For years, civil engineers in the United States and elsewhere have been widening traffic lanes under the assumption that more room for vehicles leads to safer cities. However, a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University suggests that narrower lanes may actually be better for city streets.
The study of city lane widths found that contrary to the current thinking, wider lanes in urban areas can lead to a higher number of crashes and ultimately fatalities. When streets become wider, then it gives the drivers this false sense of safety that makes them drive faster.
Additionally, lane-width reduction is the easiest and most cost-effective way to accommodate better sidewalk and bike lanes within the existing roadway infrastructure.
Kentucky has gone beyond most other states and is now implementing two new taxes on electric vehicles at the same time, while keeping gas taxes artificially low compared to the damage gasoline causes.
EVs will have to pay an additional $120 registration fee every year. On top of this, public EV charging stations in Kentucky now have to pay an additional 3 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity distributed, and an additional 3 cents for those chargers that are on state property.
These rates on public charging are notably higher than the roughly 11% tax that Kentucky collects on gasoline (28.7 cents, compared to a current average gas price of $2.78 per gallon in the state).
The State of Oklahoma received its first three made-in-Oklahoma electric vehicles from Canoo as an innovative part of the state’s ongoing fleet modernization initiative.
At a combined cost of $119,850, these three Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles (LDVs) are the first of their kind in the state fleet.
“For the first time in 17 years, vehicle manufacturing is back in Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma Gov. J. Kevin Stitt. “As we find new efficiencies within the fleet, Canoo’s new Oklahoma-made electric vehicles align perfectly with our fleet modernization goals, and I couldn’t be more excited to see them on the roads. I’m grateful for the team at OMES who are working hard to deliver taxpayers more for their money while finding ambitious new ways to improve our fleet.”
The Hertz-Tesla “deal” was a big news a couple of years ago. Hertz isn’t nearly as excited as it once was. Drivers have been having problems, and Hertz said it’s backing out of the deal when execs realized that repair delays, repair costs, resale values, and other issues were eating at the bottom line.
Teslas are getting rented out, of course, but the interest is mostly coming from people who already own an EV themselves, and want to stay electric for road trips and driving out of airports.
If you want to try an EV out before getting locked into a long-term contract, there’s an option for you. EV micro leases are taking off, giving shoppers added flexibility with new models launching in 2024.
Polestar is making it easier than ever for you to try out an EV before committing to a long-term contract. The Flexible Lease program allows you to end the lease after five months (and five payments) with no early termination penalty (there is a $450 disposition fee).
Polestar isn’t alone, either. AutoNation, which runs around 250 US dealerships, also recently began offering micro leases in 6- or 12-month options. Ivan Mihov, vice president of mobility, said, “The three-year lease doesn’t work for everybody.”