ITF publishes Greener Micromobility report

In an update to previous research titled “Good to Go”, the new data reflects the improved evidence base regarding the environmental impact of micromobility.

In 2020, the International Transport Forum (ITF) released the report “Good to Go? Assessing the Environmental Performance of New Mobility”, which evaluated the environmental impacts of emerging transportation modes. Over the past four years, there has been a substantial increase in data and understanding regarding the environmental implications of micromobility, and significant strides have been made to mitigate its environmental footprint.

The ITF’s latest report builds upon the 2020 study, incorporating newly available evidence, a survey of industry stakeholders, and recent publications. This update aims to provide fresh insights and actionable recommendations for both regulatory authorities and micromobility operators to further enhance the environmental performance of micromobility solutions.
The updated report leverages a detailed lifecycle environmental impact spreadsheet tool, which includes comprehensive calculations, input factors, and sources utilized for this analysis. This tool is instrumental in offering precise and transparent assessments of the environmental impacts associated with micromobility.

Why do electric vehicle startups often fail to take off?

Despite the sustainability buzz why are Electric Vehicle (EV) startups failing? Let's explore the reasons behind this.

EV startup Fisker Inc. recently filed for bankruptcy. But it is not just new EV businesses that are struggling to survive, even Apple closed its 10-year-long self-driving car project. Even though electric vehicle (EV) startups have been a hot topic in recent years as being a sustainable transportation solution their market performance says otherwise. So why is it that despite the buzz surrounding electric vehicles, many startups in this space often fail to take off?

Let's decode a few key reasons why this is the case…

New video of collab of THOR AVAS sound system & SunRent e-scooters.

The statistics of e-scooter accidents speak for themselves. To make your business better, safer, to stand out from the others - you need to do something special. And sound as one of the points of contact with the client - will help improve the quality of the scooter rental service. And the SunRent brand sees this as its advantage!

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AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) - a sound warning system for the movement of vehicles at speeds up to 30 km / h.

THOR is among the key players in the AVAS market according to analytical research by Markets and Markets.

THOR with the AVAS project was included in the Markets and Markets* report on the development of AVAS systems in the world. THOR team is proud to be on the same level among such names as Continental, HELLA and Harman. The team sincerely believe in the product and put all our efforts into it and attract various specialists and analysts, individuals and various auto brands to understand the specifics, improve the sound of our system, to fulfill our mission to improve the acoustic ecology in modern cities.

The full report is available at the link to the analytical company's website for a fee.

Amazon to invest £300 million electrifying UK transport fleet

The investment aims to promote innovation in the logistics industry and will encourage the development of public charging infrastructure and innovations like micromobility hubs.
Micromobility hubs are physical centres within urban areas where packages are sorted before the final leg of their journey. The hubs facilitate electric cargo bike and on-foot deliveries, taking delivery vans off city centre roads, helping to improve air quality and alleviate congestion.
John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager, told Zag Daily: “We’re making major investments to transform our transportation network right across the UK. By working with our delivery partners we’re now deploying electric delivery vehicles, electric HGVs, and electric-cargo bikes, taking significant strides toward minimising our environmental impact and helping to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.”

Ford Now Has E-Bikes? Yep, It's a Thing

These three new e-bikes are designed to mimic the Ford vehicles that are their namesake.

On Wednesday, Ford announced a partnership with n+, a cycling technology company, to produce three new e-bikes based on the Ford Mustang and Bronco brands. The new bikes—one Bronco and two Mustangs—are expected to have features that mimic the vehicles they're named for.

Electric Car Wars: Who Will Win The Battle For The $30,000 EV?

Electric vehicle sales have accelerated after a soft start to the year, on the back of new EV offerings and aggressive pricing. The industry faces a fresh round of competition as Tesla (TSLA) fights for a return to growth, while General Motors (GM), Ford (F), Jeep-parent Stellantis (STLA) and others move toward cheaper new models aiming to pry open the mass market for electric cars.

So a Chevrolet Equinox offering more than 300 miles of range for under $30,000 is expected by year end, with Chevy-parent GM promising it will become "an affordable game-changer." Ford is aiming for a similarly affordable SUV EV by 2026. Jeep is targeting the $25,000 price point, with an SUV EV set to arrive within the next few years. Tesla says it will start producing affordable models in the first half of 2025, perhaps even reaching CEO Elon Musk's $25,000 goal, at least after tax credits.

Automakers in the U.S. continue to scale back their EV growth plans. Gasoline-electric hybrid cars are proving far more popular this year. All-electric vehicles languish on dealer lots, forcing GM, Ford and others to shift more to hybrids. That isn't stopping them from trying to pull off an affordable — yet profitable — electric car.

Here’s what the electric Dodge Charger’s “Fratzonic exhaust” sounds like

Dodge wants to keep the aural spectacle even as it moves to electric propulsion.

Electric motors have many advantages over internal combustion engines, including the fact that they don't waste a lot of their power as sound energy. So quiet are electric vehicles, in fact, that federal vehicle safety regulations require EVs (and hybrids) to make a certain amount of noise at lower speeds to warn vulnerable road users like blind or visually impaired pedestrians of their presence.
Almost all of those cars end up sounding like a choir of depressed angels, a phrase memorably coined by either Richard Porter or Jonny Smith on the Smith and Sniff podcast. That's not the case with the forthcoming electric Dodge Charger, however. When it first broke cover in March, we learned that the electric Charger would feature something called a "Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust" to give it some aural character. Now, thanks to the video from Dodge embedded here, we can all hear what that sounds like in practice: see video inside.

The world's fastest EV just got even faster – Rimac Nevera R hits mind-melting performance mark

Rimac has taken the wraps off its updated Nevera model, with a new, race-focussed R edition that sports a next-generation battery pack for some staggering performance figures.

Officially the fastest production EV on the planet, the Rimac Nevera has smashed more world records than Usain Bolt and was already one of the most revered electric performance cars that ever lived. 

As a result, Rimac has just unleashed a track-focussed Nevera R that comes complete with the obligatory massive rear wing, equally huge carbon ceramic brakes and updated software that prioritizes performance over sensible things, like battery range.

On the subject of batteries, there’s a new 108kWh pack that is said to be both lighter and more efficient than your regular, run-of-the-mill Nevera. 

The result is a car that sprints from 0-60mph in just 1.74 seconds, the same as the "standard" car, but manages to propel itself from rest to 124mph in just 4.38 seconds and then on to 186mph in just 8.66 seconds – almost a second faster than the Nevera.
Rewind the clock a few years and a 0-60mph of 4.38 seconds would have been acceptable in many supercars, but Rimac is busy reconfiguring what it means to go fast with electric motors.

BMW overtakes Tesla in European EV sales for first time, report says

Tesla, the world's most valuable automaker, remains the dominant player, but traditional automakers such as BMW and Volvo are gaining ground due to uncertainties surrounding EV subsidies and incentives.

BMW reported a 35% jump in sales last month from a year earlier, while Tesla saw registrations fall 16%, the report said.
About 139,300 new electric cars were registered last month, down 6% from July 2023, according to the report, which added market share of EVs slipped to 13.5% from 14.6% a year earlier.

Tesla’s Oct 10 Robotaxi event will be at Warner Bros studio in LA

Tesla has been using its Giga Texas facility for its unveilings in recent years, after many years of doing them in Calfornia, where the company was founded and where its design and engineering departments remain.

Tesla may have chosen the location due to its simulation of a suburban neighborhood. There are several houses and a simulation of a small-town downtown area. The idea could be to demonstrate to attendees what it might be like to get picked up by a robotaxi outside your home, and taken downtown for a night out.

Using a smaller, controlled location also allows Tesla to map the area extensively, which it has been doing recently. This reduces the likelihood of encountering difficulties during the demonstration, where Tesla won’t have to deal with normal road traffic.
Other robotaxis like Waymo do use pre-mapped areas, but these are on public roads with normal traffic and other road users.

Despite Tesla’s usual use of its own locations, this isn’t the first time Tesla has done an event at a Hollywood studio.

ELECTRIC bike makes history with 235mph+ land speed record run

An electric-powered bike has become the first electric vehicle to set the fastest motorcycle speed at the Bonneville Speed Week across the Salt Flats in Utah.

The record was broken by 30-year-old British California transplant Matthew Deeley and his Revolt Systems team at the event in August, a yearly, week-long event hosted by the Bonneville Nationals Inc (BNI).

The event, which runs from Saturday through to Friday (weather permitting) is the highlight of the land speed racing season, with entrants traveling from across the globe to participate.

The 2024 Speed Week took place between August 3rd and August 9th and naturally took place at the Bonneville Salt Flats, which are located approximately 88 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah.

It is claimed that the 'spectacular scenery and racing conditions at Bonneville make it one of the most popular areas in the world for speed'.

Madrid moves to ban app-rented e-scooters over safety concerns

Lime, Dott and Tier Mobility licences to be cancelled from October due to issues with circulation and parking

Madrid will ban e-scooters rented through mobile apps after the city’s three licensed operators failed to implement limits on their clients’ circulation or to control their parking, the Spanish capital’s mayor has said.

The “scooter sharing system” has raised opposition in cities around the world due to reckless driving and haphazard parking by some users.
Paris banned e-scooter rentals last year after a public consultation.
The three operators were supposed to give the mayor’s office access to their data and were ordered to implement technology that forced customers to leave the scooters in authorised areas and prevented them from hiring scooters in pedestrian-only streets or near historic parks.
The operators failed to meet these conditions, the statement said, adding that they had 20 days to appeal.

The popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters is soaring, but are they safe?

article by By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Between 2018 and 2022, sales of e-bikes rose from around 250,000 per year to more than a million. E-bike and e-scooter rentals have also increased dramatically. As their popularity grows, emergency rooms are seeing many more people injured while riding e-bikes and e-scooters.

During the six-year study period, roughly three million people riding e-bikes, e-scooters, or their conventional counterparts sought care in the ER, including about 45,500 e-bike riders and 190,000 e-scooter riders, and about 2.5 million conventional bike riders and 305,000 conventional scooter riders.

E-scooter injuries increased by more than 45% every year, going from 8,566 in 2017 to 56,847 in 2022.

Automakers Getting Creative With Electric Vehicle Sounds

The sounds EVs are required to emit on the road can vary, with many offering the familiarity of an internal combustion engine that may charm some drivers.

“EV sound design is wide open,” General Motors Regulatory Sound Engineer Glenn Pietila told USA TODAY. “There's a lot of different directions people are going.”
EVs across GM’s four main brands—Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillac—all feature distinct sounds. A didgeridoo, which is an Australian wind instrument, was used along with audio recorded from the sun for sounds in its electric Cadillacs, while electric GMC Hummers emit something that sounds louder and tougher.
“Both of them fit regulations. When you hear them, you know they're there. You know that there's a vehicle there that's approaching,” said Creative Sound Director Jay Kapadia. “But you also know what (brand) it is. You know, it's a luxury car, it's a Cadillac, even if you can’t see it.”
For Dodge’s Charger Daytona EV, the goal for its sound was to replicate engines like the V8 and the classic muscle car.

Norway's car market is 94% EVs – and a quarter of them are Chinese

No other country comes close to Norway’s level of market penetration. Unlike the U.S. and EU, the Scandinavian country does not impose tariffs on Chinese cars – and they represent almost a quarter of the EV market. CGTN’s Johannes Pleschberger reports from Oslo

Safety concerns around silent approach of EVs suggested in poll

Almost half (47%) of pedestrians say they are concerned about how quiet electric vehicles (EVs) are when in transit, new research suggests.

The poll, from Venson Automotive Solutions, also found that more than a quarter (27%) of respondents had recently been taken by surprise by the almost silent approach of a plug-in car.

The findings come despite the introduction of EU regulations on EV noise levels, which have required the use of an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) since 2019.
Venson says that without tighter regulation and greater consistency on the artificial noises a plug-in vehicle makes, the safety of vulnerable road users could continue to be put at risk.

It highlights academic research, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), that found pedestrians may be twice as likely to be hit by an EV or hybrid car compared to petrol or diesel vehicles.

Some 49% of those surveyed by Venson said they think the running noise of an EV should be a standard one that all manufacturers must use.

However, more than a third (37%) of those surveyed feel that car buyers should be able to determine the noise their EV makes in transit, choosing from a predetermined list of regulated options available from the manufacturer.

Only 13% believed that manufacturers should be able to have their own standard but regulated noise, that differentiates their brand.

Currently, when an EV is being driven at low speed or in reverse, a noise automatically starts; in type they can vary from clearly artificial bells and chimes to those that mimic engine sounds or tyres moving over gravel.

One -in-four (26%) said they would prefer EVs to have a noise that mimics a traditional ICE engine, the next most popular choice was a continuous low decibel sound, which 21% of road users would choose.

Simon Staton, client management director for Venson Automotive Solutions, said: “It is easy to see how the stealth-like approach of some EVs, coupled with the varying beeps and chimes of these vehicles when driven in reverse, can cause confusion to some of the UKs more vulnerable pedestrians, like children or those who are hard of hearing.

“Of course, the integration of AVAS into hybrid vehicles back in 2019 was a tremendously positive step, but as our research reveals, 27% of road users have narrowly avoided an incident with an EV so more needs to be done.
“When people rely on sound to judge the presence, location, and speed of vehicles to protect themselves from harm, easily recognised sounds that can be clearly heard are voted the best.”

Study suggests automakers might not want to get too creative with new sounds for EVs

“You now have essentially a blank slate to create something that is functional, that suits the needs of pedestrians,” one sonic branding agency exec tells Tech Brew.

Аccording to a recent study conducted by sonic branding agency Listen and market research firm Cloud Army: polled more than 400 people in the US about their preferences on car sounds. The survey revealed that respondents preferred EVs with “non-tonal, typical car sounds” rather than some of the more “futuristic” sounds some car brands have employed.

Amazon, for example, has been known to use sounds when its delivery vans are backing up that have been compared to a “demonic crow.”
Ferrari reportedly is including an artificial V8 rumble on its first electric model. General Motors has put a didgeridoo to use in the development of sounds for its electric Cadillacs, USA Today reported. Muscle car brand Dodge created a “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” system for its Charger Daytona EV to recreate the experience of an engine. And BMW’s M Series EV features “cinematic” sounds designed by film composer Hans Zimmer.
Listen designed and tested five tonal and five non-tonal vehicle alert sounds to gauge respondents’ preferences. The results suggested that tonal sounds “are perceived as significantly more alarming and ugly, while non-tonal sounds are perceived as significantly more familiar, pleasant, and likable.” Instead, respondents seemed to prefer more natural sounds with a white noise effect.
This may seem like bad news for car brands looking to create a unique sonic experience, but the report’s authors suggest a compromise of sorts: designing AVAS sounds within a limited spectrum of musical key signatures, which would still give brands some creative leeway while creating a better experience for pedestrians. Another idea is to implement a single AVAS sound for all EVs, similar to how ambulance sirens have a distinct, uniform sound.
Amitai hopes that the findings will encourage automotive sound designers not to rely on AVAS sounds as the best brand opportunity.
“The exterior should really just be…human-centered, environmentally oriented, to make sure that it’s meeting those regulations,” he said. “But done in a way that is mindful of the environment in which they’re going to be heard.”

What should electric vehicles sound like? The growing importance of AVAS for pedestrian safety

The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) introduced a regulation on 1 July 2019 that “all manufacturers must install an acoustic sound system in new types of quiet electric and hybrid electric vehicles to improve road safety.”

The Australian Design Rule (ADR) comes into effect in November 2025 and specifies that AVAS should activate when driving at or under 20km/h or, in the case of hybrids, the internal combustion engine is not being used.

Some manufacturers pre-empted the guidelines and legislation: Toyota launched a version of its Prius with a sound synthesiser in 2010; later the same year, General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Volt featuring the Pedestrian-Friendly Alert System; and the following year, Fisker Automotive produced a sound generator for its then-new Karma luxury hybrid. Hyundai developed its own alert device, the Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS), which was first featured on the Sonata Hybrid released in 2011.

To show that this area of automotive technology is not standing still, earlier this year, Hyundai unveiled a new sound system that features on its IONIQ 5 N. The N Active Sound+ can be used both internally and externally, producing three different engine sounds.

In August, the Stellantis group demonstrated the final version of the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system for its Dodge Charger Daytona electric ‘muscle car’.

Whatever the approach, road vehicles must comply with the rules or legislation in specific territories. Since 2021, EU countries have worked under the law stating that EVs should produce a continuous noise at a level of 56 dBA within two metres of the vehicle if it is travelling at or under 12mph (20km/h).