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| How will disabled drivers access EV chargers? |
The federal government will spend billions of dollars building a nationwide network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers. Will drivers with disabilities be capable of accessing them?
That’s a question with few firm answers.
As a push for infrastructure that supports a shift to EVs accelerates, advocates for disabled people worry their needs beyond the vehicles themselves are barely being recognized at this formative stage.
“It just shows you how fundamental the changes are that need to occur,” said Henry Claypool, technology policy consultant for the American Association of People with Disabilities. “If you have a personal vehicle, how are you going to charge it if you have difficulty getting around the car?”
Claypool’s remarks came during a wide-ranging discussion on transportation and innovation hosted by United Cerebral Palsy this month. (Full disclosure: I moderated the conversation.)
While there’s much concern about ensuring autonomous vehicles are constructed in a way that ensures access for people with disabilities — the U.S. Department of Transportation, for one example, has spearheaded an inclusive design challenge — the obstacles raised by EVs remain underappreciated by comparison.
DOT and U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities, are starting to consider guidance on design now. One potential solution: Companies such as WiTricity provide wireless charging for EVs, and their magnetic resonance technology could improve accessibility by eliminating the need to plug in chargers in the first place.
Chargers aren’t the only concern. Another big challenge is the way vans are retrofitted for wheelchair accessibility. Typically, the entry level is brought close to the ground. But when battery packs are embedded in the floor of vehicles, that might be an impossibility.
There’s a long history of people with disabilities being left behind across public and private transportation. Without prompt solutions, the EV era could be another troublesome chapter in that legacy.
— Pete Bigelow
What you need to know
What happens when things don’t go according to plan aboard autonomous trucks: One of the key remaining engineering hurdles involves safely coaxing 80,000-pound robots to the side of the road.
Could automated vehicles deliver mail? A new partnership between Oshkosh Corp. and Robotic Research explores using AVs on repeatable routes in work trucks.
Foxconn completes Lordstown purchase in EV push: Foxconn, best known as the manufacturer of the Apple iPhone, paid $230 million for Lordstown Motors’ plant in Ohio and is investing $100 million more.
Roundup
Results of a winter testing program conducted by startup Embark Trucks were among several noteworthy developments in the self-driving truck realm this week.
Stellantis CEO: Industry faces battery, raw material shortages amid EV push.
Hyundai launches self-driving tech vision in global campaign.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation issues policy framework on EV battery recycling.
BMW expects new EVs to match internal combustion engine cars on profit.
Brain food
Here’s your stat of the day: McKinsey & Co. partner Eric Hannon says 10,000 chargers need to be added every week — in Europe alone — between now and 2030 to stay on pace with net-zero climate goals.
Last mile
U.S. EV registrations rose 60 percent in the first quarter to 158,689 and took a record 4.6 percent share of the light-vehicle total, according to financial data firm Experian.
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