Archinect - News

How New York City is approaching EV charging

2024-05-03T10:41:00-04:00

Since 2021, 100 new curbside chargers have been added across all five boroughs. Jockeying for space alongside parking meters, LinkNYC kiosks, and bus shelters on public sidewalks, they are part of a pilot partnership between the Department of Transportation, Con Edison, and Flo, an EV charging system operator. In the outer-borough neighborhoods that lack the robust EV infrastructure of Manhattan’s Central Business District, these chargers are proving quite popular.

In an interview with Urban Omnibus managing editor Kevin Ritter, New York City Department of Transportation officials Will Carry and Luis Gonzalez outlined the city's vision for creating a comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The department has recently launched a curbside charging pilot program across the city's boroughs, which has proven popular with users.

"In Europe, they’ve reached a point in the market development where cities are making net revenue from these chargers," Carry said. "We’re not there in New York, but at some point there is the potential for this to contribute to the city’s general fund."

Rivian puts construction of major Georgia EV plant on hold

2024-05-01T11:36:00-04:00

Electric vehicle maker Rivian has pressed pause on the construction of a major manufacturing plant in Stanton Springs, Georgia. As we reported late last year, the company selected Clayco and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to deliver the 1,800-acre complex.

Previously on Archinect: Clayco and SOM to design major EV manufacturing plant for Rivian in Georgia. Image credit: Clayco

In March, however, the company announced a pause in construction of the $5 billion facility, saying that while the plant “remains an extremely important part of its strategy to scale production of R2 and R3 [car models],” the “timing for resuming construction is expected to be later to focus its teams on the capital-efficient launch of R2 in Normal, Illinois.”

In new developments, an email sent from the company in April underscored a commitment to the project. “During the pause period, Rivian anticipates performing some limited site development activities, but the depth and breadth of this work has not yet been det...

Tesla’s EV-charging drive-in concept is under construction in Los Angeles

2024-01-17T18:44:00-05:00

Construction on Tesla's new Stantec-designed drive-in diner and electric vehicle charging concept is making progress in Los Angeles, as the local NBC station reports.

The project, which wasn’t approved until last April, is currently taking shape at 7001 W Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Once it is completed, the retro-inspired dining space and rest area will offer drivers 32 total electric charging stations while serving classic American roadside fare wrapped in a two-story and 9,300-square-foot faux Streamline Moderne package.

Elon Musk developed the idea after thinking out loud on his Twitter account in 2018. Tesla says the station will operate on a 24-hour capacity once it opens later in the fall.

Previously on Archinect: Tesla's diner & drive-in theater supercharger station concept gets approved for West Hollywood

The development is significant as other fast food chains across the country are preparing their own EV charging station plans, according to Axios. A two-scre...

Clayco and SOM to design major EV manufacturing plant for Rivian in Georgia

2023-12-27T11:17:00-05:00

Clayco and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have been selected by electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian to construct a “state-of-the-art EV manufacturing plant” in Stanton Springs, Georgia. The 1,800-acre complex is expected to “contribute significantly to the continued growth and adoption of electric vehicles,” according to Clayco.

Image credit: Clayco

“We have an ambitious goal to develop an eco-conscious facility that illustrates our mission of keeping the world adventurous forever,” said Tony Sanger, Vice President of Facilities at Rivian, in a statement. “With Clayco’s dedication to developing innovative ideas and solutions, we are confident they are the right partner to ensure the Rivian plant is a shining example of sustainable manufacturing.”

The plant is expected to begin vehicle production in 2026.

Image credit: Clayco

The electric car manufacturer had previously been planning a $5 billion factory in Fort Worth, Texas, as we reported in 2021. However, later that year, it was announ...

Detroit installs America's first wireless EV charging track

2023-12-08T12:24:00-05:00

Detroit has debuted an EV charging roadway concept from Electreon inside of its new Michigan Central Station innovation district they say represents a “major milestone in the future of mobility” as the first-ever wireless charging roadway in America.

The quarter-mile track through the city’s Corktown neighborhood was developed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) after being announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in February of 2022. The track will serve as a five-year test pilot for the anticipated boom in EVs that are expected to hit the road in the next decade, cornering about half of the total market by the year 2035.

Similar concepts are been developed in Europe by Electreon, which hopes to open the new, eventually one-mile-long Detroit track to the public next year. The installation was also made possible by Ford (backers of the Michigan Central project), Jacobs, DTE, KIEWIT, Next Energy, and ROUSH CleanTech.

Related on Archinect: Detroit to host first public w...

Tesla's diner & drive-in theater supercharger station concept gets approved for West Hollywood

2023-08-28T15:14:00-04:00

Tesla’s retro-inspired supercharging diner & drive-in movie theater concept will begin construction soon after the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety recently approved a planning permit for the company’s first Stantec-led design at 7001 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Teslarati reports.

The previously announced plan calls for a two-story, 9,300-square-foot structure with bars and an outdoor restaurant seating area. The structure will have two "drive-in" screens, which play movies of approximately 30 minutes in length, and capacity for 29 total charging stations. Tesla says it will operate the station on a 24-hour capacity.

CEO Elon Musk earlier this month described its design as "Grease meets The Jetsons with Supercharging" before promising its realization by the end of this year. Only technical drawings from the permitting application have been made official, leading some to offer their own speculative renderings via social media. A model of the structure was ...

R&D facilities for electric vehicle production are now the manufacturing sector's hottest commodity

2023-05-01T13:16:00-04:00

Last year, skyrocketing demand sent a record $128 billion into investments for E.V. manufacturing and battery plants, which require a large footprint. A battery plant can cover 4.5 million square feet, roughly the size of 25 Walmart Supercenters. Projections suggest the country may need 120 or more additional such plants. Before those batteries and the cars that use them can be made, they must be conceptualized. So automakers are pouring money into research and development facilities.

The Times speculates that the money being dumped into facilities that support E.V. development could lead to a golden era of highly technical corporate design for car manufacturers. Projects such as El Dorado’s 300 Kansas in San Francisco and the Snøhetta-led Research & Engineering Campus for Ford in Dearborn, Michigan are the leading examples. The city of Detroit is also working on a transportation innovation zone in conjunction with Ford’s new 30-acre Michigan Central mobility tech district from PAU to go along with another $130 million center for the University of Michigan that was announced recently for Ann Arbor.

Foster + Partners unveils vertiport terminal concept for Dubai

2023-04-10T12:15:00-04:00

A new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) terminal concept has been unveiled by Foster + Partners.

The firm says its plan would augment the Dubai International Airport (DBX) and was developed in unison with Skyports Infrastructure, which Foster + Partners called a leader in advanced air mobility (AAM). It will help transport air travelers to other nodes in the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)’s planned vertiport and metro infrastructure network, itself a zero emissions high-speed system that’s currently being promoted by the government and the emirate's monarch Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Placed in the context of Foster + Partners’ other airport designs in the region, the vertiport project will serve as a compliment to its previously proposed King Salman International Airport and the forthcoming Red Sea Airport, both of which are located in Saudi Arabia and were begun in the two years since the firm’s controversial withd...

Chicago unveils Climate Infrastructure Fund for nonprofits and small businesses

2022-12-28T17:31:00-05:00

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a new grant program that aims to spur climate action across the city through nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

Designed in partnership with the Department of Planning and Development’s Chicago Recovery Plan Initiative, the Climate Infrastructure Fund will back renewable energy and energy-efficiency improvements in buildings, support the purchase of electric vehicles and installation of charging stations, and develop green infrastructure solutions to capture stormwater and reduce flooding. Applications for the grant will be evaluated based on climate mitigation and resilience factors, equity impact, and project readiness.

The $5 million Fund is part of a series of climate and environmental initiatives under the Chicago Recovery Plan, which was formed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The City of Chicago was granted $1.887 billion in federal funds to invest in the well-being of people and communities and drive economic recove...

New York City to roll out 51 electric school buses with $18.5 million EPA grant

2022-11-03T12:28:00-04:00

Dozens of electric yellow school buses are scheduled to roll on city streets as early as next fall, officials announced Tuesday. The city is using an $18.5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency with funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to purchase 51 electric school buses. It’s part of an effort to meet the city’s and the state’s shared goal of converting all New York’s school buses to run on electricity by 2035.

In April, New York Governor Kathy Hochul agreed on a $220 billion state budget with legislators, which included a plan to make New York State’s nearly 50,000 school buses 100% electric by 2035. It’s estimated that the state currently has just 36 electric school buses. New York City currently has approximately 5,000 school buses that run on diesel. It aims to convert buses that are six or seven years old to electric power. These new buses will account for around 1% of the city’s fleet.

As reported by Gothamist, it will cost $5 billion for the state to run on all-electric school buses. The money from the Environmental Protection Agency will be available to three New York City school districts. Additional funds for more electric buses in New York may be made available depending on the outcome of a $4.2 environmental bond proposal that will be voted on in this month’s election. If approved, $500 million will head towards electric buses and the infrastructure needed for them.

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All EV charging state plans approved by the Federal Highway Administration

2022-09-28T17:19:00-04:00

The Federal Highway Administration just approved all 50 state plans, in addition to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, to build EV charging stations along America’s approximately 53,000-mile interstate highway network as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, which will release a total of $1.5 billion of funding over the next two fiscal years.

NEVI is a portion of the larger $5 billion EV provision in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and will establish much-needed charging stations per every 50-mile stretch of the system, making them (almost) as easy to find as gas stations for the first time since debuting on the American market, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Thanks to the commitment of state leaders who worked hard to develop EV charging networks that work for their residents, we were able to approve these state charging plans quickly and ahead of schedule,” Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack...

FIAT unveils new La Pista 500 project, now Europe's largest public rooftop garden

2022-06-21T20:13:00-04:00

The mantle of international rooftop garden design might have a new crown jewel following Camerana&Partners’ completion of the La Pista 500 project for legendary Italian automaker FIAT in the country’s motorsports capital of Turin.

Promoted by the Pinacoteca Agnelli as a “manifesto of sustainability and inclusivity as well as a suspended public art project”, the project also serves to showcase FIAT’s new 500 model EV design while playing host to a series of art installations filled with approximately 40,000 plants. It is located atop the company’s historic 1923 Lingotto factory building (later converted into a mixed-use space by Renzo Piano) and retains, as a symbolic feature, the site’s original 1.1 km (.683 mile) long test track that starred in the 1969 crime caper The Italian Job.

Image: Marco Schiavone courtesy of Benedetto Camerana

That track is now the exclusive domain of electric cars (and other non-combustion engine vehicles...

Tesla is pushing to build a new drive-in diner, theatre, and supercharging station in Hollywood

2022-06-10T15:53:00-04:00

As reported by Electrek in May 2022, Tesla has moved its previously-announced plans for a supercharging station featuring a diner and drive-in movie theater from a vacant lot in the city of Santa Monica to the current location of a Shakey's Pizza franchise on 7001 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, CA.

The two-story structure will feature multiple bars and outdoor restaurant seating in addition to amphitheater-style seating overlooking its dual screens and field of 29 charging stations.

The movies are said to be approximately 30 minutes in length, roughly equal to the amount of time required by the Level 3 supercharging process, which is done with greater alacrity than the 8 to 20-hour at-home Level 1 and 2 versions. Permits are still waiting to be approved allowing the station (but not the theater) to operate 24 hours a day. Some have speculated it will carry a “retro” midcentury aesthetic reminiscent of the great Standard Oil stations documented by Ed Ruscha in the early 1960s....

Detroit to host first public wireless charging road for electric vehicles in the U.S.

2022-02-18T18:43:00-05:00

Electrical Vehicle wireless charging technology company Electreon has announced that it is set to establish its first public wireless EV charging road system in the U.S.

The Michigan Department of Transportation along with the State Department of Future Transportation and Electrification awarded the company a tender to create a wireless charging demonstration project that will include a one-mile wireless charging road and static charging stations. Dubbed the “Michigan Project,” the initiative is expected to launch in 2023 in Detroit.

The Michigan Project is expected to be a significant part of Michigan’s aim to strengthen the economy, electrify vehicle fleets, and reduce carbon emissions by 2050. The State Department of Michigan will provide $1.9 million in funding towards the project.

Previously on Archinect: New research reveals the possibility for wireless vehicle charging while driving

“Michigan’s automotive industry roots built a foundation for mobility innovation, and we’re t...

The growth of electric vehicles continues to surge

2022-02-09T13:57:00-05:00

Sales of cars powered solely by batteries surged in the United States, Europe and China last year, while deliveries of fossil fuel vehicles were stagnant. Demand for electric cars is so strong that manufacturers are requiring buyers to put down deposits months in advance. And some models are effectively sold out for the next two years.

As noted by The New York Times, the rise of electric vehicles represents the largest shift in the auto industry since the introduction of Henry Ford’s Model T. Their sales account for nearly 9 percent of new cars sold last year, which is up from 2.5 percent in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency. This is just the start, with the auto industry set to invest half a trillion dollars over the next five years to make the transition to electric vehicles.

The move away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles is a step forward in combating climate change and creating a more sustainable automotive industry. However, the jobs of the millions of Americans that produce, sell, and service cars and auto parts are at risk. There are also the issues of rising prices for battery ingredients, such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, along with current limitations of EV infrastructure, namely the lack of public charging stations.

Waymo partners with Chinese automaker Geely to develop fleet of autonomous, electric taxis

2021-12-30T09:00:00-05:00

Alphabet’s self-driving car company Waymo is partnering with Chinese automaker Geely to create a fleet of all-electric, self-driving robotaxis.

The cars will be designed in Sweden, where Geely owns Swedish car manufacturer Volvo. Waymo will integrate the Waymo Driver, their autonomous driving technology, into Geely's electric, transportation-as-a-service (Taas)-optimized Zeekr vehicle. Waymo plans to deploy the vehicles in the US within their existing fleet of autonomous taxis "in the years to come."

Europe's first fully autonomous bus is set to carry passengers in Toulouse

2021-12-02T19:47:00-05:00

French start-up EasyMile is to be the first transport provider to run a fully autonomous vehicle on a public road in Europe. The company has been authorised to run a driverless bus at the Oncopole medical campus in Toulouse, in partnership with French engineer Alstom.

The bus will operate at “Level 4,” meaning no human attendant will be on board. The authorization was granted by France’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Ecological Transition, on advice of the Minister of the Interior and local authorities. The bus arrives ahead of the implementation of the final regulatory framework allowing the circulation of autonomous vehicles on public roads in France, scheduled for September 2022.

The company will utilize its EZ10 people mover, an electric vehicle with PV-enhanced charging. It can carry up to 15 passengers. The service at Oncopole has been active since March and is situated on a 600-meter mixed-traffic route that also hosts cyclists, pedestrians, and cars. It will transition to being fully driverless in the coming months.

The project is part of the SAM (Safety and Acceptability of Autonomous Driving and Mobility) project, a French national-scale initiative to develop autonomous vehicles and deploy them on open roads.

...

Here is what happened in Glasgow after the underwhelming conclusion of COP26

2021-11-15T14:38:00-05:00

The ending of this year’s COP26 conference has left many architects to ponder how effective the mostly non-representative group of negotiators were in addressing the skepticism and high expectations coming into the meeting that is meant to address what is undoubtedly the greatest moral issue of our time.

The conference concluded on Saturday with a resounding sense of discord, despite a historic pact signed by 197 countries to close the conference. Here’s a look at some of the highlights and tangible changes that came out of the two-week meeting in Glasgow.

Coal

Coal was the biggest hangup at the conference by far, with the final language of the deal constituting what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a “death knell” for the industry. Although more than 40 countries agreed to end their own domestic production of coal, India, with help from China and Iran, singularly stalled the pact until an 11th-hour deal changed the text from “phase out” to the more ambiguous “phase dow...

Cities are finding newer and more creative ways to incorporate electric vehicles into their transit schemes

2021-10-04T14:20:00-04:00

But where cities are succeeding, they’re finding that electrifying public transit can solve more than just climate problems. It can clean the air, reduce traffic jams and, ideally, make getting around town easier for ordinary people, which is why some politicians have staked their reputations on revamping transit. In many cases, city governments have been able to take climate action faster than their national governments.

The effort to reduce car traffic mirrors those taking shape in U.S. cities like New York and San Francisco. The cost of doing so has in a way become its own problem, as the infrastructure required to support expansive EV fleets in large metropolitan areas has proven to be a challenge for many of the places that have mandates for electrification coming due in the next two decades. The widespread adaptation of electric vehicles and trams could reduce emissions by 37 million metric tons a year in American cities alone.

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian in talks to build $5 billion factory in Fort Worth, Texas

2021-08-18T19:33:00-04:00

Rivian Automotive Inc., the electric-vehicle startup backed by Amazon.com Inc., is in talks to invest at least $5 billion to build a factory near Fort Worth, Texas, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg News.

The factory, labeled “Project Tera” according to the Bloomberg-obtained document, would be able to produce 200,000 vehicles a year and create at least 7,500 jobs by 2027. A number of incentives, including grants and a city tax abatement of up to $440 million, have also been proposed in the presentation made by the City of Fort Worth’s Economic Development Department to the City Council.

Fort Worth officials also offered to nominate Rivian’s plans for the Texas Enterprise Zone Project, which would make it eligible for further state tax incentives, in addition to other incentives from Tarrant County.

A number of states and cities are being considered, however, the Texas location has reportedly become the front-runner for the California-based manufacturer. Given the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, many locales are very eager to host companies such as Rivian.

Rivian is building 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon. Video: Amazon News on YouTube

The proposed location of ...

Flying cars will exist in cities by 2030 according to Hyundai's Europe chief

2021-06-30T17:14:00-04:00

According to South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai, flying cars will exist in cities around the world by the end of this decade.

At the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) conference, a trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry, Michael Cole, the president and chief executive of Hyundai’s European operations, said the company has made “very significant investments” in urban air mobility.

“We think that by the latter part of this decade certainly, urban air mobility will offer great opportunity to free up congestion in cities, to help with emissions, whether that’s intra-city mobility in the air or whether it’s even between cities.”

Developing its urban air mobility program is part of Hyundai’s mission to become a provider of smart mobility services, which includes the creation of more efficient electric vehicles.

In January 2020, Hyundai unveiled its flying car concept, developed alongside Uber, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The eVTOL,...

New research reveals the possibility for wireless vehicle charging while driving

2021-05-13T19:20:00-04:00

Researchers at Cornell University are developing technology that would allow an electric car to charge while it’s in motion. Like a high occupancy lane, highways would have a charging lane that would charge vehicles’ batteries as they drive over its surface. This would be a monumental solution to some of the biggest obstacles of owning an electric vehicle, including dealing with battery range and charging availability.

Khurram Afridi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Cornell and lead researcher, has been behind the project for the past seven years. According to Afridi, the technology is still at least five to ten years away, however, he sees wireless charging as having an immense impact on an industry that is so dependent on the presence of charging stations and battery capacity. It would save time for electric car owners, alleviate the anxiety of locating charging stations and running out of battery and pave the way for more sustainable transportati...

AMO and Volkswagen team up to develop electric tractor

2020-03-06T09:14:00-05:00

Led by Samir Bantal, AMO, the think tank founded by Rem Koolhaas has announced a new partnership with Volkswagen to focus on the development of rural mobility. As a first step in the partnership, the team has begun a study for an electric tractor that will be developed for sub-Saharan Africa "to facilitate small-scale agriculture and increase the productivity of subsistence farmers." The project is currently on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York as part of the Countryside, The Future" exhibition by AMP and Rem Koolhaas.

The VW e-tractor in the Guggenheim, Image by Philipp Gladsome.

Being in the conceptual phase, the project's next steps will be to set up partnerships with local collaborators, universities, and stakeholders to further develop strategies and knowledge surrounding the new technological ambitions.

AMO and Volkswagen hope to use this research to explore how different concepts of mobility can address challenges with aging population and decreased popul...

May Mobility and Toyota lead push for autonomous transport to further 'Mobility for All' efforts

2019-12-11T11:20:00-05:00

Ann Arbor-based autonomous Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) provider May Mobility and Toyota are taking steps forward to realize their mission to transform cities through autonomous transport. With demand rising, Toyota has led a new round of funding of $50 million that will aid the TaaS provider in expanding their vehicle fleet and hire more people.

May Mobility is currently focusing on the US first-mile-last-mile transportation market, primarily the urban core areas with its current fleet of electric vehicles having already provided over 170,000 revenue-generating rides. The company is also growing its enterprise service with public and private customers in Detroit, MI, Grand Rapids, MI, and Providence, RI.

"By working together, we hope to accelerate our efforts at Toyota aimed towards realizing 'Mobility for All'," said Keiju Yamamoto, Toyota Operating Officer and President of Toyota's in-house Connected Company. With the Toyota Mobility Foundation, the auto giant has invested...

LA releases ambitious zero emissions transportation targets for 2028

2019-12-05T20:07:00-05:00

Last week the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and its partners released the Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap 2.0 which seeks to accelerate the deployment of zero-emissions electric cars, buses and trucks, and charging stations across Los Angeles.

"Our Roadmap 2.0 charts a course toward a healthier region with a cleaner transit network," said Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti in a statement, "[it] draws up a blueprint for cities worldwide to follow, so all of us can invest in the smart policies and green energy that will strengthen our families' well-being and quality of life for generations to come," he continued.

The plan comes as an embodiment of the commitment from members the Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP) to develop policies, establish pilots, and discover strategies to realist the targets in the Roadmap.

According to LACI, the Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap aims to go 25 percent beyond the existing commitments tied to California state law and the Paris Climate Accor...

Lyft deployed 200 long-range electric vehicles into its Denver rental fleet

2019-11-20T11:03:00-05:00

Lyft recently announced that it deployed 200 long-range electric vehicles (EVs) into its Express Drive program in Denver. The Express Drive program operates in nearly three dozen U.S. cities and allows drivers to rent vehicles through Lyft's partners instead of committing to longer-term options such as leasing or buying their own.

According to Smart Cities Dive, the effort is part of Lyft's larger plan for a fully electrified fleet. The vehicles will be available this December.