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Don’t be surprised if you hear electric car drivers pulling into the McDonald’s at 2242 University Ave. in Riverside say: “I’ll have burgers and fries with my direct current.” The restaurant has installed its Blink Direct Current Fast Charger for electric vehicles, making it the first and only one in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to Scott Watkins, a spokesperson for ECOtality, Blink’s provider.
Riverside Press-Enterprise -
Los Angeles International Airport is a step closer to major renovations that have some neighbors vowing to sue, after the City Council approved a $4.8 billion project Tuesday...Residents say they're skeptical of the airport's claims that the updated runway would more safely accommodate larger, modern planes. They say it's a ploy to draw more traffic to LAX rather than other regional airports.
USA Today -
Today, Department of Transportation employees were once again out in full force, scolding cycling scofflaws. Last week, as bike-share stations were installed, we noticed the swarm of yellow-jackets handing out bike-law pamphlets and chatting up cyclists as they waited at red lights. Were these bike-lane babysitters actually a deterrent to “Premium Rush” types? Well, one cyclist peddling the wrong way dismounted his bike and walked it across the intersection, and another turned off the avenue after a DOT worker blew her whistle at him.
The Local East Village/New York Times -
An investigation findss apparent conflicts of interest involving some of the experts asked to conduct a technical review of thetower foundation for the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge....Democratic Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, chairman of the Transportation and Housing Committee, says he is 'distressed' to learn about the ties between the new panelists, the agency and Bay Bridge contractors.
AP/Oakland Tribune -
California's bullet train agency is facing a series of new regulatory and political problems that could jeopardize its July construction kickoff, which already has been delayed more than six months. The new challenges are coming from a private railroad that controls a key right of way, a legislative committee delving into contracting issues and a powerful federal agency asserting authority over the project.
LA Times -
A six-passenger spaceship owned by an offshoot of Virgin Group fired its rocket engine in flight for the first time on Monday, a key step toward the start of commercial service in about a year, Virgin owner Richard Branson said. The powered test flight over California's Mojave Desert lasted 16 seconds and broke the sound barrier.
Reuters -
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a unique integrated motor drive and battery charger for electric vehicles. Compared to today's electric vehicle chargers, they have managed to shorten the charging time from eight to two hours, and to reduce the cost by around $2,000.
Science Daily -
U.S. power company NRG Energy Inc said a technology it developed with the University of Delaware has sold power from electric vehicles to the power grid for the first time. The University and NRG said in a statement that they began work on the so-called eV2g program in September 2011 to provide a two-way interface between electric vehicles and the power grid that enables vehicle owners to sell electricity back to the grid while they are charging their cars.
Reuters -
Industrialized nations' greenhouse gas emissions dipped 0.7 percent in 2011, helped by a U.S. shift from high-polluting coal in power plants and by Europe's economic slowdown, data compiled by Reuters showed... (F)igures based on submissions by 42 industrialized nations this month used to judge compliance with U.N treaties underscore how continued worldwide growth in emissions is increasingly led by China and other emerging economies.
Reuters -
Another study has found a connection between childhood asthma rates and traffic pollution. The latest study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at asthma levels in 10 European cities and found that people living near high-traffic roads accounted for 14 percent of all asthma cases.
Fresno Bee