In this edition of Thoughts from the Drivers Seat, Mike Nelson shares some of the pitfalls he experienced when trying to charge his Rivian at a Supercharging station while traveling to an out of state wedding.

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• California needs a million EV charging stations – but that’s ‘unlikely’ and ‘unrealistic’ (KPBS, July 16, 2024)

  With state projections expecting to reach 7 million electric vehicles on California roads by the end of 2030 – 10 times more electric vehicles than at the end of last year – California will have to build an unprecedented number of public charging stations to meet demands. To reach a target of 2.1 million chargers in 2035, the state will have to create 129,000 new stations every year for the next seven years, which is more than 7 times the current pace.

  “It is very unlikely that we hit our goals, and to be completely frank, the EV goals are a noble aspiration, but unrealistic,” stated Bruce Cain, a Stanford professor and co-author of a policy briefing on California’s electric vehicle charging issues. California will need billions of dollars for power grid upgrades to connect the chargers, as well as ensuring public chargers are available in rural and less-affluent areas of the state.

  “The infrastructure is continuing to be rolled out at a rapid pace,” said Liane Randolph, board chair of the California Air Resources Board. “It doesn’t all have to be perfect instantly. It’s a process. And it’s a process that’s continuing to move.”

• Musk signals delays to robotaxi unveiling for key design change (Reuters, July 15, 2024)

  Elon Musk announced earlier this year that Tesla would be unveiling its fully autonomous robotaxi on August 8th, but a recent response to a post about the event signals otherwise.  “Requested what I think is an important design change to the front, and extra time allows us to show off a few other things,” Musk said on X. No date has been announced by the automaker as to when we can expect a launch.  Musk has given minimal details about the robotaxis other than some would be owned and operated by Tesla and some would be owned by individuals and rented out on Tesla’s network.  Time will tell if Musk debuts his robotaxi this year or if it will be delayed like many of his other promised releases.

• Autonomous Vehicles Face Real-World Challenges: A Look at Baidu’s Recent Incident in China (Power Nation, July 9, 2024)

  In Wuhan, China, a Baidu-operated autonomous vehicle recently hit a pedestrian crossing against a red light. When the light turned green, the car moved and only made minor contact with the pedestrian, who was hospitalized but not seriously injured. Social media reactions in China mainly blamed the pedestrian for crossing against the signal, with news outlets echoing this sentiment. The incident underscores a key challenge for autonomous vehicles: dealing with unpredictable human actions. Despite extensive research and testing, autonomous cars still struggle in such scenarios. Baidu’s Apollo Go service, with a significant fleet in Wuhan, continues to refine this technology. On a broader scale, there are consumer concerns about the safety of self-driving cars. A Forbes Advisor survey revealed that 93% of Americans are wary of these vehicles, primarily due to safety and technology malfunction worries.

• Pete Buttigieg says ‘electric vehicle revolution’ is here as White House scrambles to build nationwide charging network with $623 million grant program (Fortune,  January 11, 2024)

  Although Congress approved $7.5 billion in 2021 for the development and build-out of national EV charging infrastructure, progress thus far on this ambitious project has been, at best, less than optimal. Currently, only Ohio and New York have actually opened charging stations pursuant to the program.

  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, however, is committed to creating a national EV charging backbone consisting of a network of charging stations. To facilitate these lofty goals, a $623 million grant program was recently rolled out to boost charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure in designated urban, suburban and low- and moderate-income communities, and along 11 highway “corridors” along roadways designated as Alternative Fuel Corridors.

  “America led the arrival of the automotive era, and now we have a chance to lead the world in the EV revolution — securing jobs, savings and benefits for Americans in the process,” said Buttigieg. The new funding “will help ensure that EV chargers are accessible, reliable and convenient for American drivers, while creating jobs in charger manufacturing, installation and maintenance for American workers.”

• It’s so cold, Teslas are struggling to charge in Chicago (NPR,  January 17, 2024)

  As frigid temperatures grasp many parts of the United States this week, Supercharger stations in Chicago are seeing long lines as Tesla owners are realizing the freezing cold temps are affecting EVs’ charging capabilities. “A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours,” says Tesla owner Brandon Welbourne.

  As Chicago has spent over 30 hours in below 0 temperatures, EV owners are realizing that, not only is the cold affecting the vehicles’ ability to charge, but it also seems to be draining the batteries more rapidly than normal.

  While the charging issues are not unique to Tesla, the carmaker has created a Cold Weather Best Practices guide to help Tesla owners beat the extreme cold.

• New York driverless truck ban proposed in senate (CCJ, January 11, 2024)

  In response to widely publicized plans by self-driving trucking startups such as Kodiak Robotics and Aurora to expand self-driving pilot projects throughout the country, New York State Senator Pete Harckham has introduced legislation that would effectively prohibit these operation on New York roadways.

  “The integral role of the trucking industry in our lives means we have to be proactive and vigilant about public safety and job security when it comes to technological innovations like autonomous operating vehicles. My bill requires autonomous vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more traveling on New York roads have a licensed driver behind the wheel,” said Sen. Harckham. “This common-sense measure will ensure greater protection for residents and property while providing job security for over 270,000 New Yorkers. I am thankful to Louis Picani and Teamsters everywhere for supporting this legislation.”

  It remains to be seen whether Sen. Harckham’s bill will suffer the same fate as a similar bill passed last year in California that was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom.