This major European city is pushing out bikes to make room for cars

Published

11 months ago

February 21, 2024

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male cyclist waiting for passing cars during a foggy autumn day — Photo by George Frewat on Pexels.com

While Paris is expanding bike paths and shunning SUVs, it’s different in Berlin. Here, the car is king, at least for the city’s conservative government, which is unleashing a culture war against cyclists and drivers.

By contrast, German cities Hanover and Tübinger are planning to build more cycling infrastructure, with Hanover considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world with its vast bike lane network and no-car days. And other European cities are considering going the way of Paris by slapping hefty parking fees on SUVs, which are surging in popularity in Europe.

But Berlin’s government says that isn’t the way forward for the German capital: “We have no intention of increasing parking charges for SUVs. More generally, we have no plans to impose new rules on their owners,” said Kai Wegner, the city’s first right-wing governing mayor since 2001.

Putting a fine point on this isn’t, of course, surprising, since for the past year Berlin has been helmed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)’s Wegner. Le Monde writes that one of his campaign slogans was: “Berlin is for everyone, including car drivers.” Another poster read: “Berlin, don’t let the car be banned.”

After the party won the election, Wegner quickly set about undoing all the green transport projects set up by his left-leaning predecessors.

Some of the unraveling involved pulling the brakes on all bike infrastructure projects that “endanger” existing car lanes or parking spaces, writes Politico. The plan to add thousands of miles of cycling lanes was put on hold, as was the plan to pedestrianize the Friedrichstrasse, a roughly 2-mile thoroughfare of high-end shops, restaurants, and the former Checkpoint Charlie border crossing between East and West Berlin. A popular spot for Berliners and tourists alike, it was a natural testing ground for banning cars to make room for people. But some local business owners said they saw a drop in sales after the car ban, and the conservative government was more than eager to shut the project down and let the cars back in.

Part of the CDU’s rhetoric, too, is sounding awfully familiar these days in Europe, that bike networks and pedestrian zones exclude working-class people who need cars to commute to work in the city center each day, so removing parking lanes for bikes or shutting off roads to cars cut into their livelihoods. For Paris, the higher SUV parking fees exempt workers needing to commute, for example.

Still, all this tension, too, has resulted in Berlin cyclists reporting a rise in violence from drivers when out cycling or engaging in pro-bike protests, reports ExBerliner.

Already there are 1.23 million registered cars in Berlin, with each year some 10,000 more cars arriving in Berlin – with the city ranking as Germany’s most polluted city. Most people, however, prefer other forms of transit, with the last government survey from 2018 saying only 23% of daily journeys were made by private vehicle. Among other modes of transport: 27% by public transport, 31% by foot, and 18% by bicycle. Plus more people took to their bikes after the pandemic, with 17% more cyclists on roads now than in 2018.

Another major point of contention is the planned extension of the A100 highway through Berlin, which could see around 30 nightclubs and cultural venues being knocked down to build it – a move that is fiercely opposed by activists who want to protect this part of the city’s cultural heritage and prevent a flood of cars flowing into the city. And what is Berlin without an industrial club? While Berlin’s long-ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) opposed the extension, the CDU sees it differently and has the final word.

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Texans can now join a VPP and get 2 sonnen batteries at no upfront cost

Published

5 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Texans can now join a VPP and get 2 sonnen batteries at no upfront cost

A groundbreaking new Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA) provides Texans with solar panels and two 20 kWh sonnen batteries at no upfront cost.

A new sonnen storage + solar VPP for Texans

SOLRITE Energy, which finances solar and battery storage, and global battery storage manufacturer sonnen today announced the launch of their new VPA in Texas’s ERCOT market. This program offers solar and battery storage for homeowners at an affordable monthly rate, making backup power accessible for many Texans.

Here’s how it works: SOLRITE installs solar panels and sonnen batteries at eligible customer households with no upfront cost. (I’ve asked the sonnen spokesperson what the eligibility criteria are and will update this post when I hear back.) Homeowners then pay a lower-than-average rate for the solar energy they produce each month, saving them money compared to typical electricity rates in Texas.

Texans participating in the SOLRITE program pay a leading rate of 12¢ per kWh for solar energy, significantly lower than the 19-20¢ per kWh rate commonly seen in the state.

The sonnen batteries provide backup power for each home at no charge and enable Texan homeowners to join a larger virtual power plant (VPP) network. The VPP supports the Texas grid, reducing reliance on polluting power plants during times of high demand. SOLRITE and sonnen generate revenue from the energy stored in these batteries, which helps cover the cost of the equipment, and that’s what allows homeowners to use the battery systems at no cost.

Each day, the sonnen batteries in the VPP help balance the Texas grid by directing power where it’s needed most and when it’s most valuable. This reduces energy costs for everyone, whether they’re in the VPP or not, and strengthens the grid’s efficiency and resilience.

The VPP also differs from traditional solar buyback programs that send extra energy to the grid whenever it’s sunny. Instead, the sonnen battery network strategically controls when and how energy is shared with the ERCOT grid, making solar energy a more reliable power source.

Since September 2024, SOLRITE says it’s already committed over 40 megawatt-hours of residential battery power to the Texas market through this program, working with solar installers statewide.

Blake Richetta, chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA said:

The bold and inventive SOLRITE introduction in the Texas market represents the most successful early-stage launch of the sonnenConnect VPP in the world.

sonnen is proud to dispatch authentic VPPs across the United States and Australia, as well as the largest behind-the-meter residential battery based VPP in the European Union – with nerve centers in Germany, Italy and Belgium, amongst other countries.

And in all of these markets, we have never seen anything like the SOLRITE Texas launch. We are so proud of the SOLRITE invention, and we are passionate to build a SOLRITE-Future for Texas.

Electrek’s Take

I belong to a virtual power plant in Vermont and have two Tesla Powerwalls, and I love being part of this program. I lease my Powerwalls for $55 a month and had to pay a couple thousand dollars to have them installed, so what sonnen and SOLRITE are offering to Texans is a really good deal.

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As Biden heads out, $43.7M goes to 25 EV charging accelerator projects

Published

7 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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As Biden heads out, .7M goes to 25 EV charging accelerator projects

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s Communities Taking Charge Accelerator has awarded $43.7 million to 25 innovative EV charging projects across the US.

The Communities Taking Charge Accelerator was launched on April 16, 2024, and the funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The three main goals of the funding are to expand access to electrified mobility options for folks who don’t have access to home charging, accelerate opportunities for fleet electrification, and improve and advance managed charging systems to mitigate impacts and optimize usage of the grid.

On January 15, 25 project awardees were announced that impact 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Challenges that the projects will address include:

Solving for no-home charging. Not everyone has a driveway or garage to charge their EVs, e-bikes, or scooters. Projects are testing creative solutions like curbside chargers, multifamily charging setups, and shared community micromobility hubs. They also look at everything from rate design to building multimodal charging hubs, making it easier for people in apartments or urban areas to power up.

In this project, for example, Voltpost will install lamppost EV chargers in San Francisco using existing infrastructure.

Electrifying fleets for people and goods. Think of shared rides, carpool services, and last-mile delivery trucks. Electrifying these types of light- and medium-duty fleets could have a huge impact on reducing emissions. These projects aim to figure out how to charge fleets more efficiently, whether they’re transporting people or goods. It’s all about improving community access to clean transportation options while keeping operations smooth for fleet operators.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s project allows Metro Bike Share to increase access to electric bikes by implementing electrified stations with in-dock charging.

Managed charging for clean reliable energy. Managed charging is about coordinating when and how EVs charge to avoid grid strain and use renewable energy whenever possible. Projects in this area are working on open-source tools and standards to make managed charging tech accessible and easy to integrate into today’s energy systems.

The University of Alabama is running a project to develop and implement an end-to-end multi-stakeholder EV charging management framework to enhance grid reliability.

Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office, said, “This investment aims to expand transportation and energy infrastructure to meet the current and anticipated demands – from how people charge and use shared vehicle fleets including e-bikes around transit hubs to a new model for more affordable multifamily housing charging – advancing a more holistic energy and transportation ecosystem.”

Electrek’s Take

The Biden administration has been rapidly doling out funds to clean energy and EV projects, and it’s great to see the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator funds reach its recipients at the 11th hour. There are some great projects, which you can check out here.

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Tesla says a new way to clean cameras are coming

Published

8 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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Tesla says a new way to clean cameras are coming

Tesla announced on X that it is working on a new way to keep the cameras clean on the Cybertruck.

Hopefully, it will make its way to other Tesla vehicles because it is a common problem with the performance of its advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).

When driving using Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite of driver-assist features, you will often get an alert that the system might not work properly because “one or more cameras are obstructed” due to dirt or snow coming off the road and into the lenses.

For Cybertruck, that’s an even problem because the rear-view camera is the only way to look behind the vehicle when the tonneau cover is up.

It led to some owners complaining that they need to remember to clean the camera at the back of the truck almost every time they use it, especially in the winter.

Tesla responded to some of those comments through its ‘Tesla AI’ account on X. One owner specifically asked if Tesla is planning a solution for when it achieves “unsupervised self-driving” because it then can’t expect someone to always be able to clean the cameras and Tesla responded:

On a more serious note, a more comprehensive cleaning solution is being worked on.

Tesla didn’t elaborate on the solution or when it would be available.

Back in 2019, we reported on Tesla applying for a patent on technology “to use laser beams to clean debris off its cars automatically.” It mused that it could be used to clean cameras, but nothing came out of the patent application.

Tesla says that it plans to achieve unsupervised self-driving capability in California and Texas around Q2 2025, but the latest data makes this sound extremely unlikely, to say the least.

Electrek’s Take

I doubt that it will be lasers, though it would be cool, but there’s undoubtedly a need for a solution.

In my own experience with FSD in the Quebec winter, I get alerts of obstructed cameras literally every other drive.

Tesla has already implemented heaters, which help some, but other than the front-facing cameras, which benefit from the windshield wipers, there’s a need for more.

What’s interesting here is Tesla basically admits that for unsupervised self-driving, which was part of the question it answered, it needs to add extra hardware to make it work.

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