Cities and states are using their collective influence to speed up the transition to electric vehicles. This weekend is the second running of the Formula E Championship, ten teams driving electric cars in a race along the Brooklyn waterfront.

Against that backdrop, The Climate Group, an international organization dedicated to fighting global climate change, launched the "Zero Emission Vehicle Challenge." Climate Group CEO Helen Clarkson said cities and businesses operate large fleets, and by switching to electric, they send a signal to car manufacturers.

"Zero-emission vehicles are here today, so the sooner we can really get them into the market, the better,” Clarkson said. “And by really pulling this demand signal together, we give the surety to manufacturers that they can switch, and they can switch quickly."

The State of California, as well as cities like Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and major businesses around the world, have joined the Zero Emission Vehicle Challenge.

According to Grant Ervin, Pittsburgh's Chief Resilience Officer, they are not only bringing low- and zero-emission vehicles into the city's fleet, they're adding infrastructure, like solar-powered charging stations.

"What we're looking to do is create a total zero-emissions lifecycle where we can not just have zero emissions at the tailpipe but also, using renewable energy to power those vehicles, as well,” Ervin said.

He said the city is also installing charging stations in public garages to encourage residents to make the shift to electric vehicles.

Clarkson noted that as demand increases, the price of electric vehicles is falling. As more cities, states and businesses commit to the Zero Emission Challenge, she said, the message is clear.

"We want with this challenge to say to the automotive industry, 'Tell us what your end game is,’” Clarkson said. “This is happening, so how quickly can you do it? What can you commit to by 2025, and what can you commit to beyond that?"

She added that several countries, including the United Kingdom, Norway, France and India, have said they will ban internal-combustion engines beginning in the year 2040.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A health care workforce shortage in New Hampshire is leaving Alzheimer's patients and their families with few options for treatment. Patients facing …


South Dakota ranks 49th in the country for its contribution to indigent legal defense costs, according to a 2023 report from the Indigent Legal Services Task Force. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021