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in brief EVs at COP26 hampered by lack of charging points Electric vehicles (EVs) at COP26 could be powered by external combustion generators due to a lack of available charging points, according to AFC Energy. The company has said that the UK has missed an opportunity to showcase our climate credentials to the global community. The UK is projected to have over 23 million EVs by 2030; amounting to the equivalent electricity usage of powering every UK household for two months. However, AFC has warned that insufficient investment in appropriate EV infrastructure could lead to power shortages across the grid and continue to exacerbate the UK’s reliance on polluting generators. New project will raise investment to install 280 EV charge points EZ-Charge is raising finance to install 280 electric vehicle (EV) charging points in public car parks across Oxfordshire. The money will be used to: • Develop the Oxfordshire Park & Charge project in local authority car parks, facilitating over 2,800 EVs from year 1. • Accelerate the adoption of EVs • Share their expertise and technology • Continue to develop state of the art charging technology, creating jobs and economic benefits for Oxfordshire. Infrastructure works will begin on November 1st 2021 with all charge points live by the end of February 2022. New software will improve the energy efficiency of EVs Thanks to £400,000 worth of funding from Innovate UK, Hypermile and Spark EV technology will develop their Co-pilot software solution. The software uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to assess when it is best suited for the vehicle to coast – using no energy – and when to maximise the percentage of breaking. The software will also use Spark EV’s range prediction technology to analyse real-world variables such as traffic, weather and driver behaviour to provide accurate data on how far the vehicle can travel before needing to be recharged. 6
Leeds outlines plans for a future where you ‘don’t need a car’ Following on from £380m worth of infrastructure improvements, Leeds City Council has set out further plans to transform transport over the next 10 years.
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he aim of the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy is to create a city where you don’t need a car, and where everyone has access to affordable, low carbon and healthy transport choices. The new plans involve: • Reducing CO2 emissions from transport by 43% by 2030 • Reducing car mileage by 30% and increasing bus usage by 130% • Completing the first phase of investment in public transport • Understanding how travel patterns have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic • Reviewing policies on road space reallocation • Working alongside the Mayor and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to secure more government funding • Continuing with travel
behaviour initiatives The majority of public consultation responses endorsed the approach, from over 1,700 responses, 70% agreed with the levels of ambition and vision. The feedback also found that more needs to be done to reduce transport carbon emissions, but promisingly 58% of replies said they are willing to change to a lower carbon mode. Leeds City Council Leader Cllr James Lewis, said: ‘This
transport strategy will enable Leeds to retain its role as a local, regional, and national transport hub and prepare the city for the arrival of high-speed rail. ‘We will continue to work and support the newly elected Mayor, alongside our joint efforts to transform the bus network. Maximising the transport investment, our approach will ensure benefits are distributed across the city and wider city region.
Living near an oil or gas well increases air pollution exposure Researchers at Stanford University analysed local air quality measurements at 38,000 wells that were being drilled and 90,000 wells in production between 2006 and 2019.
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hey found that all of the wells were emitting toxic levels of particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, ozone and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When a new well is being
drilled, PM2.5 increases by 2ug/ m3 about a mile away from the site. The research also revealed that ozone was present up to 2.5 miles from the wells. With at least two million Californians living within one
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mile of an active oil or gas well, the researchers have highlighted that this is a serious cause for concern. Senior study author Marshall Burke said: ‘It’s really hard to show air quality impacts of an activity like oil and gas production at a population scale, but that’s the scale we need to be able to infer health impacts. ‘While it’s not necessarily surprising that drilling and operating oil and gas wells emit air pollutants, knowing the magnitude of the effect improves our broader understanding of who is exposed to what and how to intervene to improve health outcomes.’
