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The Future Of Cars

Pixabay
A Tesla charging.

From self-driving cars to all-electric Teslas, Silicon Valley is imagining an automobile beyond the internal combustion engine and steering wheel we all grew up with. Meanwhile, app-based companies like Uber and Lyft are radically shifting the way we interact with cars.

How should government -- at the federal, state, and local level -- respond to and regulate these technological developments?

Stamford is hoping to be one of Connecticut’s first testing grounds for autonomous technology. We hear from the member of Connecticut’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force -- should we be concerned about driverless cars roaming our streets?

Meanwhile, New York City is putting on the brakes on ridesharing services like Tesla and Uber with a city council vote to cap the number of vehicles.

And companies like Tesla are investing heavily in the electric car industry. But will the Trump administration’s rollback of emissions regulations slow a shift away from gas-powered vehicles?

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

GUESTS:

  • Laura Bliss - Staff writer at Citylab where she covers transportation, infrastructure, and the environment (@mslaurabliss)
  • Jackie Lightfield - Member of Connecticut’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, and Executive Director of the Stamford Partnership (@turfgrrl)
  • Sam Ori - Executive Director of the Energy Policy Institute and the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago (@samori8)

READING LIST: 

Citylab: New York City Just Changed the Uber Game(Laura Bliss, August 2018) – “In a much-anticipated vote Wednesday afternoon, the New York City Council moved to impose a slate of new regulations on ride-hailing services. If Mayor Bill de Blasio signs off on the new legislation, which he is likely to do, New York would be the first city in the U.S. to cap the number of Uber and Lyft vehicles, as well as establish a minimum wage for drivers. It would also impose a new license requirement with more robust data-sharing requirements for the fiercely proprietary companies.”

Hartford Courant: Connecticut Pilot Program May Bring Self-Driving Cars To Your Town (April 2018) - “The state has launched a pilot program to test fully autonomous vehicles, an initiative lawmakers created last year to bring Connecticut to the forefront of the self-driving car industry. Up to four interested towns and cities will be selected to participate by allowing manufacturers to test fully self-driven cars on their roadways, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Tuesday.”

New York Times: California Strikes Back Against the Trump Administration’s Auto Pollution Rollback(August 2018) – “The clash between California and Washington threatens to throw the United States auto market into disarray. Because California has the authority under the Clean Air Act to set its own air pollution rules, and because a dozen other states follow its lead, the dispute could effectively split the nation’s market into two, one side adhering to stringent emissions rules set in Sacramento and the other to weaker federal standards.”

Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originall aired on August 17, 2018.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Carmen Baskauf was a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show Where We Live, hosted by Lucy Nalpathanchil from 2017-2021. She has also contributed to The Colin McEnroe Show.

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